The tinsel is coming down, the baubles are being wrapped away for another year and my series of theatrical offerings is at an end. For my last gift on this, the twelfth day of Christmas, it would be a missed opportunity not to make a glaringly obvious Twelfth Night reference. So I have predictably turned to Shakespeare for inspiration and today's focus is the National Theatre's upcoming production of the Bard's comedy.
This production, running from 11 January, is particularly special as it marks the recent 80th birthday of Peter Hall, one of the country's great directors, the creator of the Royal Shakespeare Company and former director of the National Theatre. As well as celebrating his 80th birthday and his return to the National Theatre, the production will see Peter Hall directing his daughter Rebecca in the role of Viola.
The Independent ran a special feature in celebration of Hall's 80th birthday back in November, which is my final treat for theatre lovers. The article, written by fellow director Richard Eyre, discusses Hall's long career, his achievements with the RSC and his continuing appetite for work. There are also comments from the likes of Judi Dench (who was reunited with Hall last year for an excellent production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at Kingston's Rose Theatre, one of my theatrical highlights of 2010), Ian McKellen and Timothy West about the great man and his work.
I hope that you have enjoyed my twelve days of theatrical treats and ramblings. Keep reading the blog for many more fun features and theatre reviews throughout 2011 - it's going to be an exciting year.
Today as I was ambling around the internet in search of something to share with all my lovely readers I came across, by a pleasing turn of fate, a piece of writing that made me want to leap off my seat and shout out 'yes, that's exactly how I feel!' (I fortunately restrained myself from doing so). On West End Wendy, another theatre blog, there have been compiled Ten Commandments of Theatre - all the dos and don'ts for those rookie theatregoers who can't quite remember to switch off their phones or clap at the end of a song. Many audience members I have been sat next to in the past might take note.
Bad behaviour in the theatre is something that I sadly keep returning to in my blog. Far from wanting to moan, I wish I could be given a reason to stop writing about this particular topic, but a night at the theatre uninterrupted by incessant chatter or the ongoing battle with the mobile phone seems to be an impossible dream. Sometimes I feel like turning around to people in the audience and asking them if they actually realise that they have paid money - usually quite a reasonable sum of money - to see the actors on the stage in front of them perform and that said money might be better spent if they could hear the actors speak. But of course that would be an extremely rude interruption of the show.
Among the rules outlined by West End Wendy, the most persistent infringements in my experience have been use of mobile phones, providing a running commentary for the show (yes, we can see what's happening, we are watching the play too) and taking photographs during the performance. I might add a few more slightly less obvious but I believe necessary rules:
Do not file your nails. An odd one I realise, and perhaps not obviously irritating, but when the persistent scrape, scrape, scrape cuts through a quiet scene of emotional dialogue it makes you want to scratch your own eyes out. I'm all for keeping your nails in shape but there's plenty of time for grooming outside of the theatre auditorium.
Stay in your own seat. For some inexplicable reason, a couple in front of me at Les Miserables felt the need to switch seats every ten minutes during the show, each time obscuring my view without fail. Surely the quality of a seat doesn't alter that much during a performance?
Drink responsibly (I think I might have stolen this phrase from somewhere ...). Yes, a trip to the theatre is a night out and having a relaxing drink is par for the course. But when people have had so many plastic cups of wine that they start singing along (very loudly) and shouting at the actors then it might just be one drink too many ...
Rant over. Breathe. My own complaints aside, it was refreshing to see someone write down all those little bits of theatre etiquette that are so often disregarded by theatregoers. Someone should frame it and put it up in every theatre. It will also give you a giggle, so take a look, enjoy, and perhaps memorise it for your next theatre visit ...
If you have any amusing stories of bad theatre behaviour to share then leave a comment.
What good is sitting alone in your room? Come hear the music play ... Yes, it's time for a post dedicated to the wonderful and sometimes wacky world of cabaret. For those of you for whom cabaret conjures up nothing more than images of Nazis and Liza Minnelli in a bowler hat, today's treat is a bundle of videos to show you just what London's cabaret scene has to offer. Recently cabaret has had a new lease of life and is now an ideal platform to showcase the musical theatre talent that the capital has to offer, as well as providing an opportunity to playfully bend the rules - and a great night out to boot.
One regular cabaret night is Kinky Kabaret at Soho's Freedom Bar, which regularly attracts big names from the world of musical theatre. Whilst Hair was in town some of the cast made a visit and here is a little snippet from that night, a performance from Gavin Creel and Steel Burkhardt:
My second video offering comes from another regular cabaret series at Lauderdale House, the Christmas special of which I recently saw and reviewed. Here is a performance from one of their previous cabaret afternoons featuring Ramin Karimloo, currently starring as the Phantom in Love Never Dies, singing one of my favourite songs from Les Miserables:
I will round off my selection of cabaret performances with one of the most high profile London cabaret events, the Live in the Delfont Room series at the Prince of Wales Theatre, which has played host to Patina Miller, Daniel Boys and the cast of Les Miserables among others. This is the dazzling Hannah Waddingham performing in one of their series of special one-off shows:
This is only a fleeting glimpse at all that the unique cabaret format encompasses; as well as singing, cabaret performances can include dancing, comedy and burlesque. For a more comprehensive look at London's cabaret scene, check out the regular section of M. Magazine devoted to reviewing the capital's cabaret shows and giving tips for all the best cabaret venues and nights. In the last year cabaret seems to have gone from strength to strength and long may it continue into 2011. This art form is theatrical, glamorous, fun, sexy and occasionally outrageous. Don't take anyone else's word for it, go out there and see for yourselves. After all ... Life is a cabaret, old chum, come to the cabaret!
As we embrace a new year of theatre, I have dedicated my blog to looking ahead at what 2011 has to offer. Today, however, I would like to focus on a show that is not set to open this year but is fully deserving of a place in the West End. Top of my theatre wish list of shows to transfer to London this year has to be acclaimed Broadway musical Next to Normal, which is unfortunately closing on Broadway this month.
This rock musical centres on a mother suffering from bipolar disorder and the struggle of her family to cope with her condition. It has won three Tony Awards as well as the coveted Pulitzer Prize for Drama and although I have not had the opportunity to see it myself, it has an amazing score and all the evidence points towards it being an outstanding show. I have written before about my desire for more original, exciting musical theatre writing, of which there is sadly not enough of making it to the West End right now; Next to Normal could fill this gap in our musical theatre scene.
Perhaps if enough people show their support for this musical then someone will see that there is the demand for it to make a transfer to the West End. This is a difficult time when producers are unlikely to take risks and following the early closures of other rock musicals such as Hair and Spring Awakening the prospects for Next to Normal are far from encouraging, but a girl can always dream!
If you have yet to discover Next to Normal then take the time to check it out because it is truly worth it. With this in mind, my treat for readers today is a selection of recordings from the score of Next to Normal. Charlotte Wakefield, who I'm sure many of you will know as Wendla from the original London cast of Spring Awakening, is a big champion of the show and has posted recordings of several of the songs on her YouTube channel. I had a listen to these after seeing her impressive performance in the Next to Normal medley at last year's Whatsonstage.com awards, which first brought this musical to my attention. Unfortunately I cannot share the videos here but they are well worth a look if you head over to her channel; a favourite of mine is 'Everything Else'.
For any of you lucky enough to be heading over to America, the show is now on a national tour and all the information can be found on their website. If anyone has been fortunate enough to see the show then feel free to post a comment with your thoughts. It would also be great to know what other shows people would like to see coming to the West End this year.
Like everyone else I am feeling the effect of one too many glasses of champagne seeing in the New Year, so I beg mercy and take a back seat in my blogging role today, for which I hope my readers can forgive me. Traditionally the beginning of the year is a time to make resolutions and one of my top aims for the next twelve months is to see theatre, theatre and more theatre. I have squeezed more plays and musicals into 2010 than any other year of my life so far, but looking at all the round-ups of what the year has had to offer I can only pause to think with regret of what I have missed.
Yesterday's post looked forward to some of the theatre that might form part of my resolution this year, and following from that here is a comprehensive selection of what to see in 2011from Lyn Gardner in the Guardian . But taking a moment to look back, the video I have found today is from one of the best shows of 2010, the Broadway transfer of Hair. Here are the long-haired, breathtakingly enthusiastic and downright wonderful cast at their best performing at the Tony Awards:
If you too were blown away by Hair then show your support and vote for them as Best Musical Revival in the Whatsonstage.com Awards.
On the eve of 2011 it seems fitting to take a sneak peek at some of the theatre there is to look forward to in the next twelve months. This year has offered us yet more Hamlets in the form of John Simm and Rory Kinnear, the 25th anniversary celebrations of the seemingly immortal Les Miserables, Judi Dench’s hotly anticipated return to the role of Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the shaggy, psychedelic Broadway import of Hair, and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long awaited Phantom sequel, Love Never Dies – or Paint Never Dries as the West End Whingers famously dubbed it.
So a New Year brings new theatre. Or perhaps, as it happens, not so new. In the musical theatre world there is a noticeable lack of originality, with the main feature of the 2011 openings being the film adaptation. Firstly we have the musical version of Shrek, transferring from Broadway and starring Nigel Lindsay, Nigel Harman and Amanda Holden. Another major opening is Betty Blue Eyes, touted as Cameron Mackintosh’s first original musical in over ten years, yet this is based on the Alan Bennett scripted film A Private Function. To complete the movie triumvirate, Ghost the Musical opens at the Piccadilly Theatre next summer.
This last show is my 2011 musical to watch. Ghost looks set to be a theatrical extravaganza with technical ambitions to rival the infamous logistics of Phantom, with plans for what should be some truly breathtaking visual illusions from expert illusionist Paul Kieve. Meeting the expectations of scores of devoted fans – and staging that clay sculpting scene – will prove a challenge but it is one that the creative team seem to be rising to. Unlike the unsatisfying carbon copy of Dirty Dancing, the theatrical Ghost experience will be a new and different take on the film according to writer Bruce Joel Rubin.
With the song writing team of Glen Ballard and The Eurythmics' Dave Stewart on board, the score promises to be fresh and exciting and the tunes previewed at the press launch have certainly whetted the appetite. What’s more, the beautifully soulful Caissie Levy, fresh out of Hair, has been cast in the lead role of Molly. For those who remember her heartbreaking rendition of ‘Easy to be Hard’, Levy’s voice alone should make the show worth a visit. Here is a little snippet from the launch to tide you over until Ghost opens in June:
Elsewhere, the plays coming up in the next few months look promising. The Donmar Warehouse brings us the first major London revival of Harold Pinter's 1993 play Moonlight, opening in April, and in the summer Felicity Jones will star in a new version of Schiller's Luise Miller, directed by Michael Grandage. Simon Stephens will be returning to the Royal Court with a new three-parter entitled Wastwater, which is to be directed by Katie Mitchell. My only experience of Stephens' work is Punk Rock, which appeared at the Lyric Hammersmith in 2009 and recently returned for a brief run preceding a national tour, but if this exciting, edge-of-your-seat play was anything to go by then Wastwater could be one to look out for.
There has been considerable buzz surrounding Keira Knightley's return to the stage in Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour, following her West End debut last year in The Misanthrope. The starry production at the Comedy Theatre has a cast including Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss and American stars Ellen Burstyn and Carol Kane and is set to open in February. Other big names grace the stage at the Old Vic, with Anne-Marie Duff starring in Thea Sharrock's revival of Terrence Rattigan's Cause Célèbre and artistic director Kevin Spacey taking on the title role in Richard III for the final season of the Bridge Project, reuniting him with American Beauty director Sam Mendes. Big names do not necessarily mean brilliant productions, but the lure of famous actors can only be good for London's theatre and such plays may prove to be rare chances to see these stars tread the boards.
Eclipsing all of this, however (at least in my opinion), is the National Theatre's production of a new stage adaptation of Mary Shelley's Gothic novel Frankenstein. The new adaptation by Nick Dear comes to the Olivier Theatre in February, with a mouth-watering cast and creative team. Director Danny Boyle, of Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire fame, returns to the theatre for this exciting project and Jonny Lee Miller and the wonderful Benedict Cumberbatch will take on the two leads of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature, but with an enticing twist. Miller and Cumberbatch are set to alternate roles in what looks to be an intriguing move - and possibly an extremely clever marketing ploy. Here is Cumberbatch speaking about the play at the Evening Standard Awards:
This is of course only a very limited selection of the theatrical treats on offer in 2011. There is also a promising season coming up from the Royal Shakespeare Company, a star-studded revival of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit at the Apollo Theatre, the UK premiere of Broadway hit The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (some refreshing originality on the musical theatre scene) and Andrew Lloyd Webber's revival of The Wizard of Oz with Over the Rainbow winner Danielle Hope. For those feeling the strain on the purse strings with all this theatre on the way, Get Into London Theatre are offering discounted tickets to all major productions throughout January and February, and under 26s can continue to get £5 tickets to all National Theatre productions through the Entry Pass scheme.
What are you looking forward to in the next twelve months? Leave a comment with what you think will be the theatre highlights of 2011. A very happy New Year to you all!
One of this year's theatrical highlights and indeed one of the biggest musical theatre events of the century was the 25th anniversary of Les Miserables, celebrated by a new touring production and culminating in the spectacular concerts at the O2. I have made no secret of the fact that I am a massive Les Mis fan and in fact marked the anniversary of the musical with my ownmusings on the occasion. My theatrical offerings for this festive season would therefore not be complete without something to celebrate one of the most important events of this year's theatre calendar.
So feast your eyes and ears on this video of John Owen-Jones, who played the role of Jean Valjean in the anniversary tour cast, giving a stunning rendition of 'Bring Him Home'. Unfortunately I did not see the touring production and I will be limited to experiencing the concert from my living room sofa as I watch the DVD recording. I was, however, lucky enough to see John Owen-Jones as Valjean a few years ago when I first saw the musical at Queen's Theatre and his is the performance that I will always associate with the character. I should warn readers before watching this video that you may need your tissues at the ready! Enjoy.
The Christmas season is traditionally a time when theatre turns its attention to the younger generation and this year is no exception. One children's show that has appealed to grown-ups as well as the youngsters is the Royal Shakespeare Company's musical version of Roald Dahl's much loved novel Matilda, currently running at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. The production has received rave reviews and rumours abound about a West End transfer - rumours that I sincerely hope are true so that I can have the opportunity to see this show. Aside from a childhood love of Dahl's witty prose and delightfully grotesque characters, I am intrigued to hear the songs penned for the show by comedian Tim Minchin, an oddly fitting choice with a quirkiness to match the story itself.
My treat to readers today is an interview with director Matthew Warchus in the Guardian, speaking about the challenges posed by this production as well as discussing his past experiences, including the gargantuan project of transferring literary epic The Lord of the Rings to the stage. Warchus seems to like a challenge, as his next project, Ghost the Musical, may prove almost as difficult to bring to life visually on the stage as Tolkien's trilogy. This interview provides an interesting look at a diverse directing career and I find it hard not to admire a man who admits to growing up loving Brecht, Beckett and Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals.
Matilda runs at the Courtyard Theatre until 30 January 2011. For anyone wanting more reasons to see it, have a look at what the critics said in Whatsonstage.com's review round-up.
For the sake of nostalgia, today's offering takes a wistful look back at Spring Awakening. Despite a short-lived run at the Novello Theatre in the West End, this show about adolescent angst and sexual awakening based on Frank Wedekind's nineteenth-century play remains one of the most exciting examples of new musical theatre writing in recent years. My selected video is just one of the many entertaining cast blogs recording the production's highs and lows, which can all still be found on the show's YouTube channel. This is Chris Barton's hilarious performance as Adult Woman, although admittedly the joke will be slightly lost on those not familiar with Spring Awakening. Any fans of Chris Barton can currently see him in The Sound of Music tour as Rolf.
Nicholas Hytner, who topped
The Times' 'Luvvie Power List'
As we near the end of another year, list-mania has struck. Journalistic institutions everywhere are compiling their highlights of 2010, be it theatre, film, music, sport - we can even turn to ITV to discover what is the best advert of the year should we so wish. One important list that has made waves in the theatre world is 'The Luvvie Power List' of the top 50 most influential figures in theatre, published in The Times recently. Therefore today's post takes a look at some of the responses to this particular list, providing links to a couple of the more interesting articles on this topic.
Whatsonstage.com's Michael Coveney congratulates the website's own editor Terri Paddock for making the list but bemoans the persistent use of the term 'luvvie', a word that he considers to be derogatory and trivialising. Coveney also speculates about who might take over from Nicholas Hytner, the list's number one, when he leaves the National Theatre, suggesting that perhaps some of the female directors on the list might rise to the challenge. I agree that it is about time more women were recognised and rewarded in this field, as female directors are often overlooked in both theatre and film. The tide appears to be turning in the movie world thanks to Kathryn Bigelow's Oscar win this year, so it can only be hoped that theatre will follow.
Meanwhile, Mark Shenton of The Stage shifts the spotlight to some of the lesser known and under-appreciated people behind this country's theatre. The very nature of this form of entertainment means that the majority of the work is done behind the scenes, by faceless names in small print in the back pages of your theatre programme, so it is both refreshing and enlightening to see these unsung heroes recognised and praised. Working in theatre is to a large extent a labour of love, done for the rewards of the job rather than any significant financial remuneration; in that sense of the word, if no other, we might then see the term 'luvvie' as justified.
One notable disappointment of the list, highlighted by Shenton, is the absence of theatre critics from the ranks of theatre's movers and shakers. Surely critical reception is a significant barometer for the success of a show starting out, and productions without the might of large financial backing and big names can sink or swim on the back of reviews. It is encouraging for bloggers everywhere, however, to see the West End Whingers listed, illustrating just how influential non-professional reviewers can be, hopefully the sign of a shift towards greater respect for bloggers in the theatre journalism community.
For those partial to a bit of list-mania at this time of year, there are round-ups of theatre's best bits of 2010 on The Stage, The Independent, Spoonfed and The Telegraph, among many others.
Christmas just isn't Christmas without a good pantomime. Oh yes it is! - oh no it isn't! (see what I'm doing here?). This quintessentially British tradition still holds a very special place in the hearts of millions, young and old, up and down the country; it seems we can't get enough of soap stars in tights and men dressed as women. This is usually the first exposure to theatre that we receive as children and people continue to go back year after year to indulge their inner child. Where else can you see a little old granny standing up in her seat and yelling at the top of her voice 'he's behind you'?
Pantomimes are having something of a renaissance at the moment. Rather than being viewed as a vehicle for Z-list celebrities trying to resuscitate their failing careers, panto has carved out a place for itself on the British theatre scene and many respected musical theatre stars can now be seen donning silly outfits for the festive season. This year Daniel Boys is appearing in Snow White in Stevenage, John Barrowman is the eponymous hero of Aladdin in Glasgow, and Over the Rainbow's Steph Fearon stars as Jasmine in another production of Aladdin in Buxton, to name just a few.
So in celebration of the great British pantomime, here is a wonderful article from Lyn Gardner looking at just why pantomimes have been so enduring. There's also a fun blog on A Younger Theatreabout why panto may be tacky but there's nothing else quite like it. And for those of you getting panto cravings, I've found a video to keep you going until you can get down to your local theatre. Here is a feature from BBC Breakfast with long-time dame and pantomime favourite Christopher Biggins:
To kick off my Twelve Days of Christmas theatre-fest I have a lovely stocking filler of a video to get you all in the festive mood. The first day of Christmas is officially Christmas day which is tomorrow (as if I needed to remind anyone!) but Christmas is a bit of an internet-free zone for me so I'm posting this today instead - think of it as an early Christmas present.
A Christmas themed treat is of course obligatory, so I scoured YouTube for something suitably seasonal and what I came up with was this little gem of a video featuring the very beautiful and talented Jonathan Groff and Lea Michele. Not only is this one to keep all the Glee fans happy, but any Spring Awakening geeks out there like me will know that this pair were also the original Melchior and Wendla on Broadway. Here they are singing at a Spring Awakening Christmas benefit - many festive tidings and enjoy!
Merry Christmas one and all! The big day is nearly upon us and to celebrate this festive season I have decided to treat all my readers to twelve days of theatre-related goodness. On each of the twelve days of Christmas I plan to post a theatrical gift gathered from around the internet; this might be a fun video, an interesting article or a link to a theatre website. I will also write a related post each day for your reading pleasure (or pain, depending on your personal opinion!).
I would love feedback and suggestions for other theatrical treats to be found around the web so please feel free to leave comments. I look forward to searching the internet for some exciting videos and links and hope that you will all enjoy my festive offerings. Check back in a few days time for the first post and make sure that you take a look at the blog on each of the twelve days of Christmas so that you don't miss out.
As the winter months draw in and there is a chill in the air it suddenly becomes impossible to take a bus journey without being assaulted by coughs, sneezes and sniffles. But some of you may have noticed another affliction spreading as the festive season approaches, a disease dubbed theatricitis. Symptoms include the following ...
- Spending the last of the month's wages on tickets to that must-see show. Yes, the only groceries left in the flat may be old cheese and tins of baked beans, yes you can't afford to put the heating on, but it's had rave reviews and it has what's-his-name in it who was brilliant in Hamlet. And you can always put on another pair of socks to brave the Arctic of your bathroom in the mornings.
- Relating everyday speech to theatre dialogue or musical lyrics. Example: flatmate struggles to finish a sentence and repeats 'because' several times, prompting me to sing 'because of the wonderful things he does' (Wizard of Oz reference in case you didn't twig). Greeted by a resounding unimpressed silence.
- A bookshelf groaning under the weight of theatre programmes, various play scripts, DVDs of every musical under the sun, cast recordings galore and a hefty tome of Shakespeare. And of course not forgetting the obligatory album/scrapbook filled with tickets.
- Walking down the street and getting strange looks for apparently no reason. Then realising, after considerable racking of the brain, that you are humming a musical score out loud. Oops.
- Becoming known by name at the box office. When phoning Delfont Mackintosh to book Les Mis tickets for my 21st birthday and giving her surname, my mum was actually asked 'is this Catherine?' So fair enough I don't exactly have the most common surname, but this may be a sign that I buy a few too many theatre tickets ...
- Referring to different parts of a room as upstage, downstage, stage right ... you get the idea. This is a particularly severe symptom and one which I have yet to suffer from personally. It may lead to people finally writing you off as certifiably insane.
The cure for this expensive malady? With Christmas on the way there are plenty of festive treats to satisfy your theatrical cravings, with highlights including Festive Fever at Freedom Bar in Soho, Theatre MAD Trust's A West End Christmas and the touring production of Christmas with the Rat Pack. And you never know, you might even get some tickets from Santa to ease the strain on your purse.
There was one last symptom that I forgot: spending your afternoon writing a fairly pointless post for your theatre blog instead of one of the 101 other things you should be doing ...
If you think you might be suffering from theatricitis and have spotted any other symptoms then leave them in the comment box!
This week is a very exciting week for me and for anyone else blogging about all things theatrical. This week, as I was informed by the twittersphere, is Theatre Blogger Week. Hurrah! So in between frantically writing essays and trying desperately to think of a dissertation title (blind panic is the phrase that comes to mind!) I have taken some time to think about all the things I love about theatre blogging.
It has not been very long since I dipped my toe into the rather large pool of theatre blogs, but I would like to share my limited wisdom with the world and in particular with anyone else out there thinking of blogging about their theatre experiences. Here are just five of the many reasons why theatre blogging rocks and you should all go out and do it:
1. Sharing your passion. I personally have massive respect for anyone who has a passion for anything. It might be, like me, that your passion is theatre, or it could be books (another passion of mine), music (ditto), sports, stamp collecting – whatever floats your boat! You might even have a passion for something slightly bizarre that not many other people understand (such as my flatmate, who has an interest bordering on obsession with hurricanes ...). But there is probably someone else out there who feels as strongly as you do about this particular thing and would like to hear your ramblings on that subject. Obviously I'm especially interested in reading blogs by other people who are passionate about theatre, but whatever your interest, share it with the world; sharing is good.
2. Getting bitten by the writing bug. I’m someone who has loved writing for pretty much as long as I could hold a pen, but I’ve spoken to other people who never thought about writing until they started a blog and then realised that they loved it. Writing can be extremely therapeutic and even if not many people read what you’ve written (as I suspect may be the case with my blog) there’s still a lot that you can get out of it.
3. Engaging with others. This goes back to my first point about sharing your passion. Once you have discovered these wonderful people who have the same interest as you it’s great to read what they have to say about it and respond with your own thoughts and vice versa. Like sharing, communication is good. So if you have an opinion about anything I’ve written in my blog, leave me a comment – I dare you.
4. Constructive feedback. If, eventually, you get enough readers that people in the industry start to notice your little blog, it's a great way to show the actors and creative teams behind our wonderful theatre that you appreciate what they do for a living. In these dark days for the arts when funding cuts threaten our theatres we all need to show our support in whatever way we can, and blogging can be a great way of illustrating to those who control the purse-strings just how many people value theatre and how much it contributes to British society. Unfortunately I don't yet have anywhere near the number of readers to make much of an impact, but a girl can dream!
5. Doing what you love. I love theatre. I love writing. So as something that combines two of my greatest loves, theatre blogging is pretty much perfect. I have also found that since starting this blog I have been engaging with the theatre I see far more than I did in the past and it is a spur to go out there and see more and more shows. For me (and this is after only a couple of months) theatre blogging has been such a rewarding experience and I would recommend anyone with an interest in theatre to try it for themselves.
So go on, give it a try, write a blog of your own, whether it's about theatre or anything else you want to write about (perhaps even hurricanes!). If anyone reading this already has a blog and can think of more reasons why it's amazing then please leave a comment. And as it's Theatre Blogger Week it would be great to know about other interesting/funny/wacky theatre blogs out there.
The other week, while sitting on the edge of my (vertigo inducing) Upper Circle seat in the Gielgud Theatre, it happened. ‘It’ being the theatregoer’s worst nightmare: attack of the mobile phone.
This was not the first time that it had happened. I am a serial victim of mobile phone ambush. The most memorable single occasion of mobile assault was when a man in the row behind me actually answered his phone and began a conversation during the second act of Les Miserables – I wish I was making this up.
But back to the most recent incident. I had enjoyed almost the whole of the sensational Gavin Creel’s final performance of Hair with minimal audience interruption (in this case I didn’t consider enthusiastic audience appreciation at the end of Mr Creel’s songs an interruption, being among these enthusiastic audience members myself) and was appreciating the unusual lack of bad theatre behaviour; I had been lulled into a false sense of security.
Then in the final moments of the show, as Gavin (and most of the audience) fought back tears, there was the bleep of some popular soul in the Upper Circle receiving a text, snapping the emotional tension. The wave of anger towards this careless theatregoer was tangible – you could almost hear the unspoken collective ‘tut’.
But then something wonderful happened. Gavin Creel’s voice rose over the ring tone, albeit breaking with emotion, and the atmosphere that filled the Gielgud instantly banished any electronic demons. ‘The power of theatre’ is a genuinely awful phrase but for once it was almost justified. Or this might just be the powerful delusion of a girl with a little too much love for both Gavin Creel and Hair.
This is only one battle in an ongoing war and it’s one that I don’t imagine ending any time soon. But in this instance it was, at least in my mind, theatre one, the mobile phone nil.
