TheatreBored?

[bacon]

I'm prepared to accept that it might just be me being a hideous old misery-guts, but is there anything really exciting happening in theatreland in 2018?  I think most of the non-WE theatres have announced their new seasons by now, covering the bulk of the year, and I'd say the overwhelming response has been decidedly muted...to phrase it gently.  This time last year everyone was going cock-a-hoop over Andrew Scott's Hamlet, The Ferryman, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?...and I believe Angels In America was generating interest on this board too.  So was last year an exceptionally good year?  Because I haven't seen many hoops being cocked in 2018 yet.  What on earth is going on?

[Rory]

I know exactly what you mean and it has been discussed on here before. However, there is still great stuff to be seen in the West End currently, like Mary Stuart, Beginning, Long Day's Journey into Night, The Birthday Party and Everybody's Talking about Jamie.


I think last year really was an exceptional year and the shows you mention, plus Follies at the National, generated a real buzz, huge commercial success and high praise from the critics. There was real expectation around those 'event' productions which was largely met.

This year not so much, except perhaps for certain shows like Company at the Gielgud, the McKellen King Lear and the new plays from Bennett (announced today) & McDonagh at the Bridge. I suppose it's just peaks and troughs from year to year but I also think there were a greater number of hits last year in the subsidised sector which went on to enjoy great commercial success in the West End. This year the subsidised sector seems a lot more low key although I have high hopes that other good stuff like The York Realist will transfer. We need Sonia Friedman and producers like Playful to rev things up a bit for us!

Also last year more theatres in the West End announced things further in advance. Currently,there are two WE theatres seemingly going dark on 14th April and still no confirmation on what is happening in either of them.

[Deleted]

No, not bored at all. My board has plenty of tickets (or eTickets or scraps of paper which substitute as tickets these days...) pinned to it.

Loads to look forward to... and plenty of time for new stuff to be announced (like this morning's Little Gem in the shape of a new Alan Bennett at a newish venue. Did anyone see that one coming???)

[Jon]

We're only in February and I think it's inevitable that some years aren't going to be strong as other years.

[NeilVHughes]

Last year was one of those special years that come along far too rarely.

Still early days though and for me there is at least two, Maxine Peake in Happy Days at Manchester Royal Exchange, Mark Rylance back at the Globe.

[Deleted]

Feb 23, 2018 17:02:50 GMT bacon said:

This time last year everyone was going cock-a-hoop over Andrew Scott's Hamlet, The Ferryman, Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?...and I believe Angels In America was generating interest on this board too.  So was last year an exceptionally good year?  Because I haven't seen many hoops being cocked in 2018 yet.  What on earth is going on?

My hoop is cocked - or cock is hooped (not sure which is the verb and which is the noun in that particular action, but the second sounds far less desirable) for a fair few offerings this year.

I think the start of the year in London has been quite strong; John and Network at the NT, Beginning (in the West End), a largely well-received and impressively cast Julius Caesar at The Bridge, the brilliant Carey Mulligan in Girls and Boys at the RC, and a mostly decent production of The Birthday Party in the WE. Long Day's Journey Into Night, Frozen and Mary Stuart might well tempt me in too.

Of the things I'm already booked for I'd say that the new Martin McDonagh and Alan Bennett at The Bridge, the new Charlotte Jones and Laura Wade plays at Chichester (plus Theatre Clwyd/NT for Wade's other new play "Home, I'm Darling"), both Inheritance and Fun Home at the Young Vic, and Joe Penhall's Mood Music at the Old Vic, are probably my personal standouts. I'm also looking forward to seeing Summer and Smoke at the Almeida, and will probably end up getting sucked in by the latest Florian Zeller in the West End, and maybe the Mark Ravenhill at the RC too. I saw McKellen's Lear at Chichester but lots of people are excited by its upcoming transfer, and I'd recommend the transfer of An Octoroon (from the Orange Tree to the NT) for those with an appetite for something different but brilliant. And I'm looking forward to the first Michelle Terry season at the Globe, particularly her Hamlet - as well as various productions at smaller London theatres including The Bush, Theatre503, Park, The Bunker and Southwark.

Still plenty of season announcements for the second half of the year to come (including Donmar, Old Vic, Young Vic, Hampstead and plenty of others in London and beyond), but all in all it feels much of a muchness to me. Maybe there are less A-list names entering the fray for the rest of the year, but that doesn't inhibit my cock-a-hoop-itude at all.

[Rory]

Enjoyed that post @baladorn

[Deleted]

As others say above, some years just have a crop of really exceptional work (and some play with a goose). And it's one of those inexplicable things. Much like some years of films seem to be one really exciting thing after another and others are just 'ok'.

Frankly, I'm ok with that. If every year was chock full of 'must sees' I'd be exhausted and broke. Well more exhausted and more broke. That said there's enough exciting stuff to be, well getting excited about even if the year doesn't scream 'MUST SEE'

Personally though I'll settle for 2019 when I won't be being bankrupted by Tony Kushner any longer.

[bordeaux]

I'm most excited about Company (and Hamilton, which I'm seeing in a couple of months). I have tickets for the McDonagh and Alan Bennett, Julius Caesar and Macbeth too. At the National The Lehman brothers is a great prospect in my view, as is the Fiennes/Okonedo Ant and Cleo. But I agree last year was exceptional: The Ferryman, Follies, Hamlet etc. I hope that the Donmar has something enticing (anyone know when it's announcing?) as the Almeida and Royal Court announcements were underwhelming.

I suppose the question is what would count as exciting? If the Ivo van Hove All About Eve with Cate Blanchett happens (and is as good as Network rather than as bad as Obsession), that would be it, I suppose. Whose return to the London stage would count as a major event? Daniel Craig? Nicole Kidman? Are there any other writers around who have the level of cachet that would generate the level of excitement that The Ferryman did? One thing I'm hoping will come over soon is the new Tracy Letts, The Minutes, which sounds very good, but he's not as well-known as Butterworth.

[kathryn]

Last year was really a vintage year. The thing is with theatre though, is that you never know until you see it which uninspiring-on-paper production is going to be a revelation!

[david]

Have to agree with emicardiff’s thoughts. My bank balance was destroyed last year with booking for Angels, Harry Potter and Hamilton in such a short space of time. Thankfully this was offset with cheaper stuff during the rest of the year. Having a quiet period of theatre in my opinion is much welcomed.
Saying that though tickets have been purchased for Fun Home, Company and Long Days Journey into Night. Thankfully, I have plenty of theatre tokens to use to offset the cost of tickets for the rest of the year which will help in funding my autumn trip to New York.

I also agree with Kathryn’s comments about finding those little theatrical gems that may initially go under the radar for theatre goers simply because they don’t have a big name attached them.

[showgirl]

I must be out of step with the majority (again!) as I had never even stopped to think about this but now that I have done, honestly each new year looks equally exciting and attractive to me - or maybe that's just something which happens with age?

Seriously, I'm finally about to see the long-awaited revival of David Haig's Pressure, which I must have booked in about July or August last year, and have been eagerly awaiting ever since. I know that's not particularly far in advance by some people's standards but up to about 9 months is more typical for me and at present the most distant production I have booked is the final play in CFT's new season (November).

Unlike some I don't have the issue of some tickets being exceptionally expensive and I have/had zero interest in seeing Angels, Hamilton and Harry Potter, which helps. Usually I splash out on a big show once a year via GILT but since their offering became far less appealing, I've stopped booking.

As ever, I find I'm desperately juggling to fit things in and considering long-distance day trips or even weekend breaks to catch productions outside London, but cost-wise I'm still averaging about £15 per ticket and I need to keep it that way as I'm saving up for a couple of expensive ops (NHS doesn't offer procedure I want).

[paul79]

If the RSC announce an Imperium transfer then that could be the event of the year!