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Post by xanady on Dec 28, 2019 21:29:46 GMT
Dear Evan Hansen West Side Story(Leicester Curve) Six Hamilton Bridges Of Madison County
Also loved-Fiddler,Cabaret(Tour),&Juliet,Sweet Charity,Company,CFA, Waitress and The Boy In The Dress
Very big shout out from my daughter to JCS at the Barbican
Worst night at the theatre this year-Rock Of Ages with Kevin Clifton on tour-utterly dreadful
Best stage door experiences-Andy Nyman telling me about his family connections to the background story of ‘Fiddler’ and the numerous meet and greets with the Queens in the Arts theatre foyer.
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4,557 posts
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Post by Mark on Dec 28, 2019 23:00:27 GMT
Oklahoma (Broadway Revival) The Prom (Broadway) Becoming Nancy (Atlanta) Muriel's Wedding (Sydney) & Juliet (West End)
(I'm not including Dear Evan Hansen, Come From Away, Waitress etc. as I saw these in 2016/2017)
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1,002 posts
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Post by David J on Dec 29, 2019 12:18:59 GMT
Saw my last productions of the year yesterday
1. Come From Away 2. Richard III (Headlong) 3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 4. Orpheus Descending 5. Rosmersholm 6. Downstate 7. A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bridge Theatre) 8. Sweat 9. Teenage Dick 10. White Christmas
Runners up : Les Miserables Revival UK Tour, The Clockmaker's Daughter concert, A German Life, Appropriate, The Life I Lead, Dead Dog in a Suitcase, Admissions, The Dumb Waiter/A Slight Ache, An Enemy of the People (Nottingham)
The worst 1. Richard II (Almeida) 2. Three Sisters (Almeida) 3. Stones in his Pockets (UK Tour) 4. Missing (Gecko Theatre Company) 5. A Midsummer Night's Dream (Tobacco Factory) 6. Night of the Iguana 7. All About Eve 8. Venice Preserved (RSC) 9. Twelfth Night (Globe Tour) 10. Betrayal
2019 was a great year for the Donmar Theatre premiering three great plays from across the pond. Not so much for the Almeida and the RSC continues to contribute average productions
Credit goes to Hyntner for delivering another promenade Shakespeare production with spectacular production values. A mention also to Dead Dog in the Suitcase, Tartuffe and Rosmersholm for a coup de theatre at the end. Peter Gynt was also colourful and surreal at times.
Tom Mothersdale would be my favourite actor of the year as for his mesmerising Richard III, in front of Tom Burke's downplayed performance (in Rosmersholm), Gerald Kyd (Deep Blue Sea), David Moorst' hilarious Puck (Bridge's Midsummer Night's Dream), Felix Mosse currently playing Marius in the Les Mis UK Tour and Miles Jupp's delightful performance as David Tomlinson (The Life I Lead).
But the year belongs to the ladies with some outstanding performances from Sally Field harrowing performance in All My Sons, Hattie Morahan desperate for something more in Orpheus Descending, Hayley Atwell's self loathing turn in Rosmersholm, Alex Kingston being the activist in An Enemy of the People, Caroline Quentin and Alexandra Gilbreath stealing the show in The Provoked Wife and Nancy Carroll's poignant performance in Deep Blue Sea.
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1,905 posts
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Post by LaLuPone on Dec 29, 2019 15:06:51 GMT
1. Waitress 2. Mary Poppins 3. Joseph at the Palladium 4. The Les Mis Concert 5. Six
Or if we’re not including revivals: 1. Waitress 2. Six 3. 9 to 5 4. Come From Away 5. & Juliet
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Dec 29, 2019 17:42:05 GMT
Best: 1. Shook (Southwark Playhouse) 2. Top Girls (National) 3. Equus (Stratford East) 4. Medea (Barbican) 5. Rosmersholm (West End)
Worst (in no particular order) The End of History (Royal Court) Hello Again (Union) Hansard (National) Man in the White Suit (West End) Taming of the Shrew (RSC)
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2,529 posts
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Post by n1david on Dec 30, 2019 14:28:24 GMT
Quick reminder that I'm going to tot up the totals in this thread on Ne'erday, so if you want to contribute to the Theatreboard consensus, do so before I wake up on January 1!
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3,073 posts
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Post by david on Dec 30, 2019 14:47:12 GMT
1. Small Island 2. Downstate 3. Come From Away 4. &Juliet 5. A Midsummer nights dream (bridge theatre)
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Post by liv22 on Dec 30, 2019 15:33:21 GMT
1. Six 2. Come From Away 3. &Juliet 4. Fiver 5. Waitress
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734 posts
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Post by dippy on Dec 30, 2019 22:43:32 GMT
My top five shows that I saw this year (in alphabetical order, can't put them in order) are:
Company Curtains Singin' in the Rain (Mill at Sonning) The Curious Case of Benjamin Button White Christmas (Curve, didn't enjoy it as much in the West End)
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4,958 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Dec 31, 2019 18:21:51 GMT
After 41 trips to the theatre, to see 38 unique productions, it was relatively easy to narrow down my top four:
1. 42nd Street - Drury Lane
=2. Standing at the Sky's Edge - Crucible Theatre*, Sheffield =2. & Juliet - Opera House, Manchester
4. Lungs, Old Vic
My fifth and final choice could have been one of half a dozen, but I've shamelessly gone local again for no other reason than because of something rather special that happened to me at this afternoon's performance.
5. Guys and Dolls, Crucible Theatre*
*world-famous 😉
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3,927 posts
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Post by Dawnstar on Dec 31, 2019 19:20:24 GMT
(Complete post re-write required as I overlooked a show.) I only saw 5 new-to-me, non-improvised musicals this year (I did see Showstopper 26 times but I don't think improvised shows count on this thread) so I guess it's those 5. In alphabetical order:
Amour Come From Away The Curious Incident Of Benjamin Button Curtains Follies
(In case anyone's wondering what I therefore spent the year seeing, it was mostly a mixture of ballet, opera, Mischief & Showstopper.)
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2,389 posts
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Post by peggs on Dec 31, 2019 21:00:58 GMT
Not a brilliant year in total but some great individual productions. My five are: Rosmerholm Macbeth (Sam Wanamaker) A German Life Present Laughter Ian McKellen on Stage
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821 posts
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Post by ensembleswings on Dec 31, 2019 22:17:37 GMT
In terms of new (to me) shows 1. Come From Away 2. Local Hero 3. & Juliet 4. Mary Poppins 5. Avenue Q
In terms of overall shows 1. Kinky Boots 2. Come From Away 3. 42nd Street (closing night) 4. Local Hero 5. & Juliet
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Post by elizapot on Dec 31, 2019 22:37:33 GMT
1. Come From Away 2. Les Mis Concert 3. &Juliet 3. Dear Evan Hansen 4. Death of a Salesman
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Post by FrontroverPaul on Jan 1, 2020 0:36:32 GMT
Can't choose five so please indulge me a little here. I give each show a rating based solely on my personal enjoyment : all these and many more scored a perfect 10 for me.
LONDON 1) Carousel Cadogan Hall, 2) Fiddler On The Roof Menier/Playhouse, 3) Sweet Charity Donmar, 4) Broken Wings Other Palace 5) Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat London Palladium
ELSEWHERE IN UK 1) Daddy Long Legs Barn Cirencester, 2) The Producers Manchester Royal Exchange 3) Standing at Sky's Edge Sheffield Crucible 4) Oklahoma Chichester Festival 5) Early Doors Salford Lowry.
AMATEUR 1) Ragtime London Bridewell 2) Starlight Express Yeovil Octagon Theatre 3) My Fair Lady Bury St Edmunds Theatre Royal 4) Bonnie and Clyde Southend Palace Theatre 5) Barnum Thornbury Theatre.
There have been only five shows all year which I wanted to like but just didn't enjoy; pretty good out of 291. 1) Preludes 2) Man Of La Mancha 3) Summer Set 4) Caroline Or Change 5) Midlife Cowboy.
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1,907 posts
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Post by sf on Jan 1, 2020 3:47:36 GMT
5. Present Laughter, Old Vic 4. Tartuffe, National 3. Local Hero, Lyceum Edinburgh 2. Appropriate, Donmar 1. Follies, National
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Post by Rory on Jan 1, 2020 7:26:26 GMT
Indulging myself with a Top 8:-
8. The Hunt (Almeida) 7. Present Laughter (Old Vic) 6. A Midsummer Night's Dream (Bridge) 5. Fiddler on the Roof (Menier / Playhouse) 4. All About Eve (Noel Coward) 3. Death of a Salesman (Young Vic / Piccadilly) 2. Beginning (Gate Dublin) 1. Sweat (Donmar / Gielgud)
Whilst I loved one SRB show, The Lehman Trilogy, I'm afraid the one show I loathed this year was Richard II at the Almeida.
The one which I really wanted to love but which didn't move me as much as I had expected it to was All My Sons (Old Vic). Saw it live and then again via NT Live but something didn't quite click for me.
The ones I really wanted to see but it just didn't work out:- Rosmersholm (Duke of York's) Blood Wedding (Almeida) Downstate (Dorfman) Appropriate (Donmar) Fairview (Young Vic)
Hoping for some 2020 transfer announcements for some of these, as have already been announced for The Doctor & The Watsons, both of which I also missed first time round and which I am immensely looking forward to seeing in the New Year.
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Post by n1david on Jan 1, 2020 12:01:19 GMT
Happy New Year everyone!
Interestingly this year people have liked a much more diverse range of shows - last year's winner Company got 31 votes, but nothing this year got over 20, despite the fact that more people posted their Top 5s this year than last.
So without further ado, the most-liked show amongst Theatreboard posters (who expressed a preference) was COME FROM AWAY with 19.8 votes.
Second was DEATH OF A SALESMAN with 10.6, then
DOWNSTATE 10.3 PRESENT LAUGHTER 9.5 ROSMERSHOLM 8.7
Highest Fringe show was Benjamin Button which got 5, and the highest non-London show was Assassins at the Watermill which got 3.8.
In total 154 shows were listed, up from 129 last year. Returners were Follies which got only 2 votes in 2018, but 8 in 2019. Another notable returnee was Six which got 3 votes in 2018 but up to 7 in 2019. Last year 4 of the top 5 were musicals, this year 4 of the top 5 were plays.
With very best wishes for 2020, I hope you have many silent neighbours and short people in front of you!
(Note: the reason why some shows have fractions, is that I adjusted for those of you who found yourself unable to stick to 5 - so, for example, if you gave 6 favourites they each got 0.83 rather than 1 vote)
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Post by crabtree on Jan 1, 2020 12:58:15 GMT
Life of Pi, for me.
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227 posts
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Post by barelyathletic on Jan 3, 2020 16:25:47 GMT
If it's not too late, now the year is over. Over 130 shows seen but have chosen a top five.
5 The Antipodes 4 Bobby & Amy 3 Operation Mincemeat 2 The Doctor 1 Sweat
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