My 2017 Theatre Highlights – Sophie Adnitt
We asked our review team to nominate their 2017 theatre highlights. Sophie Adnitt nominated her favourites.
West End
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Rhys Ifans to star in Mood Music at Old Vic
Following his acclaimed performance in A Christmas Carol, Rhys Ifans is to star in the World Premiere of Joe Penhall’s play Mood Music at The Old Vic in May.
My 2017 Theatre Highlights – Paul T Davies
We asked our review team to nominate their 2017 theatre highlights. Paul T Davies nominated his favourites and a few productions for a special end of year ovation. Angels In America (National Theatre) About twenty-five years ago, I got a standing room ticket for the original National Theatre production of Tony Kushner’s epic. I stood for the whole seven and a half hour cycle, and, although I wore a younger man’s clothes then, I had to sit down afterwards not just because of the physical demands, but because of the emotional intensity. I had never seen a play like it, and it had a profound influence on me, it also became a cornerstone of my PhD. Marianne Elliot’s majestic production did what you hope every revival will do, it took every line, every scene, every act and every character anew and reinforced the play as a classic. It also had … Read more
Chicago returns to London’s Phoenix Theatre
Following a five and a half year absence, Chicago the musical returns to London’s West End as the show celebrates its 21st Anniversary. Now the longest-running American musical in history, Chicago will open at the Phoenix Theatre from 26 March 2018. Chicago originally opened at the Adelphi Theatre in 1997 to rave reviews, winning the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Musical Production. It transferred to the Cambridge Theatre in April 2006, then transferred to the Garrick Theatre until September 2012. It’s fifteen year run made Chicago the West End’s longest-running revival. Barry Weissler, who, along with his wife Fran, has produced the show in New York, London and around the world, said, “This year we celebrated the production’s 21st Anniversary and had our most successful year to date. Chicago is as relevant and timely as the day we opened. After spending the last several years touring throughout the UK it … Read more
REVIEW: Hamilton, Victoria Palace Theatre ✭✭✭✭✭
Lin-Manuel’s Hamilton is nothing short of brilliant. It’s intelligent, entertaining, and is bringing an entirely new audience to musical theatre. Believe the hype and book tickets
REVIEW: The Grinning Man, Trafalgar Studios 1 ✭✭✭✭✭
Bristol Old Vic’s production will probably always stand in the shadow of the world conquering, barricade storming Les Misrables, but The Grinning Man is a macabre, melodramatic, Gothic masterpiece in its own right.
REVIEW: Belleville, Donmar Warehouse ✭✭✭✭
The Donmar is the perfect venue for a tense thriller like Belleville, a claustrophobic chamber piece of a thriller that delivers on so many levels.
REVIEW: Pinocchio, National Theatre ✭✭✭
Full marks to the National for having a jolly good go with this attempt; it may yet be made to work as well as the show clearly intends to. But more work it will need before that happens.
