Last 10 things seen at the theatre: #018

21st April to 4th May.


List the last 10 things you saw at the theatre in order:
1. Black Battles With Dogs (Southwark Playhouse)
2. The Conquest of the South Pole (Arcola)
3. Someone Who'll Watch Over Me (Southwark Playhouse)
4. Wild Swans (Young Vic)
5. One Man Two Guvnors (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
6. Richard III (Shakespeare's Globe)
7. Troilus and Cressida (Shakespeare's Globe)
8. Misterman (National; Lyttelton)
9. Black T-Shirt Collection (National; Cottesloe)
10. Venus and Adonis (Shakespeare's Globe)

Who was the best performer in number one (Black Battles With Dogs)?
Probably Osi Okerafor. I didn't especially get on with the play but he worked best with the rather stylised dialogue and came out of the whole thing with the most dignity.

Why did you go to see number two (The Conquest of the South Pole)?
I'm a sucker for the South Pole and I remember all too clearly the malaise of unemployment. Plus it genuinely sounded like the kind of thing I would like. Despite some rather disconcerting word of mouth, fortunately it did work for me!

Can you remember a line/lyric from number three (Someone Who'll Watch Over Me) that you liked?
Yes. I can remember many lines from this play, but I won't be quoting any of them. To dish it up in parts would diminish the memory of the play, especially if one went for any of the more humorous dialogue snippets. And the more serious lines couldn't possibly be separated out from the overall context of the play. So you're just going to have to take my word for it that I remember many lines from this play.

What would you give number four (Wild Swans) out of ten?
Um... 6. It was pretty good, especially the set (CLEARLY Miriam Buether is an evil genius!), but there was just too much story to squeeze in, and it did end up feeling squeezed.

Was there someone hot in number five (One Man Two Guvnors)?
Hot? Is that like ridiculously, absurdly, idiotically, dangerously handsome? Like Daniel Ings? Nah, I can't think of anyone.

What was number six (Richard III) about?
An ambitious fellow who wanted to be king and wasn't going to let a fear of blood-letting stand in his way.

Who was your favourite actor in number seven (Troilus and Cressida)?
I adore each and every one of them for SO many reasons! But for the purposes of the meme, I shall go with the brilliant Juanita Hepi. I would be very happy to see Tēhiti* always played by a woman! (*Tēhiti = Thersites. I love the Maori versions of the names SO MUCH that I have adopted them for the foreseeable future.)

What was your favourite bit in number eight (Misterman)?
I really loved the beginning, actually. A great sequence of physical comedy that sets the boundaries - or lack of boundaries - of reality as neatly as it entertains the audience.

Would you see number nine (Black T-Shirt Collection) again?
No. I really liked it, but there's really no need.

What was the worst thing about number ten (Venus and Adonis)?
I mentally prepare this meme as I go, and my answer was going to be "the fact it was only on for three performances and thus I could not persuade everyone to see it because it was SO BRILLIANT". Then it turned out that the whole thing was filmed and uploaded to TheSpace.org, so after all that there was literally NO worst thing about number ten.

Which was best?
Anything seen at the Globe, with bonus points to Someone Who'll Watch Over Me.

Which was worst?
Alas, Black Battles With Dogs just wasn't great.

Did any make you cry?
Again, anything at the Globe, with bonus points to Someone Who'll Watch Over Me!

Did any make you laugh?
Black Battles With Dogs and Wild Swans didn't really. Much quicker than listing the eight that did!

Which roles would you like to play in any of them?
Oh, pass. No one particularly stands out in this batch.

Which one did you have best seats for?
Probably One Man Two Guvnors and Someone Who'll Watch Over Me. I just enjoy sitting front row centre when I can.