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Review of the Year 2007 - The London Stage (6)5. Smaller TheatresDateline: 23rd December, 2007After a couple of rocky years, Hampstead began to present some exciting theatre in 2007. The most moving production was undoubtedly John Kani's Nothing but the Truth, a play about post-apartheid South Africa that starred the playwright and said a great deal about humanity within a simple structure. For this critic at least, Richard Bean's In the Club was one of the funniest plays of the year. It was a mix of farce and light-hearted political satire that lampooned European Parliamentary politics with a good dose of sexual shenanigans added in. Life After Scandal, Robin Soans' verbatim theatre piece covered similar ground from a different viewpoint. It explored the experiences of a number of well-known figures after they were compromised and in some cases imprisoned as a result of activities that made them notorious, or famous. Early in the year, the theatre welcomed Denis Kelly, a man who also likes the idea of scandalising his audiences. Taking Care of Baby was an incisive exploration of cot deaths and the way that they impact on the bereaved family, a topical subject in recent years. One of the most highly anticipated plays at Hampstead was Sir Antony Sher's The Giant, a play about iconic sculpture featuring Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, not to mention an epic set designed by William Dudley and enough in your face male nudity to ensure that the play sold well. Sadly, the drama did not live up to the billing. Hampstead's near neighbour, The Tricycle produced its usual mixture of attractions for an audience that seemingly becomes Black, Jewish or Irish to order. The highlight of the year was a particularly fine production of Harold Pinter's The Caretaker, that travelled down from Sheffield and starred David Bradley, Con O'Neill and Nigel Harman under the directorship of Jamie Lloyd. Other pleasures included Sebastian Barry's The Pride of Parnell Street, a two hander set and made the rough and tumble of Dublin's low lives; the long-awaited London transfer of John Patrick Shanley's Broadway hit about priestly child abuse, Doubt; and a light-hearted comedy from Ron Hutchinson set in the early days of cinema, Moonlight and Magnolias, that won a lot of friends due to a high laugh quotient, though it lacked any real depth. The Menier did its best work away from home, with West End transfers to be followed by Broadway early in the New Year. In Southwark, it also struck unlucky as Douglas Hodge's serious illness twice prevented the opening of its anticipated Christmas hit, La Cage aux Folles. Immediately before that, Sam West's revival of Patrick Marber's Dealer's Choice sold well and is also due a West End transfer. Soho appears to have had a relatively smooth transition as Abigail Morris gave way to Lisa Goldman. New writing has always been the purpose of this theatre in the heart of the West End and that ensures some big hits and some dreadful misses. Philip Ridley whose Vincent River received a perfectly acted revival at the Trafalgar Studios had earlier in the year presented Leaves of Glass. This was Lisa Goldman's debut production and failed to live up to the promise of that earlier work, proving that when dull people are presented on stage, all too often they come across as - dull. The Christ of Coldharbour Lane by Oladipo Agboluaje was new writing at its exciting best. It looked at today's Brixton with an ironic eye, using the medium of born-again religion and a man somewhere between the Messiah and madness. Roy Williams' Joe Guy was a light comedy about football celebrity and the troubles that it can bring to not only the players but also their friends and families. The RSC also borrowed Soho to showcase Scottish playwright, Anthony Neilson. He is no longer in yer face but his God in Ruins might certainly be regarded as provocative by some. In some ways, it is a modern reworking of A Christmas Carol but it is also a clever analysis of what it means to be a middle-aged man in the new millennium. The Lyric in Hammersmith, now run by David Farr, bravely agreed to take in Headlong's Angels in America, a full afternoon and evening visit to Tony Kushner's vision of his country succumbing to AIDS. Rupert Goold did a tremendous job of holding the attention in a production that was often visually stunning and contains some fine acting. Perhaps the highlight of the year at this theatre was the London transfer of Vanishing Point's unforgettable Subway. This was a simple Scottish parable given magic by the addition of a Kosovan band which at times, made as much impact on the plot development as the actors. The Bush had a stream of gems, both before and after Josie Rourke took over from Mike Bradwell. Their biggest hit was Elling, a quirky Norwegian comedy about insanity or at the very least, oddity. It was based on a cult novel by Ingvar Ambjørnsen in original stage adaptation by Axel Hellstenius in collaboration with Petter Næss In a new version by Simon Bent it featured popular TV star John Simm and made a successful transfer to the Trafalgar Studios. Strangely, a Japanese import, Trance by Shoji Kokami, addressed relatively similar subject matter in a very different way. Bradwell's closing production, I Like Mine with a Kiss by Georgia Fitch was a slice of life drama about a couple closing in on 40, while the next play in the theatre, David Watson's Flight Path featured a refreshing look at youngsters half that age. The year closed on a real high, with Mike Packer's wonderful comic homage to punk rock, tHe dYsFUnCKshOnalZ, which might well have been London's best new play of the year. The Bush's West London neighbour, The Gate was also in a state of transition as the youthful combination of Carrie Cracknell and Natalie Abrahami took over from an increasingly absent Thea Sharrock. Under the old regime, Nakamitsu was a nicely re-worked Japanese Noh play beautifully staged. The first two plays from the new team showed great promise. The Sexual Neuroses of Our Parents by Lukas Bärfuss was yet another play about someone whose brain was not quite functioning properly, while The Car Cemetery by Fernando Arrabal took the life of Jesus to areas that the Bible had never contemplated. The Orange Tree in Richmond continues to mine dark seams of unknown plays from the past. This year's two seasons featured Shaw and his contemporaries and female writers. In many cases, these were plays by writers who were far better known for using other forms such as poetry or the novel. Highlights included Elizabeth Baker's Chains, John Galsworthy's The Skin Game, Nan by John Masefield and Daphne Du Maurier's The Years Between, while the final play of the year, Fanny Burney's never produced The Woman Hater, directed by Sam Walters and featuring a lovely performance from his wife, Auriol Smith was a real treat. In addition, a pair of young directors, Helen Leblique and Henry Bell were given a showcase in which four short plays were presented written by an intoxicating team comprising JM Barrie, Arthur Wing Pinero, JM Synge and Shaw himself. Elsewhere, the Shunt Vaults played host to one of the year's most surprising delights. This was the A Pint, a Pie and a Play season presented by Paines Plough and Òran Mór. These four plays from Ché Walker, David Greig, Rona Munro and Sean Buckley, all running between 30 and 45 minutes were of the highest quality. For this critic, Walker's Crazy Love was the pick, showing how much joy can be conveyed and pleasure derived in under three quarters of an hour. The Finborough was at its best with revivals, The Lady's Not for Burning and, in particular, Gorky's The Lower Depths, both proving really atmospheric, while amongst newer writers Jack Thorne's Fanny and Faggot, a look at a pair of youthful killers, was memorable. In Hackney, at the Empire's Studio there was a really high quality revival of Howard Barker's Scenes from an Execution; the King's Head offered Sarah Norman's enjoyable new version of David Mamet's Duck Variations at lunchtime; and she also made an appearance with a very impressive production of Black Light by Alvaro Menén Desleal in the Casa Latin American season created by Daniel Goldman in a church crypt near Holborn. Philip Fisher
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