Annual Theatre Round Up

[smallhobbit]

Another year gone, another year of plays seen:

Oct 2015   Charlie & the Chocolate Factory   Theatre Royal, Drury Lane   (Jonathan Slinger)
Nov 2015   Husbands & Sons   National Theatre – Dorfman   (Anne-Marie Duff)
Dec 2015   Queen Anne   Royal Shakespeare Theatre – Swan Theatre (PUP)
Jan 2016   Guys & Dolls   Savoy Theatre   (Jamie Parker)
Jan 2016   Love for Love   Royal Shakespeare Theatre – Swan Theatre
Jan 2016   The Dazzle   Found 111   (Andrew Scott)
Jan 2016   The Homecoming   Trafalgar Studios   (John Simm)
Feb 2016   The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time   Gielgud Theatre
Feb 2016   Good-night Mister Tom   Duke of York’s Theatre   (David Troughton)
Feb 2016   Doctor Faustus   Royal Shakespeare Theatre – Swan Theatre
Mar 2016   Hamlet   Royal Shakespeare Theatre – RST
Apr 2016   Shadowlands   Malvern Theatre   (Stephen Boxer)
Apr 2016   Henry V   Gloucester Cathedral   (Antic Disposition)
June 2016   The Alchemist   Royal Shakespeare Theatre – Swan Theatre
June 2016   3 Penny Opera   National Theatre – Olivier   (Rory Kinnear)
July 2016   Hobson’s Choice   Vaudeville Theatre   (Martin Shaw, Bryan Dick)
Aug 2016   Cymbeline   Royal Shakespeare Theatre – RST
Aug 2016   Yerma   Young Vic   (Billie Piper)
Aug 2016   Show Boat   New London Theatre
Aug 2016   The Seagull   National Theatre – Olivier
Sep 2016   King Lear   Royal Shakespeare Theatre – RST   (David Troughton)
Sep 2016   The Dresser   Cheltenham Everyman   (Ken Stott, Reece Shearsmith)
Oct 2016   The Rover   Royal Shakespeare Theatre – Swan Theatre (PUP)

23 plays in total.  The number continues to go up year on year, but only by one at a time.

And only 4 Shakespeare plays, which surprises me.  Plus a further 4 from a similar time period.  Which is roughly a third of the plays I've seen.  I have a mental points scoring mechanism for deciding what to see and clearly Shakespeare is losing weight compared to other points categories.

Destination wise, half were in London, and one-third in Stratford-upon-Avon.  And there was one each in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Malvern (a first).

The usual selection of favourite actors, as can be seen from the list, favourite big names being Andrew Scott and Billie Piper.  Real favourites, although not as well known, David Troughton, Jonathan Slinger and Stephen Boxer.

My three favourite plays for the year: Henry V, Yerma and The Dresser.

Mental points scoring mechanism: The play (so a Shakespeare will score higher than a new play); Actors (some I'll see regardless, others will sway me to see something); Location (cost of travel, plus time.  London means trains and a whole day, unless I'm staying up; Stratford is an hour's drive away, much more accessible, go in the day and the evening's free; Gloucester/Cheltenham is just the evening); Companions (if friends/SM want to see something I'll go to something I wouldn't see otherwise); Ticket price (which is where Shakespeare is now falling behind - tickets at the RSC, which scores highly elsewhere, are getting ridiculous except for the uncomfortable back rows).

As ever, my intention next year is to see the equivalent of at least one play a month.  There are six booked and nothing yet for the second half of the year.