While I’ve introduced myself in my About Me section, I haven’t said much about my theatre likes and dislikes.
My tastes are born out of a lot of testing. I’ve been going to the theatre regularly for 16 years.
At the moment, I have the capacity to see one or two plays a week – I have a day job which pays the bills and limits the time I have to review, so I have to keep it manageable.
The plays the thing
I like plays, not musicals. I have tried musicals, but I just don’t get on with them.
The main problem is that I don’t like songs as a form of storytelling. It’s usually a case of: I got the point in the first verse and chorus; can we move on now?
I’ll see most plays, but interactive theatre makes me nervous. I don’t want to participate, so if a production is described as interactive, it’ll be a ‘no thanks’ from me.
Little but fierce
I like smaller theatres rather than the big West End theatres. I prefer the intimate spaces – you can see the actors properly and feel more connected to what is going on.
The West End also has a tendency to play it quite safe with what it produces – and that’s understandable; they’ve got a lot of seats to fill.
My favourite theatre is the Almeida. I’ve seen some amazing new plays there and some amazing revivals. It’s the ideal size of theatre for me.
You are welcome to Elsinore
The play I have seen the most is Hamlet. I’ve lost count of how many different productions I’ve seen, but it’s probably in the high teens now.
I’ve seen versions set in prison and a mental hospital; I’ve seen gender swapped versions, contemporary dress, and variations of historic dress.
There have been some cracking productions and some mediocre ones, but every time I see it, I get something new out of the play.
I couldn’t choose an overall favourite, but the contenders would be Ben Whishaw, David Tennant, Andrew Scott and Paapa Essiedu.
No following her in this fierce vein
I’m not a fan of Tom Stoppard’s plays, apart from Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
It feels like all his plays require a degree in a particular subject to really appreciate them. Usually there is an interesting, human story bogged down in a lecture.
It’s not that I haven’t tried hard with Tom Stoppard plays. I’ve seen a lot of them, including several productions of the same play, and I’ve just come to a point where we don’t get on.
So, no more Tom Stoppard for me, unless it’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead.
Over to you: what are your theatre likes and dislikes?
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