2019 Year In Review: Fiona Scott's Best Of Theatre

In 2019, I reviewed 30 shows for BroadwayWorld, but I actually wrote more interviews - around 50 articles on my count. Here's my attempt to pick out some highlights alongside the other pieces of theatre I saw this year.

The year started and ended with productions involving Jodie Prenger. I reviewed fly-on-the-wall piece Abigail's Party at Theatre Royal Brighton and recently interviewed her A Taste of Honey co-star Gemma Dobson, about making her West End debut alongside Prenger.

I enjoyed witnessing two National Theatre community initiatives: a youth-led production of Emil and the Detectives at Theatre Royal Brighton and an en masse production of As You Like It at the Queen's Theatre Hornchurch.

I made sure to catch the rotating barricade in the original production of Les Misérables one time more at the Queen's Theatre before its refurbishment. Then, in November, I experienced one of the most emotional nights at the theatre I've ever witnessed at Les Mis: The Staged Concert in the Gielgud next door.

We went on what was formerly the final night before the cinema broadcast was announced. It's so rare to be in a room with such an enthusiastic and enamoured audience.

Waitress was a recurring theme for me this year. In April, I enjoyed revisiting the diner on this side of the Atlantic, having seen it on Broadway in 2017. I hope to squeeze in another trip when the composer herself, Sara Bareilles, steps into the role of Jenna.

Getting to chat to her recently about joining the show was a real "pinch me" moment. I was also grateful for the opportunity to talk Waitress with Marisha Wallace, Lucie Jones, Ashley Roberts and Blake Harrison about their respective stints in the show.

Other Broadway imports that I'm glad made it over here include Amélie and Come From Away, the latter in particular. I attempted to see the show in New York a couple of years ago but couldn't get a ticket.

Somewhat serendipitously, I also went to see Rachel Tucker's 54 Below concert on that trip - she's now part of the London company - and I bumped into her Broadway alter ego and Tony nominee Jenn Colella in a supermarket!

I loved Come From Away so much I went back to The Phoenix Theatre a few weeks later - which I don't do often. It's such a special musical, showcasing the best of humanity in such horrible circumstances.

The Jason Robert Brown fangirl in me loved getting to interview the man himself about his concert with Tucker, amongst other guests. I also talked to Jenna Russell about leading the cast of his show The Bridges of Madison Country - on a rather memorable press night at the Menier Chocolate Factory mid-heatwave!

The Brighton Festival and Fringe were a bit of a disappointment for me this year, but I did enjoy My Left Right Foot: The Musical and the return of the Lord Chamberlain's Men to Brighton to present A Midsummer Night's Dream. On a similar Shakespearean theme, I adored Emilia. It felt like the audience were ready to take over the world on our way out of the theatre.

In a rare overlap of my science and theatre worlds, I enjoyed a trip to the Natural History Museum to see Charles Darwin's epic research trip portrayed on stage in The Wider Earth and Lights! Planets! People!, a one-woman show at the Brighton Fringe about the pressures of being a woman in science.

It was nice to be back at the Edinburgh Fringe in August. Highlights included Christina Bianco's First Impressions; Armour: A Herstory of the Scottish Bard and Islander: A New Musical - which I revisited during its run at the Southwark Playhouse. A recent move up to Scotland means I should be able to see more Fringe shows on a less intense schedule in 2020.

In terms of concerts, it was a thrill to be in the room for this year's John Wilson Orchestra Prom for The Warner Bros Story, and Cinderella in Concert at Cadogan Hall was a beautiful nostalgia trip for this long-time fan of the 1997 film starring Brandy and Whitney Houston. I also hope I never forget Sharon D Clarke's performance in Blues in the Night. It was simply jaw-dropping.

My final review in Brighton was the hilarious Peter Pan Goes Wrong, and I loved getting to chat to Nancy Zamit from Mischief Theatre about Groan Ups. I, unfortunately, didn't get a chance to go along to see, but I'm hoping to catch it on tour. The escapism that Mischief Theatre create in their chaotic shows makes their work an essential part of my best shows of the decade.

It was fun to contribute to other feature articles like my favourite theatre loos. I particularly enjoyed bringing my Christian faith and love of theatre together to discuss the resurgence of biblical musicals in the West End - I'm very much looking forward to Prince of Egypt next year.

I finally got to see the infamous Regent's Park production of Jesus Christ Superstar while writing the piece during its Barbican run - I was sadly rained off when I tried to see it previously. On a similar note, Hugh Bonneville's performance as C.S. Lewis wrestling with his head and heart theology in Shadowlands at the Chichester Festival Theatre was a standout performance for me this year.

I also enjoyed the nerdy challenge of coming up with shows linked to the numbers 1 to 24 for a BroadwayWorld Advent Calendar this month, and am looking forward to a return trip to see The Lion King at the Edinburgh Playhouse between Christmas and New Year. I still can't believe the show is 20 years old, but I can completely understand why it's still going strong!

While I'm sad I won't be living so close to London anymore, I'm excited to see more of the Scottish theatre scene in 2020. I'm rather envious of the shows coming to Brighton Theatre Royal next year, but the nice thing about the current regional theatre scene is that I should get to see most things north of the border as well!

What were your favourite shows of 2019? Tweet us @BroadwayWorldUK and let us know!

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