My Favourite Shows of 2017

Another year has come and gone, and with 2018 just around the corner, it's time for me to look back and reflect on what a great year 2017 has been. 

This year was a pretty exciting year for my blog. In June I was awarded Silver in the Kent Digital Awards, in the Entertainment Blog category, and then later in the year I was a finalist in the Favourite Blog category of the Theatre Community Awards. I'm forever amazed by the fact that people read my blog and value my opinions, and being nominated in two different awards in 2017 felt really lovely. 

In more personal news, I graduated from the University of Kent this year, with a degree in Drama and English & American Literature, and started a career in the arts, which was a dream come true. I moved to Stratford-upon-Avon for work, and so obviously I saw everything that the RSC had to offer during my time there, and visited loads of other great theatres in Warwickshire and the West Midlands too. I even wrote a few blog posts about the RSC's The Other Place, which can be found alongside some other brilliant blogs on the RSC Website. 

But enough about my personal life! I've seen some totally wonderful theatre this year and so with that in mind, here is a list of the 5 shows which had the biggest impact on me in 2017. 

5) LMTO's Honeymoon in Vegas

I thought long and hard about which show I should put at number 5 on my list. I've seen loads of great plays, musicals, ballets and operas this year, and really they all deserve to be shouted about. That being said, when I was looking back over the reviews I wrote in 2017, one kept jumping out at me, and that was my review of London Musical Theatre Orchestra's concert production of Honeymoon in Vegas. I have admired LMTO for a while now, and I really enjoy the way they take lesser known or lesser performed musicals, and bring them to life, even if it's only for a night or two. As a fan of Jason Robert Brown, I loved hearing the brilliant Honeymoon in Vegas score being brought to life by such a talented orchestra, and in the lead roles of Betsy and Jack, Samantha Barks and Arthur Darvill were a perfect pair. It seems like LMTO gets bigger and better every year, and I can't wait to see which musicals they will tackle next.  

4) Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour 

In 2017 no show surprised me more than this one. On the surface, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour was a riotous no holds barred adventure, following a bunch of unruly ELO spouting youngster, let loose on Edinburgh during a school choir competition. It certainly had its fair share of rather outrageous content, but at its core it was something much more profound. Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour was a raw and real portrayal of 6 very different teenage girls, all trying to navigate their way to adulthood in different ways. It earnestly explored some sensitive themes, such as teenage pregnancy and terminal illness, from a very realistic perspective, and it was cathartic to see such realistic depictions of young women on stage. 

3) Hamilton: An American Musical

The enormous hype which surrounded this show since it first opened in America was impossible to ignore, and therefore expectations were high when a London transfer was announced. Fans and sceptics alike wondered weather the fundamentally American story would resonate with audiences in Britain. Thankfully, the excitement which followed Hamilton wherever it went was more than warranted. I was struck by the extent to which Hamilton felt like a new frontier, worlds away from the usually great, but increasingly predictable mainstream musical theatre. The London production was impeccably cast, showcasing some of the most talented performers working today, and heightening the musical's already formidable songs and raps. It seems very likely that Hamilton will experience a long run on the West End, and rightly so! 

2) 42nd Street

For all the talk I talk about wanting to see fresh, groundbreaking theatre, for me very little compares to a big, glitzy musical. And this year no musical was glitzier than 42nd Street. With its gloriously bright and colourful design, and incredibly talented cast, whose megawatt smiles radiated from start to finish, 42nd Street was completely irresistible. It felt like a couple of hours of pure distraction from the outside world, and I left the theatre humming and tapping my toes. Sure, it's relatively safe, and quite old fashioned, with some rather outdated aspects, but it's also unapologetically fun, and isn't that exactly what we needed in 2017?

1) The Glass Menagerie 

I was completely bowled over by John Tiffany's production of The Glass Menagerie, which transferred to the West End after a run in Edinburgh during the EIF in 2016. Tennessee Williams' semi-autobiographical play offered a fascinating look into a tumultuous family trying to thrive in 1930s St Louis, Missouri. Kate O'Flynn gave a spectacular performance as the fragile young Laura Wingfield, opposite Brian J. Smith's charismatic Gentleman Caller. Not only was the story immensely touching and complex, but the production itself was gorgeously designed, and complemented the play's dreamlike quality. When it was over and the actors had left the stage, all I could do was shake my head in awe! Whilst The Glass Menagerie is certainly not a groundbreaking play by today's terms, Tiffany's production felt totally fresh and unpredictable, and made a huge impact on me. Even now, it's hard for me to put into words just how much I enjoyed The Glass Menagerie, which I ended up seeing 3 times in London. From the first time I saw it I knew it'd end up on my end of year list, and looking back on 2017 I can safely say that no show this year left an impression like this one did. 

Of course, a top 5 list is quite restrictive and although they didn't make my list I should probably mention a few more outstanding shows from 2017. I thought that Blanche McIntyre's production of Titus Andronicus at the RSC was really very emotional without being excessively gory, The Ferryman was a simmering play which bubbled over in the final act to horrific effect, and in contrast I really enjoyed the unabashedly silly The Wedding Singer which left me with a big grin on my face. 

There's no denying that 2017 has been a brilliant year for theatre, and I can't wait to see how 2018 compares. I'm particularly excited about the transfers of Strictly Ballroom, Fun Home and The King And I, all of which have been received really well elsewhere. No doubt loads of unexpectedly great pieces of theatre will crop up throughout the year too, and I'm really excited to see what's in store.

Review - The Glass Menagerie (Duke of York's Theatre)

Having begun its journey at the American Repertory Theatre in 2013, transferred to Broadway and received Tony Award success, then crossed the pond last summer to entertain audiences at the Edinburgh International Festival, John Tiffany’s acclaimed production of Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie has finally arrived in London’s West End.

Kate O'Flynn as Laura
Photo credit - Johan Persson

It's no wonder The Glass Menagerie is considered by many to be Williams' greatest achievement as a playwright. The emotionally shattering memory play perfectly balances humour, intrigue, heartbreak and desire as it tells the story of a family in tatters, trying desperately to thrive despite their multitude of hindrances. 

Based on Williams himself, Tom Wingfield's desire for creativity and freedom repels him from his family, and his sister Laura, living with a limp as a result of childhood illness, is a fragile and isolated creature living inside her own world. The products of depression era America, both siblings are dreamers in their own ways, at odds with their woebegone homeland. 

Watching over her forlorn family is Amanda Wingfield, an erstwhile Southern Belle who hides a multitude of pains and regrets behind a bright, comely smile. Struggling to eek out a living on Tom's warehouse salary and the pittance Amanda earns by selling magazines over the phone to her acquaintances, the Wingfield family's plight is a serious one. Despite Amanda's attempts to disguise their troubles, both emotional and monetary, the truth is always looming over them like the portrait of Mr Wingfield, the absent husband, which hangs in the family apartment.

The cast of The Glass Menagerie
Photo credit - Johan Persson

Making her West End debut, the exquisite Cherry Jones is a force to be reckoned with as the domineering matriarch of the Wingfield family. Her exuberance and gaiety flickers on and off throughout the show, occasionally revealing a glimpse of the anxiety which lies underneath her well rehearsed charm. Meanwhile Michael Esper is engaging as Tom Wingfield. Balancing a multitude of conflicting tormenting emotions, it's clear he's not just a drunkard blindly stumbling into his absent father's footsteps, but rather a young man desperate to escape an oppressive existence, menial job and soulless town. Both actors do excellent jobs of making their characters sympathetic, while maintaining their individual complexities.

However, it is Kate O'Flynn who undoubtedly steals the show as mawkish Laura. The endearing gawkiness which Amanda Wingfield does her best to erase is perfectly calculated in O'Flynn's performance. An unconventional yet apt comparison to the mournfulness of Laura's emotional arc would be watching a child let go of a balloon in slow motion. The tragic, heartbreaking inevitability of her fate is almost too much to bear. She shines especially brightly in act two, which centres around Laura's encounter with a gentleman caller. Brian J. Smith's overly confident yet kind hearted Jim O'Connor is the perfect foil for Laura, and the tenderness radiated from the bittersweet couple is enough to move anyone to tears.

Just as Tom offers the audience 'truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion' in his opening monologue, this perfectly crafted production captures the fantastical, dreamlike quality of The Glass Menagerie, and amplifies it tenfold. 1930s Missouri is brought to vivid life through Bob Crowley's set design. The Wingfield family's apartment feels small and humble, and along with the iconic fire escape, a pool of dark water which surrounds their hexagonal apartment on all sides epitomises the confinement each character struggles with throughout the play. 

The striking set design is coupled with gorgeous lighting by Natasha Katz. Wistfully delivered narration is lit in cool blue, and muggy everyday St Louis is lit like a faded photograph. However, at night the sky is enchanted with glimmering stars, reflected in the water around the Wingfield apartment so it almost appears to float in the night sky. 

There is an awful lot to admire about John Tiffany's beguiling production of The Glass Menagerie. Watching it is like ascending a staircase in the dark. Gut wrenching at every turn. As ennui is faultlessly contorted into enrapture it becomes abundantly clear that this show is nothing short of wondrous. In every sense. 

Visit theglassmenagerie.co.uk for more information about this production