75 replies to this topic

[theatreliker]

Cat123 wow that's dedication.
My theatre review of 2012 can be seen on my blog now. I think the link's on my profile page.

[Lynette]

Just wanna add The Orphan of Zhao. A highlight both because it is a fine production and because Greg Doran has put down a marker for quality.

[David J]

Lynette, on 29 December 2012 - 11:26 PM, said:

Just wanna add The Orphan of Zhao. A highlight both because it is a fine production and because Greg Doran has put down a marker for quality.

I second that. Well acted, thought provoking and emotional by the end.

Gregory Doran does seem to work well with actors. I was listening to the documentary on the Julius Caesar DVD and it seems he tells each actor why he chose them to play the role and giving them the confidence to go away and explore their characters themselves.

[Kathryn2]

I know I'm a lightweight compared to many of you guys - I managed just 42 theatre trips this year (which, nevertheless, is a record for me).

Highlights
Matilda
Noises Off
Richard II (Donmar)
Misterman (NT)
Henry V (Theatre Delicatessan)
Jesus Christ Superstar (in New York)
Twelfth Night (Globe)
Richard III (Globe at the Apollo)
American Idiot
Damned by Despair*

Dissapointments
Big and Small
A Midsummer Night's Dream (Middle Temple Hall)
Porgy and Bess** (in New York)
London Road
Privates on Parade

*Goes under highlights, because the dire production fell into 'so bad it's good' territory for me, and I had so much fun talking about it with people afterwards!
**Not a bad production at all, it just didn't connect with me.

[cat123]

Oh, I meant to put London Road in my Highlights. So glad I saw it, thought it was very clever if a bit strange.

[Steve10086]

Saw much less theatre this year as time (and funds!) were diverted to the Olympics. The London 2012 ceremonies will probably be the biggest 'shows' I'll ever see in my life, so I'm including them in my annual theatre rundown:

Highlights:
Isles of Wonder (Olympic Opening Ceremony)
A Symphony of British Music (Olympic Closing Ceremony)
Legally Blonde (Wales Millennium Centre)
Our House (10th Anniversary Concert)

The best:
Sister Act (UK Tour)
Ghost
The Phantom of the Opera (Bristol/Cardiff)
Ragtime (x2)
The Mystery of Edwin Drood (x2)

The worst:
What the Butler Saw (two hours of Omid Djalili thinking 'shouting' equals 'acting'!)
Jesus Christ Superstar (O2 Arena) (only 'worst' because it should have been great… but wasn't)

The rest:
Abigail's Party
Absent Friends
Chariots of Fire
Daddy Long Legs
Dreamboats and Petticoats
Enlightenment (Paralympic Opening Ceremony)
Festival of the Flame (Paralympic Closing Ceremony)
Hay Fever
Legally Blonde (West End)
Loserville
Starlight Express
Wicked

[chip]

Highlights

Three Kingdoms
Three Sisters
‘Tis Pity She’s A Whore

Bubbling Under
A Doll’s House
The Effect
A Farewell To The Theatre
Gross Und Klein
I Malvolio
Love And Information
Love Love Love
The Master And Margarita
A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Filter/Lyric Hammersmith)
One Day When We Were Young
The Shawl
The Trojan Women
+ These Associations (Tate Modern Turbine Hall)

Oh Dear
Damned By Despair
Hero
Ignorance
The Kingdom
The Prophet
Utopia

(out of 102 plays seen)

[Stevemar]

I haven't posted for ages, but this thread has brought me back for (hopefully not a) one off post. 2012 hasn't been a classic year in terms of standouts such as Frankenstein, Ecstacy and Anna Christie, but still good.

Best (favourite first)

1 The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night Time (National Cottesloe) - thrilling, well acted and staged. Luke Treadaway probably the performance of the year.

2 The Effect (National Cottesloe) - despite being overlong, constantly engaging and great performances from all four actors, but particularly Jonjo O'Neill and Billie Piper. Shows that Rupert Goold doesn't have to do "flashy" all the time

3 Merrily We Roll Along (Menier) - the Menier back on form and a great show, even if it is one for the Sondheimites.

4 Twelfth Night (Globe) - a lesson in how Mark Rylance and his company eked every line of humour possible from a play and actually make Shakespeare funny with faithful performances.

5 Sweeney Todd (Adelphi) - gruelsome, funny and Imelda Staunton was so darkly comic, she deserves at least some awards.

6 Collaborators (National Cottesloe and Olivier) - Simon Russell Beale and Alex Jennings lived up to expectations, and a sharp, inventive script, well staged (in both theatres).

7 Richard II (Donmar) - exquisite production - although Eddie Redmayne was good, not quite as excellent as he can be. A fitting end to the magnificant Grandage era at the Donmar

8 A Midsummer's Nights Dream (Regent's Park) - ridiculously over the top and transformed into a loud Gypsy wedding, but a rare evening of summer sunshine helped this shine.

Could do better..

Filumena (Almeida) - what happened with the weird cockney accents for Italians. Laughable and not in a good way

Donmar - despite some good plays (The Recruiting Officer and Philadephia Here I Come!), the buzz seems to have gone for me, with the Physicists and Making Noise Quietly both a bit disppointing. Maybe I am superficial and go for the star names...

National - The Last of the Haussmans and People fell short in their writing, whereas the Cottesloe provided the year's two highlights.

Other so-so plays were The Wizard of Oz (pedestrian despite many of the elements being there), The Changeling and Three Sisters (both Young Vic) - a bit too radically different.

The worst play of the year for me though was..Berenice (Donmar) despite Anne Marie Duff who never gives a duff performance ..dull, dull, dull play.

Not theatre, but Tosca (ENO) and Swan Lake (Royal Opera House) would probably rate near the top, which was a surprise as they were my first opera and ballet I've attended here.

Similarly, although not as good at the Opening Ceremony, attending the Olympics Closing Ceremony and the feel-good factor was probably the highlight of the year. In a way, I suspect the Olympics is one reason why theatre in 2012 was slightly put in the shade.
　

[Front Row Dress]

I'm not going to dwell on the lows, but as for the highs, I went the whole hog and did my own awards (the Fredas) announced this morning, as follows:

Best New Musical – Soho Cinders by George Stiles, Anthony Drewe and Elliot Davis, directed by Jonathan Butterell at Soho Theatre

Best Revival of a Musical – Mack & Mabel by Jerry Herman and Michael Stewart, directed by Thom Sutherland at Southwark Playhouse

Best New Play – In Basildon by David Eldridge, directed by Dominic Cooke at the Royal Court Theatre

Best Revival of a Play – Vieux Carré by Tennessee Williams, directed by Robert Chevera at the Kings Head Theatre

Best Regional Production – Gypsy by Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents directed by Paul Kerryson at Leicester Curve

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical – Paul Baker for Taboo at Brixton Club House

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical – Imelda Staunton for Sweeney Todd at the Adelphi Theatre

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play – Mark Rylance for Twelfth Night at Apollo Theatre

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play – Sophie Thompson for She Stoops To Conquer at the National Theatre

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Steven Webb for The Thing About Men at the Landor Theatre

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Suzie Chard for Soho Cinders at Soho Theatre

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Play – Johhny Flynn for The Ruffian On The Stair at the Criterion Theatre

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Play – Johnnie Fiori for The Sunshine Boys at the Savoy Theatre

Best Newcomer – Louis Maskell for The Fix at the Union Theatre

Best Direction – Mitch Sebastian for Pippin at the Menier Chocolate Factory

Best Choreography – Robbie O’Reilly for Curtains at the Landor Theatre

Best Set Design – Anthony Ward for Carousel Opera North at the Barbican Theatre

Best Costume Design – Laura Hopkins for A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Best Lighting Design – Jon Winn for Call Me Madam at the Union Theatre

Theatrical Event of the Year – Taboo at Brixton Club House

I topped and tailed it with a bit of nonsense on the blog http://www.frontrowd...wards-2013.html

Happy New Year!

[Lynette]

Brill, love that you have put photos as we can remind ourselves of the person in situ as it were. Well done. I am v impressed. If Judi can't make it, I'm free.