Theatreboard Top 5 of 2024

[flouise]

I was considering giving a spot to Old Friends before I realised that I saw it on New Year's Eve!

1. Standing at the Sky's Edge
2. Next to Normal
3. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
4. Cake- The Marie Antoinette Playlist
5. Come From Away

I think STATSE is also my number one for the decade so far!

[aspieandy]

Someone included Infinite Life which, when I check, I saw twice, once in 2023 and again in 2024. That's fine, if I want, I can include it each year or not at all, however, votes for it would be diluted by people who saw it once - in either 2023 or 2024.

Not much to be done about that; just pointing out that some productions will suffer for traversing the end of year period.

Personally, not much to say yet as I have a few treats in store.

[kate8]

1. The Years
2. People, Places and Things
3. Macbeth (Donmar)
4. Machinal
5. Waiting for Godot

[viserys]

I didn't like most everything, but I still have "Comet" and "Prada" coming up at the end of the month, so hopefully I can scrape a Top Five thing together then. Right now it's only "Spirited Away" and "Next to Normal", plus for me "My Neighbour Totoro" and "Operation Mincemeat" which I saw for the first time year but probably doesn't count. Saw better stuff on Broadway and in other countries.

[Mr Crummles]

1. The Hills of California
2. Till The Stars Come Down
3. Oedipus
4. Hadestown

5. Hello Dolly

PS: I'm sure had I seen Giant, it would be on this list as well. I'm just waiting for its return.

[ibilondon]

I am trying to compile a list of "new writing" only.
I am feeling slightly deflated with UK theatre - most great plays I saw were adaptations or revivals.

Giant at the Royal Court was great - but apart from this none of the other "new" plays I watched are still lingering in my mind.

Am really worried for the landscape of UK theatre. Still have high hopes but I don't think its too much to ask for a sense of "excitement" about "new" theatre as a whole?

Hope I am being pessimistic - but with ridiculous prices for transfers vs (most often) not great plays I am on the verge of only buying one ticket every three months to a big transfer with outstanding reviews - like Stereophonics in 2025 over three or four plays at bush/royal court/kiln.

but my list,

The years
Giant
Oedipus
On the sky's edge
My neighbour Totoro

[fclou]

A Mirror
Hills of California
Next to Normal
Cabaret
Enemy of the People (mostly because teenage son got involved with the audience participation, had a lot to say and likes to tell people he performed with Matt Smith)


almost made it to the list:

Standing at the Sky's Edge
Motive & the Cue
Macbeth (Donmar)

[solotheatregoer]

1. The Motive and the Cue
2. Sunset Boulevard
3. The Picture of Dorian Gray
4. A Tupperware of Ashes
5. Macbeth (Dock X) - but only because of the sensational Indira Varma

[justfran]

Only feel that 3 shows I’ve seen this year are worth voting for so they are:

1. Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands (UK Tour)
2. The Mousetrap (UK tour)
3. Here In America (Orange Tree Theatre)

[jr]

Reviewing my calendar it looks to me I've seen a lot of boring stuff this year. Including some things people are voting for (The hills of California, that was awful).

1. Blizzard at Soho theatre.
2. The buddha of suburbia.
3. Hello, Dolly!
4. Giant (not that great but loved J Lithgow and R Stirling).
5. Peanut butter and blueberries at the Kiln.

Want to see Oedipus by the end of the year so that could be added.

[bardess]

Personal top 5

Gunter at Royal Court
Blue Beard at Battersea Art Centre
Magic Flute at ENO (old production tho)
Stranger Things in West End (best tittytainment)
Theatre of Dreams at Sadler's Wells by Hofesh

[theatregoer22]

Haven't seen a whole lot this year, but Fear of 13 and The Other Place were the standouts for me. Still have Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet to go though and I might try and Rush something else between Christmas and New Year.

[viscountviktor]

1. Standing at the Sky's Edge (Gillian Lynne)
2. Guys and Dolls (2nd time) (Bridge)
3. Fiddler on the Roof (Regent's Park)
4. A Chorus Line (Bham Hippodrome)
5. The Hills of California (Harold Pinter)

[eatbigsea]

1. Oedipus
2. Giant
3. The Fear of 13
4. Hello Dolly
5. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Still have some things to see but I don’t expect this to change.

[romeo94]

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray
2. Oedipus
3. Till The Stars Come Down
4. MJ the Musical
5. The Fear of 13

[orchidman]

The Hills of California, Till the Stars Come Down, Dear Octopus, Giant and The Forsyte Saga

Dreadful year

[theoracle]

It’s been a great year for the regions in my opinion. RSC has had a great start with the new ADs, Bath keeps making exciting announcements and have delivered on each occasion I’ve gone down. Chichester continues to delight and I’ve enjoyed trips to Nottingham, Sheffield and Leeds this past year as well as continued to enjoy productions in good ol’ London. My top 5 are below:

The House Party (Chichester / Headlong)
Fiddler on the Roof (Regent’s Park)
Giant (Royal Court)
The Deep Blue Sea (Ustinov Bath)
Love’s Labour’s Lost (RSC)

Honourable mentions: A Tupperware of Ashes (NT), Punch (Nottingham Playhouse), The Lehman Trilogy (West End)

[couldileaveyou]

Not a brilliant year, but I'd single out Pacific Overtures at the Menier and the Ashton triple bill (Les Rendezvous, The Dream, Rhapsody) at ROH

[matthew90]

1) Two Strangers 🎂🗽
2) Closing night of Sunset Boulevard
3) Closing night of Hello Dolly!
4) Abigail's Party (Tamzin Outhwaite version at Stratford)
5) Come From Away

[distantcousin]

I think 2024 has been my worst/least attended year (barring 2020 obviously!) in over 30 years of theatre going.

Either I'm completely out of touch with tastes these days, or I've become jaded after all these years, but I've seen very little in London this year because so little has appealed, and what I HAVE seen has not been that outstanding to me.

[thattheatreman]

Mine, though seeing final show of the year next week so may change:

1. Giant (Royal Court)
2. Hello Dolly (Palladium)
3. Brace Brace / Lie Low / G (Royal Court)
4. Oedipus (Wyndhams)
5. The Years (Almeida)


Honourable mention Fiddler on the Roof (Regent’s Park)

[theatresellers]

Come From Away, Sunset Boulevard, Six, The Great Comet, Stereophonic

[sophie92]

I only have 1 more new show left to see this year, but it’s unlikely to crack my top 5.

1. Spring Awakening 15th Anniversary Concert
2. Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812
3. Rent, ArtsEd
4. Into the Woods, ArtsEd
5. Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder

Bonus 6 for Next to Normal as it wasn’t new to me this year but I thought it transferred so well
(And extra bonus for Jamie Muscato’s solo concerts, didn’t include as not a play or musical)

[bee]

My top 5:
The Motive and The Cue
Uncle Vanya (Orange Tree)
The Silver Cord (Finborough)
A Mirror
1979 (Finborough)

[Rory]

I'm going to be self-indulgent and go beyond the 5 but these were my favourites this year:

1. Till the Stars Come Down (adored this; please please someone bring it back!)
2. Giant
3. Oedipus
4. Stranger Things: The First Shadow (saw it with my teenage sons in August and it was one of those magical West End nights where everything just soared)
5. Standing at the Sky's Edge

6. Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends (saw it on 3rd January)
7. The Picture of Dorian Gray
8. The Hills of California
9. Macbeth (David Tennant at Harold Pinter);
10. People, Places & Things

11. Hello, Dolly!
12. Slave Play
13. Guys & Dolls
14. Dr. Strangelove
15. Boys from the Blackstuff

16. Matilda
17. Backstairs Billy
18. The Human Body
19. Opening Night (yes, I liked it a lot!)

My 20th and final London show this year was my dud of the year, despite decent leads: Romeo & Juliet. An ugly, dark, soulless production with none of the light, love, or joy that it needed to bring the tragedy home. Awful, and I felt ripped off to boot.

The ones I didn't see but wished I had:
1. The Fear of 13
2. Dear Octopus
3. A Mirror
4. Player Kings
5. An Enemy of the People
6. Alma Mater
7. BRACE BRACE
8. The Comeuppance