527 posts
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Post by Hamilton Addict on Dec 30, 2022 17:50:16 GMT
These were some really tough choices, but here's what I ultimately settled on:
1) The Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall - Having been a big follower of the awards for the past six years, it was a dream come true to be in the room where it happens.
2) Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at the Curran Theatre (San Fransisco) - I first saw the original production of the the Cursed Child in 2017, and seeing the reimagined version all these years later reminded me exactly why I had considered it one of my all-time favourites.
3) Oklahoma at the Young Vic & the Golden Gate Theatre (San Fransisco) - Was completely blown away by the production at the Young Vic, so much so that I ultimately decided to see it a second time during my time in San Fransisco!
4) Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre - I know Cinderella isn't everyone's cup of tea (especially not on this board!), but I still think it's one of the best original scores the West End has had over these past few years.
5) Best of Enemies at the Noël Coward Theatre - James Graham is one of my favourite playwrights (if not my absolute favourite), and I was thrilled to see that his latest play is a worthy addition to his repertoire.
Honourable mentions to The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Moulin Rouge, and Cyrano de Bergerac!
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1,864 posts
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Post by Dave B on Dec 30, 2022 21:24:45 GMT
205 shows seen. Top 5 (in no particular order) The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much - Omnibus (and seen a second time at The Pleasance). For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy - Royal Court Jerusalem - Apollo Dog / Actor - Etcetera All This Must Pass - Lion & Unicorn (returns to L&U first week of Jan - truly worth a visit.)
Thanks for doing this David!
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Post by wannabedirector on Dec 30, 2022 23:05:26 GMT
My top 5, in chronological order:
1) Best of Enemies (Young Vic)
2) Animal Farm (Theatre Royal Newcastle; Children’s Theatre Partnership production directed by Rob Icke)
3) Jerusalem (Apollo)
4) Patriots (Almeida)
5) The Crucible (National - Olivier)
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471 posts
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Post by mistressjojo on Dec 31, 2022 5:55:57 GMT
I wasn't going to contribute as most of my theatre going was restricted to Sydney this year, so I don't expect my choices to rate.
But why not?
1. RBG: Of One, Many . ( Sydney Theatre Company)
2. Good (Harold Pinter Theatre)
3. Mary (Hampstead Theatre)
4. The Upstart Crow ( Apollo)
5. The Tempest (Sydney Theatre Company)
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2,761 posts
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Post by n1david on Dec 31, 2022 10:15:12 GMT
Last call now for any remaining Top Fives you would like to share with the community! We've had more Top 5s posted this year than any year before (and we did it first in 2018).
Some really interesting stuff at the top of the table, some really interesting facts about some shows that have been around for a while, probably the best showing ever for a show outside London… all will be revealed tomorrow!
Cut-off is midnight tonight, I will post the outcomes tomorrow when I get over my Hogmanay hangover…
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2,859 posts
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Post by couldileaveyou on Dec 31, 2022 11:22:15 GMT
I thought it was a poor year for theatre, the only truly sensationally good thing I saw was the Ashton triple bill at the Royal Opera House. So, I'd say: - Ashton Triple Bill – ROH
- Romeo and Juliet – ROH (particularly Richardson & Magri's debut, and Bonelli & Nunez)
- Theodora – ROH
- Jerusalem – Apollo
- Life of Pi – Wyndham's
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Post by Wilf on Dec 31, 2022 12:45:10 GMT
1 Singin’ in the rain. UK tour Birmingham Hippodrome, superb chemistry between the three leads.
2 South Pacific. UK tour Birmingham Alex, great cast.
3 Mary Poppins Prince Edward Theatre Went to a Saturday matinee and saw all the leads.
4 Waitress UK tour Wolverhampton Grand, Chelsea Halfpenny and David Hunter outstanding.
Couldn’t separate these new musicals.
5= Bake off Cheltenham So many excellent performers, but JOJ brilliant, how versatile he is.
5= The Osmonds Grand Theatre Wolverhampton such a talented group of child performers and a strong adult cast.
5= Fisherman’s Friends Birmingham Alex, strong ensemble.
5= Cher Show Grand Theatre Wolverhampton, top performances from the three Cher’s
Looking forward to being able to make more trips to the West End, railways permitting, and more theatre visits locally. There are several musicals which I’ve always wanted to see that have UK tours so hopefully 2023 will be an exciting year.
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5,158 posts
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Post by TallPaul on Dec 31, 2022 12:48:21 GMT
What do you mean I can't give all five places to Standing at the Sky's Edge!? 🙂
It'll have to be just my top three then:
1. Standing at the Sky's Edge
2. Nine Night at Leeds Playhouse, in tribute to the late Josephine Melville
3. Newsies on BBC iPlayer
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656 posts
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Post by greeny11 on Dec 31, 2022 13:02:13 GMT
I'm seeing Newsies tomorrow, which I suspect will make my list, but so far (and I'm sticking to shows I'm seeing for the first time in 2022, otherwise Come From Away, & Juliet and Six would be on there): 1. Choir of Man (loved it in Edinburgh, but loved the extended version currently in London even more) 2. My Son's A Queer (Edinburgh Fringe) 3. Kathy and Stella (Edinburgh Fringe) 4. Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club 5. Moulin Rouge After Newsies: 1. Choir of Man 2. Newsies 3. My Sons A Queer 4. Kathy and Stella 5. cabaret |
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12 posts
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Post by supongo on Dec 31, 2022 13:23:23 GMT
1. Nick Cave (APE Victoria Park)
2. Nish Kumar (Glastonbury Festival)
3. Jerusalem (Apollo)
4. Operation Mincemeat (Southwark
5. Peter Grimes (ROH)
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Post by FrontrowverPaul on Dec 31, 2022 15:04:10 GMT
I've just been through my diary and it tells me I've seen exactly 274 shows in 2022. 276 booked, one missed due to a delayed train to a "no latecomers admitted" venue and one stuck on a motorway for two hours behind a very serious accident. I've excluded the four cancelled by the venues
Only left once at the interval (and that was partly because it was the evening Her Majesty passed away) and just two others I didn't enjoy. The five shows I most wanted to see again immediately the final curtain fell were...
The Clockmaker's Daughter, Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Colchester Operatic Society
42 Balloons, Vaudeville Theatre London
Great British Bake Off Musical, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham
Identical at Nottingham Playhouse.
I genuinely believe that always having so many shows booked and spending so few days just at home helps me to remain fit and well in my senior years.
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4,029 posts
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Post by Dawnstar on Dec 31, 2022 15:30:58 GMT
I'm not sure my top 5 will be much use to this thread because they're all ballet & opera apart from one musical (done by an opera company!). I saw 49 performances altogther - losing 2 to having covid & another 2 to train strikes, grr - which is about half the number I was averaging anually in the years leading up to covid. This is partly because I saw mostly weekday performances & so did very few 2-show days, whereas I used to often go on a Saturday & see a WE show matinee before opera/ballet in the evening.
Chronologically:
Romeo & Juliet Royal Ballet
Scenes de Ballet/A Month in the Country/Rhapsody triple bill Royal Ballet (of which Month was the best for me)
A Little Night Music Opera North
Cavalleria Rusticana/Pagliacci Royal Opera
Mayerling Royal Ballet
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752 posts
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Post by Latecomer on Dec 31, 2022 16:21:22 GMT
Didn’t see much this year…only started travelling back to London quite late in the day
1. Patriots
2 .Mary
3. Jerusalem
4. Best of Enemies
5. Othello
I’m pretty sure Tammy Faye would have made it on to the list if I had managed to catch it, but it was cancelled on the last day!
Lots more booked for next year…hurrah!
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1,503 posts
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Post by foxa on Dec 31, 2022 16:38:23 GMT
I didn't see nearly as much as I was seeing pre-pandemic, but my faves were:
1. Eureka Day (Old Vic) audience laughter at this made me realise how much I missed live theatre.
2. The Band's Visit (Donmar)
3. Folk (Hampstead)
4. Jitney (Old Vic)
5. Much Ado (National)
Also enjoyed: Oklahoma (Young Vic), Tammy Faye Musical (Almeida) and Collaboration (Young Vic.)
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Post by londonpostie on Dec 31, 2022 16:53:38 GMT
Scenes de Ballet/A Month in the Country/Rhapsody triple bill Royal Ballet (of which Month was the best for me) couldileaveyou said: Ashton Triple Bill – ROH
londonpostie said: Ashton Triple: Scènes de ballet / A Month in the Country / Rhapsody - perfection (ROH, Ashton/Carr)
It won't make a pennyworth of difference to the sums but, in case of confusion, can I just mention these were all the same event  |
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1,127 posts
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Post by samuelwhiskers on Dec 31, 2022 17:17:18 GMT
Scenes de Ballet/A Month in the Country/Rhapsody triple bill Royal Ballet (of which Month was the best for me) couldileaveyou said: Ashton Triple Bill – ROH
londonpostie said: Ashton Triple: Scènes de ballet / A Month in the Country / Rhapsody - perfection (ROH, Ashton/Carr)
It won't make a pennyworth of difference to the sums but, in case of confusion, can I just mention these were all the same event It didn’t quite make my top 5 but I also very much enjoyed that event. |
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2,761 posts
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Post by n1david on Dec 31, 2022 17:24:33 GMT
Scenes de Ballet/A Month in the Country/Rhapsody triple bill Royal Ballet (of which Month was the best for me) couldileaveyou said: Ashton Triple Bill – ROH londonpostie said: Ashton Triple: Scènes de ballet / A Month in the Country / Rhapsody - perfection (ROH, Ashton/Carr) It won't make a pennyworth of difference to the sums but, in case of confusion, can I just mention these were all the same event I had worked that out which means that this triple bill is the clear leader in the "Dance" category of the stats... |
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3,576 posts
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Post by Rory on Dec 31, 2022 18:40:51 GMT
My top 7 were:
1.Oklahoma!
2.The Doctor
3.Cyrano de Bergerac
4.Jerusalem
5.To Kill a Mockingbird
6.The Southbury Child
7.Cock
The Glass Menagerie was slightly underpowering and I was disappointed that my performance of The Forest at Hampstead was cancelled although it did afford me the chance to see Animal Kingdom downstairs which I liked a lot.
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Post by interval99 on Dec 31, 2022 19:15:00 GMT
ABBA voyage
From here to eternity
School of rock UK tour
The car man -Royal Albert hall
Bedknobs and broomsticks UK tour
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4,029 posts
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Post by Dawnstar on Dec 31, 2022 21:48:52 GMT
couldileaveyou said: Ashton Triple Bill – ROH londonpostie said: Ashton Triple: Scènes de ballet / A Month in the Country / Rhapsody - perfection (ROH, Ashton/Carr) It won't make a pennyworth of difference to the sums but, in case of confusion, can I just mention these were all the same event I had worked that out which means that this triple bill is the clear leader in the "Dance" category of the stats... Probably not even in the top 100 overall on here though! |
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2,761 posts
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Post by n1david on Jan 1, 2023 10:28:12 GMT
Without further ado here are the favourite shows of Theatreboard members (who expressed a preference). A grand total of 387 votes this year, which is the highest number we’ve ever had since we started dong this in 2018. It’s great to see culture back so strongly, with a total of 166 shows listed across London, the UK and Internationally. A blonde be-wigged head and shoulders above everyone else was TAMMY FAYE at the Almeida with 21.3 votes. Runners-up in the musicals category were The Band’s Visit (Donmar) 16.0 Cabaret (Kit Kat Club) 11.8 Into the Woods (Bath) 9.2 Operation Mincemeat (Southwark/Riverside) 8.8 - highest placed Fringe show On the play side the Top 5 were Jerusalem (Apollo) 15.4 Blues for an Alabama Sky (NT) 8.5 Southbury Child (Bridge/Chichester) 7.54 Prima Facie (Pinter) 7.5 Cruise (Apollo) 6.0 Wasn’t sure whether to call it a Musical or a Concert so I thought I’d just let it be its own thing but ABBA Voyage was very popular, scoring 11.2. Interestingly there were a lot of high-scoring returnees - notably Cabaret which came second in the Musicals category to Anything Goes last year, getting 10 votes last year. Also Operation Mincemeat got 6.5 last year. Most impressively the top-voted show in 2019, Come From Away, got 6 votes again this year after getting 6 last year, which shows that is still popular as it nears its closure in the West End. Into the Woods in Bath is the top non-London show, and it looked for a while like it might end up higher in the table. Last year the top non-London show was South Pacific in Chichester. Some surprises in there that we might not have anticipated a year ago, with David Tennant’s Good only getting 1 vote, Cock getting less than 1, and Amy Adams’s Glass Menagerie and Ruth Wilson’s Human Voice not getting any - despite all being highly anticipated this time last year. The NT has had a rather better year than last year, with Blues for an Alabama Sky doing well and votes also for Jack Absolute, All of Us, The Crucible, Father and the Assassin, Our Generation, and The Corn is Green. Nothing for Hex this year again alas… Last year we had some discussion about the bias between musicals and plays. In total we had 176 votes for plays and 164 for musicals, the difference is that fewer musicals were listed (62 musicals to 80 plays) so the average score for them tends to be higher. We had 27 votes for Concerts, with the Sondheim Gala top with 6 votes; 9 for Opera and 10 for Dance (where the Ashton triple bill came top and in joint 32nd place overall Dawnstar ) Thanks everyone for participating, remember it’s all a bit of fun, see you same time next year? |
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382 posts
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Post by stevemar on Jan 1, 2023 11:09:44 GMT
Thanks n1David. Some runaway winners there, but great to see so much variety in the shows, and NT doing so well again.
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4,029 posts
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Post by Dawnstar on Jan 1, 2023 16:03:11 GMT
We had 27 votes for Concerts, with the Sondheim Gala top with 6 votes; 9 for Opera and 10 for Dance (where the Ashton triple bill came top and in joint 32nd place overall Dawnstar ) I'm impressed it was that high! |
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