Following news that the National Theatre has launched its much anticipated streaming service National Theatre At Home, John Chapman goes back to 2009 and NT Live’s very first live streamed production on cinema screens, Helen Mirren in Phèdre.
Mates blogger: John Chapman
John Chapman is one of over 45 theatre bloggers who are part of the MyTheatreMates collective. This page features John's posts on MyTheatreMates. Take a look at our full list of theatre bloggers and our aggregated feed of all our Mates' posts. We’re always looking for new theatre bloggers. Could that be you? Learn about how to join us.
John Chapman works as a freelance education consultant, writer and copy editor. Prior to this, he was an Assistant Headteacher specialising in English and Drama. John first took to the stage as a schoolboy pretending to be a Latin frog. Decades later, he has been involved with 150+ productions, usually as an actor or director. He is currently a member of Tower Theatre in Stoke Newington, London. In 2016, he was in their “mechanicals” team that worked as part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s A Midsummer Night's Dream: A Play For The Nation, appearing both at the Barbican and in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 2004, he served as a panellist on the Olivier Awards; he is currently an Offies assessor. He reviews for a variety of websites, writes his own independent blog 2ndFromBottom about his theatrical life.
The latest from John on MyTheatreMates
‘A ghostly tale which delivers so much more than its initial premise’: HAUNTING JULIA – Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough (Online review)
It is sometimes possible to get a better perspective on a play through experiencing it as a piece of audio drama rather than seeing it live on stage and I found this to be the case with Haunting Julia by Alan Ayckbourn.
‘Demonstrates the power of art to thrill & challenge’: RED – The Shows Must Go On! (Online review)
Red beautifully demonstrates the central thesis that sons must challenge fathers, the old must give way to the new and art and theatre must constantly evolve and change in order to survive – a lesson which has been all too evident as Lockdown2 comes to a close.
‘A performance that burns with anger & emotion’: DEATH OF ENGLAND: DELROY (Online review)
Death Of England: Delroy is by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams and is a response to their own earlier play, simply called Death Of England which played at the National Theatre before Covid hoved into our lives.
‘A richly resonant set of stories’: THE BARREN AUTHOR – Spiteful Puppet (Online review)
The character of Baron Munchausen has a long and illustrious history (he first appeared in 1785) but is probably best known in this country via Terry Gilliam’s 1988 film. Some of the spirit of that adaptation is to be found in Spiteful Puppet’s six part audio drama The Barren Author.
‘A feast for the eyes & ears’: USER NOT FOUND – Dante Or Die (Online review)
Dante Or Die’s User Not Found is a stimulating and thoughtful piece which pushes the boundaries of what theatre is and can be.
’It’s best just to throw yourself into the role’: AGENT VENTURE (Online review)
If you’re missing socialising but want something a bit more structured than a straightforward video call, then you will find immersive adventure game Agent Venture a real tonic.
‘A real call to arms’: EMILIA (Online review)
One play I have seen consistently recommended over the last couple of years is Emilia which premiered at The Globe in 2018 and transferred to the West End last year and was awarded three Oliviers.
‘Sparklingly dark world’: THE BEAST WILL RISE 6-10 (Online review)
What really strikes home in The Beast Will Rise series is the sheer range of scenarios which Philip Ridley conjures, all – in one way or another – providing responses to the pandemic, lockdown, survival and mental health.
‘Clever as well as disarming’: FRIGHTENERS – Spontaneous Productions Theatre Company (Online review)
Having had a day to recover (!), I headed back for the second tranche of Frighteners from the Spontaneous Productions Theatre Company, highlighted as part of Scenesaver’s Fright Night programme for Halloween.
‘Novel & engaging show’: THE UNIVERSITY OF WONDER & IMAGINATION – Cahoots NI (Online review)
While University Of Wonder And Imagination is fun it is also educational and provides a stimulating introduction to a number of topics which can be explored further.
‘Paul Kennedy gives a performance of note’: CONTINUITY – Finborough Theatre (Online review)
Continuity is just one of the online plays available from the Finborough Theatre’s repertoire. It is not an easy watch but has many important points to make about political and personal beliefs and is a worthy addition to the theatre’s growing roster of material which challenges and provokes.
‘Demonstrating the power of aural memories’: DIGITAL CARAVAN THEATRE – Series 2 (Online review)
The microplays in the Digital Caravan Theatre Series 2 are full of a richness born out of careful time management giving them a leanness which is sometimes lacking in longer works.
‘The play is stunningly realised’: APOLLO 13 – THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON – Original Theatre (Online review)
The whole creative and production team involved in Original Theatre Company’s Apollo 13: The Dark Side Of the Moon can be rightly proud of a superb job which really pushes at the frontiers of online drama.
‘A musical makeover that is far from obvious’: ADDING MACHINE – A MUSICAL – Finborough Theatre (Online review)
Finborough Theatre’s latest online offering is Adding Machine: A Musical, based on the American expressionist classic of the 1920s by Elmer Rice.
‘Piece after piece remains with you after the performance’: THE NEW TOMORROW – Young Vic (Online review)
Although a rather more muted celebration than originally planned, The New Tomorrow is a powerful acknowledgment of the theatre’s ongoing mission to be a real centre for the community.
‘A thoroughly sobering piece of work’: NO MASKS (Online review)
Back in April, part of Theatre Royal Stratford East’s response to the pandemic was to create a new type of project. They put out a call to key workers in the local community to share their stories via a video wall. Out of some of these writer Rebecca Lenkiewicz and director Nadia Fall have created a series of imagined monologues which have been filmed as No Masks.
‘There are some very funny moments’: DOING THE BOOK CLUB – Northern Comedy Theatre (Online review)
Northern Comedy Theatre has once again brightened up the online drama landscape with Doing The Book Club, the latest in David Spicer’s Doing… series.
‘He roams the stage like a cornered bear growling & spitting with fury’: DEATH OF A HUNTER – Finborough Theatre (Online review)
Edmund Dehn is great in Death of a Hunter as Ernest Hemingway, the role of a 20th century icon who lived and died explosively.
‘We had a great time getting to the solution’: SHERLOCK IN HOMES: MURDER AT THE CIRCUS – Sharp Teeth (Online review)
The pleasure of Sherlock In Homes: Murder at the Circus lies in watching half a dozen brains quickly scramble to come up with answers to what can be some pretty left field questions from the audience,