Peter Gynt, a new adaptation of Ibsen’s apparently unstageable Peer Gynt by David Hare, is a great success as a piece of writing and so much fun.
‘An absolute marvel’: SWEAT – West End
I really can’t recommend Sweat highly enough. It’s not just a great play, and a great production, it’s an actually important one.
‘Fantastic piece of writing’: HEDGEHOG – Lion & Unicorn Theatre
The writing is brilliant, the production is brilliant and it is brilliantly performed. I would love it if Hedgehog at the Lion & Unicorn Theatre were picked up a venue like The Bush and given a chance to find a bigger audience at a theatre where you can’t hear bar chatter through the floor.
‘The play is a wonderful thing’: SMALL ISLAND – National Theatre
Small Island is an absolute joy and an overdue, no reservations at all, win for Rufus Norris at the NT. There’s nothing else to say. Well except this: you must see it, immediately.
How the Mates Rate: Death Of A Salesman at the Young Vic Theatre
Directors Marianne Elliott and Miranda Cromwell have brought their unique vision to one of the greatest plays of the 20th century by Arthur Miller, seen through the eyes of an African American family. So what did the Mates think of this Young Vic production of the American drama classic?
‘An absolute belter of a thriller’: ANNA – National Theatre
ANNA is such a great little show. It’s a curiosity, certainly, and it is worth seeing for the technical bravado alone. But it’s also an absolute belter of a thriller too, something which I don’t think it’s getting enough credit for.
‘If this show is saved at all, it’s by some of the acting’: RUTHERFORD & SON – National Theatre
Rutherford and Son is not my cup of tea. The acting does just about salvage it, or at least stop it from being a complete disaster, but it’s not enough.
‘Best Arthur Miller production I’ve ever seen’: DEATH OF A SALESMAN – Young Vic
Directed by Marianne (actual genius) Elliott and Miranda Cromwell and featuring an African American Loman family, this Death of a Salesman is the clearest, most moving and profound vision of this play I’ve ever seen.
‘Punchy, funny & ultimately quite uplifting’: SAD ABOUT THE COWS – Tristan Bates Theatre
First things first, how good a title for a play is Sad About The Cows? Pretty bloody good I would argue. It’s also a pretty bloody good play, as it happens.
‘Emotional impact comes from a genuinely great production’: ALL MY SONS – The Old Vic
All My Sons may not be my favourite Arthur Miller play but The Old Vic’s production of it is undeniably brilliant, especially the heavyweight and stunningly good cast.
‘An absolute masterpiece of writing’: DOWNSTATE – National Theatre
Downstate at the National Theatre is a remarkable thing. An absolute masterpiece of writing, performed so sensitively and with such bravery.
‘Just a beautiful thing’: GOING THROUGH – Bush Theatre
Overall Going Through is just a beautiful thing. Gorgeous writing, a stonkingly good production and a brilliant cast. Seventy-five minutes of humanity and joy. Highly recommended.
‘Demands to be seen’: EMILIA – West End
Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s script for Emilia at the Vaudeville Theatre is spectacularly good: funny, poignant, angry and inspiring. It’s an amazing piece of theatre, yes, but it’s also something more than that. It feels like a movement, almost.
‘Probably about as good as it could be’: ADMISSIONS – Trafalgar Studios
I’m genuinely not sure Admissions could be done much better than it’s done here. If you come expecting an entertaining comedy that will make you occasionally go ‘oh actually that’s a good point’ you won’t leave disappointed.
‘Worth your time & more so than the book’: ALYS, ALWAYS – Bridge Theatre
Look, as a piece of drama Alys, Always isn’t the best thing you’ll ever see. It’s unlikely to be troubling the Olivier nominations next year I wouldn’t think. But, actually, I sort of don’t care. It’s really good fun; sheer entertainment with a little bit of something to mentally chew over after the show.
‘Like meeting someone really cool at a party’: THE FIRST MODERN MAN – Hen & Chickens Theatre
The First Modern Man is an hour of solidly good writing, performed with honesty and commitment, and really well staged.
‘A really fascinating piece of historical storytelling’: THE AMERICAN CLOCK – The Old Vic
I really enjoyed and was really technically impressed with The American Clock. A decent play, in an amazing production by a truly visionary director, brought to life by a brilliant cast.
‘Lots of trial, not so much laughter’: TRIAL BY LAUGHTER – Touring
There’s a line in Trial By Laughter, the new touring production of Ian Hislop and Nick Newman’s play about freedom of the press, where one of the main characters says to the other: “But where are the jokes?” As neat summaries of a play in one line of dialogue go, it’s one of the best I’ve seen.
‘A really clever & successful piece of musical storytelling’: VIOLET – Charing Cross Theatre
The way that the story of Violet is told elevates it to something really quite lovely, with huge emotional impact and a surprising timeliness.
‘A straight up great piece of writing’: ANOMALY – Old Red Lion Theatre
Anomaly is a really exciting play. For all that it’s hard to watch and challenging to process, it is immensely rewarding and a great hour of theatre all round. It’s also an amazing showcase of young, female talent doing stuff on their own terms. And I think we can all agree that’s A Good Thing.