Sam Waite – Writer & Reviewer

For the last couple of years, my writing – my life, really – has revolved largely around the theatre. As a contributor for All That Dazzles, I’ve spent a little over two years reviewing shows in and around London – and while yes, I do want to branch out here and explore all of my creative interests, sticking with the familiar feels like a safe place to start.

So for my reintroduction to writing publicly for myself, here are my thoughts on some of the shows I found the most impactful in 2024…

Tones: A Hip-Hop Opera

Starting strong with a show I truly adored, Gerel Falconer’s one-man Hip-Hop Opera really stunned me in its run at Brixton House. Tight direction from Jonny Kelly and stellar beats from 3D Williams helped this story of a young Black man’s struggles to find his own voice truly connect with the audience. Clearly a crowd-pleaser, Tones is already set to return next month, giving audiences another change to see Gerel’s ruminations on race, identity, and rap.

Spin

Sticking with the one-handers for the moment, I cast my mind back to the beginning of the year, when Kate Sumpter’s Edinburgh Fringe hit arrived at London’s Arcola Theatre for an all-too-brief week of performances. With Sumpter performing on and around a spin bike in this basement space, she and director Sarah Schostack created something genuinely unforgettable, mining toxic fitness culture for hysterical laughter and hysterical tears alike.

Spent

Lest you think I only saw one-actor production for the past year, let’s expand the cast size a bit with… two actors! Playing at the Baron’s Court Theatre as part of the Voila! Festival, Nikoletta Soumelidis’ exploration of toxic relationships forced her audience to ask whether gender makes a difference in who we paint as the villain, alternating roles with co-star Charlie Collinson between performances of her play. With strong, subtly-altered direction from Helen Cunningham, Spent is a show I truly hope we haven’t seen the last of.

Princess Essex

From the basements of fringe theatres to the outdoor splendours of Shakespeare’s Globe, we come to Anne Odeke’s lively, immensely lovable play about the first non-white entrant to a UK beauty pageant. Robin Belfield’s imaginative, whimsy-forward production makes excellent use of Odeke’s seemingly endless charms, and of the sheer delights of her script, which manages to find grace notes of real pathos mixed in with its breezy comic airs.

The Cherry Orchard

The first true revival I’m throwing into the mix, Benedict Andrews’ minimalist, semi-immersive take on one of Chekhov’s best known tragedies bucked tradition by embracing the author’s original intent: comedic touches in which we laugh at the ruling class unable to cope in a world of their design. With stellar work from a cast lead by Nina Hoss as tragic, woefully unequipped Ranevskaya, this revival at the Donmar Warehouse brought something fresh and exciting to a well-worn, sometimes overly-dreary tale.

Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812

Sticking to the Donmar, I have to take a moment to celebrate that Dave Malloy’s musical, a personal favourite of mine, has finally made its way to the UK stage. Artistic Director Tim Sheader and choreographer Ellen Kane do a marvellous job of translating this epic, theatre-rearranging work into a more intimate, less malleable space, complete with a ravishing cast and clever touches of audience interaction.

Pulse

Back to the fringe theatres we go with Pulse: A Zombie Rock Musical, returning for a second workshop run at the Bridewell Theatre helmed this time by Adam Lenson. With affecting music by Leo Elso and some great writing courtesy of Anne McCall and Marcia Vidal Nolte, it’s easy to see why several cast members have stuck with the show, and hard not to be excited by what could be on the horizon for this apocalyptic love story.

Passing Strange

At the Young Vic, Giles Terera stepped into the shoes of Stew, a US musician and the mind behind Passing Strange, another musical receiving a belated UK premiere. Directed by Annie Dorsen, the production’s genre-bending, part-gig storytelling made a distinct and undeniable impression, one deeply unlikely to please everyone, but one destined to be a favourite of those of us with whom it connected.

I Love You, Now What?

After seeing Sophie Craig’s heartbreaking, captivating play at the Park Theatre, I had the genuine pleasure of speaking with Sophie and her co-actors, Andy Umerah and Ian Puleston-Davies. Later, it came to my attention that Sophie and Andy had become favourites of my mum and her colleagues through the Sophie-founded She’s Not Funny videos online. With help from director Toby Clarke, that same comedic spark that won her fans 150 miles north combines with genuine emotional intelligence in an intimate and unforgettable play I want desperately to see return.

Skeleton Crew

Back to the Donmar my thoughts drift, where director Matthew Xia made his venue-debut with Dominique Morisseau’s play about the impact of recession of Detroit factory workers. Boasting an immaculate cast, including the professional stage debut of Branden Cook, Xia’s production comments on their struggles without preaching, and lets us into their struggles without ruining the real joys that come with the inner workings of a tight-knit group of workers.

The Crucible

A perfect match, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible played at Sheffield venue The Crucible towards the beginning of the year, with the venue’s openness doing nothing to dampen the imposing, insular nature of the story. With the National Theatre’s production so recent in memory, Anthony Lau opted not to compete, but to bring his own vision to the show, resulting in a far more interesting and stripped-back version that benefitted from and effectively utilised the Crucible’s space.

Remembrance Monday

A show so visually striking I can see every inch of the Seven Dials Playhouse’s stage clearly in my mind even nine months on, Michael Batten’s play about memory, re-assessment and the crushing weight of grief has certainly stayed with me. With precise direction from Alan Souza, the story of a love doomed by a fate we’ve yet to realise is shown through the protagonist’s fractured, repressed mind, leading to a soul-crushing conclusion.

There are so many shows I could talk about here, even the ones I haven’t thought of and will lie awake wishing I’d included. But, as in life, you can’t always get to everything, and some things simply won’t make the cut. Think of this not as a definitive best-of or even a clear list of favourites – simply put, these are the shows whose impacts have stayed with me the most at this point, and about which I felt I had the most to say.

Maybe another list will find its way onto this page soon, or maybe I’ll decide compiling one was difficult enough – either way, be sure to check back for more thoughts, more writing, and almost certainly more typos.