I had a playgoing blitz in London the end of February, and here I’m going to rank the 12 shows I saw from best to worst. The reviews were previously posted on Facebook, but the ranking is on reflection about everything I managed to see.

1.

The Lehman Trilogy: …best play so far, by far. An old-fashioned three-act play, running three and a half hours. Directed by Sam Mendes, acted to perfection by three actors, words, words, words. Set in a revolving glass office cube, with file boxes used as stairs, chairs, and towers. The scope is vast, covering 150 years as we follow the original three Lehman brothers arriving in America, moving to Alabama to run a fabric business that grows into a bank and finally a trading company. The family moves to New York, inevitably, weathers the stock market crash, World War II, and sees grandsons running the family business, until finally being taken over by outsiders before collapsing into bankruptcy. A chilling yet riveting expose of capitalism, a world we all live in, filled with wanting more, more, always more.

2.

Medea: A powerful version of Euripides’ Medea, adapted by Robinson Jeffers, with Sophie Okonedo giving a chilling portrayal of a woman bent on vengeance at any cost. Ben Daniels plays the abandoning husband Jason and all other male roles. A chorus of women start from the audience but take the stage to weep over Medea, her children and their fate. The play is staged in the round, in an intimate space, and director Dominic Cooke moves things along briskly in this 90 minute version, ending in a chilling climax soaked with rain. Perhaps not as potent as Helen McRory’s version at the National Theatre, where she dragged her sons’ bodies on stage in blood-soaked sleeping bags. But still a great start to this week of theatre!

3.

Sylvia, is a musical about the suffragette Sylvia Pankhurst. A hip hop musical (can anyone say Hamilton?) with a diverse cast, this one took me by surprise. In short, it was terrific, with an excellent cast and band, standout performances by Beverley Knight as Sylvia’s mother Emmeline Pankhurst and Sylvia herself, Sharon Rose. Great singing and dancing, this one earned its standing ovation.

4.

Orlando: Emma Corrin (The Crown) shines in this role, as does the ensemble of Virginia Woolfs who accompany Orlando on his/her journey through time. Fluidly directed by Michael Grandage, with a lovely turn as Orlando’s housekeeper by Deborah Findlay, this was a swift 90 minute adaptation of Woolf’s novel.

5.

Rusalka by Dvořák: Performed in the Royal Opera House, Rusalka is a water spirit who loves a mortal prince, but of course it all goes tragically wrong. She sacrifices her voice to win the love of her prince, which ends up costing her everything. Sublime singing and orchestration. I loved it!

6.

Romeo and Julie, a new play by Gary Owen, was performed at the National Theatre. About two working class kids in Cardiff who find each other, except that Romeo is already a single father with a baby. Then Julie gets pregnant too, threatening her future dreams of studying physics at Cambridge. This was a moving new play, with five wonderful actors in the ensemble.

7.

Lemons, Lemons, Lemons with Jenna Coleman (Dr. Who) and Aidan Turner (Poldark). We follow a couple who are living through repressive times as the government votes to limit speech to 140 words per person per day. This absurd premise plays out between the two lovers in bittersweet ways, as they try to ration their words, inventing shortcuts, even using Morse Code. I liked the simplicity of the play and its staging, but thought that overall, there was not much there, there.

8.

Cirque du Soleil’s Kurios at Royal Albert Hall. Kurios was inventive and so imaginative, with a cool steampunk vibe, lots of fun! I’m always impressed with the acrobatics and clowning, but the look of this show is what will stay with me.

9.

Phaedra: A new adaptation by Simon Stone, who also directs, doesn’t resemble the original much at all, to its detriment. In this version, Phaedra is Helen (Janet McTeer), a high-powered MP who reunites with her Moroccan former lover’s son Sofiane (Assaad Bouab from Call My Agent). They start an affair, until her daughter Isolde (Mackenzie Davis) also falls for the mysterious man who turns everyone’s lives upside down. McTeer is a powerhouse in the role, self-absorbed and self-critical in equal measure, her end is bloody, as in Euripides’ original but under very different circumstances. The set is yet another revolving glass cube, that magically transforms from a family home, to a field, a restaurant and finally, a hilltop in Morocco. I enjoyed this production, but was also frustrated by it…why not simply stage the original tragedy? I saw Helen Mirren in the title role on National Theatre Live, and she was amazing. It’s too bad the great Janet McTeer wasn’t given the same chance to shine.

10.

Wicked: I’ve been wanting to see this musical ever since I read the book by Gregory Maguire. It’s a great show, with a stunning set and fabulous costumes, and a great troupe of performers, in particular Glinda and Elphaba, of course. A couple of memorable songs makes it a keeper!

11.

Titus Andronicus at the Globe Theatre, in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, lit by candles. And candles became a metaphor to protect us, somewhat, from this violent and gory play, Shakespeare’s first tragedy, probably co-authored with George Peele. This all-women production makes a strong point about gender and violence, as the cast opens and closes the show singing (to live music) “Men killing men, killing women, killing children…”. And so it goes. When people are killed, their hand-held candles are snuffed out, and the wicks (souls) retrieved. It’s a nice conceit, but nothing can protect us from the horror of Titus’s daughter Lavinia’s rape and mutilation at the hands of his enemy Tamora’s sons. A previous Globe production had audiences fainting from the blood. We are spared that, but not the horror of the vicious and violent world Shakespeare presents.

12.

& Juliet has fun mashing up pop songs with giving R&J a happy ending. But I found it all a bit so what. Great singing and dancing though, I’ll give them credit for that.

So there you have it! My top twelve from a memorable week in London!