Don't bother, they're here
I’ve loved these deep dives into Tristram Kenton’s photo archive on the Guardian and with this selection from the Royal Court, there’s a lovely reminder of so many great productions (plus some that got away):
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/gallery/2020/nov/04/royal-court-theatre-productions-tristram-kenton-at-the-guardian-in-pictures
London Musical Theatre Orchestra has announced casting for Saturday’s concert version of Camelot at the London Palladium and there’s still a few tickets going. Packed with some of musical theatre’s best songs, LMTO’s concert version with full orchestra will celebrate the centenary of Alan Jay Lerner’s birth.
The role of Arthur will be played by Olivier Award-winner David Thaxton (Passion / Les Misérables / Jesus Christ Superstar), Guenevere will be played by Savannah Stevenson (Wicked / Aspects of Love / Follies), and Lancelot will be played by internationally renowned opera star Charles Rice (Mozart’s Requiem / The Barber of Seville / Candide). Continue reading “Friday feeling – news aplenty”
Best New Play
Collaborators by John Hodge – National Theatre Cottesloe
Jumpy by April De Angelis – Jerwood Downstairs, Royal Court
One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean – National Theatre Lyttleton
The Ladykillers by Graham Linehan – Gielgud
Best New Musical
Matilda – Cambridge
Betty Blue Eyes – Novello
Ghost – Piccadilly
London Road – National Theatre Cottesloe
Shrek – Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Best Revival
Anna Christie – Donmar Warehouse
Flare Path – Haymarket
Much Ado about Nothing – Wyndham’s
Noises Off – Old Vic Continue reading “2012 Laurence Olivier Awards winners”
Best New Play
Collaborators by John Hodge – National Theatre Cottesloe
Jumpy by April De Angelis – Jerwood Downstairs, Royal Court
One Man, Two Guvnors by Richard Bean – National Theatre Lyttleton
The Ladykillers by Graham Linehan – Gielgud
Best New Musical
Betty Blue Eyes – Novello
Ghost – Piccadilly
London Road – National Theatre Cottesloe
Matilda – Cambridge
Shrek – Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Best Revival
Anna Christie – Donmar Warehouse
Flare Path – Haymarket
Much Ado about Nothing – Wyndham’s
Noises Off – Old Vic Continue reading “2012 Laurence Olivier Awards nominations”
| Winner | Runner-up | Other nominees | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best Actress in a Play | Eve Best, Much Ado About Nothing (Globe) | Ruth Wilson, Anna Christie | Rosie Wyatt, Bunny Siân Brooke, Ecstasy Lisa Palfrey, The Kitchen Sink Geraldine James, Seagull |
| Best Actor in a Play | Benedict Cumberbatch, Frankenstein | Andrew Scott, Emperor and Galilean | Trevor Fox, The Pitmen Painters Dominic West, Othello Jude Law, Anna Christie Charles Edwards, Much Ado About Nothing (Globe) |
| Best Supporting Actress in a Play | Alexandra Gilbreath, Othello | Sheridan Smith, Flare Path | Sinéad Matthews, Ecstasy Billie Piper, Reasons to be Pretty Kirsty Bushell, Double Feature 1 Esther Hall, Many Moons |
| Best Supporting Actor in a Play | Ryan Sampson, The Kitchen Sink | Harry Hadden-Paton, Flare Path | Robert Hands, The Comedy of Errors (Propeller) Edward Franklin, Many Moons Craig Parkinson, Ecstasy Adam James, Much Ado About Nothing (Wyndhams) |
| Best Actress in a Musical | Imelda Staunton, Sweeney Todd | Adrianna Bertola, Josie Griffiths, Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram, Eleanor Worthington Cox & Sophia Kiely, Matilda | Laura Pitt-Pulford, Parade Beverley Klein, Bernarda Alba Jemima Rooper, Me and My Girl Scarlett Strallen, Singin’ in the Rain |
| Best Actor in a Musical | Bertie Carvel, Matilda | Michael Ball, Sweeney Todd | Daniel Evans, Company Daniel Crossley, Me and My Girl Alastair Brookshaw, Parade Vincent Franklin, The Day We Sang |
| Best Supporting Actress in a Musical | Samantha Spiro, Company | Kate Fleetwood, London Road | Josefina Gabrielle, Me and My Girl Josie Walker, Matilda Rosalind James, Ragtime Ann Emery, Betty Blue Eyes |
| Best Supporting Actor in a Musical | Daniel Crossley, Singin’ in the Rain | Nigel Harman, Shrek the Musical | Connor Dowling, Guys and Dolls Jack Edwards, Betty Blue Eyes David Burt, Crazy For You Nick Holder London Road |
So here it is, as best a summation of what I liked most about the year’s theatregoing as I can manage. I racked up 332 plays in the end this year (a further analysis will come in a later post) so it has taken quite some considerable time to narrow these down (especially the supporting actress categories which should surprise no-one who knows me) and considering which were the performances that stood out for me this year led to some surprises. Thus here we go, the 2011 fosterIAN (fos-tîr’ē-ən) award nominations for acting this year.
(NB Eligibility is quite simple: if I saw this play/production for the first time this year, it went in the hat. I saw Propeller’s Richard III last November so that fell into last’s year cohort.)
Best Actor in a Play
Benedict Cumberbatch, Frankenstein
Charles Edwards, Much Ado About Nothing (Globe)
Trevor Fox, The Pitmen Painters
Jude Law, Anna Christie
Andrew Scott, Emperor and Galilean
Dominic West, Othello
Best Actress in a Play
Eve Best, Much Ado About Nothing (Globe)
Siân Brooke, Ecstasy
Geraldine James, Seagull
Lisa Palfrey, The Kitchen Sink
Ruth Wilson, Anna Christie
Rosie Wyatt, Bunny Continue reading “The 2011 fosterIAN award nominations”
Premiered this summer in Chichester and now making the move to Sloane Square’s Royal Court, Lucy Prebble’s second play Enron has achieved a quite astonishing level of success. Bolstered by four- and five-star reviews earlier this year, the entire run at the Royal Court sold out before opening and a West-End transfer has already been announced. Fortunately, the play lived up to its billing and provided a highly entertaining and educational evening.
Telling the story of Enron, a much-feted energy corporation whose surprise co
llapse in 2001 leaving billions of dollars of debt, Prebble has done a fantastic job in making the subject of financial manoeuvring very accessible and engaging, whilst never patronising her audience, and her work is given extra strength due to the current state of the economy and our subsequent realisation that this was not an isolated incident as first believed. Continue reading “Review: Enron, Royal Court”