So, as the champagne bubbles and fireworks fade into distant memory, we bid a farewell to the theatrical year of 2009, which saw such memorable performances as David Tennant’s Hamlet, which is perhaps more remembered for the star’s withdrawal due to back injury, Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen (now on level pegging thanks to Sir Patrick’s 2010 knighthood) starring together in the Haymarket’s revival of Waiting for Godot, and another Hamlet, thanks to Jude Law. We had the beautifully conceived Peter Pan returning to Kensington Gardens in a custom built venue, as well as the National giving us more Alan Bennett with his latest The Habit of Art. The West End saw an all black cast lead by James Earl Jones perform Cat On a Hot Tin Roof, while other revivals of The Rise and Fall of Little Voice and Inherit the Wind also proved popular.
The musical stage saw the debuts of Sister Act with the newly discovered powerhouse that is Patina Miller starring, and the Australian campfest that is Priscilla Queen of the Desert, as well as the Menier Chocolate Factory’s, Trevor Nunn directed revival of A Little Night Music (which scored the producing house yet another Broadway transfer – this one starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury) selling out thanks to high acclaim.
So, whilst 2009 gave us plenty to be excited about, 2010 is no slouch when it comes to anticipation. For starters, Legally Blonde the musical opens at the start of January, and while the show doesn’t exactly get me fired up, its leading lady, the supremely talented Sheridan Smith (Little Shop of Horrors) does! With musicals in mind, we can also look forward to the entire Broadway cast of Hair transferring, following greats reviews across the pond, as well as the promotional juggernaut that is Love Never Dies (otherwise known as Phantom of the Opera 2!) courtesy of Andrew Lloyd Webber. The Lord will also be returning to his Saturday primetime throne on the BBC as he promotes, sorry, hunts for a Dorothy (and a Toto!) for his long rumoured revival of The Wizard of Oz…so we can also expect to be gaily tripping up the Yellow Brick Road before the year is out!
And for every David Essex in The Fun of the Fair (really?!), there’s a Megan Mullally (Karen in Will & Grace) in her one woman show, which is enough to get me into a seat!
Dramatically speaking, I think things are already a lot more exciting. With the Royal Court’s acclaimed productions Enron and Jerusalem transferring to the West End in January alone, the year is off to a great start! We can also expect the wonderfully talented Tamsin Greig in The Little Dog Laughed, which makes its UK debut. Knowing very little about the piece, except that it revolves around a young actor and his publicist, and that it closed very quickly in the US, despite great reviews, my only hope is that it doesn’t go down without a fight here.
There’s also a sense of de ja vu, as Sir Ian McKellen returns to his patient ways at the Haymarket, but this time Waiting For Godot sees the return to London of the revered Roger Rees. (Clearly Waiting For Stewart was impossible.) It’s that fact alone that makes me think I should see it again, despite the play itself! 2010 is also not without its Hamlets too, with Rory Kinnear finally stepping into the great Dane’s shoes courtesy of Sir Nick Hytner’s National Theatre production, as well as John Simm trying his hand in Sheffield in a production that may well transfer. Do we really need that many Hamlets in 2 years? I’d rather see a good Richard III…Anyone? Anyone?
Kevin Spacey’s Old Vic will bring revivals of Six Degrees of Separation, and The Real Thing (sadly starring Toby Stephens, perhaps the smuggest looking man I can thing of) as well as their Stephen Dillane-led Bridge Project productions of The Tempest and As You Like It. The Chocolate Factory as ever remain tightlipped about what they have on their slate, but I am sure we can expect some interesting choices, as ever, under David Babani’s watchful eye.
And with that on our plate already, I feel overjoyed to be in London’s West End, but with the prospect of even more to come, the feeling is elysian.
