Punchdrunk, since forming in 2000, have unabashedly muddied the theatrical waters and, in this mega collaboration with The National Theatre, have redefined the form and its capabilities entirely. So, go. Marvel. Dance. And if you don’t come out with shoes full of sand, bark in your hair, drowning in sweat and emotionally exhausted, then you’re not doing it right.
It is an absolute sensation – guaranteed to restore and replenish your inner child and to restore your faith in the concept of the good old fashioned musical.
For any musical theatre fan, this is a night of sheer bliss. For anyone else it’s a night of comedy gold.
If ecstasy were a fragrance the air would be rich with it, seeping from the overjoyed auditorium
Richard Delaney is striking in the complex role of Turing, capturing his being both physically and in brief moments of song. The composers have chosen to allow the music to occur around Turing highlighting his alienation, which is palpable.
This version of Once aches with a rawness, a shuddering and tremulous intensity that is almost unbearable to endure, so true, brave and intense are the performances from the entire ensemble.
The Audience, written by Peter Morgan, starring Helen Mirren and directed by Stephen Daldry, is one of those rare theatrical experiences which embraces and delivers all of the possibilities in a rich, perfectly-pitched and played meditation on the UK Monarchy, the office of Prime Minister and the state of the evolving UK society…If all West End productions were this good, London would expire from sheer pleasure.
Neil Armfield’s glorious revival of David Hare’s masterpiece about the torments, triumphs and tragedy of Oscar Wilde’s last years, The Judas Kiss, is spellbinding theatre and, but for one glaring inadequacy, would be hard to beat as revival of the year.
