Last 10 things seen at the theatre: #036

25th May to 8th June.


List the last 10 things you saw at the theatre in order:
1. Sons Without Fathers (Arcola)
2. Juana in a Million (Southwark Playhouse)
3. A Midsummer Night's Dream (Shakespeare's Globe)
4. Chimerica (Almeida)
5. Public Enemy (Young Vic)
6. Cuddles (Ovalhouse)
7. Strange Interlude (National; Lyttelton)
8. Passion Play (Duke of York's)
9. The Bear (Ovalhouse)
10. Beautiful Thing (Arts Theatre)

Who was the best performer in number one (Sons Without Fathers)?
Jack Laskey. And his hair. I suspect it is full of secrets.

Why did you go to see number two (Juana in a Million)?
I wanted to visit the new Southwark Playhouse building as soon as I could. So I booked Tanzi Libre. Which was cancelled. So I accepted their offer to exchange my Tanzi Libre ticket for a Juana in a Million ticket, which turned out to be a REALLY good idea.

Can you remember a line/lyric from number three (A Midsummer Night's Dream) that you liked?
Because I am a child, I am forever amused by "You have her father's love, Demetrius; Let me have Hermia's: do you marry him". Never ever let it be said that Shakespeare's humour is no longer relevant.

What would you give number four (Chimerica) out of ten?
I'm sure that there is a lot of truth to the accusations of the play being maybe a little too bloated and certainly too facile in parts, but I for one was happy to buy into the hype. Let's have a 10!

Was there someone hot in number five (Public Enemy)?
No. Not really, not for me.

What was number six (Cuddles) about?
It was about two sisters (OR WAS IT), one of whom was a vampire (OR WAS SHE). I think.

Who was your favourite actor in number seven (Strange Interlude)?
Well, clearly Charles Edwards! The excessively gross ending wasn't his fault, and he did a superb job with what he had.

What was your favourite bit in number eight (Passion Play)?
Any bit involving choral music being piped in. I'm in total agreement with Eleanor about the merits of choral music.

Would you see number nine (The Bear) again?
Maybe not, but I'd certainly recommend it to anyone who was asking.

What was the worst thing about number ten (Beautiful Thing)?
The obnoxious audience combined with the poor projection of some cast members meant I missed an awful lot of dialogue. Seriously, you don't have to laugh uproariously every time you understand a humorous reference, guys!

Which was best?
Well, Chimerica! Others were very good, but it's nice to have a clear runaway winner.

Which was worst?
Maybe Public Enemy or Passion Play. They weren't bad, I'm just getting really good at seeing mostly excellent theatre, apparently.

Did any make you cry?
No. Oddly. I suppose Juana in a Million and A Midsummer Night's Dream came closest to drawing tears, but I guess I'm going through a dry patch.

Did any make you laugh?
Let's say they all did and leave it there.

Which roles would you like to play in any of them?
I don't strictly fancy any of them that much, though I'd take any role offered if anyone was doing A Midsummer Night's Dream any time soon.

Which one did you have best seats for?
Sons Without Fathers, Juana in a Million, Cuddles, and The Bear were all front-row centre jobbies. Also I was pleased to be in my number one favourite seat for Chimerica.