One of the few good things to come out of the coronavirus lockdown is a plethora of high-quality theatre, musicals and opera productions that are streamed for free by some of the most reputable arts venues in the world.

One such initiative came from the National Theatre, which has used its Youtube channel to stream some of the most memorable past theatre productions in the NT Live portfolio. Streaming a new play every Thursday at 7.00pm GMT, the productions are then available to watch on demand for seven days.

After kicking off their streaming programme on 2 April with Richard Bean’s ‘One Man Two Guvnors’, on 30 April came the turn of Danny Boyle’s critically acclaimed 2011 production of Mary Shelley’s iconic Gothic tale, Frankenstein. The play was streamed on two consecutive nights, highlighting stellar performances by Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller who exchanged the roles of the Creature and Victor Frankenstein on each successive evening.

The writer, Nick Dear, and the director, Danny Boyle, moulded the play around the Creature’s point of view, stripping away the various thematic structures present in the book. They preserved a more linear form, choosing to focus on philosophical themes of existentialism, human tendencies and limitations. Perhaps a reflection of the Creature himself, whose sole desire in life is to be a good man and to have a mate to share his earthly existence with.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH AS THE CREATURE. © CATHERINE ASHMORE

Notwithstanding the reduced size of the story, it is still quite difficult to fathom how such darkness managed to come out of the mind of an eighteen-year-old young woman, at a time when science was just beginning to make significant strides and when unspoken of gruesome experimentations would take place behind closed doors.

However, galvanism was indeed a popular topic at the time and it must have been difficult to ignore the increasing popularity of mortsafes, which were invented to prevent body snatchers from desecrating graves in exchanges for a few quid from anatomists who would always be looking for fresh cadavers for their scientific observations and experiments.

The play opens with the Creature coming out of a metaphorical womb made out of skin in Frankenstein’s quarters, under Bruno Poet’s a thousand suspended bulbs. As he stumbles and struggles to stand up and keep his balance, he is carefully discovering his physical capabilities. His moves and trajectories seem to have been accurately directed.

SET LIGHTING BY BRUNO POET. © BRUNO POET

The contrast in Cumberbatch’s and Miller’s interpretations of the Creature is swiftly becoming apparent. While Cumberbatch’s Creature makes us root for him as he is rediscovering the world with the innocence of a child, Miller’s rebirth is raw and animalistic, almost having us expect evil doings on his part.

We see the Creature enthuse as he observes the sun, the grass, the birds around him with great curiosity. Nothing seems to await him on his journey but pure discovery and wonder.

The industrial theme of the times is introduced onto the stage by means of a steampunk train full of workers, a décor detail masterfully put together by the production’s set designer, Mark Tildesley.

Doomed to be abhorred by everyone who would set eyes on him, the Creature is quickly introduced to the harsh reality of human cruelness, as he is abused mentally and physically at every step.

He does, however, experience kindness for a brief period of time, as he comes across blind old De Lacey in his path, whose condition doesn’t discriminate against the Creature’s rough appearance. Wonderfully and warmly portrayed by Karl Johnson, the old man welcomes the Creature into his home and over the course of a year educates him on all things philosophy, history and the four seasons.

BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH AS THE CREATURE. © CATHERINE ASHMORE

One key moment in the play is when De Lacey teaches the Creature about the original sin. He says, ‘There are two schools of thought: one says that we’re all made imperfect and require the assistance of a higher authority, a deity to overcome the sin of being born. The other school of thought, to which I subscribe, insists that when we leave the womb we are pure. That a babe in arms is untainted by sin, that evil is the product of social forces and that God has nothing to do with how a man turns out; be it good or be it bad.’

In other words, if the Creature is a monster, it is only because he is met with cruelty and discrimination again and again till his patience runs out and he is forced to exercise vengeance. A monster on the outside, society shapes him into a monster on the inside.

This second school of thought is perhaps a clever mechanism to raise a mirror to our own society and show how each of our actions can prompt even greater reactions, should we be careless.

The play is not all gloomy though. Between the Creature’s sarcastic remarks, Frankenstein’s cluelessness vis-à-vis mundane matters and De Lacey’s witty remarks, the creators have managed to sprinkle this dark tale with unexpected humorous bits.

The main protagonists’ clever role-switching further accentuates the question that nearly every reader of Mary Shelley’s book has asked themselves over the past two centuries: ‘Who is the man and who is the monster?’ Perhaps their distinct interpretations of the Creature reflect the two contrasting schools of thought: one is born pure and the other a sinner. Miller’s Creature seems to subscribe to the latter, while Cumberbatch’s to the former.

Upon meeting the old man’s family, he is once again abused, which prompts him to burn down their house and kill everyone, including his benefactor. The Creature flees to find Frankenstein, having found clues as to his whereabouts in the diary he stole when he fled the scientist’s home.

JONNY LEE MILLER AND BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH. © CATHERINE ASHMORE

As he locates the Frankenstein family, the Creature’s twisted logic dictates that he murders William, Victor’s younger brother, in order to lure his mad maker to him. His plan works like a charm.

As Victor finds him, the Creature asks Frankenstein to build a mate for him, with the promise that once he does, the couple will leave Europe and no one will hear from them again.

Frankenstein obliges and travels to Scotland, leaving behind his patient betrothed Elizabeth (a most gentle Naomie Harris) and his father (a stern yet warm George Harris).

As Victor manages to construct a new creature, female in form this time, his firstborn is promptly besmitten with her and begs Frankenstein to bring her fully to life, explaining that he already loves her.

Another key moment is Victor’s reaction upon hearing the Creature’s detailed account of the physical symptoms of love. Both Frankenstein, and the audience, realise that the scientist himself is incapable of love, having spent his entire life obsessing over his work. He remarks that love is ‘anarchic, volatile, vertiginous, mad. Above all it is uncontrollable!’, perhaps also drawing a parallel between love and the Creature himself.

NAOMIE HARRIS AND JONNY LEE MILLER. © CATHERINE ASHMORE

As the Creature starts to realize that he’s been tricked, Victor hacks the girl’s body, ensuring she would never see the light of day.

Mad with anger, the Creature flees the small hut, only to return a while later on Victor’s wedding day. Managing to avoid a paranoid Frankenstein, who had been expecting his vengeful reappearance ever since, he sneaks into the couple’s bedroom where he meets Elizabeth. She is only the second person to show him understanding and kindness. However, the Creature is only interested in revenge at this point and pays Frankenstein back with the same coin by abusing and murdering his new wife.

Victor Frankenstein leaves his home once more in pursuit of the Creature, following him across continents. When he finally catches up with his creation in the Arctic Circle, they realize they are bound to one another and disappear together into the icy darkness.

National Theatre’s weekly streams are free to watch. However, if you can, please consider supporting the theatre through the coronavirus crisis by donating at nationaltheatre.org.uk or text NTATHOME 10 to 70085 to give £10.

Musicals are my passion. And I know I share it with quite a nice bunch of theatregoers. This passion is not born out of nowhere. It is nourished by productions like the Donmar Warehouse‘s “City of Angels”.

Sadly, due to the current situation with coronavirus, Garrick Theatre had to suspend the performances until further notice. But when (and not if) the theatre opens again its doors for the public, do not miss the show from your radar!

ROSALIE CRAIG AS GABBY AND BOBBI, © MATT CROCKETT FOR DEWYNTERS

“City of Angels” does not offer already traditional tactics of modern theatre like blind casting or modernisation of any kind. And allow me to say it looks quite refreshing. Guys and Dolls look exactly like guys and dolls, with glamorous 1940s hair and outfits to die for. But behold! “Nothing’s black and white when a dame is involved” – the creators of the musical kindly warn us.

The musical comedy was premiered in 1989 on Broadway and is an homage to great detective stories and the divas of 1940s Hollywood. Think Humphrey Bogart, Rita Hayworth or Black Dahlia. The story is based on a book by Larry Gelbart whose screenplay for “Tootsie” shines bright in his resume. The music is written by late maestro Cy Coleman, composer and jazz pianist, whose evergreens appeared in “The Man in the High Castle”, “The Marvellous Mrs Maisel” and many many more.

HADLEY FRASER AS STINE © MATT CROCKETT FOR DEWYNTERS

And if all this is not enough to make you run to the box office, here is the list of the stars singing, dancing, betraying and fighting for you on the stage: a seductive Vanessa Williams (Wilhelmina Slater from “Ugly Betty”), golden voices of Rosalie Craig and Rebecca Trehearn, extraordinary Jonathan Slinger, multitalented Hadley Fraser as crafty writer Stine, and Theo James (a very much swooned over Four in “Divergent”) as Stone’s literary alter ego detective Stone.

I would like to mention two more main “characters” of the show – the lighting and videos. The way Howard Harris and Nina Dunn made them live and perform together with the actors is extraordinary.

When the show finishes with the “I am nothing without you” tune, it becomes clear that seeing it only once is not enough. So I won’t be surprised to see the same faces next time I am there.

One of Samuel Beckett’s best works, Endgame is a delicious dark comedy about four people trapped in their own personal hells, waiting for the world to end.

Richard Jones’s revival features an ever brilliant Alan Cummings, coupled with and equally matched by Daniel Radcliffe’s surprising talent for physical comedy.

Endgame opens with Clov (Radcliffe) staggering in and out of the kitchen door into the empty sitting room, carrying around a stepladder and telescope which he needs to see out of the high windows.

Samuel Beckett’s stage directions are famously prescriptive, particularly in Endgame, a fact which can be observed promptly during the opening of the play. Clov’s precise pacing seems as if guided by an invisible breadcrumb trail, with calculated movements and gestures, way before he even gets to speak.

DANIEL RADCLIFFE AND ALAN CUMMINGS © MANUEL HARLAN, OLD VIC

Hamm (Alan Cummings) is Clov’s blind and bitter master, confined to his armchair by his physical disabilities and contemplating the state of the world. His only weapons are the acidic remarks he tirelessly throws Clov’s way. Hovering above his humble servant like a toxic cloud, the maliciously witty Hamm rejoices in seeing Clov be consumed by his own inner turmoil, squashing every little bit of hope he has left inside. Neither of the two have any ounce of empathy for one another, and yet they can’t seem to escape their co-dependency.

Hamm’s old parents, Nagg and Nell, are living in dustbins, discarded like rubbish. They are thrown a hard biscuit from time to time at Hamm’s discretion. Karl Johnson and Jane Harrocks portray the couple superbly, mirroring their inner nobility and dignity despite the tragic circumstance.

Consumed little by little by their doomed fates, the four characters are all trapped in their own ‘private’ boxes: a cold and empty sitting room, a ‘ten feet by ten feet by ten feet’ kitchen, and two council wheelie bins.

DANIEL RADCLIFFE AS CLOV © MANUEL HARLAN, OLD VIC

The ever faithful yet openly resentful Clov is the only character who still has a bit of fight in him and refuses to become complacent in this seamlessly hopeless and absurd end-of-the-world scenario.

In Beckett’s characteristic manner, the play unfolds in precise detail, painting an austere tableau of angst, hopelessness, and finality, only to be stripped away of all the unnecessary details towards the end, revealing the story’s despairing denouement. Moaning and declaiming, old man Hamm slowly heads towards delivering his final soliloquy.

Samuel Beckett’s Swiss watch instructional precision doesn’t leave room for the actors to feed off the audience’s feedback. In fact, Beckett, a master of strategically placed silent moments, incorporated three major pauses in the play, allowing for reflection and contemplation. And so, what begins as a rather comic absurdity, ends in the audience contemplating the bigger picture in life, through Clov’s acceptance of his long decided destiny.

DANIEL RADCLIFFE AND ALAN CUMMINGS IN ROUGH FOR THEATRE II.© MANUEL HARLAN, OLD VIC

Curiously, Endgame was presented in a double bill with yet another work by Samuel Beckett, the rarely seen short play Rough for Theatre II. Although the latter softened the impact and gravity of Endgame, it was nonetheless an amusing affair about two apparent bureaucrats from the afterlife who are evaluating the life of a silent third character (Jackson Milner) as he considers to jump out of a window.

As strange as the choice may seem, one can’t ignore the strong connection between the two plays, as they both portray the degrading lives of a few human beings who were failed by society.

KARL JOHNSON AS NAGG AND JANE HARROCKS AS NEIL © MANUEL HARLAN, OLD VIC

Although penned in c.1957 and c.1960 respectively, both Rough for Theatre II and Endgame are nothing short of contemporary and urgent. Current matters of depression, loneliness, lack of compassion, and environmental disasters are skillfully represented in these fatidic plays, brought to life in a new light by Richard Jones.

Even designer Stewart Laing’s choice to use wheelie bins for Hamm’s old parents represents a poignant metaphor for the way contemporary society treats its elderly.

DANIEL RADCLIFFE AS CLOV © MANUEL HARLAN, OLD VIC

A noteworthy observation is Daniel Radcliffe’s laudable stagecraft. He has obviously worked hard to perfect his skills over the years and it shows, as Endgame is arguably his best stage performance yet. His versatility in switching between a rigid official to an anxious disabled servant is commendable. Not to mention the physical capabilities required by the play. Taking on challenging plays such as Beckett’s has been a surefire way to distance himself from the Harry Potter wizarding shenanigans that he is so strongly associated with.

Whether physical comedy is his newfound genre that he is most comfortable with or he has found the perfect formula to his stage performances, we thoroughly enjoyed Daniel in both plays and are looking forward to seeing more of him on stage in the coming future.

The 20^th annual WhatsOnStage Awards took place on Sunday night, 1 March, at the Prince of Wales theatre in London. The ceremony was broadcast, for the first time, on BBC Radio 2.

The highlight of this year’s edition was & Juliet, a musical which imagines what would have happened if Romeo had died but Juliet had lived. The show won 6 awards, the most prizes of any show this year, having been nominated for 13 awards.

MIRIAM-TEAK LEE AS JULIET, CASSIDY JANSON AS ANNE, AND MELANIE LA BARRIE AS NURSE IN & JULIET ©JOHAN PERSSON

Miriam-Teak Lee, who portrays the show’s heroine, Juliet, took home the award for Best Actress in a Musical.

& Juliet features songs by Justin Timberlake, Katy Perry, Pink, and Britney Spears, as well as music by celebrity songwriter Max Martin, including hits by the Backstreet Boys, Jesse J and Kesha.

However, the show didn’t win the award for Best New Musical. The prize went instead to ‘Come From Away’, which won 5 awards in total. The musical tells the incredible true story of the 7,000 air passengers from all over the world who were grounded in Canada during the wake of the September 11 terror attacks, and the small Newfoundland community that invited these ‘come from aways’ into their lives.

The Old Vic picked up three acting awards, with The Crown’s Claire Foy winning Best Actress in a Play for her performance in Lungs, Andrew Scott taking home Best Actor for his portrayal of Garry Essendine, and Sophie Thompson winning Best Supporting Actress, both for Present Laughter.

ANDREW SCOTT IN PRESENT LAUGHTER ©MANUEL HARLAN, OLD VIC

Scott’s win for Present Laughter follows an impressive string of successful acting projects for the thespian over the past year, among which are the highly acclaimed TV series Fleabag, the ‘Smithereens’ episode in Black Mirror, and the Oscar-winning feature film 1917.

Another highlight of this year’s ceremony was the Best New Play award, which went, for the very first time, to a production outside of London. Life of Pi, Lolita Chakrabarti’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker prize-winning book of the same name, was staged at the Sheffield Crucible. The play is set to transfer to the West End this year.

One thing to note with regards to these awards, is that the winners are decided by members of the public as opposed to critics.

MARY POPPINS AT PRINCE EDWARD THEATRE, LONDON. © JOHAN PERSSON

The winners in full:

Best actress in a play – Claire Foy, Lungs

Best actor in a musical – Sam Tutty, Dear Evan Hansen

Best actress in a musical – Miriam-Teak Lee, & Juliet

Best supporting actor in a play – Hammed Animashaun, A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Best supporting actress in a play – Sophie Thompson, Present Laughter

Best supporting actor in a musical – Jack Loxton, Dear Evan Hansen

Best supporting actress in a musical – Rachel Tucker, Come From Away

Best new play – Life of Pi

Best new musical – Come From Away

Best play revival – Betrayal

Best musical revival – Mary Poppins

Best direction – Jamie Lloyd, Evita

Best musical direction – Ian Eisendrath, Alan Berry and team, Come From Away

Audience award – Six

Best choreography – Kelly Devine, Come From Away

Best costume design – Paloma Young, & Juliet

Best graphic direction – Dewynters, & Juliet

Best set design – Soutra Gilmour, & Juliet

Best lighting design – Howard Hudson, & Juliet

Best sound design – Gareth Owen, Come From Away

Best video design – Andrzej Goulding, & Juliet

Best off-West End production – Falsettos

Best regional production – The Color Purple

Equity award for services to theatre – ERA 50:50

Anton Chekhov is one of the most English among Russian playwrights. If you doubt it, Conor McPherson‘s adaptation of ‘Uncle Vanya’ directed by Ian Rickson is at your service at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

The play was published in Moscow in 1898, but the situation in which all its characters find themselves, their complicated interpersonal relationships, misunderstandings, and unrequited loves look modern and familiar. The bridge between Moscow of 120 years ago and nowadays London gets even shorter thanks to modern language and humour. I have never heard the Russian audience laugh as much during Chekhov’s classic as the English public did during the new West End production. Both Richard Armitage and Tobi Jones showed a surprising talent for comedy.

©HAROLD PINTER THEATRE

Designer Rae Smith created costumes that look out of time and transport us from Chekhov’s Russia to the modern English countryside. Some female characters wear trousers, and you will not see corsets or puffs and frills on the stage. The whole action takes place in the same dining room. Despite the disorder and degrade, it still looks very cosy.

The only piece of furniture that changes its role is a table. At the opening, it is a dining table around which the lives of the characters change in a dramatic way, while they are simply having tea. And at the end of the story it turns into a desk as if to symbolise the end of something extraordinary and chaotic, and the beginning of ordinary life with its rhythmic regularity, order, and stability.

Three big names make the cast list shine like the Milky Way: Toby Jones as uncle Vanya, Richard Armitage as Dr Astrov, and Ciaran Hinds as their antagonist Professor Serebryakov. Their names need no introduction.

©HAROLD PINTER THEATRE

Aimee Lou Wood‘s (Sex Education) acting as Sonya is sincere and touching, but it is also an evident case of miscasting, because you can’t believe her character is a country girl with low self-esteem and not blessed with physical beauty.

Rosalind Eleazar, who plays Sonya’s stepmother, Yelena, unfortunately didn’t manage to use her potential to portray a bohemian femme fatale who made every breathing being fall in love with her. Her love story with Dr Astrov does not look believable, and there is more artistic chemistry between Richard Armitage and Toby Jones.

©HAROLD PINTER THEATRE

‘Uncle Vanya’ will be on at The Harold Pinter Theatre, London, until 2 May.