2017 has been a vintage year for new plays and spectacular revivals in London. Jez Butterworth delivered a possible masterpiece and James Graham turned prolific with three plays in the West End and another on the way. New musicals were thinner on the ground until very late in the year. The Almeida in Islington continued to showcase challenging work of the highest standard and the National Theatre’s phenomenal run of hit after hit was marred by just two turkeys.
In listing personal favourites, I have considered only shows that opened in 2017 which I saw in 2017. The three most notable omissions are Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Network and Hamilton, all of which I shall be seeing early in the New Year, so roll on 2018!
FAVOURITE PRODUCTIONS
1. The Ferryman (Royal Court/Gielgud) No exaggeration, Jez Butterworth’s heady cocktail of tragedy, comedy, suspense and romance looks like the early front runner for play of the century.
2. Follies (National Theatre, Olivier) Sondheim on the grandest scale. We may never see its like again.
3. Angels in America (National Theatre, Lyttelton) Drama on the grandest scale (almost 8 hours of it) and unforgettable.
4. Ink (Almeida/Duke of York’s) Topping an incredible year for James Graham, this sets the bar for fact based theatre at a new high.
5. Hamlet (Almeida/Harold Pinter) Robert Icke’s modern day Hamlet, with Andrew Scott in the title role, is at least as good as any I’ve seen and I’ve seen (far too) many.
6. Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill (Wyndham’s) Devastating vision of a star burning herself out.
7. Mosquitos (National Theatre, Dorfman) The Olivias Coleman and Williams prove the Big Bang theory as sisters both bound together and torn apart.
8. On the Town (Regents Park Open Air Theatre) Leonard Bernstein’s music, spctacular choreography and a balmy Summer evening. Who could ask for anything more?
9. Oslo (National Theatre, Lyttelton/Harold Pinter) It takes a great play to show the world how negotiations between nations should be handled.
10. Albion (Almeida) Muddled metaphors, but thoroughly engrossing drama.
FAVOURITE PERFORMANCES
Male in a play – Andrew Garfield (Angels in America)
Female in a play – Sara Kestelman (Filthy Business at Hampstead Theatre)
Ensemble in a play – The Ferryman
Male in a musical – Let’s leave this one for either Hamilton or Jamie to claim
Female in a musical – Audra Macdonald (Lady Day…)
Ensemble in a musical: – Follies
OTHER FAVOURITES
New play: The Ferryman
New musical: Romantics Anonymous (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse)
Director (play): Sam Mendes (The Ferryman)
Director (musical): Emma Rice (Romantics Anonymous)
LEAST FAVOURITES
Obviously I have been selecting shows to see more carefully this year, coming up with a very short list of only three stinkers:
1. Salomé (National Theatre, Olivier) Overblown and underwritten load of Biblical tosh. Audiences may well have felt entitled to ask for writer/director Yaël Farber’s head on a plate.
2. Common (National Theatre, Olivier) The great mystery is how anyone could have thought it worthwhile to spread this huge pile of early 19th Century farmyard manure all over the Olivier stage.
3. The Secret diary of Adrian Mole… (Menier Chocolate Factory) I acknowledge freely that not everyone loathed this as much as I did. Nonetheless, after a disappointing year (apart from Love in Idleness), I am starting to worry that the delightful Menier’s crown is slipping.
The Beast's Pen 