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Last modified on Wed 23 Dec 2020 04.02 EST
10
National Theatre, London
Rafe Spall gave one of the most virtuosic performances of the year in Clint Dyer and Roy Williams’ one-man show about class, race, identity and inheritance. He played Michael, a tormented working-class man grappling with the legacy of a racist father. Stalking the length and breadth of the stage, which was designed in the shape of a St George’s Cross, Spall performed with the punkish energy of a man possessed. His drunken eulogy at his father’s funeral was an exemplar of a dramatic meltdown. Read the full review.
9
Chichester Festival theatre and online
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What a year it has been, one which has proved three things simultaneously. The first is that faced with a disaster, theatre people are inventive, resourceful, and endlessly resilient.
The second is that there is a real thirst among the public for what they do; since theatres closed across the country in March, every single flicker of activity and life, be it online or in socially-distanced spaces, has been supported, enjoyed and cheered to the rafters.
The third is that for all their fine words, and a modicum of financial support, our government doesn't quite understand either of these things. Of course, the arts aren't the first priority in a pandemic, but the theatre business, and in particular its endlessly creative and hopeful freelances, have been treated shoddily, thanks to a lack of knowledge about how theatre actually works (it was heartbreaking to see houses struggle back to life only to be instantly closed, and at some cost) and a lack of sympathy for its essential importance to the creation of a good society.
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