I’ve always enjoyed going to the theatre, and have done so for a while, but this year I definitely made a conscious effort to start going more often. Living in the countryside in the middle of Scotland, it’s not exactly like I can just pop out to a West End show whenever the fancy takes me, but that’s not to say that theatres within reach of me don’t still put on some fantastic performances.
With tickets booked for quite a few shows next year already, I thought it was worth seeing if anyone else out there within the bookish blogosphere has an interest at all in theatre (it is merely another form of storytelling, after all), as if there was, I may well do some reviews/wrap ups next year so we can chat about the shows we’ve been enjoying.

Shows I’ll be seeing over the next year or so.
To give you a feel for what some of them will be, upcoming shows I’ve already got tickets to see include: Strangers on a Train, a play based on the crime novel by Patricia Highsmith about two people who meet by chance and each agree to kill someone on behalf of the other; the musical, Miss Saigon, a tragic love story set during the Vietnam War; a ballet adaptation of The Little Mermaid; a ballet from Matthew Bourne called Highland Fling, about a man drawn into a strange world by a beguiling gothic fairy (with a Scottish twist); The Last Witch, a suspenseful play about a woman in the 1700s accused of witchcraft; and War Horse, the hit show based on the book by Michael Morpurgo about the bond between a young boy and his beloved horse that has been taken into service during World War I.
As for some of the shows I’ve most enjoyed this year, here are a few thoughts on them.

Some of my favourite shows from throughout 2017.
The Red Shoes
This ballet (also by Matthew Bourne) is based on the classic film, and in turn the original fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. It’s all about life imitating art, with fateful consequences. It boasted fantastic staging and wonderful set design – some of the best I’ve seen in a ballet. The music and costumes were also wonderful, and really helped to set the scene and create an immersive atmosphere. The storytelling achieved through the choreography was excellent – it can be tricky to know what’s going on in a wordless dance show if you’re not already familiar with the story, but things were always made clear and easy to follow in this production. It was full of humour and warmth, but had a powerful and moving ending that was executed brilliantly. I’ve seen a fair few ballets by now, and this easily ranks amongst my favourites so far.
Mary Rose
This adaptation of J.M. Barrie’s play was more intriguing than scary, despite technically being a ghost story, but I did find it atmospheric and very much enjoyed it. I read the playscript shortly before going to the show, and found it much more humorous on stage than had been apparent on the page, thanks to the good performances from the cast. The story itself centres around a young woman who disappeared as a child, eventually returning with no concept of having been gone, but seemingly changed somehow by the experience. The simplistic staging and props meant there was little fuss, and the emphasis was always on the characters, though I felt the climax and ending weren’t played out as clearly as they could have been, feeling more ambiguous than was necessarily intended, and I must confess that had I not read Barrie’s descriptions of what was going on beforehand, I may have come away feeling a little lost.
Scottish Ballet Does Stravinsky
In this show of two halves, we got to see two contrasting ballets, both set to powerful music by the renowned composer, Igor Stravinsky. The first, The Fairy’s Kiss, about a man lured away from his true love by a predatory fairy, had a very classical feel in terms of the music, choreography, costumes and story. It was the second, The Rite of Spring, that made the biggest impression, however. Featuring just three dancers (two men and one woman), this was much more abstract and contemporary in tone; a breathless, raw and visceral story about violence, masculinity, religion and escapism. You could have heard a pin drop in the quiet moments, the audience were so captivated and on edge, and I must say hats off to the dancers for their committed performances, one of whom in particular must have taken a real physical and emotional beating.
Singin’ in the Rain
Based on the classic movie, this musical about the arrival of ‘talking pictures’, and a silent film studio’s attempts to jump on the craze by creating their own musical, was utterly joyous and the epitome of feel-good entertainment. The cast were all fantastic, with particular props to Helen Mallon who had the audience in stitches with her fabulous turn as the squeaky-voiced diva, Lina Lamont. Catchy songs, excellently slick dance routines, hilarious and heart-warming storytelling; what’s not to love? When leaving the theatre at the end, everyone was visibly on a high, humming the show’s title number to themselves, and I think that says it all really.
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A bit of a different post today, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! Let me know if you’d be interested in seeing more theatre based posts next year, and also what shows you’ve seen and enjoyed recently, or hope to see soon.
A VERY GOOD POST. As you know I LOVE theatre, so it was great reading your thoughts on these shows! And I can’t wait to see what you think of War Horse and Miss Saigon, those are a couple of my favorites.
Also, just curious, how long of a drive/train ride is it to London from where you live? I think of the UK as being tiny, but it’s probably further than I think.
Thank you – I’m glad you enjoyed it! I’ll be sure to let you know how I get on with those shows 😊
It would take about 6-7 hours by train to get to London from where I am. You’re not alone though, it’s amazing how many non-UK people can’t believe that there are millions of Brits who’ve never even been to London before – myself included. I hope to go soon though; maybe 2018 will be the year, haha.
OH WOW, 6-7 hours!!! Okay DEFINITELY further than I’d thought, haha. But omg, I didn’t realize you’d never been to London! London is so great, I’ve only been twice but I loved it and I definitely hope to go back.
I totally get it though, when I was living in Italy my city was about a four hour train ride from Rome, and I met SO MANY Italians who’d never been to Rome. It totally blew my mind at first but I guess I get it, if you live just a couple of hours away from a big city like that I guess there’s no urgency to visit, it’s not like it’s going anywhere.
Exactly, I know so many people who have the ‘it’s cool, I’ll go one day’ attitude towards visiting London. It’s easy to keep putting it off, especially since trains are stupidly expensive in the UK and accommodation etc. in London isn’t exactly known for being cheap. There are so many things I want to see and do there though, not least go to some proper West End shows, so I’m determined to visit soon, haha.
Totally, it’s almost easier to plan a big trip which requires a plane ride than to make a point of visiting somewhere sort-of-close like that. And London is definitely stupidly expensive, but I hadn’t realized that trains in the U.K. are also expensive (the only place I’ve been in the U.K. is London) so that’s a drag. But fingers crossed that 2018 will be the year for you!
So true! I mean, I went on holiday twice this year so it’s not like I couldn’t have afforded it. I need to sort out my priorities, haha.
I love theatre, but have not been in a couple of years. My favorite show of all time is Les Miserables. I saw it at the Pantaeges in Los Angeles. Pure magic. Maybe 2018 will be a year for me to see some shows!
Oh, yes, Les Mis is definitely on my list to try and see one day! Glad to hear it also comes highly recommended from you.
You will love it! I also enjoy the soundtrack from the show.
I would love to see Miss Saigon and The Lion King. I hear that The Lion King is a spiritual experience.
It’s very high on my list to get to as well! It looks wonderful and a couple of my friends have been and loved it.
I will keep my eyes open for where to see The Lion King here in north Texas.
A whole different topic is Children’s Theatre. I used to take my kids to shows for their ages and it was a whole new world to see the adaptations. Shakespeare is done often and well.
I prefer theatre over cinema although both stand out, in their own places.
Theatre definitely feels like more of an experience, and so tends to be much more memorable, so I very much get what you mean.
Bullseye!
I’d definitely love more theatre-based posts! I too find it hard to go to London to see shows – I see the National Theatre Live productions at the cinema instead. They can’t beat seeing a production live, but it’s a great substitute.
Glad to hear it 😊 That’s a great point actually! That’s something I’d like to start doing more often as well.
Hello! Rachel linked me your reviews, because I’m a huge fan of theatre, but also of ballet (and for some reason was not already following you?!). It was wonderful to read your thoughts on some of the best shows you’ve seen this year and, sure enough, I especially loved reading about the ballets! I’m fortunate enough to live in a city with a lively theatre scene (Toronto), so my blog is mostly books, but also a bit of a mash-up of stage reviews, and I’m planning to look back at my favourite shows of the year later this week. I hope you enjoy everything upcoming that you have tickets for, they all sound interesting. 🙂
Hi! It’s lovely to meet another big fan of all things bookish and theatre related, and I shall definitely look forward to seeing you talk about your favourite shows of the year 😊
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I can’t wait for your review of War Horse. I’ve seen a fair amount of Westend shows and War Horse is up there with one of the best. There’s no time like the present, book that trip to London!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it! I’m definitely looking forward to it.
Hi, I’ve just stumbled across your post. I’m in south-west England and have just started a blog with similar interests to you. How is your theatre-going year going? I saw the Red Shoes last year. Isn’t Matthew Bourne something else?! I adored Sleeping Beauty and highly recommend it if you can find the recording. It was broadcast over Christmas. The costumes alone are exquisite.
I hope you enjoy/enjoyed War Horse. For me it exemplifies the power of theatre illusion.
I look forward to exploring the rest of your blog and following with interest.
Happy theatre-going! 😊
Hi! Bourne is indeed wonderful. I saw another of his productions this year – Highland Fling – and it was fantastic as well.
I haven’t seen War Horse yet; the tickets went on sale so far in advance that it’s still not until early next year! I’m very much looking forward to it though, and am glad to hear you enjoyed it so much 🙂