Everything Theatre Reviews, interviews and news for theatre lovers, London and beyond
A theatre is a magical place where stories come to life. The medium predates film by nearly two thousand years, so it is safe to say that humans have perfected the art. There are several reasons to love visiting the theatre for a play or musical. Some people enjoy the audience participation, others appreciate the historical significance of seeing a story told in this setting. However, there is still a significant portion of the population that is yet to experience this type of show.
Fortunately, watching a story at the theatre isn’t that different from watching a film at the cinema. Everyone will enjoy the experience; you just have to find the right genre or show to introduce someone to this type of artform. As such, anyone that wants to introduce someone special to the magic of the theatre should consider starting their journey with one of the following options.
The Lion King
Let’s start easy with a name that everyone will recognise straight away. The Lion King is an extremely popular film from Disney’s animated studios. It was released in cinemas in 1997 and has been a firm favourite among kids and adults ever since. It even won two Oscars for best original song and best original score. All this success made the film ripe for a theatre adaptation, but there was one problem. The cast of the animated film is comprised entirely of anthropomorphised animals. How can these characters be translated to the stage?
With some clever puppet work and the strength of the original songs, The Lion King stage experience sees Simba reclaim the throne in a colourful manner you cannot experience in any other format. The familiarity of the property should be enough to get new theatregoers in seats. What’s more, the show has endured on London’s West End for over twenty-one years. It wouldn’t achieve this level of success if the audiences were not entertained.
Hamilton
Since we are talking about shows that people should be familiar with, it would be a mistake not to mention Hamilton, the smash hit musical by Lin Manuel Miranda. It has been almost impossible to avoid the news surrounding this juggernaut of pop cultural significance ever since it hit the humble stages of Edinburgh Fringe back in 2015. It seems strange to think that the writers and producers had to beg audiences to give the show a try at that year’s festival, given that Hamilton has gone on to become one of the biggest Broadway success stories in theatre history. Since then, the show has gone on to receive the Pultizer Prize for drama along with eleven other Tony awards which include best musical.
The concept is fairly simple, one that non-musical fans can get on board with. Hamilton tells the story of the rise and fall of Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of the United States of America. The thing that separates Hamilton from other Broadway shows is that it features a diverse cast who rap the songs in a way that is accessible to all audiences. This updated format makes Hamilton a great time for anyone new to the concept of a theatre show, and it will definitely leave you wanting more.
Hamlet
You will struggle to find someone that did not study the work of Shakespeare during their school days, which is what makes one of his plays a great start for non-theatregoers. It is even easier to experience his work now that we have modern technology. For example, you can use your knowledge of turning PDFs to Microsoft word docs to share Hamlet with your friends before they see it onstage. While his work may seem overly complex by today’s standards, there is a reason why the great bard has endured all these years. His stories come with a tinge of timeless reality, something that is most present in Hamlet.
Hamlet is a revenge story set in Denmark during the 16th century. It is one of the simplest of Shakespeare’s plays to follow, and the dramatic tension is best experienced in a seat at your local theatre. What’s more, this play was used as the inspiration for the original Lion King. Therefore, you could use Hamlet as the next logical step if your friends and family end up loving that particular show.
The Woman In Black
The Woman in Black was once one of the hardest shows to sell to someone unfamiliar with a theatre experience. This play belongs to the horror genre and is performed by only two actors on stage. Two actors that the audience is aware of at any rate. As you can imagine, this doesn’t sound like an exciting premise; however, the play received a huge bump in popularity once Hollywood adapted it into a film starring Daniel Radcliffe in 2012. Now you should have no trouble convincing someone to come along with you, especially if they are a fan of ghostly tales.
The great thing about The Woman in Black is that it uses the audience to garner scares. If the tale being told on stage isn’t enough to give you goosebumps, then the jump scares from the woman in black screaming in the audience definitely will. This play demonstrates the interactivity that comes with the medium of the theatre, something that is a crucial part of the experience. The Woman in Black is still performed at the Fortune Theatre in London and has been going strong since 1989.
Great Expectations
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens is another story that a large portion of the population is familiar with. What’s more, it is a story that also receives a lot of theatre attention.
The early Victorian setting makes this story easy to adapt with the right costuming, and many productions choose to implement water features on stage to represent the dark marshlands. Both the familiarity with the material and the attempts at immersion are enough to get anyone hooked on the idea of returning to the theatre. Also, every production crew handles the death of Miss Havisham differently, so make sure you are watching your friend’s faces to see their reaction. There is a lot that a theatre can pull off, they just don’t know it yet.
Annie
It may not always be another adult that you are trying to convince into trying the theatre for the first time. We have all found our love of the theatre at a young age, and many of you will have experienced your first musical or play with your parents. Now that you are older, how do you introduce the next generation to this medium of storytelling?
The key is finding the right show, to begin with, and that may just be Annie the Musical. This show started on Broadway in 1977 and it is based on the poem of the same name. This show became so popular that there have been two feature films adapted since the show started, so you may want to show your kids these adaptations first to get them enthusiastic about the story.
The best thing about Annie, though, is that it features a young cast of children. This aspect makes the show more relatable to young ones, so try to give them this experience before they get too old to appreciate Annie at this level.
Conclusion
The right theatre show depends on the type of person viewing the experience. However, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t enjoy one of the shows listed above, so make sure you start here.
