My 2017 Theatre Highlights – Mark Ludmon
We asked our review team to nominate their 2017 theatre highlights. Mark Ludmon nominated his favourites. An Octoroon, (Orange Tree Theatre) This year saw the arrival in the UK of the work of acclaimed American playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Hampstead Theatre presented his dark unsettling satire Gloria while the Orange Tree Theatre gave us his theatrically inventive play An Octoroon. Using Dion Boucicault’s once-popular 1858 melodrama The Octoroon as its starting point, this cleverly explored the black experience from the perspective of 19th-century slavery. With a strong cast directed by Ned Bennett, the production was bursting with ideas, laughs and energy, often breaking the fourth wall to great effect. Read my review. Barber Shop Chronicles, (National Theatre) The vibrancy of Inua Ellams’ new play Barber Shop Chronicles hits you from the moment you enter the foyer of the National’s Dorfman Theatre, decked out with signage from barbers around the world. To … Read more
