It’s time again to assess the shows I saw with my sister Tess in London and Stratford.

1. Hamlet was by far the best show we saw on this trip. Directed by Rupert Goold, the show was staged, audaciously, on the Titanic! While this may seem to be a foolhardy approach, in fact it worked very well, with characters sliding to their doom at the end of the play. I was moved by Hamlet’s downfall, which feels inevitable, as it always does. Hamlet is well-played by Luke Thallon, who mines the text for meaning throughout. He was especially affective in his monologues. The set and costumes were period appropriate and I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Left to Right: Gabrielle Brooks as Innogen, Nadi Kemp-Sayfi as Posthumus

Second on my list was Cymbeline, performed by candlelight in the beautiful Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. This was a strong production of the play, with all characters well-played. Well-directed by Jennifer Tang, I thoroughly enjoyed this one! Featuring live music performed by three musicians, this was a memorable production indeed. Featuring a women-heavy cast, Cymbeline was played by a woman (Martina Laird) in what is usually a male role. This worked very well. The villain of the play was performed with gusto by Pierre Niel-Mee as Iachimo, the one you love to hiss and boo at!

Cast of Ballet Shoes

Third on my list was Ballet Shoes at the National Theatre. I remember reading this book as a child, and really enjoying it, along with Noel Streatfeild’s many other books. This production, staged in the Olivier Theatre was a delight! Centred on the relations between three unrelated sisters, all of whom have been adopted by the eccentric Great Uncle Matthew (GUM), (Justin Salinger), who disappears for years at a time carrying out his search for fossils around the world. These three sisters form strong bonds over time and enter show business in a range of ways, as actor (Grace Saif as Pauline Fossil), dancer (Daisy Sequerra as Posy Fossil) and dancer (Yanexi Enriquez as Petrova Fossil). The company appears to be enjoying this one as much as the audience. The show is directed by Katy Rudd, and I loved seeing so many young girls in the audience the night we saw it!

Brie Larson as Elektra

Fourth on the list was Elektra, directed by Daniel Fish. This translation, by Canadian poet ANNE CARSON, does good service to the play. Stockard Channing plays Clytemnestra, the mother of Elektra who has taken a lover (Aegisthus played by Greg Hicks) and murdered her husband Agamemnon. The play is supported by a chorus who sing, wail and shriek throughout the play. We discover that Elektra’s brother Orestes, thought to have died, has survived and he returns to kill both Aegisthus and his mother. For this he will be pursued by the Furies in the concluding play of this trilogy by Sophokles. Brie Larson gives us a powerful performance in this great play.

Cast of Marriage of Figaro

Fifth on my list was The Marriage of Figaro, which was a delight, as always. David Ireland plays Figaro with aplomb, and is well-supported by his Susanna (Mary Bevan). The Count is played by Cody Quattlebaum, and he gets his comeuppance by the end of the opera. He wants to claim his ‘rights’ to have Susanna as a lover, and it takes the whole cast to join his plans and restore order. Cherubino is played by Hanna Hipp (who appeared at Pacific Opera Victoria last season), and was a delight. Countess Alamviva is played by Nardus Williams, and Barbarina (who ends up marrying Cherubino) is played by Ava Dodd. While it was untraditional to have the opera sung in English, rather than the more usual Italian, I wasn’t too fussed about this and thoroughly enjoyed this one!

Matilda at Cambridge Theatre

Sixth on my list was Matilda, which I hadn’t seen before. This musical, debuted many years ago by the Royal Shakespeare Company. This was a delightful show, with some outstanding performances. Miss Honey, the teacher who (spoiler alert!) ends up adopting Matilda was a strong presence throughout, and has a lovely voice. Miss Trunchbull, played by Kieran Hill is the villain of the show and is played with appropriate gusto. Matilda’s parents are played by Tiffany Graves (Mother) and Pearce Barron (Father), and although Father keeps referring to Matilda as a boy, we end up having some sympathy for these hapless pair, who have no idea that they have spawned a genius. But it’s the children who shine in this production. As an ensemble, the children sing, dance and perform many songs throughout the show. Matilda was played by Anna Deikalo in the performance we saw, and she was excellent. The musical features songs by comedian Tim Minchin, with book by Dennis Kelly. And, of course, the book that started it all was written by Roald Dahl. Loved it!

Cast of Alterations

Final show on my list was Alterations, performed at the Lyttelton Theatre. This one took a look at the challenges of immigration to England from the West Indies. Tailor Buster (Gershwyn Eustache Jnr, centre above) is trying to make a go of his business, but is struggling to keep his marriage alive and manage the stress of a large order of pants that he needs to process. He finds himself with a romantic rival Horace (Karl Collins) who aims to steal Buster’s wife Darlene (Cherrelle Skeete) away from him. I appreciated the class consciousness in this play, which takes a clear-eyed look at the impact of immigration on minorities. Well-directed by Lynette Linton, the play was originally written in 1978 by playwright Michael Abbensetts. So that’s it! We had a wonderful time!