BroadwayWorld UK's Best of 2022

After Covid dealt a stuttering start to the year, 2022 brought some standout shows and performances. After seeing hundreds of shows over the past twelve months, here are some of our critics' highlights.

Gary Naylor: Red Pitch, Bush Theatre

The show (pictured above) explored three lads navigating their transition to adulthood while the ground moved beneath them, literally with the bulldozing gentrification of West London in full swing, and metaphorically as the nights of carefree pickup football gave way to adult responsibilites. Press night standing ovations have become a tedious cliche, but the one for this show was deserved and heartfelt.

Read Gary's full review of 2022 here.

Alexander Cohen: We Were Promised Honey, Summerhall, Edinburgh Fringe

I love the Roundabout at Summerhall. It's the beating heart of the Edinburgh Fringe. I regret missing a handful of critically acclaimed plays there, notably Rafaella Marcus' Sap and Marcelo Dos Santos' Feeling Afraid as if Something Terrible is Going to Happen. One play I was delighted to see and write about was Sam Ward's We Were Promised Honey.

It's a play that defies labels. It charts the doomed final flight of Richard Russell who in 2018 hijacked an empty plane only to fly it to his death. Thanks to writer and performer Sam Ward, it morphs and blossoms into something gorgeously endearing and pleasantly provocative.

Ward democratises the space. The distance between performer and audience dissipates as everyone becomes equally in control of the story. It's playing at the Bristol Old Vic next year, so there is still a chance to catch it.

Read Alexander's full review of 2022 here.

Cindy Marcolina: Trainspotting Live, Riverside Studios

I'm ending this year strongly believing that in-yer-face theatre might be what eventually saves the industry from itself. After a few hyper-successful runs and a tour, Trainspotting: Live arrived at Riverside Studios and solidified this theory of mine. It was jolting, triggering, and utterly sublime in its execution. We need more shows that breach the distance - metaphorical and physical - between creators and public.

Read Cindy's full review of 2022 here.

Aliya Al-Hassan: SPIKE, Touring.

I am so pleased that much of the country got a chance to see this funny, sharp and moving show. Ian Hislop and Nick Newman beautifully balanced pathos with comedy in SPIKE, based on letters between Spike Milligan and his BBC executives. This was an affectionate and beautifully staged portrait of the often-troubled mind of this comedy genius.

The cast was pitch-perfect. Robert Wilfort struck a sympathetic and beautiful balance between awkward romantic, traumatised ex-soldier and passionate writer as Spike Milligan. Patrick Warner was excellent as the egotistical Peter Sellers, accompanied by a very affable Jeremy Lloyd as Harry Secombe. None of the trio were trying to impersonate the men; they showed the spirit of the people, rather than trying to copy them.

Hislop and Newman's script was very sharp and often incredibly funny, but it was Paul Hart's direction that kept up the almost perfect pace and momentum of the show.

Read Aliya's full review of 2022 here.

Franco Milazzo: any attempt will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones, Sadler's Wells

any attempt will end in crushed bodies and shattered bones rises above the pretentions of its title with a frankly astounding display of political theatre. Interspersing and enhancing the physical movements through spoken word and projections, this provocative work comes from Flemish choreographer Jan Martens who has form when it comes to eye-grabbing show names (one was called I Can Ride A Horse Whilst Juggling So Marry Me) and here he fills all ninety minutes with visual trickery and dramatic twists aplenty. Bravo.

Read Franco's full review of 2022 here.

Kat Mokrynski: Punchdrunk's The Burnt City

Punchdrunk's The Burnt City is a show that I have fallen in love with and will probably see multiple times in 2023. Its immersiveness is simply stunning and its attention to detail never fails to leave me in awe. Even though I know the stories of Agamemnon and Hecuba that the show is based on, I cannot help but be drawn into the lives of the characters as they rush around the two giant warehouses that make up the set.

Read Kat's full review of 2022 here.

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