Rev Stan's Theatre Blog

One response to “End of year review: My favourite theatre of 2019, a year of dazzling performances, wit, drama and tears”

1. 

   Mark Harris

   11/01/2020

   Hello! Just found your blog. Lots of reading back to do – might drop in some comments here and there.
   Some improved finances in 2019 meant I could go to quite a few plays and shows in London (and Southend!). I saw plenty of good things and a few bad ones, and my opinions don’t always match the general consensus!
   So here’s my top 10, in a kind of order (1 is the best):
   10 The Price. Really powerful performances, from Poirot and Mr Bates. And Arthur Miller, of course.
   9 Lungs. I didn’t particularly connect with the subject matter (I’ve never wanted children) but the script was funny and moving, and it was great to see my favourite Doctor in person, proving why he was the best Doctor ever.
   8 Death of a Salesman. I studied this at school, and once saw Warren Mitchell as Willy Loman. This adaptation really worked well with an excellent cast. Saw this the night before the ceiling fell in!
   7 A Christmas Carol. I loved the bleak BBC version, then the next day saw this more traditional one. So many ways to tell this story! I think the theatre was a bit dusty though, as there were tears in my eyes at the end.
   6 Ian McKellen on Stage. Now we’re getting into the realms of not really being able to separate the shows. The whole experience of being in a room with Sir Ian was fantastic. Even better, at the interval – as I was walking back to my seat – I looked up to see Ian standing in my way, as he was heading out to get some fresh air. We stepped aside for each other. Yes, Gandalf let me pass!
   5 The Antipodes. This was a fascinating experience. I’m still thinking about it weeks later, what did it all mean, really, why did he put on the wolf’s head, why did . . . Towards the end I realised what it was about but it turned out I was wrong. Or was I? This was really, really good stuff. Weird, good stuff.
   4 Jesus Christ Superstar. I’ve always loved this show but hadn’t seen it for many years. This was so good I went back and saw it again. A great thing, mystifying.
   3 All My Sons. Two Hollywood superstars and two great British TV stars, Arthur Miller, a beautiful set, a moving play. Colin Morgan was the standout, and it was nice to see the best Doctor’s best companion, just a few feet away.
   2 A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Totally enchanting. I went back to see this one again. The first time there was a power cut in the whole area just after the start, so we sat under emergency lights for almost an hour before they could get going again. The second time there was a scheduled fire drill immediately the play ended, so the dancing was cut short and they rushed us out. I still haven’t seen the whole thing uninterrupted, so if they ever put it on again, I’m there.
   1 Present Laughter. Just perfect. Andrew Scott gets all the praise but Indira Varma was the standout for me. I was just a couple of metres away from her at the end, and she was crying. Really crying. Everything about it was amazing.
   Honourable mentions to Night of the Iguana, The Play That Goes Wrong, Dark Sublime, Rosmersholm, Man of La Mancha and Alys, Always.
   I’ll add my least favourite 5 on the appropriate page, if you don’t mind, a bit controversial, I think.

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