The Antony Sher KING LEAR at Stratford
Here are StageTalk Magazine’s ten favourite shows of 2016. No order of preference and no overall winner – just alphabetically by reviewer
THE GOVERNMENT INSPECTOR Birmingham Rep
KING LEAR Bristol Old Vic
KING LEAR Stratford
COULROPHOBIA Tobacco Factory, Bristol
KING CHARLES III on tour
END OF THE RAINBOW on tour
ELOISE & THE CURSE OF THE GOLDEN WHISK Wardrobe, Bristol
OFF BEAT FESTIVAL Oxford
DON GIOVANNI Tobacco Factory, Bristol
THE TRUTH Ustinov, Bath
WILL AMOTT
Way back in March, I went to see a show at Birmingham Rep by myself, deigning not to take any of my friends as (from the little I knew) I thought it wouldn’t be to any of their tastes. But if I could get tickets to see The Government Inspector this evening, I would, and I’d suggest to everyone available that they do the same. It was the best thing I saw in 2016. At once ebullient, incisive, radical, and silly, the evening was some of the most fun that I have ever had in a theatre. Ramps on the Moon is a company to watch.
Choosing a runner-up proved more difficult, and perhaps it’s a little bit of a dodge to nominate The BE Festival, but the works showcased at the Birmingham European Festival were a privilege to witness, made all the more affecting by the international political climate. I hope it returns next year.
SIMON BISHOP
2016 has been a great year for theatre in the region, and for Bristol in particular, marking the Bristol Old Vic’s 250th anniversary. There have been memorable performances on stages large and small. The continued success of the Wardrobe Theatre and the growing reputation of Theatre West is proof that there is a local audience eager to support companies and individuals who are prepared to innovate and take risks.
Choosing a favourite show from the year is not easy. I can think of at least ten that would get my vote. If I have to come up with one winner it would have to be the production of King Lear at the Bristol Old Vic starring Timothy West as Lear, Stephanie Cole as The Fool and David Hargreaves as Gloucester. Blending Theatre School novices with old hands turbo-charged this play with performances to match the impressive rumbling above our heads from the original, now restored, Thunder Run – truly sensational theatre.
Coming in as joint runners-up (yes I know that’s cheating) I would nominate Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty and Akram Khan’s Giselle, both at the Bristol Hippodrome. As Strictly dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood might have said… simply ‘Fab-u-Lus’!
But, if the editor allows, I‘d also like to mention some other stand-out productions: the incredible Trainspotting at Bristol’s Klub Loco, Kneehigh’s fabulous 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips; the wonderful Under A Cardboard Sea put on by the Bristol Old Vic Young Company and certainly the Bristol Black Writers Group production of Curried Goat and Fish Fingers – an antidote to bigotry, racial intolerance and ignorance.
DEREK BRIGGS
2016: The Year of Lear, gave its closing and greatest plaudits to – amongst several options, the Old Vic production starring Glenda Jackson. I’ve yet to see that version but, whatever its relative merits it has served a rather unkind Fate by directing attention away from the RSC, King Lear with Antony Sher.
This is Sher’s culminating performance in a series of great Shakespearian roles, conceived in partnership with director Gregory Doran. And here they have nailed the un-nailable, presenting the king as an angry autocrat, a bad father, an old man devoid of self-knowledge. And somehow encapsulating the momentary emergence of light, when penitent father and daughter reunite, so that it survives the subsequent total fall into nuclear winter.
A bleak fairy story, not for Christmas, but for learning acceptance of providence and mortality.
KEITH ERSKINE
My favourite show was Coulrophobia at the Tobacco Factory Theatres in Bristol. I had very low expectations when I went in to the show thinking I probably wasn’t going to like either clowns or puppets. 
Pickled Image managed to combine an imaginative set with ridiculous anarchic often hysterical clowning and puppetry. The clowns seemed in some way to represent the human condition and their struggle to escape from the sinister cardboard world was both entertaining and thought provoking. It was an hour of non-stop stimulation of the theatrical senses with highly imaginative twists and turns. The clowns related directly with the audience and seemed to have complete control of the space in the Tobacco Factory. I heard every word and appreciated every mime. I kept laughing but was all the time aware of something slightly frightening. I would have quite happily gone back to see it for a second time.
MICHAEL HASTED
A tricky one. I have seen several plays this year worthy of consideration. One, The Father, was the best but is ruled out because it was chosen last year. The Dresser was excellent in all but one respect – Ken Stott gave a virtuoso performance, but sadly was not Sir. Single Spies and the very excellent Guys and Dolls were ruled out because I wanted to choose a new play. A very close runner-up was A Tale of Two Cities which was a brilliant and clever adaptation beautifully staged. For my best of 2016 by a very short nose I am going for a new play, Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III, which was not at all the cheap swipes at the Prince of Wales that one might have anticipated.
Shakespeare built a career on re-imagining the lives of British monarchs, the struggles for supremacy, the accessions and attendant powers and intrigues behind the thrones. So, why not treat the events following the death of our own dear queen in the same way? Bartlett did exactly this and succeeded in producing what was almost a modern day Shakespeare which was beautifully conceived and staged.
ROB HOLCROFT
End of the Rainbow was without doubt, one of the best shows I have seen for a very long time. It was engaging, powerful and funny. It was as deserving of packed houses as Lisa Maxwell was of the standing ovation she justly received. This was live theatre at its absolute best. I also liked Rent and Jackie the Musical.
ADRIAN MANTLE
My favourite show this year was Eloise & the Curse of the Golden Whisk; a delightful romp performed by the talented Wardrobe Ensemble. These capable actors play a multitude of parts as well as singing, dancing and provide special effects. Plenty of variety in the show with moments of tension, romance and menace. All set in Bristol’s charming Wardrobe Theatre. A delightful evening’s entertainment.
My runner up is There Shall be Fireworks; an engaging performance by Martin Bonger in this eclectic show. A sparsely set stage and great music.
@BookingAround
This year, for my Show of the Year, I’ve decided to cheat a little bit and choose the wonderful Off Beat Festival in Oxford which brightened up my June. In a year of a bit too much Shakespeare (sorry, I know that’s sacrilegious; I didn’t think it was possible until this anniversary year), the Burton Taylor Studio and the Old Fire Station teamed up to put on a week-long festival celebrating originality and co-operation and consisting of excellent theatre, comedy, dance, and poetry. Off Beat supported small companies and showcased up-and-coming talents, and I’m looking forward to attending even more shows at it in 2017!
MIKE WHITTON
My runner-up for 2016 is Bristol Old Vic’s macabre musical The Grinning Man, which brought their 250th Anniversary celebrations to a triumphant conclusion. Directed by Tom Morris, it’s an ambitious mix of fantasy, puppetry, romantic drama, broad comedy and the grotesque. Given the considerable scope of its ambitions it is perhaps not surprising that there are times when it seems to be trying just a little too hard, and there is little doubt that it would benefit from being tightened up here and there. Nevertheless, The Grinning Man is a very moving tale of self-discovery, full of invention, memorable music and vivid characterisation. Julian Bleach’s sardonic, embittered Barkilphedro is a great villain, darkly comical one moment and truly terrifying the next.
Normally I suffer agonies of indecision when asked to nominate which production proved to be the very best of the year, but this time I am blissfully free of doubt. Opera Project’s Don Giovanni at Tobacco Factory Theatres was a beautifully judged production, with just enough attention given to the truly dark themes that run through this multi-layered opera buffo. The cast all looked the part, their acting ability matched their superb musicianship, and they were well supported by an eleven-piece orchestra under the direction of Jonathan Lyness. This was a thrilling production entirely suited to the intimacy offered by performance in the round. Unforgettable.
GRAHAM WYLES
It’s been a good year with plenty of highs. There was the start of the anniversary celebrations at the Bristol Old Vic with Long Day’s Journey Into Night, the return of a condensed Jane Eyre, Hamlet at The Tobacco Factory Theatres, The Rivals, Half Life, Glorilla, Paradise Lost, Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Cinderella: A Fairy Tale (TFT) to name but the ones that spring immediately to mind.
In short Bristol and Bath are blessed which makes picking the best a tough exercise. In plumping for one I return to the Ustinov and Florian Zeller’s comedy The Truth which just shades Trouble in Mind at the same 
place. The latter has my standout performance of the year with Tanya Moodie’s portrayal of the 1950’s black actress stifled by artistic prejudice and convention. However The Truth, which was translated by Christopher Hampton and served by a crack cast is a modern take on the comedy of manners, a bedroom farce of wit and sophistication. Each turn of the plot was a new and unexpected delight and shows a writer with a full command and understanding of the mechanics of comedy and farce. It is that rare thing of a comedy which can take seeing again and again. I for one can’t wait for a revival.
