What are the best plays you have seen ever?

[thebearofwestend]

thoughts?

[Michael]

Moved to the plays section.

[Mark]

I guess a few of these are down to the fantastic productions, rather than just the play itself.

Top 5 probably:

After the Dance (NT)
Clybourne Park (RC Transfer)
Death trap (Noel Coward)
Habit of Art (NT)
Noises Off (Old Vic Transfer)

[stefy69]

Well the clue to mine is my avatar....

[Marwood]

The Beauty Queen Of Leenane (Young Vic)
Frankenstein (NT)
Cyprus Avenue (Abbey Theatre Dublin)

[bordeaux]

Presumably we're talking new plays here? (Otherwise most lists will start Hamlet, King Lear, the Oresteia etc).

I would go for Arcadia, Angels in America, Dancing at Lughnasa, A Question of Attribution, Copenhagen, Mnemonic, The Ferryman, Racing Demon, Top Girls, Les Liaisons Dangereuses. That's a top ten. Add Three Tall Women and Jitney to make it a dozen.

[Deleted]

I think if we make it about specific productions seen, then it should be a bit more interesting than people popping in with a quick "Hamlet" then disappearing into the night again.

I think I'll just go for a quick top three for now; After The Dance (NT), Arcadia (2009 West End), and Richard III (Propeller).

[wiggymess]

Pomona

[samuelwhiskers]

I always forget every single play I've ever seen in situations like this.

The first thing that jumps to mind is The Play That Goes Wrong.

RSC History cycle was a pretty major personal influence.

[tmesis]

My night with Reg (Donmar.)

[Mr Crummles]

Every time someone lists After the Dance, a dagger goes through my heart. I still can't believe I missed it. To a lesser degree the same goes for Constellations.

If one day someone starts a thread on plays you can't believe you missed, I would, with much pain in my heart, include them.

The best plays? It's a difficult list for me... These are some that come to mind:

Six Characters in Search of an Author (Rupert Goold)
The Norman Conquests (Old Vic)
All's Well that Ends Well (NT - Marianne Elliott)
The Threepenny Opera (The Gate, Dublin)
Candide (Menier)
Time and the Conways (NT)
The War of the Roses (Trevor Nunn)
Young Chekhov (Chichester/NT)
Angels in America (the latest NT)
Lettice and Lovage (the original)
Medea (NT)
Ghosts (Almeida)
Othello (Cheek by Jowl)
Hamlet (many, but will go with recent one with Andrew Scott)

[Deleted]

Skriker (Manchester International Festival)
The Apple Family Plays (Brighton Festival)
Cyprus Avenue (Royal Court)
Twelfth Night (Globe 2012)
A Midsummer Nights Dream (NT 1992)

[samuelwhiskers]

I'll add Far Away and Yerma. And possibly Pomona.

Productions that I massively enjoyed but wouldn't call objectively best were Nation (the NT kiddie thing on an island) and Tipping the Velvet. Both deeply divisive if not outright unpopular.

[tmesis]

The 'James' plays (NT)

[jadnoop]

Whenever I think about lists like these, my answer tends to vary depending on the day, and what springs to mind. However, right now the ones that stick out to me are:

- Angels in America: just saw this a few days ago (and only part 1 so far), but I loved it. Powerful, moving and beautiful. I went in with expectations sky high which usually means being at least a smidge disappointed, but this was simply wonderful.

- The Father: touching and heart-breaking, but the staging was also so exhilarating. I'm not sure I would want to go again though.

- Betroffenheit: I'm not sure if this counts -both because I saw a recording rather than live, and because it's a theatrical dance, rather than strictly theatre- but this was spectacular. Will definitely see this live when it next comes to London.

[gazzaw13]

Ghosts - Almeida
Pillars of the Community - NT
All my Sons - NT
The Ferryman - RC
La Grande Maggia - NT
A View from the Bridge - YV
A Doll's House - YV
One Servant Two Guvnors - NT

Definetly an Ibsen/Miller love fest

[nick]

Dr Faustus - Royal Exchange Manchester, Ben Kingsley - mid 80s. A truly stunning production that used the theatre space so effectively. It couldn't have played anywhere else.

[barrowside]

Dancing at Lughnasa (Abbey/National) 1990
The History Boys (National) 2004
The Cavalcaders (Abbey/Royal Court 1993)
Our Few and Evil Days (Abbey) 2014
The Beauty Queen of Leenane (Druid/Royal Court) 1996
The Steward of Christendom (Out of Joint/Royal Court/Gate) 1995

[Deleted]

Jun 14, 2017 14:56:22 GMT tmesis said:

The 'James' plays (NT)

I bloody loved these!

[Deleted]

The plays that have stuck in my mind the most over the years, where the plays themselves were something special as well as the productions have been:

- Tango at the End of Winter, the Ninagawa production in maybe early 90s, with Alan Rickman. I remember beautiful staging and imagery and music, and bawling my eyes out at how sad the story was.

- Ghetto, at the National in perhaps very late 80s. I remember wonderful music and awful evil charming beautiful Nazi Alex Jennings.

- The Norman Conquests. I saw a touring rep production in the early 80s, nobody famous in it, but what a set of plays! I loved them, and can still hear lines and see the characters to this day. I love how funny they are and how cleverly the 3 plays link together.

- The Mysteries, the mid 80s National version that was on telly. I didn't see it live (my mum considered taking me, but I was apparently "too young" and I've regretted it for ever) but I had a battered old VHS which has now finally given up the ghost. But Brian Glover as God... wow.

- The Nap. I know lots of people on here dislike Richard Bean, but I haven't seen any other plays of his. I love Sheffield and I love snooker, and the whole play felt so perfect for me, I just loved it.

- 7 Acts of Mercy, RSC last year. I loved this. I hadn't plannned to see this, but got £5 tickets and thought I'd give it a whirl, and thought it was really moving and inspiring and interesting.

[Deleted]

Funny enough I'm just writing about one on this list (not the obvious for once either haha)

Bent- Trafalgar Studios 2006 (7?)- the first time I've genuinely had to take myself somewhere to calm down after a performance. Like being ripped apart and not really put back together again.

A Streetcar Named Desire- because I can't choose a single Williams, so I might as well choose the one I saw Gillian Anderson in.

A View From A Bridge- YV (because I lied above)

Hamlet (RSC, Tennant 2008) Honourable mention to the Bard and the Dane, and this production for curing my hatred of the play, and being the first to make me warm to Shakespeare.

Angels in America. Becuase well obviously. (2017 production, because well obviously)

[Deleted]

I'd probably say, for me, My Night With Reg.

[Phantom of London]

Shocked Emily that Angels in America is on your list.

Actually I would say it is in my top 10, seeing that great play was a complete privilege, So I am with you. I do like plays that deal with difficult subjects, I would also add The Normal Heart to the list, both similar for obvious reason, but then again different. People, Places Things would be up there too. As much as I thought both Jerusalem an Posh were both superb thought provoking theatre also.

Christ I didn't realise how hard this would be - but when I saw Di and Rose and Viv it left an impression on me that is still with me today.

American classics such as Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Streetcar, A View From The Bridge, Crucible and Salesman are brilliant all for different reasons, but also I cannot exclude Long Days Journey Into Night from this list. speaking more contemporary American playwrights' Driving Miss Daisy is mind blowing. As is Fences and Ma Rainey Black Bottoms, I would do a tremendous disservice if I forgot Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. Also Next Fall which has left a visceral reaction, to write my own play, so it is in!!

Love Ibsen's A Doll House and Enemy of the People,

On British shores the Deep Blue Sea is riveting, as is Blithe Spirit, also Delaney's A Taste of Honey, is absolutely up there, being the first woman playwright too. War horse is in, but really for an incredible piece of theatre. How could I ever ignore the great socialism play An Inspector Calls But then again, you get a first rate production of Hamlet, Othello and Richard III, then I am there.

Do I need to go onto Irish Playwrights? But I need to stop, my lists proofs one thing though, that theatre provide more questions than answers and isn't definitive.

[peggs]

Mary Stuart - Donmar
Don Carlos - Either Gielgud or Shaftesbury I think but had transferred from Sheffield possibly?
Saint Joan - NT
View from the Bridge - YV
Yerma - YV
Young Chekhovs - NT
Much Ado - NT
Life of Galilio - NT
Les Laisons Dangereus - Donmar
Ivanov - Donmar in westend
Man and Superman - NT
Philistines - NT
A Moon for the Misbegotten - Old Vic
Julius Ceasar - Donmar
King Charles III

Sorry got bit carried away

[Deleted]

I've only recently just started seeing more plays (opposed to musicals), so it's not really that much of a long list for me to chose from but... (and I've only just noticed most of these are National Theatre plays! I am however seeing The Play That Goes Wrong soon, so that too may very go in the list!)

King Charles III - Tour
LOVE - Birmingham REP/NT co-pro
One Man, Two Guvnors - NT on tour
War Horse - NT on tour
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - NT in West End
Wendy and Peter Pan - RSC
La Strada (if it counts as one - which I think it probably does) - Tour

Then of course there are plays that I've only watched on TV or read i.e.
An Inspector Calls
Hamlet - 2009 RSC/BBC version
Macbeth