My year in Theatre Pt. 1

One of the biggest blessings I have living in London, is that it is the Theatre Capital of the World. On top of being the most cosmopolitan city with more cultures and languages conglomerated in one spot, where else can you see mainstream and fringe theatre abounding in one place?

So, feeling the need to assess what I did over the last year, I thought I would take a look at all those ticket stubs I've collected. My stolen pint glass is brimming with some brilliant memories and utter catastrophes… Here ya go!  2010 in a nutshell:

Jerusalem (The Apollo) Mark Rylance's Olivier Winning and stunning turn as trailer-trash transferred from the Royal Court. Difficult to watch as a train wreck, it was impossible to turn away. Rylance has a versatile skill to make him unrecognisable from Becket's Endgame, Prospero at the Globe and comic timid oaf in Boeing Boeing. Truly one of this generation's greats.

Nation (National Theatre – Olivier) The Terry Pratchett penned tale should have been much better than it was. A shame, because I love reading the Discworld novels by Pratchett.  A Victorian explorer loses his daughter on a South Pacific Island… Biggest Blunder: Non-Victorian or Island music

Every Good Boy Deserves Favour (National Theatre – Lyttleton) My next outing at the NT was decidedly much better. Tom Stoppard's "play for actors and orchestra" was revived to great acclaim using music to convey a mental state… hmmm… it actually works.

Jersey Boys (Prince Edward) It's been around a while so I took my time getting in. Pricey tickets and all… But, it was worth it. The only thing I knew about Frankie Valley was that he sang the title song in Grease. Musical docudrama with the back catalogue of the Four Seasons. I understand why it won the Olivier and the Tony

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Novello) When this cast was announced I nearly jumped on a plane to New York to see James Earl Jones, Phylicia Rashad and Adrian Lester (Thanks to the dis-credit scrunch I didn't). But, thankfully, it did a limited season here in London to rave reviews. Truly some of the best acting I have ever seen from it's stars and phenomenal supporting cast. AND the voice of Darth Vader swearing! I had to secretly chuckle.

Dunsinane (Hampstead) Co-produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Theatre of Scotland. It's getting it's Stratford run later this spring. Post Macbeth, the English are trying to restore peace amidst guerrilla warfare – but not very well. Can't remember much about it other than it seemed very relevant to Afghanistan… oh… and it was very long but the set was rather inventive.

The Little Dog Laughed (Garrick) Nice little piece off the Hollywood closet. Sweet moments with Rupert Friend and Harry Lloyd. Bond-Girl Gemma Arterton plays it rough, but Tamsin Grieg wins the trophy as a Lesbian Agent trying to keep her client in the closet. Fun evening but nothing really to write mum about.

Really Old, Like Forty Five (National Theatre – Cottesloe) A difficult and emotional piece of a family dealing with Alzheimer's. It could have been really that good, or maybe I was just too close to the subject matter to be objective. Not quite sure.

Power of Yes (National Theatre – Lyttleton) David Hare always has a way of making the epic catastrophes of modern society accessible to laymen. Power of Yes explored the whys and wherefores of the Financial crisis. Not an emotional play, but intriguing non the less.

PSY (Peacock) Seven Fingers, a Canadian acrobatic team first came on the scene with their Traces, which was basically a showcase of their fantastic skills. PSY, however sought to explore psychological disorders through the relationship of circus skills. Very funny at times, entertaining and more often than not – moving.

The Habit of Art (National Theatre – Lyttleton) When I first saw The History Boys, I instantly understood why Alan Bennett is one of Britain's living treasures. Witty, poignant, self-effacing and spot on, he hits the under-dog human condition with such precision that even the hardest of hearts has to take pause. Thus, with The Habit of Art, the play with-in a play dealing with the relationship between W.E. Auden and Benjamin Britten, Bennett is capable to humanise legends to make them more accessible. And any time you can have Richard Griffiths, Alex Jennings and Frances de la Tour on one stage, you know you're going to have a laugh or six.

Studies for a Portrait (King's Head) With all the tabloid press going on about May-December relationships being just being about a young gold digger taking advantage of someone with status and cash, it's hard to not be cynical about any relationship that is not quite equally matched. However, Daniel Reitz’ play about a wealthy and dying Warhol contemporary artist and his young lover, shakes loose those stereotypes and poses the thought, that it might actually be just about love.

Legally Blonde, The Musical (Savoy) So, I loved the film and was a bit sceptical about the transfer to stage. Few succeed. Typically, stage first then film… So when the stalls and balcony are filled to the brim with hen parties I was even more shocked when I actually liked it. Only one particularly memorable song, but a multitude of laughs.

Counted (County Hall) Verbatim theatre is difficult to pull off. I know, because I've done it. The play about democracy in Britain was educational but not moving. Thought provoking but not really enough to prod one into politics.

Llwyth (Oval House) I am very proud to say that the author of this amazing mostly Welsh language play is a friend of mine, Dafydd James. Llwyth (The Tribe in English) was commissioned by Sherman Cymru in Cardiff. On the last leg of its national tour it stopped by London at the Oval House. The story of four gay friends of varying age on a night out in Cardiff tells the deeper meaning of creating your own family when the need arises. Half way through the play the sur-titles went out. Didn't really matter because the relationships were so strong. Even more meaningful for me was the fact I recognised several conversations I had with Daf on one or more of our late nights trolling around the clubs of London.

To be continued...