okay so i'm currently studying theatre in london (INSANE RIGHT!!) so here's some of the stuff i've seen and my thought's on them!! keep in mind this is just my personal thoughts on the shows and i'm not trying to convince anyone that my thoughts are the correct ones, it's just my opinions!
(below the cut because i've had the privilege of seeing a considerable amount!)
so we'll start with the first category! show's i've seen through school!
Hamilton - Victoria Palace Theatre
look i'm a theatre kid, i'll always love hamilton.
however I will say, it was really interesting seeing it in England, I don't think it hit the same as the times i've seen it in the US, but I enjoyed it nonetheless!
there were a few lyric changes that add context for a british audience that might not be as well versed in american history
Deaf Republic - The Royal Court Theatre
this was such a cool start to the plays I've seen.
excellent use of mixed story telling, text, voice, sign, video, sound really cool
I really enjoyed being on the other side of the accessibility conversation, especially as someone who's worked in theatre's with accessible shows.
at some points I felt a little lost as to what the main point of the play was, but I still enjoyed it!
The Merry Wives of Windsor - The Globe
YEAHHHHHHH
IM A MASSIVE SHAKESPEARE NERD IT WAS AWESOME
i got to stand in the yard right by the stage on house right
i was in awe the whole time, seeing Shakespeare in the way that people have seen it for hundreds of years was incredible.
my shakespeare professor actually brought in Christopher Logan who played Master Page to talk to us and he was so nice!!
They really made the audience feel for Falstaff, they played the romance between him and Mistress Ford as real and genuine and it was just a FANTASTIC choice.
just a grand time from start to finish
Every Brilliant Thing - Soho Theatre
this one packed a PUNCH
i saw it with ambika mod and she was just so so so good
it just felt so real and natural
i loved the way the audience was invited to participate, there was such a level of trust between Ambika and the people watching that made the room just lovely
a really touching show, made me cry, i LOVED it
The Lady from the Sea - The Bridge Theatre
wow i love love, actually
okay so
this was cool!
i'm not a massive isben fan and i was unfamiliar with the source material so there was a gap there, I know that Simon Stone has directed some very good productions, but this one wasn't my favorite
also as an actor the rehearsal room feels like a room i wouldn't want to be in, however it seems that the actors had a lot of agency and choice in the matter so it's not my place to bring my personal feelings into that because I wasn't in it LOL
i really liked the set, and the rain and water effects were very cool, but felt a little gimmicky after a while
long
a lot of critics have gotten on the leading lady (Alicia Vikander) for her acting as it's her stage debut, i thought she was decent, but at some points it felt like she was just letting the actions happen to her, rather than having any agency it in, and in a show where choice seems to be a big part of it, her character never seemed to make strong choices? however i think she was a better actor that people say she was!
Andrew Lincoln fucking killed that shit tho like damn, fire.
joe alwyn exists! kinda forgot he acts! he did pretty good! however it almost seemed like everyone forgot his character had a degenerative neurological illness in act two? i'm not a doctor but i don't know if he would be able to swim come act two, but that's neither here nor there
i feel like the play lacked direction in a way, there were so many angles thrown in that it felt a little disjointed, an example is that before the play begins Elida has had a miscarriage, a deeply traumatic experience for her, but it was almost brought up like twice and then never really talked about or acknowledged in depth? nor was Edwards trauma from losing his first wife to suicide, they were played so small that you would forget about it until it was brought up again and you had a "oh wait that happened, where did that go?"
all in all i enjoyed it as a night of theatre, it was very visually pleasing but idk if I would go see it again.
Dracula - Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
oh boy
so i wanted this to be good
i wanted this to be good so bad
and i really didn't like it sadly
i went into it thinking i was going to get lesbian dracula, which is was it was lowkey marketed as, and while yes i technically got lesbians, it was Not that
i think the concept of it was SO cool, i loved the idea of using the story of Dracula to uplift womens voices
however i feel like somethings just missed the mark
visually so cool, the set was AMAZING so was the tech
my major problem was that it presented it's big idea as if it was a brand new hot take, however, at least to me it felt like something that was commonly known
I really liked the message of "men and the patriarchy oppresses women because they're scared of their power if they have agency/rise up." because yes totally, however the presented that problem as a cycle and then gave up no real way to fix it, it ends with a "and will continue this cycle until you choose to join us and use the fear!" which i feel would work, however there wasn't a great job done in convincing the audience.
i was waiting to be drawn into the show and never really felt that
there were aspects i really liked but it was not my favorite thing i've seen, a bit disappointing
Not Your Superwoman - Bush Theatre
HOLY FUCK
GOD
OW
SO GOOD
AHHHHHHHHHHH
i genuinely sobbed for like 20 minutes after seeing this
like god wow
Golda Rosheuvel is a fucking POWERHOUSE
so is Letitia Wright
the characters felt so real and lived in, and i loved the moments of flashbacks, it was just a moving story about a mother and daughter and how they navigate generational trauma.
i think this was the play that affected me the strongest emotionally
the theatre is so intimate which i think really helped get that emotion across
just sobbed to my mom on the phone afterwards
10/10 loved it so bad.
OKAY MOVING ON SHOWS I'VE SEEN OUTSIDE OF SCHOOL!
Hadestown - Lyric Theatre
SCOTTISH. ORPHEUS
OHHH MY GOD
it's hadestown, it's gonna be fire and it was
Stranger Things: The First Shadow - Phoenix Theatre
i've seen it twice now!! i LOVED it.
it's just a fun fun show with INCREDIBLE TECH LIKE WOAH
THE STUFF THEY PULLED OFF??
INSANEEEEE
Born With Teeth - Wyndham Theatre
yeah i'm in love with ncuti gatwa
he was just so so so good
it was so so gay
and very hot, sue me
made me cry, wasn't expecting that
GOT TO MEET THEM BOTH AFTER THE SHOW!
Till The Stars Come Down - The Theatre Royal Haymarket
this was just incredible
it was really interesting to see a story surrounding a country's (that's not my own) view on immigration and the similiarites and differences
it was very chekovian! which i LOVED, i love chekov
it was theatre in the round in a proscenium theatre, which confused me until i saw it and was blown away about how well it worked.
just such a good show, im so sad it closed
The Play That Goes Wrong - Duchess Theatre
FINALLY GOT TO SEE THIS!!!
JUST A BLAST!!
so silly so fun
great tech
would see again, i just loved it so much
could NOT stop laughing
Oliver - Gielgud Theatre
i don't really have a lot to say about this one other than it was really fun!
it was just a really nice night at the theatre with my friends
GREAT costuming like WOAAAAH
Operation Mincemeat - Fortune Theatre
musical of the century
i'm going insane
alex young as ewan montagu oh my GOOOOOD
im seeing it again in like 2 weeks, deeply excited
it's all i've been listening to like oh my god
it's all i talk about rn
Trolius and Cressida - The Globe
OHHH MY GOD OH MY GOD
WOMAN ULYSSES?? ARE YOU KIDDING? it added SOOO MUCH to the show!!
it was like a staire comedy on the absurdity of war and god it was SO SO SO good
it's such a weird Shakespeare but it was just so so good.
i spin it around in my brain all the time
so much so that i emailed the director bc i have so many thoughts about it
IF YOU LIVE IN LONDON GO SEE IT GOD PLEASE
and that's everything so far!! still so much to see!! i'm seeing the mousetrap tonight and twelfth night tomorrow! hope you enjoyed my crazy rambling if you read all of that! feel free to DM me or hop in my ask box if you'd like to talk about any of this!
