2011: A Year in Theatre.

I think I've slightly missed the boat with my end of year round up, considering that some publications started to pontificate in early April. However, it's better late than never, and considering the charming array of theatrical delights on offer throughout 2011, it would be a shame to not pass comment on some of the interesting productions that graced our humble shores.

Shakespeare Choices


The Tempest, Cheek By Jowl, Barbican Theatre London



Having found the dark and gloomy, psychological, box filled production of Macbeth a little laborious, I wasn't particularly excited about the opportunity of seeing my least favourite Shakespeare play, The Tempest, performed by Declan Donnellean's Russian troupe. What a fool I was. Effortlessly beautiful, thought provoking, stylish, and engaging, Donnellean blew apart my understating of the tempest and presented it as a kind of musing on the virtues and vices of capitalism and communism. With Miranda presented as a Caliban loving beast, rather than the usual minx, this production shed new light over every aspect of the play. Breathtaking.


Hamlet, Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz, Barbican Theatre London

Probably my most anticipated theatrical event of the year, this German production didn't disappoint for one second. From the atmospheric God Speed You Black Emperor opening sequence, to the heartbreaking cacophonous ending, this was Hamlet, nay Shakespeare, as I've never seen before. The audacity of a rapping Hamlet, nudity, three to be or not to he speeches, and a violent adventure through the audience made this production unforgettable.


The Comedy of Errors/ Richard III, Propeller, Hampstead Theatre London


This unusual combination from Edward Hall's all male touring troupe provided a fantastic and intriguing day out in Swiss Cottage, with the plays commenting on each other and revealing new truths about the other. The Comedy of Errors was re-imagined as a surreal holiday adventure, with characters clad in football shirts and holiday attire. The darker, morbid, Richard III, complete with spikes, gas masks, and creepy world war outfits, fed into the traditionally jovial Comedy of Errors, while the energy of the latter gave Richard an odd and enticing charm. 


These productions left me convinced that Ed Hall is one of the most exciting Shakespeare directors working in England at the moment. By re-inventing Shakespeare as a modern playwright, taking a tongue and cheek edge to the material, and insisting on unusual pairings, he is pulling Shakespeare into the modern age. He should also be heartily thanked for the incredible work he has commissioned as artistic director of the Hampstead Theatre, with Tiger Country, Penelope, and Ecstasy, ranking as some of my favourite non-Shakespeare productions of the year. 


The Life and Death of King John, Shakespeare Exchange, New York
This is an odd one that deserves a little bit of context. I had just arrived in New York, and I had half-heard of a critically lauded off-Broadway production of King John just before I left for Heathrow Terminal Five. On arriving in New York I met up with my friend Oliver and went in search of this mysterious production. I searched for the theatre all across downtown New York to no avail, until we saw a little sign above a tiny door next to a series of shops. The theatre, if it can be called that, was at the top of a series of stairs, in an apartment. There was no box office, and according to a sign pinned to the door, no seats, and a hefty returns list because this was the last night. 

When we returned for performance, we found we were far down the returns list (I think we were 20 or 25, and the theatre only held 60 at the most). Feeling like all was lost, I resorted to lying. I managed to talk to the producer, who was manning the door, and told her I was writing a PHD on Shakespeare in America, and that I had to see this production. It didn't work, we still couldn't get in, but eventually my insistence started pay off, and eventually we found ourselves inside the tiny apartment, surrounded by some very fashionable New Yorkers. 


I'm not sure if it was the jet lag or euphoria of finally getting in, but I was completely won over by this production. It's charming cast and concept, breathed a good deal of life into this most unpopular of Shakespeare plays, and made it into a surreal reality TV style ego contest, as characters vied for the English crown. I feel completely privileged to have seen this production, and even more privileged to have had the opportunity to speak to director Ross Williams, and dramaturg Shane Breaux, about performing Shakespeare in America. I hope they didn't realize I was lying through my teeth. 


I think the New York Shakespeare Exchange are a company we have to keep our eyes peeled to over the next few years. 


Funk It Up About Nothing, The Q Brothers, Theatre Royal Stratford East  


A hip hop adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing sounds like a theatrical car crash waiting to happen. It wasn't. It was fantastic. This was certainly not a production for Shakespeare purists, but it did make Shakespeare undeniably fresh, without resorting to cheap techniques. The music was dazzling, the rhymes witty, and the story touching. It blew the commercial Joshie Rourke helmed Much Ado About Nothing  out of the water, and charmed me more than the Globe's seductive offering later in the summer. 


Despite using very few of Shakespeare's original language, it was surprisingly faithful to the text, and even shed some light on certain aspects of the text. The Q Brothers are a real force to be reckoned with, and their  "re-mix" of Othello at the Globe this summer should be a highlight of the Globe to Globe festival.


Non-Shakespeare Choice: Wastwater, Simon Stephens, Royal Court Theatre London
I don't think any production, and piece of art, has gripped me as rapidly, or as fully, as the first scene of this three part play directed by the controversial Katie Mitchell. The beautiful set depicting the greenhouse and backgarden of a suburban home under the Heathrow flight path on a wet mid-summer's evening was breathtakingly beuatiful, perfectly evoking the feel of those peculiar evenings. The whole production moved me, with the three interlinked stories shaping into a fascinating afternoon of theatre.


The production was incredibly unpopular in this country and I have been racking my brains since trying to fathom why it was detested so vehemently by spectators and critics alike. Stephens is a European writer, with Mitchell our most European director, and this combination produced an incredibly dense play that was not to everyone's tastes. For those of us who enjoy this type of theatre, it was a gem. The Trial of Ubu, with the same combination, should be a highlight at the Hampstead Theatre later this month.
Other Notable Productions

Festen, Nottara Theatre, Barbican. A fascinating and beautifully acted study of family tensions and denial


Sleep No More, Punchdrunk, New York. A silent, choreographed  Macbeth, set inside the fictional McKendrick. A Macbeth like no other. An unforgettable, if unsettling, experience.


Tiger Country, Hampstead Theatre. A fascinating traverse depiction of life in a busy hospital


It's Always Right Now Until It's Later, National Theatre Laughed and wept uncontrollably in equal measure. A poignant mediation on life and loss and love.


The Merchant of Venice, Royal Shakespeare Theatre Elvis? A game show? Las Vegas? Singing and dancing sequences? It must be Rupert Goold. A spectacular, and stylish, production. 


A Woman Killed by Kindness, National Theatre Katie Mitchell ruffled some more feathers when she updated Thomas Heywood's Jacobean drama to two adjacent postwar country houses. Beautifully acted, thought provoking, stunningly designed.