Comment

The Top Ten of 2014: No. 10 through to No. 08

No 10 A Streetcar Named Desire

 

Link to full review of: A Streetcar Named Desire

 

No 9 How a man crumbled

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to full review of: How A Man Crumbled

 

No 8 - The Crucible

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Link to full review of: The Crucible

 

 

 

 

The Civil Awards – Winners

Competition has been fierce. Tears, wine and blood have been spilt. Not necessarily in that order. All that remains, with votes cast, arguments played out, and money in brown paper bags tallied and accounted for, is to dust off the golden envelopes and announce the hotly anticipated (umm, by who? – ed) results.

If you are under the suspicion that these awards don’t have any real meaning and are just another internet blog’s attempts to round off the year in a show of unnecessary and undeserved self-importance then, well, you would be right.

However I rest happy knowing these are the views of someone who has seen, and written, a lot about theatre in 2014. And that has a meaning above and beyond those offered by a certain awards ceremony funded by a bearded Russian billionaire whose questionable wealth accumulation tactics enabled them to buy an entire newspaper for seemingly the sole purpose of indulging twin fantasies of being a cultural impresario and being photographed with an arm around attractive celebrities.

So mea culpa over, follow the link to check out the winners.

Find out who won here

The Civil Shortlist – 2014

Well the plays have been revisited, the little grey cells put back into action and the oracle consulted. In short and without further ado, Civilian Theatre is proud to present the runners and riders in the second annual shortlist for The Civil Awards. [Cue much fanfare, fireworks and underhand, dirty trick campaigns]. Bribes, whilst having little effect on the outcome, will still be gratefully received.

It has been ferociously competitive in some categories and this year it is female performers who have far out performed their male counterparts. The honourable mentions list is arguably be a top 5 in itself.

In the end – having combined Best Support Actor into being for both men and women – it was impossible to reduce it to just five. So six have been shortlisted in another high calibre selection.

Another new category is Best Musical, which reflects the fact that below the surface and away from the big theatres, musical theatre is still doing some pretty interesting stuff. Last year’s Civilian Theatre Play of the Year ‘The Scottsboro Boys’ has transferred to the West End and it feels the form deserves its own categories.

Winners will be announced in the run-up to Christmas.

Best Actor – Female

Honourable Mentions:

Harriet Walter (Henry IV), Helen McCrory (Medea), Lisa Dwan (Not I, Footfalls & Rockaby), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (The One) and Anita Hegh (The Wild Duck).     

Best Actor – Male

Honourable Mentions:

Andrew Scott (Birdland), Andrew Twaites (The Libertine Has Left The Building) and Simon Russell Beale (King Lear)

Best Supporting Actor (Male/Female)

Best Director

Best Musical

 

First Draft – Mimetic Festival

First Draft – Open Heart Surgery

Showing as part of Mimetic Festival 2014 (17 – 29 November 2014)

At the centre of First Draft, a fast-paced and fluid meditation on contemporary issues by the new London-based theatre company, Open Heart Surgery, is a loose adaptation of E.M Forster’s The Machine Stops. It is an interesting choice of subject and one that provides a neat shell in which to house the ideas that freely flow out of writer Coleen MacPherson’s pen.First draft

It is often unclear where or when we are but slowly fragmentary images coalesce into more defined scenes, and eventually the action settles on a future world where a character (Vashti in Forster’s original) collects memories; seemingly fascinated by the experiences of others but with no real interest in experiencing those of her own.

It is in these future world scenes that the performers seem most at home. MacPherson’s dialogue is well worked to create a landscape we want to know more about, while Charlotte Baseley and Louise Callaghan have a tender dynamic as they build a fragile relationship amongst the wreckage.

Basely and Callaghan are required to showcase their impressively versatile range over the course of this hour long production. They play all twelve of the characters and do a fine job moving slickly between different roles and gamely try to give each one their own personality.

For the full review and much more on Mimetic Festival, please click here

Revisiting…The Scottsboro Boys

The Scottsboro Boys – Garrick Theatre, booking util 21 December 2014 (tickets)

Almost a year ago Civilian Theatre went to see a Kander and Ebb musical at the Young Vic. Going in with no expectations and a complete lack of awareness about anything regarding this unknown musical, I was absolutely blown away by a production that balanced the real-life emotional power of the story with an entertaining book, vaudeville repartee and stunning performances. It was a rare show that managed to entertain whilst delivering a devastating story that can resonates today. Of all the West End transfers from smaller venues in 2014 , it is seeing The Scottsboro Boys’ name in lights at the Garrick Theatre which most lifts my spirits and leads my to retain some faith in the high and mighty who control the content of the West End. Below I revisit my end of year review, which saw The Scottsboro Boys awarded my No.1 show of 2013. 

No 01 The Scottsboro Boys

For more of my thoughts have a read of Spotlight On: The Scottsboro Boys