The Stage 100: 61-80

61. Martin Freeman (actor)

He may have had to overcome complaints about overenthusiastic fans and alleged maltreatment of goldfish on stage, but Freeman’s turn as Richard III in Jamie Lloyd’s production was an undeniable highlight of 2014 and the production was sold on his star status. Let’s hope it’s not a one-off, as his global star continues to rise with the recent release of the final film in The Hobbit trilogy.

62. Richard Bean (playwright)

This comedian turned playwright was responsible for two of the year’s biggest new shows: Great Britain, a fast-turnaround satirical response to the hacking scandal, and Made in Dagenham, Bean’s first foray into musical theatre. Coupled with the ongoing success of One Man, Two Guvnors, he has firmly established himself as a major force in commercial theatre.

63. Vicky Featherstone (Royal Court, London)

There’s a perception that Featherstone has yet to fully find her feet at the Royal Court since succeeding Dominic Cooke in 2013. Last year’s programming showed flashes of quality, but Featherstone still needs a major hit to really put her regime on the map. The Nether by Jennifer Haley will transfer to the West End’s Duke of York’s later this month.

64. Phyllida Lloyd (director)

Mamma Mia!, directed by Lloyd, continues to go great guns in the West End and around the world, but in 2014 the music of Abba was far from her mind as she directed an all-female production of Henry IV at the Donmar Warehouse, starring Harriet Walter. The pair previously worked together on Julius Caesar, and proved that they have developed a strong theatrical connection.

65. Stephen Daldry (director)

Daldry’s staging of David Hare’s Skylight – starring Carey Mulligan and Bill Nighy – opened to rave reviews at Wyndham’s Theatre, where it reportedly recouped in just five weeks. The show picked up the best revival gong at the London Evening Standard Theatre Awards, and was screened in cinemas via National Theatre Live – as was Billy Elliot the Musical, also directed by Daldry.

 

66. Jeremy Herrin (Headlong)

Artistic director of Headlong, Herrin’s most high-profile production of the year was not linked to the company. His double-bill of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies for the Royal Shakespeare Company was one of the top West End plays of the year and will now also transfer to Broadway. He also directed The Nether – his first play for Headlong – which transfers to the West End later this month.

67. Danny Moar/Laurence Boswell (Theatre Royal Bath/ Ustinov Studio)

Under director Moar, Theatre Royal Bath enjoyed West End transfers of Relative Values, starring Caroline Quentin, and Another Country in 2014. Bath’s summer season included Hay Fever with Felicity Kendal. Under Boswell’s artistic directorship, the Ustinov’s superlative programme included Lynn Nottage’s Intimate Apparel and The Father with Kenneth Cranham. Bad Jews also transferred to the St James.

68. Thomas Schumacher (Disney Theatrical Group)

The Lion King is consistently one of the West End’s most popular long-running shows, and that public endorsement was matched out on tour, where it was a hot ticket in 2014. Disney’s theatrical arm, of which Schumacher is president, was also lead producer on the new West End stage adaptation of Shakespeare in Love.

 

69. Alex Poots (Manchester International Festival)

In 2014, Poots announced he would be stepping down as artistic director of the Manchester International Festival, which he launched in 2007. Under his leadership, the biennial festival has grown to become one of the UK’s most exciting events, providing a platform for brand new shows and acting talent such as Maxine Peake and Kenneth Branagh. Poots leaves behind a festival in rude health.

70. Imelda Staunton (actor)

Staunton kicked off 2014 appearing in Good People, first at Hampstead Theatre and later in the West End. Her performance
was critically lauded, and Staunton went on to flex her musical theatre muscles in Gypsy at Chichester Festival Theatre, which will transfer to London this year.

 

71. Kenny Wax (producer)

The Play That Goes Wrong has been one of the surprise hits of 2014. It joins a stable of very successful small-scale work produced by Wax in the West End, much of the rest of it aimed at children. On a different scale entirely, Top Hat has embarked on a UK tour following its West End run.

 

72. Christine Payne/Gerry Morrissey/John Smith

(Equity/BECTU/Musicians’ Union)

The three principal unions when it comes to the performing arts industry, Equity, BECTU and the Musicians’ Union (and their respective general secretaries) have all been hard at work at the negotiating table during 2014. This year looks set to be no different, with talk of an overhaul of the collective agreements with UK Theatre.

 

73. Alan Ayckbourn (playwright)

British theatre’s hardest-working playwright keeps on going. In 2014, Ayckbourn’s 78th play, Roundelay, premiered in Scarborough, where his musical, The Boy Who Fell into a Book, also played. Arrivals and Departures also toured the UK, while the National Theatre produced a revival of A Small Family Business.

 

74. Mike Bartlett (playwright)

Bartlett’s King Charles III, which imagined the consequences of Prince Charles ascending the throne, was arguably the new play of the year, transferring to the West End from the Almeida. Meanwhile, the writer’s smart two-hander An Intervention played at the Watford Palace. Bull, which premiered in Sheffield in 2013, will get a London outing this year. One of our finest and most prolific playwrights.

 

75. Matthew Bourne (choreographer)

Bourne and his company New Adventures have enjoyed a busy 2014. Its latest production, Lord of the Flies, toured the UK, recasting with local youngsters at each stop. From Bourne’s extensive back catalogue, Sleeping Beauty toured the US and Edward Scissorhands was revived as Sadler’s Wells’ Christmas show. A fixture on the UK touring circuit, New Adventures was granted regular funding from Arts Council England for the first time last year.

76. Stuart Griffiths (Birmingham Hipopodrome)

In his 12 years at Birmingham Hippodrome, Griffiths has transformed the once-struggling receiving house into one of the highest-performing venues on the touring circuit. In 2013/14, its turnover was a whopping £30 million, and it attracts 500,000 people a year. Co-founder of Dance Consortium and co-artistic director of International Dance Festival Birmingham, Griffiths is a key figure in the Music and Lyrics group.

77. Benedict Andrews (director)

An Australian director, who appears to have found his London home at the Young Vic, Andrews followed up his 2012 staging of the Cherry Orchard with A Streetcar Named Desire with Gillian Anderson. It was the fastest-selling show in the Young Vic’s history and, while not everyone loved the spinning set, it was generally very warmly received by critics.

 

78. Edward Snape (producer)

Snape’s company Fiery Angel has had a busy year. As well as long-runners The 39 Steps and Ghost Stories, it co-produced the successful touring version of To Kill a Mockingbird, which transfers to the Barbican this year, plus Another Country on tour and in the West End. Then there’s a raft of children’s shows, of which Peppa Pig is the most profitable. Snape also serves as general manager to shows including The Scottsboro Boys.

79. Marianne Elliott (director)

With War Horse continuing at the New London and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time moving to the Gielgud, Elliott continues to be well represented in the West End. Curious Incident also tranferred to Broadway, though her only new work this year (as consultant director) was The Elephantom. She should prove invaluable to incoming NT director Rufus Norris.

 

80. Es Devlin (designer)

Devlin recently won a London Evening Standard award for her work on the stage adaption of cult novel American Pyscho. In 2014, she also worked her magic on The X Factor musical I Can’t Sing!, which may not have been a hit, but had impressive designs nonetheless. The last 12 months also saw her work on The Nether at the Royal Court, and with the Royal Ballet.

The Stage 100: 1-5
The Stage 100: 6-10
The Stage 100: 11-20
The Stage 100: 21-40
The Stage 100: 41-60
The Stage 100: 61-80
The Stage 100: 81-100