Theatre: 2011/12
Dec. 28th, 2012 02:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
smallhobbitNovember 2011 Marat/Sade RST RSC
November 2011 Measure for Measure Swan Theatre RSC
January 2012 Taming of the Shrew RST RSC
February 2012 A Streetcar Named Desire Liverpool Playhouse Sam Troughton
March 2012 The Recruiting Officer Donmar Warehouse Mark Gatiss
April 2012 Twelfth Night RST RSC Jonathan Slinger
April 2012 The Cherry Orchard Tobacco Factory SATTF
April 2012 The Tempest RST RSC Jonathan Slinger
May 2012 Henry V Cardiff New Theatre Globe Touring Jamie Parker
May 2012 Betrayal Sheffield Crucible John Simm
May 2012 Love, Love, Love Royal Court Theatre Sam Troughton
August 2012 King John Swan Theatre RSC Alex Waldmann
September 2012 Three Sisters Young Vic Sam Troughton, Mariah Gale
September 2012 Mousetrap St Martins Theatre
Fourteen plays this year, and quite a mixed bag
Less Shakespeare?
Only six Shakespeare plays this year – of which three I’d not seen before. Otherwise an interesting selection of plays from through the centuries.
More locations?
London and Stratford-upon-Avon of course, but also Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool and Sheffield. I see more of the country to go to plays than for any other reason.
Favourite actor
For the second year running it has to be Sam Troughton. I saw him three times and even got his autograph (which made me very happy). I persuaded my friends jinxed100 and phyllisdobbs01 to come to Liverpool for “Streetcar”, which was brilliant. We failed to get Sam’s autograph, but did get his father, David’s. And then I took OH to see “Three Sisters” with the promise of seeing Mariah Gale again
No big names this year
John Simm and Mark Gatiss, but none of the really big names. John Simm is a very good actor, but I am not a fan of Harold Pinter, and I am clearly not alone in saying this, because the Sheffield Crucible was not full. Mark Gatiss was well worth seeing again, as was Mackenzie Crook who I had not seen before I went to “The Recruiting Officer”. Jamie Parker was excellent as Henry V and I was delighted to recommend him to a friend who saw him at The Globe. I continue to enjoy seeing Jonathan Slinger on stage and was delighted to see Alex Waldmann again, having first seen him three years ago at the Donmar.
Going with friends
One of the enjoyments of seeing a play is when you go with friends. This doesn’t stop me going by myself, but going with other people and getting their views always adds to the pleasure. So, apart from jinxed100 and phyllisdobbs01, who not only came to Liverpool, joined me at times in Stratford and of course were part of the group of us who saw “Betrayal”; I need to add edzel2 and morelindo who came to “Betrayal” plus meeting ariadnes_string at “The Recruiting Officer”. And of course I would never have seen “The Mousetrap” if flawedamythyst hadn’t arranged for a group of Sherlock fangirls to go. The detective saying “Avoid being murdered” reduced the whole row of us to giggles.
Into the future
Since my year runs October 31 to October 30 I have already started my next year’s viewing: more Mark Gatiss, plus Laurence Fox (I am so pleased I got to see him.) And I have tickets for Shakespeare (of course), Dominic West and James McAvoy. So, trips to London, Stratford-upon-Avon, Sheffield (again) plus Cheltenham and Stoke-on-Trent. And there are still ten months to go.
