Other Major Theatres
These days, the Donmar takes pride of place in this league, although almost every theatre on the list above has had its moments during 2015.
Starting at the end of the year, Josie Rourke’s new version of Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Christopher Hampton, based on the Novel by Choderlos de Laclos was pure pleasure.
The combination of the classic French epistolary novel and Hampton’s witty stage adaptation could never fail but in Miss Rourke’s stylish production it was one of the year’s highlights.
Not far behind came Temple by Steve Waters. This told an intriguing (in every sense) political / liturgical tale with great humour and featured an outstanding performance from Simon Russell Beale.
Keeping on the political theme, James Graham welcomed the General Election with The Vote, playing comical riffs on the events going on up and down the country as the battle for power reached its climax. Given the very short run, Miss Rourke was able to put together a 44-strong, all-star cast for the occasion.
At the beginning of the year, another much newer revival also hit all the right buttons, as David Leveaux directed an intense new production of Patrick Marber’s Closer. While life might have moved on in the couple of decades since the play first hit the headlines in the Cottesloe, the piece seemed to speak just as clearly to audiences today.
Pleasingly, while Oliver Chris, Nancy Carroll and Rufus Sewell delivered the expected strong performances, relative newcomer Rachel Redford demonstrated that she has star quality and the courage to live with the best of them.
Splendour by Abi Morgan, first seen in 2000, is a kind of tangential play since its central character never appears other than in descriptions from four contrasting and increasingly stressed females.
Cleverly, the playwright builds up a portrait of a dictator in an unusual but satisfying fashion.
Teddy Ferrara by Christopher Shinn is an American play that feels bang up-to-date with its portrayal of the difficulties faced by society’s misfits. It goes much further by considering the nature of Internet interactions, bullying and attention grabbing.
Any visit to the Almeida is charmingly unpredictable since Rupert Goold goes out of his way to ensure that is the case.
His main goal seems to be to create ultra-modern productions of new plays and also classics, which is always a revelation when it comes off but can be baffling on occasion.
Game by Mike Bartlett was a real highlight, completely transforming the theatre into a Big Brother-style house with visitors expected to act as voyeurs while a young couple played by Jodie McNee and Mike Noble were forced to behave in strange ways for our delectation. The heat really ramped up with the arrival of a young son.
A Greek trilogy, with three modernised tragedies was a mixed blessing, with each production having its fans.
The Oresteia, in a new adaptation by Robert Icke who also directed, opened promisingly but then dragged.
The pick of the bunch was Anne Carson’s version of Bakkhai starring Ben Whishaw and Bertie Carvel under the direction of James MacDonald. While distinctly odd, it managed to capture the spirit of the original in a very modern style.
Rachel Cusk’s Medea was so far from Euripides that it might have worked better under a different title. In any event, the play was a triumph for Kate Fleetwood who gloried in the title role.
The year ended with a worthy adaptation of Ibsen’s Little Eyolf by Richard Eyre. This took simplicity as one of its main drivers and greatly benefited from doing so.
The prolific Royal Court continues to promote new writing in both its main Downstairs space and the more experimental Upstairs black box.
Perhaps the highest profile opening of the year was Hangmen, the long-awaited new play from Martin McDonagh.
Rather than Ireland, it was set in the north of England in the period when the death penalty was about to receive its own death penalty. However, in the meantime, a couple of those responsible for dispensing justice on behalf of the state debated their favourite subject. In addition, a psychological thriller took place to spice up the evening.
This might not have been Martin McDonagh at his very best, but was still a great success and enjoyed an immediate West End transfer.
Linda by Penelope Skinner will in some ways be remembered for the wrong reasons. When Kim Cattrall was forced to withdraw 10 days before opening, Noma Dumezweni bravely agreed to step into her shoes and after only a week and a half of rehearsing, delivered the kind of opening night performance that actors can only dream of.
The play itself attempted to paint a detailed portrait of a 55-year-old woman, a topic that is very rarely addressed on the stage. While the first half presents a good picture of the stresses and strains of attempting to run a career while dealing with a pair of unruly children, the text became overly diffuse after the interval in what was still a worthy production.
hang by debbie tucker green addressed one of her most common themes, the effect of random violence on a family. It will be best remembered for Marianne Jean-Baptiste’s moving portrayal of an anonymous bereaved woman.
How to Hold Your Breath by Zinnie Harris featured Maxine Peake in a strange but sometimes amusing existentialist comedy that you could have sworn had been written by one of those Germans who fear meaning and explication.
One always expects the Upstairs Theatre to be rather hit and miss but pleasingly there were a good few successes during the year.
Violence and Son by Gary Owen was a simple, quirky family drama set in Wales that drew in its audience as they became entangled in the complications that arise in this modern era of shifting members of not-quite-family units.
While the more experienced actors, Jason Hughes and Siwan Morris delivered strong performances, they were matched by two young actors who should both have long and prosperous careers on the stage, Dave Moorst played geeky Liam while Morfydd Clark, who also made her mark in Les Liaisons Dangereuses was his on-off girlfriend.
Plaques and Tangles also focused on family life but in very different circumstances. Nicola Wilson’s play took on the challenge of portraying a middle-aged woman suffering from early onset dementia. This inevitably gave Monica Dolan the chance to shine, which she grabbed with both hands.
It also provoked much thought thanks to a compassionate script and some clever, if occasionally confusing, time shifts.
Lela & Co started out as a quirky little comedy by Cordelia Lynn but eventually moved into very different territory as Katie West’s character began to outline the horrors of life in an unidentified war zone.
There was also a series of international works, which showcased talents with whom the theatre has become associated from around the world.
Dalia Taha’s Fireworks (Al'ab Nariya) was an attempt to show Londoners how tough life is in the Palestinian territories. A simple play showed two families trying to do little more than survive under the most difficult of circumstances.
You for Me for You brought life in North Korea to the stage, which is a great rarity in Britain. Playwright, Mia Chung used two sisters to contrast the experience in that benighted country with the wealth but shallowness of contemporary America in an evening greatly enhanced by Tal Rosner's computerised video images on a Jon Bausor-designed mirrored, hexagonal set.
Diana Nneka Atuona’s debut play Liberian Girl looked at yet another country that none of us Westerners would really want to visit. It focused on the experiences of young Martha played with great energy and conviction by Juma Sharka, who found herself pressed into action as a boy (sic) soldier at the tender age of 14.
Who Cares by Michael Wynne was an insightful Verbatim Drama looking at the sad plight of the NHS today. Using the words of everyone from senior doctors through to cleaners and patients, it roamed around the Royal Court buildings in Sloane Square to dramatic political effect.
Under David Lan, the Young Vic is always worth a visit. In 2015, there was a mixture of the highly experimental with more traditional productions.
In the Maria Studio, Mike Bartlett’s short but hard-hitting Bull proved to be a stylish play that enters dangerous ground for most playwrights, the world of business. The writer incisively and convincingly investigated the nature of bullying, a subject that is probably more prevalent than many realise.
What would anyway have been a stylish and fiery production directed by Clare Lizzimore was considerably enhanced by an outstanding central performance from Sam Troughton.
Eugene O’Neill’s Ah Wilderness is one of his lesser-known but still characteristic plays, which came across well in a stylish production directed by Natalie Abrahami and featuring a remarkable set design by Dick Bird, which threaten to overwhelm the text but eventually complemented it.
Two Shakespeare productions both attempted to bring the Bard right into the 21st century.
Measure for Measure saw director Joe Hill-Gibbins attempting to create a completely new work that was ultra-modern but a long way from the Bard.
Similarly, Macbeth which was set in a post-apocalyptic tunnel was used as a showcase for the skills of British theatre director Carrie Cracknell and Australian choreographer Lucy Guerin.
The result was more of a dance theatre piece than a faithful rendition of one of the great plays in the British canon.
The Trial, adapted from Kafka also got the treatment, in this case courtesy of adapter Nick Gill and director Richard Jones. It will be best remembered for performances by Rory Kinnear in the lead and talented young actress Kate O’Flynn in several supporting roles.
Two more studio productions are worthy of note. Caryl Churchill’s A Number brought together the talents of father and son John and Lex Shrapnel in a mysterious, sci-fi chiller directed by Michael Longhurst.
Towards the end of the year, Liz Stevenson the winner of the JMK Award for directing chose to revive Barrie Keeffe’s Barbarians as her prize.
What is on the surface a dated piece about deeply unpleasant and one might suggest uninteresting youths turned out to be a welcome surprise. The subject matter was gritty, highlighting the problems faced by the deprived young Londoners in the 1970s but it became apparent that these are still prevalent today, while the production itself made the most of both the space and talents of the actors.
Under Indhu Rubasingham, the Tricycle continues to present varied programming and included one of the highlights of the year in the form of The Father, which might well be challenging for Best Play of the Year in many of the upcoming awards ceremonies.
This fascinating depiction of old age and dementia was made truly unforgettable by an outstanding performance from Kenneth Cranham, well supported by Claire Skinner. James MacDonald’s production of a play by Florian Zeller, translated by Christopher Hampton then deservedly transferred to the West End.
Marcus Gardley’s A Wolf in Snakeskin Shoes was a highly amusing updated take on Tartuffe. There seems little doubt that Molière would have enjoyed a wild, brave reworking of his classic vision of hypocrisy, now set in the American Deep South with Lucian Msamati having a whale of a time as The Righteous Reverend Prelate Prophetic Apostle Tardimus Tito Jermaine Toof.
After Electra by April De Angelis featured Marty Cruikshank as a highly eccentric octogenarian welcoming a mismatched group of friends and relatives to an event that celebrated her life.
The theatre also presented a burst of chamber opera in the form of La Traviata updated to the jazz age by OperaUpClose’s Robin Norton-Hale.
To end the year, Ben Hur was a light-hearted but enjoyable satirical romp penned by Patrick Barlow.
Hampstead has also had a year containing some genuine highlights. Top of the bill must be Mr Foote’s Other Leg. This featured the incomparable Simon Russell Beale as actor Samuel Foote in a rather lightweight but extremely amusing comedy about thespians behaving badly in the 18th century.
It was almost inevitable that, with Sir Richard Eyre directing, Ian Kelly’s assured debut would get an instant West End transfer in this duly happened.
It did not stop there as Edward Hall did a fine job of attracting other big names to his theatre.
Sir David Hare wrote The Moderate Soprano, a biographical play about John Christie who founded Glyndebourne.
Howard Davies brought a revival of Sir Tom Stoppard’s Hapgood along to end the year starring Lisa Dillon in a Cold War thriller that had a few more hidden depths and characteristic Stoppardian flourishes than one expects in that genre.
Luna Gale by Rebecca Gilman showed British spectators a sardonic vision of small town America, particularly concentrating on the Bible belt and its Christian fundamentalists.
This was also an opportunity to see Rachel Redford, one of the best young actresses around following up her excellent performance in Closer with something very different but almost equally good.
The Menier Chocolate Factory joined the Society of London Theatre this year, which was not before time as the theatre has been punching way above its weight almost from the day that David Babani opened its doors.
At times, it has felt like a musical hit machine, more often than not providing a Christmas special that effortlessly transferred from its compact space to the West End and, on occasion, Broadway.
Before it even opened the story of Fanny Brice, Funny Girl, had announced a West End transfer. It benefited from a magical performance by Sheridan Smith in a role always associated with Barbra Streisand. She got good support from Darius Campbell under the direction of Broadway specialist, Michael Mayer.
Time will tell whether the Big Apple also beckons this time around. It certainly should for a vibrant but touching production with boundless energy and a real star at its heart. There are also some good songs and dance routines to add to the effect.
Coincidentally, two other Menier shows also travelled from the far side of the pond, both having played at Barrow Street. Buyer and Cellar was a camp but extremely funny solo show about the aforementioned Ms Streisand. Jonathan Tolins’s light but touching piece benefited from the presence of Michael Urie as a very lovable guide to all things Barbra.
It has taken a long time for Austin Pendleton’s Orson’s Shadow, a seemingly rather British play about theatrical types behaving eccentrically, to reach London.
Suffice to say that in addition to Orson Welles, the characters included the future Lord Olivier and two of his wives, Vivien Leigh and Joan Plowright, not to mention Ken Tynan in a show about shows.
The Brits also got a look in in the form of Alan Ayckbourn’s Communicating Doors. This was a spoof sci-fi thriller running backwards and forwards in time in a not entirely successful attempt to confuse and entertain simultaneously.
St James Theatre is the new kid on the block but has its moments.
Around the World in 80 Days was one of those hearty family experiences for the festive season that managed to entertain old and young alike with its traditional values.
Bad Jews also proved popular, although some including this reviewer struggled with the American humour and lack of taste.