Gary Naylor - Page 28

Les Mis has been in London almost as long as I have - here's how we have grown old together.

Danielle Walker: Bush Rat takes on the tricky task of examining a largely happy family for comic material and, aside from a few references to the strange ways of Outback Australia, inevitably comes up short.

Kieran Hodgson dissects the history of the UK's relationship with Europe in this funny, poignant and wonderfully well-informed show.

What a strange thing is Violet - indeed, what a strange thing is Violet, our eponymous heroine. But more of that later.

Pippa Evans talks about the long-running Showstopper! (back in the West End) and about her life in theatre.

A Modest Little Man tells us something of the man and his achievements, Clement Attlee surrounded by egos and rivals (talented though) in this gem of a political comedy.

Kristine Landon-Smith talks about directing her revival of Jean Anouilh's The Orchestra and about her unique life in theatre.

Rosenbaum's Rescue compelling drama concerns itself with big questions (like what is truth) as they apply to a fractured family today and the interpretation of traumatic events in the past.

Gabriel Gbadamosi's writing touches on many hot button topics for 2019, but it never quite finds the characters to lend credibility and, crucially, empathy, to his contemporary and important play.

I confess to entering the theatre with a sense of foreboding. The legend of Orson Wells' The War of the Worlds has been done to death - the radio broadcast that created panic across the USA, as people were convinced that Martians had landed in New Jersey. So what? It was over 80 years ago and we'd never fall for that these days...

Phil Willmott's updating of An Enemy of the People could hardly be more timely, but falls a little flat for want of some attention to detail.

This Australian production of Rumpelstiltskin wanders as far from the original tale as Germany is from Down Under (and some might say the same with regard to its distance traditional theatre) - but that's all good.

To the beautifully appointed Laban Theatre on the banks of Deptford Creek (now a much sought after locale doncha know) for Trinity Laban's Christmas show, Thea Musgrave's A Christmas Carol.

In 2018, I saw 101 productions ranging from black box theatres with more actors in the cast than punters in the stalls to huge productions at the Royal Opera House and London Coliseum.

Sometimes the smallest of spaces can tell the biggest of stories and that's the case with this perfectly judged adaptation of the much-loved fairytale.

Timon of Athens, at times a clunky collaboration and a clunkier mix of verse and prose, has much to say about how money corrupts and how spoiling adults is about as advisable as spoiling children. There's something of King Lear about it - but probably not enough.

The Messiah has charm and poignancy, but creaks under the weight of its 35 years, its brand of humour now dated by shows like The Play That Goes Wrong.

Some spectacular special effects and a wonderful set are let down by a stodgy and confusing script.

Plaid Tidings is a show full of grand old Christmas songs delivered beautifully by four gifted vocalists.