Box of Delights (Wiltons)
Matilda (Cambridge)
Edward II (Globe)
Pirates of Penzance (wiltons)
Richard II (Globe)
Romeo and Juliet (Globe)
Macbeth (Watermill)
All my Sons (Old vic)
Swan Lake (Bourne)
Small Island (NT)
Death of a Salesman (Young Vic)
Emilia (Vaudeville)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bridge)
As You Like It (Rain or Shine)
Merry Wives of Windsor (Globe)
Present Laughter (Old Vic)
Peter Gynt (NT) *endless screaming* *left at 2nd interval*
The End of History (Royal Court)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bridge)
Henry IV part 1 (Globe)
Henry IV part 2 (Globe)
Henry V (Globe)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Regents Park)
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (globe)
As You Like It (globe)
Romeo and Juliet (Bourne)
Tree (Young Vic)
Dada Masilo’s Giselle (Sadler’s Wells)
Lungs (Old Vic)
The Antipodes (NT)
The Wind in the Willows (Rain or Shine)
Fairview (Young Vic)
Teenage Dick (Donmar)
Best… however many? Which, er are 99% Shakespeare?
Richard II at the Globe was glorious and golden with a way of bringing out the words and just damn good acting. All female, all WoC, with an emphasis on them all wearing the clothes of their ancestors and changing depending on class of character. And one of those endings of ‘fuuuuuck’ as the entire stage became the English flag as a banner of red fell from the ceiling in a bang.
Swan Lake (Bourne) – My happy place of swans and insecure princes falling in love with each other and gauche royal girlfriends who get more adorable with each production. Always cheer the corgi.
Small Island (NT) music and fabulous use of a giant stage to show off the tiny horrible minutiae of racism in England and dreams and love not being what you think and using people to get away.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Bridge) WE WILL BE GAY AND WE WILL DANCE TO BEYONCÉ AND BE BITCHY AND BE MORE GAY THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY THINK. We’re going to swap Titania and Oberon so he can fall in love with Bottom but the problem is Bottom’s only really interested in a one night stand. And the lovers are very bisexual and Puck is bitchy and Mancunian and the fairies are on silks and Gwendolyn Christie will
be glorious and regal and the competition for the acting job will go full X-Factor while the previously tyrannical Theseus falls totally in love with theatre and the mechanicals’ll nick your phone and take a selfie and we’re going to cover the groundlings in a giant rainbow flag and send out a giant inflatable moon for us to bounce around while we dance to Beyoncé.
Present Laughter (Old Vic) Andrew Scott is being world weary, full-on channelling Noel Coward and going full drama queen. Indira Varma is here to deliver fabulous put-downs whilst wearing amazing outfits. We’ve also gone very bisexual. Bonus slutty tux wearing Enzo Cilenti.
Henry IV and V (Globe) all day Henries! By the time Henry V came round the groundlings and actors had gone a wee bit loopy so they and we were giggling at every other line in the prologue. Henry IVs – Falstaff! Falstaff that nicked anyone within reach’s beer and cider (and yes, was drinking it!). Changing clothes onstage so you had some beautiful, strangely affecting moments where Henry IV changed into or out of Doll Tearsheet – a speech would become Henry psyching himself up as he removed his makeup, with scenes overlapping. All the genderblind, Sarah Amankwah as Harry not as psycho as some Harrys (looking at you, Jude Law) and not as inspiring as others (of course I’m bloody talking about Jamie Parker) but resolute and forthright and driven. Henry V was not quite as impressive in my memory but I did get bonus handful of chewed up leek.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Globe) – all carnival, all fun. Half the reason Demetrius dumped Helena is because she’s so aggressive – he’s actually scared of her. Lysander croons soul music constantly. Oberon’s an old queen and Bottom truly loves herself, and we totally understand why Quince desperately wants to throttle her. Totally justified. This production goes full audience participation, getting a member of the audience to play one of the rude mechanicals along with the usual Globe party and groundlings. This production has the unique selling point that *everyone* is Puck – all the cast plays them at some point in a t-shirt with ‘Puck’ spray-painted on it and a pair of deely boppers – with them often only doing half a scene and another taking over. Which came to its awesome fruition of them all blowdarting the others to get to do the next line of Puck’s final speech. (blowdarts established as Oberon’s way of sending people to sleep) Plus Hippolyta runs off with Bottom.
As You Like It (Globe) Return of last year’s production, complete with genderswapped and genderqueer Orlando (Bettrys Jones) and Rosalind (Jack Laskey) and deaf Celia (Nadia Nadarajah) and Jacques (Sophie Stone), more genderblind casting for the others, more genderqueer, more signing, the Duke’s now at least partially deaf and hiding it, and James Garnon’s playing Touchstone and I may possibly be in seventh heaven. He signs almost constantly out of reflex from years of being around Celia, and will get into gesture fights with bearded members of the audience in the gallery, as well as being really quite possessive and attached to Audrey after a while. With added bonus of military helicopters going over just as Celia and Rosalind are discussing how the court’s getting more hostile and Rosalind gesturing ‘see?’. Sophie Stone as Jacques is possibly the most sad (and mournful) Jacques I’ve seen, her deafness closing her off from society and being hurt by it as the court hurt her carelessly with thoughtlessness (she only signs when she knows someone)
Teenage Dick (Donmar) I was really regretting booking this. Richard III rewritten for American high school where Richard is running for school council? US High School politics and world has been done to death, for fucks sake, and it’s so screwed up and alien it’s ridiculous. However. This is hysterical, Richard weaponises his disability (hemoplegia in this case), it’s constrated with Buck’s experience of being in a wheelchair where she’s quite happy with her lot – pointing out the difference in lived experiences – Susie Wokoma as the teacher who’s desperate not to give offence but constantly putting her foot in it. Anne’s role is greatly expanded and she’s given her own story and wants separate from politics, with a quite brilliant dance sequence with Richard. Biggest bonus points, however, are how Richard has a habit of dropping into Shakespearean and everyone thinks he’s a weirdo for it. Speeches to the audience? Buck: ‘He’s gone again.’
‘Fuck off, keep fucking off, and fuck off again, you’re boring and tiresome and self-involved and why the fuck should I care about you?’ Award:
Peter Gynt (NT) reworked Peer Gynt. Oh god it’s Ibsen. Why did I book this. WHY. Peer Gynt is now Scots, makes up stories that all come from old films, everyone knows it. there’s random musical scenes that Do. Not. Work. The trolls are full on Bullingdon Club in pig masks, WE GET IT, the love interest he left behind wants more than this provincial life, random shagging, and second act he gets rich, goes full Trump, there’s rich people conferences in the desert and fake cults and OH DO FUCK OFF YOU’RE TIRED AND HEAVYHANDED AND NONE OF THIS IS INSIGHTFUL. This gets the award of only the second play I’ve left at the second interval.
burntcopper 