It has been another jaunty year for theatre – in the capital, at least. Yet while London thrives, it is a different story altogether for regional venues, starved too often of cash and support. I say this every year but it is a fundamental fact that merits repeating: the UK’s theatre sector, the envy of the world, is an ecosystem that requires all elements to be in good health, not just those with the highest visibility factor, reports BritPanorama.
In the West End, two critically lauded musicals have dominated headlines – and both Evita and Paddington make it into my top 10. Jamie Lloyd, the director of this ravishing Evita rethink, actually snaffles two of the slots, as does Irish playwright/director Conor McPherson, despite the disappointment of his much-anticipated stage adaptation of The Hunger Games.
It has been heartening to watch the august Royal Shakespeare Company grow in confidence and stature under co-artistic directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey; the RSC also hops into my highlights honours this year. Rupert Goold is coming to the end of his golden decade at the Almeida and it will be thrilling to watch what he does in his new home at the Old Vic.
The Donmar Warehouse under Tim Sheader has once again proved itself a tiny powerhouse for both plays and musicals, and Justin Audibert and Nikolai Foster continue their impressive tenures at, respectively, Chichester Festival Theatre and Curve, Leicester.
Here are my top 10 plays of the year:
10. Much Ado About Nothing, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
My favourite pair of characters in all of Shakespeare is Beatrice and Benedick, those waspishly witty would-be wooers of Much Ado. Such verbal dynamism requires – but too often doesn’t receive – actors of the highest calibre, so what a treat it was to watch Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell fling sparky insults at each other in Jamie Lloyd’s club-set production.
This duo danced with abandon, drew the audience into a sense of complicity and had such fun that the show’s less successful elements could be overlooked. Hiddleston is such a warm, open and intelligent performer that we could not help but to root for Benedick to stop mucking about and to declare his love properly.
9. The Constant Wife, RSC Swan Theatre
The RSC’s co-artistic director Tamara Harvey and playwright Laura Wade, best known for her television work on Rivals, have collaborated fruitfully in the past and they teamed up again for this perky re-imagining of a now overlooked 1926 Somerset Maugham drama.
Game of Thrones star Rose Leslie played the titular spouse, whose discovery that her husband was having an affair did not elicit the expected response. There was an overall sensation of arch glitter covering deep profundity, in the style of Noel Coward. A sumptuous set and costumes made this a visual feast too. No wonder it is being revived for a tour, now starring Kara Tointon, next year.
8. Every Brilliant Thing, @sohoplace
