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Articles
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Midlands Theatre in 2004Steve Orme looks back over the past yearDateline: 17th January, 2005What a year it's been for theatre in the Midlands. Unfortunately many people may remember it for one outrageous incident which made the national headlines rather than the innovative, entertaining work which could be seen across the region. Birmingham Rep's decision to cancel Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's new play Behzti after protests by Sikhs overshadowed several excellent productions at the theatre. In that category were Bryony Lavery's new adaptation of Ibsen's A Doll's House with a magnificent Tara Fitzgerald; Alan Ayckbourn's brilliant trilogy The Norman Conquests (all three sometimes performed on the same day!); Jonathan Church's powerful presentation of Arthur Miller's The Crucible; and another Ayckbourn offering, Season's Greetings with a delightful Liza Goddard and an hilarious Matthew Kelly. The success of the year, both on and off stage, was undoubtedly the Royal Shakespeare Company. Since Michael Boyd took over as artistic director, the organisation has gone a long way towards clearing its huge deficit. It's also restored much of its reputation with a series of commendable plays. On the main stage the Tragedies season was well received - no surprise when you consider the huge performances given by Corin Redgrave in King Lear, Toby Stephens in Hamlet and Greg Hicks in Macbeth. The bonus came in the Swan Theatre where Antony Sher was the definitive Iago in Othello and The Dog in the Manger was the highlight of the Spanish Golden Age season. On my own East Midlands doorstep, the biggest and happiest news of the year was the reopening of Leicester Haymarket after it had been dark for fourteen months because of financial problems. I really enjoyed the theatre's stunning presentation of To Kill A Mockingbird but was disappointed that the venue had plenty of empty seats; it deserved a full house every night. Over in Nottingham the Playhouse presented another season of quality, challenging drama. Particularly impressive were Mother Courage and Her Children with a towering performance by Carmen Monroe; the uproarious political comedy Feelgood; the fascinating Angels Among the Trees; and the ingenious The Hound of the Baskervilles. At Derby Playhouse there were some amazingly good productions but there were a few duds too. The theatre had box-office success with a remarkable performance by Hilary Tones in Shirley Valentine; a memorable portrayal of Sweeney Todd by Lyndon Terracini; and a quality revival of Amadeus which hit nearly all the right notes. But Noel Coward's Private Lives was brought up to date and didn't work; Frankenstein was like an experiment gone wrong; and Kafka's Dick was simply dire. Other highlights of the year were a clever presentation of The Comedy of Errors in the open air - and the rain - at Stafford Castle; and the incomparable Ladies and Gents, staged by Dublin company Semper Fi in the unlikely venue of Trent Bridge public toilets in Nottingham. A number of venues right across the region brought in some of the finest touring productions in the UK, so you could always find something to suit your individual taste. The Midlands is a huge area and wherever you went in 2004 you could find something hugely entertaining.
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