112 - the best of 2017
- Jan 1, 2018
- 6 min read
Me and my loyal companion i met at the tail end of this year. Sadly he didn't join me for any theatre this year...so has nothing to do with this...but maybe he helped get your attention.
“What do you do in your spare time?” asked one of my new co-workers when I started my new job halfway through this year.
“I read, go walking woith llamas, play badminton…actually I enjoy going to the theatre”.
“Oh really? Do you go a lot?”
“Yes, fairly frequently,” I replied.
Indeed, my target for this year was to go to 100 shows. I stress not every show would have to be your classical theatre. My general rules are: 1) it has to be live, so films do not count; 2) it is primarily for entertainment and not for other purposes like knowledge, so a lecture would not count; and 3) it’s not a sport, which I class in a different category of entertainment. But any musical performance, comedy show, or play I went to in the past year contributed to my total. When I totted up my total, starting with ‘Once in a Lifetime’ at the Young Vic on the 2nd of January (an unimpressive opener), and ending with ‘Wilde Creatures’ at the Vaudeville Theatre on the 31st of December (a delightful conclusion), I was delighted to find I had accomplished and indeed exceeded my goal. I attended 118 performances. But a few had been so good I had to go again, so in the end it was 112 unique live shows. Not a bad final total (I neither aim nor expect to match this in 2018 as new challenges await).
Sadly I only started writing reviews in the second half of this year, and even then I didn’t review every show as I just didn’t have time, but I thought I would give you a top 16 in no particular order of preference (well, I’m actually going to put them in chronological order of when I saw them). Why 16? Well I was going to do top 10 but there were 16 that truly stood out. So now the sumptuous 16 of this year…
Potted Panto
My theatre year really got off to a roaring start with this. The seven most famous pantomimes all mashed together into one hilarious show. It was utterly gripping and hilarious. A two man show of wit and charm for literally everyone. Better than any individual pantomime I have ever seen (and I’ve been to a fair few). If it ever comes up again you really must go and take your whole family.
Trumpets and Raspberries
A ludicrous show featuring the most powerful man in Italy, a lothario mechanic from his factory, a wife, a girlfriend, doctors, police, and the secret service. This farce had chases, memory loss, switched identity, ill-advised plastic surgery, and series of unfortunate but side-splitting events. Perfect comic timing ensured this made this list.
Lizzie
Lizzie Borden took an axe,
Gave her mother 40 whacks,
When she found what she had done,
Gave her father 41.
In the style of the Rocky Horror Picture Show this musical had it all. Rock and roll music, a fiendish plot, awesome costume changes, and the whole front of the audience being given waterproof ponchos to protect them from dismembered guts of melons being sprayed out at them from the stage. Not for those with a weak stomach but the tempo of this show was just through the roof.
The Sorrows of Satan
Some shows are just so good you must go again and bring your family, and that is exactly what I did. A young playwright selling his soul to the devil with a riot of witty musical songs and an exceptionally skilled pianist. I would go a third time if it was still playing.
Room (the musical)
Anyone remember that heart-breaking film Room that was one of the more emotionally intense movies of a year ago? Well, here is the musical version. “Err…what…” I hear you say, “that doesn’t sound like it’s in very good taste”. I was of the same opinion, but I had been to the Theatre Royal Stratford East enough to know they normally put on a good performance and so was willing to give it a chance. It was utterly heart-breaking, better then the film, just so emotionally charged.
Out There on Fried Meat Ridge Road
This I went to on a complete whim, I got a ticket and found myself front and centre in a tight little studio theatre. American hillbillies in a rundown motel room eating tuna fish sandwiches and drinking spirits whilst also chatting about going to a Noam Chomsky Retrospective. It’s adorable, ridiculous, and so funny. There is also some splendid dancing and a wonderful twist.
Love in Idleness
Starring Anthony Head, an actor whom I have greatly admired in the past for his role in Merlin and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this play was a real treat. Set during the war, it was sweet, funny, and sad at the same time. You see various relationships unfold as Eve Best stars as a woman emotionally trapped between the man she loves and her son. A beautifully done play which had a touch of Machiavellian cunning thrown in.
Shitfaced Shakespeare
Another show I went to on repeat because I felt the need to introduce this to numerous friends. A full review is below. Safe to say it is a laugh a minute, a drunken mess which keeps the audience enthralled. Shakespeare would be proud of it.
The Wind in the Willows
This musical enraptured me so much I had to go back. As a big fan of the book as a child I was delighted by how true the story on stage matched that of the book. ‘The Open Road’ and ‘We’re Taking Over the Hall’ still go around in my head every so often six months after seeing the show, and the image of the adorable hedgehogs singing a road safety song is immortalised forever in my head. Plus it had the best singing courtroom scene I can recall.
Apologia
A tremendously moving play about a mother and her rather fragmented relationship with her sons and their partners. The whole play is a gripping little tale of domestic life and the pain of being estranged from one’s family. It was a great performance from Stockard Channing. The further addition of comic elements and the dry wit of Desmond Barrit made this play a real gem.
Hamlet
The best Hamlet I have ever seen in my life. My review says it all (indeed goes on a bit too long perhaps…)
Ink
I am not ranking these but this was probably the best show I saw all year. Enthralling from beginning to end.
Katsuro Sunshine
The greatest theatre is supposed to be inspiring. Well, this one made me want to quit my job and go study the art of humorous storytelling in Japan. It opened an art form to me that I had never encountered before, and if I had any abilities in learning languages I would be in Japan right now mastering this craft. For now I will have to settle for enjoying Rakugo whenever I get a chance.
The Lorax
I don’t cry, I never cry! But during this play I was in tears. It was supposed to be a children’s show and I was bawling my eyes out! The saddest play I have ever seen, it was utterly beautiful. Okay, I’m tearing up – just read the review if you want to know more.
The Labour of Love
I am fascinated by politics and I love theatre so the combination of the two always bodes well. A walk down memory lane as we examined 27 years of elections, it was an interesting and funny political play. It was not as good as Ink, James Graham’s other play which makes this list. Ink was just more universal, but this was still a pretty outstanding history lesson in the Labour Party and contemporary politics, not to mention a lovely relationship story.
A Christmas Carol
A very old story, but portrayed during the 1940s in a radio studio with a secondary plot to give it a totally different feel. The production included a criminal investigation and nefarious plotting to win the leading role. The setting in a glorious spiegeltent in the centre of Leicester Square added a tremendous atmosphere to the proceedings. It was the perfect warm-up for Christmas.
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