Last 10 things seen at the theatre: #035

24th April to 18th May.


List the last 10 things you saw at the theatre in order:
1. Two Gentlemen of Verona (Cheltenham Everyman)
2. To Kill a Mockingbird (Open Air Theatre)
3. King Lear (Shakespeare's Globe)
4. Bare (Union)
5. As You Like It (Shakespeare's Globe)
6. Children of the Sun (National; Lyttelton)
7. The Weir (Donmar Warehouse)
8. Pastoral (Soho)
9. Table (National; Shed)
10. Blood Brothers (Wycombe Swan)

Who was the best performer in number one (Two Gentlemen of Verona)?
How how HOW does one choose a single performer from such an all-round enchanting cast? Lollio the dog was superb, and I enjoyed the central foursome enormously, but if I had to go with just one, I think I'd tip slightly in favour of Lisa Kay's superb Silvia.

Why did you go to see number two (To Kill a Mockingbird)?
Tom Godwin is in it. How can I possibly resist any production that contains either Godwin, especially the younger?

Can you remember a line/lyric from number three (King Lear) that you liked?
"How long have you been a sectary astronomical?". I don't necessarily agree with the idea of a geeky Edgar, but that is the direction this production ran with, and thus this line was splendidly enjoyable. I'd never even noticed it before, to be honest, but the delivery in this production tickled me no end.

What would you give number four (Bare) out of ten?
Hmmm. I have waited so many years to see it but it's so tremendously unsubtle. If you like this sort of thing, you won't disagree with an 8. If you don't, you'd be hard-pushed to agree with anything over 5. Split the difference, call it 6.5.

Was there someone hot in number five (As You Like It)?
I couldn't tell you. Not least because I don't know any of their names.

What was number six (Children of the Sun) about?
A bunch of outrageously unlikeable characters shove as many Russian theatre tropes into two and half hours as they can. Explosively.

Who was your favourite actor in number seven (The Weir)?
My sister is probably going to start wondering about me, but it was Peter McDonald. He's basically superb in everything he does.

What was your favourite bit in number eight (Pastoral)?
Hmmm. I don't know if I can boil it down to bits, but I did very much enjoy the play as a whole.

Would you see number nine (Table) again?
Probably not, but I did enjoy it and have continued to think about it.

What was the worst thing about number ten (Blood Brothers)?
I don't know what hold the Nolan sisters have over Bill Kenwright, but it needs to stop. Maureen could scarcely sing the score, it was painful in parts!

Which was best?
Two Gentlemen of Verona. King Lear. The Weir.

Which was worst?
It's harsh to say worst, but To Kill a Mockingbird was least best. It didn't really transition from novel to stage very successfully though I enjoyed the good aspects hugely.

Did any make you cry?
Two Gentlemen of Verona. And, peculiarly, none of the others. I'm going through an odd phase.

Did any make you laugh?
Two Gentlemen of Verona, King Lear, As You Like It, Pastoral.

Which roles would you like to play in any of them?
Oh look, this list contains three of my top five Shakespeare roles I would like to play! Regan, Celia, and Julia. Regan we've covered before, Celia I actually am playing this summer, and Julia is my homegirl. Silvia is also an excellent role but my soft spot for Julia knows no bounds.

Which one did you have best seats for?
Two Gentlemen of Verona. Bare. Probably Table as well.