Last 10 things seen at the theatre: #107

14th April to 13th May.


List the last 10 things you saw at the theatre in order:
1. City of Glass (Lyric Hammersmith)

2. Now|Then (Hull)

3. The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? (Theatre Royal Haymarket)

4. Nuclear War (Royal Court)

5. Junkyard (Rose Kingston)

6. All Places that the Eye of Heaven Visits (Westminster Abbey)

7. Shirley Valentine (Wycombe Swan)

8. Whisper House (The Other Palace)

9. Consent (National; Dorfman)

10. Limehouse (Donmar Warehouse)

Who was the best performer in number one (City of Glass)?
The set. This is by no means a slight on the human performers, but it was a technical triumph that nearly made me cross at how effortlessly it all seemed to work.

Why did you go to see number two (Now|Then)?
We were going on holiday to Hull so had a look on the City of Culture website to see what was happening while we were up there, and this sounded cool, so we did it, and it was.

Can you remember a line/lyric from number three (The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?) that you liked?
I always liked the line "Remember Saint Sebastian with all the arrows shot into him? He probably came!". I have seen many a painting of Saint Sebastian, and find it very hard to disagree with the sentiment.

What would you give number four (Nuclear War) out of ten?
A slightly confused 7.5. There's a lot to unpack still.

Was there someone hot in number five (Junkyard)?
Nah.

What was number six (All Places that the Eye of Heaven Visits) about?
ABOUT? Um, I guess it was about making me cry while reminding me that everybody is going to die but that beautiful words will live forever and beautiful buildings will at least outlive me.

Who was your favourite actor in number seven (Shirley Valentine)?
..... Jodie Prenger.

What was your favourite bit in number eight (Whisper House)?
Uguuuuu, erm... no. I was very hopeful for it but ultimately none of it actually worked for me.

Would you see number nine (Consent) again?
No, I think once is fine.

What was the worst thing about number ten (Limehouse)?
I'm beginning to feel very personally attacked by Roger Allam's seeming penchant for playing characters which will require him to wear a bald cap.

Which was best?
Let's say All Places that the Eye of Heaven Visits. It was a very beautiful way to spend an evening, and there's a LOT to be said for an event where it's possible to accidentally stumble over one of our greatest Shakespearean actors* delivering his best St Crispin speech. (*James Garnon, obviously.)

Which was worst?
Whisper House was pretty terrible. There was nearly an interesting story about a wartime microcommunity but ultimately very little happened and what did happen was thrown off by a pair of bellowing ghosts who kept strutting around like vampires.

Did any make you cry?
I wept awfully at All Places that the Eye of Heaven Visits, and I seem to recall a tear or two for Shirley Valentine.

Did any make you laugh?
Not hugely, I don't think.

Which roles would you like to play in any of them?
Ehhhhh.

Which one did you have best seats for?
City of Glass, for sure. I love the Lyric Hammersmith and need to remember not to leave huge gaps between visits.