Last 10 things seen at the theatre: #027

6th October to 2nd November.


List the last 10 things you saw at the theatre in order:
1. Berenice (Donmar Warehouse)
2. Victor/Victoria (Southwark Playhouse)
3. 55 Days (Hampstead Theatre)
4. I, Malvolio (Unicorn Theatre)
5. A Winter's Tale (Unicorn Theatre)
6. Twelfth Night (Shakespeare's Globe)
7. The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare's Globe)
8. Tanika's Journey (Southwark Playhouse)
9. Hedda Gabler (Old Vic)
10. This House (National; Cottesloe)

Who was the best performer in number one (Berenice)?
It feels like cheating, but it was Anne-Marie Duff. I don't get why some people are snobby about people who are screen-famous doing theatre. Whenever I get the opportunity to see someone who is renowned for their film and/or television work onstage, all I see is the immense amount of skill it took them to become renowned thusly in the first place.

Why did you go to see number two (Victor/Victoria)?
I very much enjoy going to the Southwark Playhouse, and Richard Dempsey is in it.

Can you remember a line/lyric from number three (55 Days) that you liked?
No. Some plays are memorably quotable, and some plays aren't. It's just how it goes.

What would you give number four (I, Malvolio) out of ten?
9! It was superbly done, and it's nice to see I'm not the only one who spends far too much time considering the inner lives of Twelfth Night characters.

Was there someone hot in number five (A Winter's Tale)?
Depends if you're attracted to Sam Swann or not.

What was number six (Twelfth Night) about?
A brilliantly clever and funny woman conspiring to make a puritanical steward look like a fool, while a very sexually confused count suffers a great deal of sexual confusion. Also cross-dressing, sex, and death.

Who was your favourite actor in number seven (The Taming of the Shrew)?
The one! The only! The splendid! Tom Godwin! And I hope to see him in a great many things in future!

What was your favourite bit in number eight (Tanika's Journey)?
When Matthew Gurney's character started telling the story of Little Red Riding Hood. In BSL. I could watch that man tell fairy tales in BSL ALL DAY.

Would you see number nine (Hedda Gabler) again?
Not this production. Not least because it has now closed.

What was the worst thing about number ten (This House)?
There was a worst thing? I can't say I noticed a worst thing. Well, I suppose I could do without being brought to unexpected but deeply felt tears in EVERYTHING I see Christopher Godwin in...

Which was best?
The Taming of the Shrew! And you have no idea how peculiar it feels to say that!

Which was worst?
It's a pretty good batch, this lot. Berenice, 55 Days, and Hedda Gabler perhaps weren't as interesting as they should have been, but that's a long long way from "worst".

Did any make you cry?
Oh god yes! I can't be more specific, I just know most of them did.

Did any make you laugh?
Again, oh god yes! Victor/Victoria and The Taming of the Shrew were the main culprits here, I think.

Which roles would you like to play in any of them?
I've already played Maria but would happily have a go at Viola, Olivia, Feste, or Orsino. I'm not so sure I'd want to be in The Taming of the Shrew, but I won't rule out the possibility. I just really like Shakespeare.

Which one did you have best seats for?
Well, if it's seats, then I, Malvolio. I had a pretty excellent standing spot for The Taming of the Shrew too, even with the man-who-should-know-better deciding he needed to stand his very tall self in front of me.