Top 5 plays of 2011

5.  Richard III,  Old Vic

The production as a whole may have had its flaws, but Kevin Spacey’s portrayal of England’s bloody king was a real theatrical experience. Limping around the stage for the best part of three hours, the Hollywood star wowed as the angry autocrat, and brought one of Shakespeare’s most widely performed plays into the modern era with a bang.

4.  Hamlet, Young Vic

Another modern interpretation of a Shakespearian classic appeared at the Young Vic this winter with Michael Sheen playing the lead. The action began before audience members had taken their seats, with the backstage of the theatre transformed into a mental asylum that spectators could wander around before the show started. The concept was not necessarily played out to perfection, but Sheen was undeniably a stellar Hamlet.

3. One Man, Two Guvnors, National Theatre

James Corden has received a wealth of adulation for his role as impish Francis Henshall in Richard Bean’s fast-paced farce, and deservedly so. The play, which has now transferred to the Adelphi Theatre due to popular demand, was initially staged at The National, the bastion of British theatre where Corden found fame with The History Boys almost eight years ago. But while Corden was again part of an ensemble with One Man, Two Guvnors, this time, he is quite clearly the star. He may always play the fool, but he plays it well.

  Read my review of One Man, Two Guvnors here

2. Jerusalem, Apollo Theatre

This year has been awash with spectacular leading performances, but Mark Rylance in Jerusalem has to be the finest of them all. The play has achieved unparalleled critical acclaim worldwide, and coveted tickets for the remaining sell-out shows are tipping the bank balance at over £100 per seat. The play has been going strong with several runs both in London and across the pond since it debuted at the Royal Court in 2009, and as soon as Rylance as Rooster Byron struts onto the stage, it is easy to see why.

Read my review of Jerusalem here

1. Cause Célèbre, Old Vic

2011 was certainly the year of the Rattigan revival as several theatres paid tribute to the late, great dramatist to mark the centenary of his birth. Cause Célèbre was a stunning production in every sense of the word, from the fantastic staging to Anne-Marie Duff’s wonderful performance as lustful Alma Rattenbury. Based on a real life trial in 1935 where Rattenbury and her young lover were charged with bludgeoning her husband to death, Thea Sharrock’s revival of this play brought the mix of heartfelt emotion and quick wit back to the forefront of                      the London stage in what was, in my view, the best play of the year.

Review: Jerusalem *****

Reviews are quite possibly the most dangerous by-product of any performance – particularly the good ones. Jerusalem, which has swept Olivier and Tony awards for its lead, the inimitable Mark Rylance, is the perfect example of how five star reviews and years of sold out shows can turn what was once a small, naturalistic play at the Royal Court into an entity far greater than itself. The play is no longer simply that; it is a cultural phenomenon, an event, tales of which will span far longer than its run.

Jez Butterworth has written a play that feels deceptively simple at first glance, but delve beneath the drink, drugs and four letter expletives, and you find a script that is endowed with complex relationships. Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron is the Shrek of his Wiltshire village, residing in a beaten up camper van at the back of a forest, much to the dismay of the local residents. Well, except for the bunch of freeloading youngsters who frequent the site in the hopes of some free whizz and a good night. With just hours to pack up and leave after being issued a warrant by the local council, Rooster is going nowhere – fast.

Part of Rylance’s brilliance is his embodiment of the two very different sides to Byron’s personality. On the surface, he seems to be nothing more than a drug addled, ageing good-for-nothing; a burden to society and to himself. But when the truth finally hits that he is alone, that the people who he calls friends are the ones filming each other urinating on his passed out body, the raw emotion is palpable. When his young son comes to visit, party animal Rooster disappears, and in his place comes a cautious and tender father desperately seeking the love of his child.

It is a credit to Ultz’s excellent stage design, Butterworth’s intriguing script and of course, Rylance’s dynamism that viewers are captivated for over three hours by a man limping around the exterior of a caravan. Mackenzie Crook delivers a wonderful performance as Rooster’s friend, Ginger, and there are comical gags aplenty from Max Baker as Morris dancing publican Wesley and Alan David as the eccentric professor. But Rylance truly is the star of the show, and it would be impossible to imagine Jerusalem without him.