Let’s go to the theatre!

A recent theatre round-up.

I’ve had the delight of going to the theatre quite a lot recently. Considering last year, I think I only went once, I’ve currently been 3 times in the past 2 months, with a 4th visit due next week. And it’s struck me again how incredible theatre is and how much arts like this need funding and accessibility so that everyone can experience and enjoy the shows out there. This might read a little like a GCSE drama essay, because truthfully I don’t know how to write about the theatre without reverting to my year 11 self, trying to take in every aspect of the show to overanalyse at a later date.

My grandparents have always been a large part of my enjoyment of theatre. As a child, they would take me and my sister to the yearly pantomime that my second cousin would star in. Once she got too old to perform in the pantos, my grandparents moved on to trying to take us to the proms in London, or other shows that they thought would be fun. When I was around 17, they took us on a guided tour of the National Theatre, and there was also a trip to the Globe Theatre to see Romeo and Juliet in there somewhere. Alongside this, my enthusiasm for theatre was also growing, courtesy of the school drama department and their various school trips to the theatre. Every new experience seemed to open up possibilities of what could happen, whether that’s in staging, lighting, dramatic techniques or sound (I told you the GCSE essay would start coming through).

My latest trip to the theatre was at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham, seeing the west-end production of Bonnie and Clyde. Although I’m sure there were many carefully planned and rehearsed elements to the show, it was the sheer force of their voices that really stuck with me. Every actor on that stage had a phenomenal voice as well as the opportunity to show it off. Bonnie and Clyde, our titular characters played by Hana Ichijo and Alex James-Hatton respectively, naturally had the benefit of enchanting duets and powerful solos. Yet credit must also be given to the preacher (Jaz Ellington) who, at every opportunity he was given, would deliver flawless riffs and gospel choruses. If I could only focus on one chord, it would be the three-part harmony belted out by Clyde, the Captain (Andrew Berlin) and the Deputy (Alexander Evans). Incredible. 

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Going in, I knew very little about Bonnie and Clyde and had been generally disinclined to do any research into their lives or who they were. I was mildly aware that I kept mixing them up with some of the tap dancing duos of the 30s silver screen and they were definitely dead now, but beyond that, I was in the dark. Without ending up at a musical production covering the highlights of their lives, I very much believe I would be still in the dark for much of my life. I know we all have different learning styles and this performance really convinced me that mine might be musical numbers. The delivery also managed to balance the excitement and passion of their lives alongside the dubious decisions they made that placed them in opposition to the law. The whole way through, you were very aware that you were rooting for an anti-hero with a doomed ending, prompting the audience to question the role of the law particularly in communities experiencing extreme poverty. Being in a recession in the UK (or not, depending on the political party you listen to), some of those questions might still be relevant to our present situations. 

Before this, I visited the Criterion Theatre to see ‘Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)’ – catchy title if nothing else. Again, I went in blind to this show, beyond the description the title gave. It shouldn’t be a spoiler that there are only two actors in the show, although during the interval, there were two members of the audience seated behind me postulating whether another character (or actor) might show up in the second half. They did not. This does present a challenge to those two actors in creating different settings and filling a stage whilst remaining the same characters the whole way throughout. Yet through carefully timed cues with sound effects and reacting to invisible people, Dougal (Sam Tutty) and Robin (Dujonna Gift) suspended the disbelief of the audience and we were brought into the beating heart of Brooklyn, subway stations, boujie hotel rooms, and New York Chinese restaurants. 

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This musical seemed directly targeted at Gen Z/Gen X/Millenials, particularly in their musical discussion of dating apps and messy relationships. Perhaps there wasn’t a deep and meaningful message to be gained from this show in the same way as the previous one, but maybe that was the purpose. Theatre can be fun and silly, and doesn’t have to be complicated to think about – at least, not all the time. Almost as an antidote to the modern world and the various stressors of the average Gen Z/Gen X/Millenial, this play is able to laugh at itself and provide some levity to life. In a way, it shapes what we think of as culture. Plays don’t have to be hard-hitting and thought-provoking to be valuable and necessary additions to life. They can aid our escapism for a couple of hours and bring joy to the regular repetitions of our lives. 

My first play of the year was Hadestown, performed at the Lyric Theatre. Contrary to the others I’ve mentioned, I pretty much knew exactly what would happen in this show. Back in 2017, I became aware of the show when it visited from Broadway to the National Theatre in London. I’d followed the content on the NT socials carefully and fell in love with the narrative and songs that made up the show. However, I was slow to act and wasn’t able to book tickets to see the show before the cast returned to America. 7 years later, I discovered that an extended UK run of the show was returning to London and I knew I wouldn’t miss out twice. By this point, I had been regularly listening to the original cast recording on and off for the duration of those years, and watching as many clips of the original Euyridice, Eva Noblezada, as possible. As a fan of ancient Greek mythology too, the story was firmly impressed on my brain, recognising the areas of creative liberty or reinterpretation. 

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Nonetheless, my thorough knowledge of the play didn’t ruin the experience as the staging pulled through in ways I hadn’t noticed or anticipated in the clips. I’d include the chorus as part of the staging too, as their costume and interactions helped differentiate between the worlds up above and down below. The circular revolving stage visually demonstrated the journey the story took us on as well as represented the cyclical nature, returning the audience to our starting position. Anais Mitchell’s repeating compositions add to this, as throughout the play the same musical themes return, offering the characters a chance to reattempt their decisions, whilst being ultimately destined to keep repeating them. There’s a challenge to the audience too – will we fear the cold and future by isolating ourselves and running away from deeper connection, or will we dare to trust in one another and hope for a future more full of love and life than we have ever seen? 

My next theatre trip will once again be one with minimal information beforehand – I’m assuming Cluedo 2 isn’t a musical, but I did think that about Bonnie and Clyde and I was happily disappointed. I am also very familiar with the premise of Cluedo the boardgame and I have seen the 80’s movie Clue, so that may help me out with the story. Even so, I’m unsure what Cluedo 1 is so am unsure what the play is following on from, if anything. I’m excited to see how they could bring in elements of the board game, whether through staging or costume. Will I come away pondering the meaning of life? Will it just be a couple of hours of indulgent board game fun? I’ll have to get back to you on that. Regardless, I’m sure it will be exciting and flood my head with new ideas, prompting conversation, speculation, and imagination. 

So, get to the theatre kids. You have no idea what’s waiting.

You can find tickets here for Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), Hadestown, and Cluedo 2.