2022 Year in Review: Natalie O'Donoghue's Best of 2022
BWW reviewer Natalie O'Donoghue selects her top picks in Scottish theatre from 2022
2022 kicked off with Scotland's theatres remaining closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. The restrictions were eased in late January but numerous productions had to be rescheduled and cancelled which impacted across the year.
One of my favourite theatres led the way this year with an incredible season of new work. Moorcroft is my stand out show of the year, Written by Eilidh Loan it is based on her father's experience of growing up as a working class man on the west coast of Scotland. Moorcroft received rave reviews across the board and will be returning in 2023 as part of The National Theatre of Scotland programme. Do not miss it.
Another belter from this year's Tron programme is Me and My Sister Tell Each Other Everything. This play had a short run back in March and is one that I still find myself thinking about months later. The Tron is also home to my favourite pantomime and this years The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has been long awaited having been postponed since 2020. It was everything I wanted it to be- and more.
Delayed by the pandemic, National Theatre of Scotland's Orphans finally hit the stage in April. A bold, daring musical with an exceptional cast and impossibly catchy songs that I certainly hope we haven't seen the last of.
Across the receiving theatres I regularly review at, we've been treated to the best of the West End on tour this year. Glasgow King's Theatre, Theatre Royal Glasgow, Edinburgh Playhouse, Festival Theatre and King's Theatre Edinburgh have provided temporary homes to School of Rock ; Beautiful ; Everybody's Talking About Jamie ; South Pacific and Book Of Mormon.
One of my favourite things about Scottish theatre is our A Play, A Pie and A Pint programme which runs in Aberdeen, Ayr, Edinburgh and Glasgow. For £15 midweek (slightly dearer at the weekend) you can see a world-class piece of lunchtime theatre with a meat pie (veggie options available) and a pint of your choosing. The writers and actors range from emerging to well known and you never quite know what you're in for. At the very least, you're guaranteed a nice pie and a drink, making it always worth a punt. One of my top shows of 2022 was Scots, a new musical that is making a return in 2023 and is not to be missed.
National Theatre of Scotland have come back strong post pandemic and one of the more unusual offerings was Burn starring Alan Cumming. It was a contemporary dance piece based on the letters of Robert Burns. This is another of the ones I find myself thinking about months later and I would love to see it again. Opening at Pitlochry Festival Theatre was the spectacular Enough of Him which told the story of Joseph Knight, an enslaved man brought to Scotland by a plantation owner. An unsettling but essential watch.
2022 has seen some truly excellent theatre in Scotland despite the challenges faced from the pandemic and near constant travel disruption.
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