Theatre End of Year Review

This is the 2nd part of my reviews of theatre trips in 2022. A bit late admittedly but that is not going to stop me.

In total I’ve attended 29 shows in 12 months. A record year. That is more than a show every fortnight. Borderline addiction.

Rankings of shows from June onwards

I’ll do the full run down at the end of the blog post but here are the top shows in the second half of the year.

14) Marvellous @sohoplace

This was about Neil Baldwin who is apparently quite famous. He was even in the audience, I believe for every single show. It brings me no joy to say the show was pants. I mainly went as this was a brand new theatre and I love visiting new theatres. The show is a mix of slapstick and seriousness that just didn’t hit as I think it intended too. Lots of other people loved it. I sat at the front, even one of the actors made a quip at me during the show but couldn’t save it. Very nice theatre though.

Joint 12) South Pacific Sadler’s Wells

Nice venue I’d not been to before. Must have been one of the oldest crowd’s I’d been to. Bloke next to me was coughing a lot with no mask that irked me. Otherwise, the show was fine. Nothing amazing but solid.

Joint 12) The Crucible National Theatre

Very packed show this. Sparse staging but perhaps a bit too bleak. Reading the actual play was more enjoyable than the show itself. I am pretty sure I saw the odd actor slip and fall on the wet stage too so fingers crossed everyone got out safe.

Joint 10) The Glass Menagerie At Duke of York’s Theatre

Amy Adams is probably the most famous actor I saw this year. I was reminded of the song ‘Gentleman Caller’ from this play. Which is an absolute banger.

The show itself was again, just ok. A solid 7/10 (well I actually scored it 7.6/10 so maybe I’ve undersold it). Everything was done well but didn’t blow me away.

Joint 10) Eureka Day Old Vic

From memory I seem to remember this being quite funny. It’s basically a commentary on culture wars via the medium of a school board. There was a scene played up in a WhatsApp group chat that was maybe the funniest scene in all of the year. Everyone was guffawing. That was a very big highlight. Perhaps could have been a tiny bit higher up in the rankings.

Joint 8) Sister Act Eventim Apollo

I got this ticket via a friend. Think it was a massive sell out with people expecting Whoopi Goldberg but getting the stand-ins. Regardless it was great fun. I have a bit of an issue crying at gospel music so I had tears but that is my achilles heel. Some poor lady also had a huge accident as I was leaving, blood everywhere. Starting to feel I might be a curse as I write this for people slipping over.

Joint 8) Jerusalem Apollo Theatre

Mark Rylance and Mackenzie Crook appear in this. Giving Amy Adams some competition. Was very heavily hyped so was expecting a lot and it was close to very good but not quite. Had not realised it was across 3 acts. The set was adorned very nicely and the story funny and sad.

7) Secret Cinema: Guardians of the Galaxy Secret Location in Wembley

I quite enjoyed this. I had never been to a secret cinema event and it was very fun. I had a good wander, chatted to people and the little scenes/story was good entertainment. I can see why people get all dressed up and into these events.

Joint 5) The Band’s Visit Donmar Warehouse

When an Egyptian orchestra accidentally tips up in a sleepy Israeli backwater, lives are changed in the quietest of ways

Firstly, the lady next to me was absolutely buzzing on this. She was loving every second. Secondly, it was cute & finally it was heartwarming. This was one of the last shows of the year, I think I was not expecting much, but it over delivered. Some great music and a sweet tale.

Joint 5) Les Misérables Sondheim Theatre

Set against the backdrop of the 19th century French revolution, Les Misérables is the timeless tale of love, hope, loss and redemption.

What can I say… this was everything you expect. Lavish, massive production, huge songs. Quite long but still hard to not be swept away. Oddly I have never seen it before, nor the movie. So I actually didn’t know where the plot was going.

4) The Burnt City One Cartridge Place

In the smouldering promise of the fall of Troy, a mythical world of Gods and mortals rises from the ashes. As Greece teeters on the brink of victory, the neon backstreets of Downtown Troy give way to a sprawling labyrinth hiding secrets even the prophecies could not foretell. In this colossal playground, the furies watch on as mortals play out their fate. And as night falls, the city comes alive. One last time.

Let’s get this out of the way first. I have no clue what was going on in the two stories happening at once. In fact, at one point I started looking for the exit thinking it was over and I was just seeing replays of what I had seen before until I realised I was mistaken. That being said, what an experience. Massively immersive, with nobody on their phone, often in darkness. The sense of walking around a corner and being spooked by someone else walking alone in a mask was sorta mesmerising. Tickets are expensive. The show is kinda messy & I’m not the only one that didn’t follow it but it was magical.

3) My Neighbour Totoro Barbican

This enchanting coming-of-age story follows one extraordinary summer in the lives of sisters Satsuki and Mei as they are swept up in exciting adventures with their new neighbours – transported to a long-forgotten realm of spirits, sprites, and natural wonder.

Here we go… top 3. Now these are the big hitters. The staging of this show is gorgeous. It filled me with a sense of childlike wonder the entire time. Now, one big caveat. The Totoro broke during the show. It toppled over and died and did not come back. So we only got a medium sized Totoro for a few scenes and a delay in the show. Regardless, it did not spoil the cuteness and joy.

2) Oklahoma! Young Vic

Forget what you think it is… this is Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! as you’ve never seen it before – re-orchestrated and reimagined for the 21st century. Winner of the Tony Award® for Best Musical Revival, Daniel Fish’s bold interpretation recently enjoyed a sold-out run at the Young Vic following sold-out runs in New York and across the U.S. on tour. Oklahoma! tells a story of a community banding together against an outsider, and the frontier life that shaped America. Eighty years after Rodgers & Hammerstein reinvented the American musical, this visionary production is funny and sexy, provocative and probing, without changing a word of the text.

I wrote three words - sexy, seductive & shocking. Genuinely was not expecting this much from the show despite good reviews. Music is great, acting fantastic & the Young Vic continues to be one of the best theatres I’ve ever been to in terms of sheer quality you get to see.

If you get the chance to see it then you should absolutely try.

1) That Is Not Who I Am Royal Court Theatre

A slippery new thriller in which nothing is as it seems and nobody is who they are.

Not sure what I can say about this. Pure exhilaration at how good this was. Totally unexpected, I seriously was bamboozled and delighted all the way through. It might arguably be the best thing I’ve ever seen. I mean ever ever. Challenging and thought provoking it won’t be for the faint of heart but exceptional if you get the chance to go in and not know a thing about what is about to happen.

Final Rankings

For the entire year it goes as follows (worst to best):

• Marvellous
• Hex
• The 47th
• The Human Voice
• The Father and the Assassin
• South Pacific
• The Crucible
• Jersey Boys
• A Christmas Carol
• The Collaboration
• Straight Line Crazy
• The Glass Menagerie
• Eureka Day
• Jerusalem
• Sister Act
• Cirque Du Soleil
• Guardians of the Galaxy
• Come From Away
• Les Miserables
• The Band’s Visit
• Best of Enemies
• Book Of Dust
• Back to the Future
• The Burnt City
• My Neighbour Totoro
• Matilda
• To Kill a Mockingbird
• Oklahoma
• That Is Not Who I Am

What is next?

Absolutely no way I am doing 29 again. This was in part due to COVID pushing shows back. I do have some that should be fun though… Top pick being…

The Unfriend. Hoping for a League of Gentlemen style dark comedy.