Best of 2019: Theatre

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Pi Culture’s ‘Best of 2019’ series highlights the favourite things we’ve seen, heard and read this year. In this article, our writers share the best productions they’ve seen this year.

Ian McKellen on stage - harold pinter theatre

From Gandalf to Shakespeare, Ian McKellen enacts both the cinematic and stage performances of his lengthy, superb career. It’s a one man show that’s meant to entertain- at one point, an extremely lucky audience member got to take a selfie with McKellen, while holding the sword replica from Lord of the Rings. But the show is also rife with empathetic stories of his life, such as his hilarious Cambridge interview, where he showcased his love of the theatre in the most melodramatic possible way, and his experience in “coming out” as a gay man. All of these anecdotes are accompanied by his ardent soliloquies, of which I particularly enjoyed his rendition of Macbeth’s speech (Tomorrow and tomorrow…). All in all, his show seems to point to the essential truth that McKellen’s first and most treasured love is the theatre. And what better way to pass on his passion for performance than by showcasing all of his own?

Kirese Narinesingh

A Midsummer Night’s Dream - The Bridge Theatre

Like many, I went to see Nicholas Hytner’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream for the cast. Specifically, to see Gwendoline Christie (Brienne of Tarth in Game of Thrones) as Titania. She was as radiant as expected. The rest of this hilarious, immersive, and joyful production exceeded expectations. Hytner took a risk that paid off — he swapped the dialogue Shakespeare intended for Oberon and Titania, such that this performance showed Titania and her servant, Puck, scheme to make Oberon fall in love with the foolish Bottom, rather than vice versa. Other welcomed updates on the traditional script included playful acrobatics, a soundtrack featuring Beyonce and Florence and The Machine, and the standing audience dancing in the pit with Gwendoline and the rest of the cast at the end of the performance.

Matilda Singer

present laughter - old vic

£10 seat; G&T in hand; Andrew Scott on stage at the Old Vic. Can the evening get any better? You bet it can. This superb revival of Noël Coward’s uproariously funny 1939 farce was everything a lover of the 1930s could have hoped for. Andrew Scott’s Garry Essendine was deliciously debonair, perfectly urbane, supremely well-read (with a particular penchant for Shelley, whom he deftly uses to escape from one inadvertent tryst after another), mercilessly witty, and unashamedly narcissistic. Oh, and that’s exactly how he spoke. Indira Varma (Liz Essendine – separated but very much still involved) was typically brilliant, punctuating Garry’s mawkishly vain tirades with a healthy portion of sardonicism. A brief word for the unsung star of the production – the unflappably frank Miss Erikson (Liza Sadovy) who’s friend, like most sensible people, lives in Hammersmith. Have I done a bad job of explaining what the play is actually about? Oh well, “it’s a meaningless jumble of pseudo-intellectual poppycock” anyway. 

Roma Rodriguez

LEV - Bold Tendencies

Over the summer, Sharon Eyal, Israeli dancer, choreographer and director of the L-E-V dance company, had a residency at Bold Tendencies in Peckham. She staged a series of dance productions centred around the concept: “Parts of Love”. The shows were truly exceptional, providing the audience with a unique and fresh perspective on the artistic medium of dance. Fusing traditional practices, such as ballet, with pop culture and electronic music, the production challenged conventional perceptions of dance. To add to an already impressive performance, it was held in a disused car park. The low ceilings and concrete surroundings created an intimate yet oppressive atmosphere, adding to the potency of the performance.

Tuula Petersen

The Lehman Trilogy - National Theatre

A true marathon of a production, this three hour, three act production led audiences through the rise and fall of the Lehman bank. Touching upon issues of finance, commercialisation and marketing, what could have become a dry production was brought to life in the most humanised and stylised manner by director Sam Mendes and genius set designer Es Delvin. The iconic acting trio of Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley, and Ben Miles played the multitude of characters encountered throughout the 150-year evolution of the company. The production proved, once again, the power of theatre to educate and empathise untold and unknown stories. No doubt, this was the most ambitious and innovative piece of theatre of 2019. 

Laura Toms

downstate - dorfman theatre

Finding a place for sex offenders in society seems like an impossible task, but it is a subject that Downstate staged at the Dorfman Theatre this year. Disabled, elderly Fred faces the man for whose sexual abuse he was jailed for, while he and his three convicted housemates negotiate their past and life under parole restrictions. The nature of each of their crimes is never made clear, and a fascinating tension surfaces, dislodging the moral compass. Tragedy lurks in every hesitation as Norris calls for us to be critical about our treatment of even the most seemingly heinous criminals.

Jamie Singleton

Fleabag - Wyndham’s Theatre

For thirty performances only, Phoebe Waller-Bridge graced London with a run of her famed show Fleabag. Initially performed at the Fringe and then transferred to the Soho Theatre, one can only imagine the joy felt by Waller-Bridge at the opportunity to perform a sold-out run on the Westend. Like many, the only way I could see the show was to begin queuing for tickets at 3am in the morning. Despite battling my fatigued eyes, the excellence of Waller-Bridge’s performance made it worth it. A year in which theatre was full of big budget and highly choreographed shows, Fleabag was a refreshing return to traditional storytelling. Simply, audience members were led through a humorous yet harrowing monologue about womanhood in the modern age.  

Laura Toms

Lungs - Old Vic

The carbon footprint of an infant is 10,000 tonnes of Co2- the weight of the Eiffel Tower. So, if you’re a “good” person, is it right to have a child? Duncan Macmillan’s Lungs stripped all to the bone; the bare “in the round” staging created an intrusive experience, exposing the rawest of human dilemmas. Tackling both the personal challenges of marriage and the universal consequences of climate change, the play was incredibly relevant, depicting the increasing sense of individual responsibility for saving the planet. Claire Foy and Matt Smith had undeniable chemistry, as a flawed couple in a deteriorating world. Their animated 80 minute conversation was a shrewd battle of heart and head, exploring the conflicting desire to have a child and the subsequent ecological cost. An acting masterclass, Lungs was compelling.

Deepali Foster