Richard Jordan: End-of-year lists help us not only remember, but also look forward

We are a nation obsessed with lists. The end of the year brings out the annual countdowns featuring everything from gaffes to triumphs in the past 12 months.

I am a sucker for a good list and find they bring back many memories of the past year. They not only raise a smile, but also give pause for thought.

In recent weeks, The Stage been awash with reviews of 2017 and today the ‘annual list season’ is completed with the publication of The Stage 100.

Reviewing the past year’s theatrical highlights picked out by The Stage’s contributors reminded me about some of the great nights I spent at the theatre during 2017 and how it will be remembered as an exceptional year of British theatre.

Last year was one of enormous global challenges and uncertainty that affected many people and communities both at home and abroad. These have often been distressing to watch and read about. As a result, theatre and the arts have shown that their social purpose in bringing communities together has never been more important.

This was reaffirmed at the joyous evening I spent at Norwich Theatre Royal’s production of Sleeping Beauty, which earned a deserved five-star review in The Stage. It typified the feeling a good pantomime can give its audience – a wonderful coming together of all ages from within a local community.

I always find myself affected each year by the ‘in memoriam’ lists that start appearing between Christmas and New Year. Inevitably, I will see the face of someone on I had not known had passed away during the year and the suddenness of that discovery can give me a jolt.

2017: Final bows

This can feel even more acute when it’s an actor or a musician. You may never have met them but, through their work, they have made a personal connection. Sometimes, it’s only when you see their face pictured that you realise how inspirational or visceral this was.

For me, one of those people was Tony Haygarth, who passed away last year. I had never met him, but greatly admired his work on stage and screen. Instantly, seeing his name and face in The Stage’s tribute to those who died in 2017, my mind raced back to watching him play the role of Juror Number 3 in Reginald Rose’s Twelve Angry Men in the West End in 1996.

It was the only time I ever saw Haygarth live on stage and this production, directed by Harold Pinter, made a great impression on me. Haygarth’s performance as the redneck juror whose decision-making is warped by the death of his own son was mesmeric. His breakdown in the play made for the kind of acting that blindsides you. Haygarth received an Olivier nomination for his performance and I am certain that anyone who saw it will not have forgotten it.

When David Bowie died in 2016, one of the most memorable comments was by Dean Podesta: “If you’re ever sad, just remember the world is 4.543 million years old and you somehow managed to exist at the same time as David Bowie.” His remark could be applied to many greatly talented and much-missed artists.

Sometimes, I can also feel just as sad about the loss of a show. Last night was the final performance of the National Theatre’s triumphant revival of Follies and I am really going to miss it. But from today, there will be a whole clutch of memories about that production that will keep being shared with others by those who were privileged to see it. This form of nostalgia is also the way we keep any work alive, while celebrating the friendships of those we went to see it with.

Traditionally described as the most depressing week of the year, this is when the decorations get put away and the sets of various holiday shows truck out. But we should celebrate how those end of year lists remind us of memorable shows we will be enthusing about to others for years. Similarly, we will also remember the performances of those talented artists who died last year.

Most importantly, a new year is a time about looking forward. Now theatre lists are changing to look forward to the year ahead, during which a host of new theatregoing memories will be made and celebrated.

Best theatre shows for 2018: Our critics’ picks