Around about now I would be compiling the nominations for the annual Chrissies Awards for best in 2020 theatre but in this time of COVID that is impossible to do. So I thought why not look further back than a mere 12 months?
The Chrissies were invented for the blog era but what about the earlier amazing productions and performers which molded my love of theatre and - more often than not - have proved definitive. Although details are lost in time, these have all left a theatrical glitter twinkling in my mind's eye like a cavernous diamond mine.
They all live in my head and heart... here is a remembrance of things 1980s (and a few from a few years further back) - the names in bold are those no longer with us:
BEST PLAY
THE ASPERN PAPERS (Redgrave, Haymarket) ~ BEDROOM FARCE (Ayckbourn, Prince of Wales)
BENT (Sherman, Criterion) ~ FOOL FOR LOVE (Shepard, Cottesloe)
GHOSTS (Ibsen, Wyndhams) ~ GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS (Mamet, Cottesloe)
HAMLET (Shakespeare (Olivier) ~ LOOT (Orton, Ambassadors)
ONCE A CATHOLIC (O'Malley, Wyndhams) ~ ORPHEUS DESCENDING (Williams, Haymarket)
PRAVDA (Brenton & Hare, Olivier) ~ THE RIVALS (Sheridan, Olivier)
SCHWEYK IN THE 2ND WORLD WAR (Brecht, Olivier) ~ THE SEA GULL (Ibsen, Queens)
THE SHAUGHRAUN (Boucicault, Olivier) ~ TALES FROM HOLLYWOOD (Hampton, Olivier)
TORCH SONG TRILOGY (Fierstein, Albery) ~ WILD HONEY (Ibsen, Lyttelton)
WOMAN IN MIND (Ayckbourn, Vaudeville)
BEST MUSICAL
GUYS and DOLLS by Frank Loesser / Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows (Olivier, NT)
42nd STREET (Warren/Dubin, Drury Lane) ~ ANYTHING GOES (Porter, Bloomsbury)
THE BEGGAR'S OPERA (Gay, Cottesloe) ~ BLUES IN THE NIGHT (various, Piccadilly)
A CHORUS LINE (Hamlisch/Kleban, Schubert, NY)
FOLLIES (Sondheim, Forum Wythenshawe) ~ FOLLIES (Sondheim, Shaftesbury)
GYPSY (Sondheim/Styne, St Martins, NY) ~ HOW LUCKY CAN YOU GET (Kander/Ebb, Donmar)
INTO THE WOODS (Sondheim. Martin Beck, NY)
KERN GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (various, Donmar) ~ LA CAGE AUX FOLLES (Herman, Palladium)
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (Sondheim, Piccadilly)
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Ashman/Menkin, Comedy)
ME AND MY GIRL (Gay/Furber/Rose, Adelphi)
MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (Sondheim, Bloomsbury)
THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD (Holmes, Savoy)
THE RINK (Kander/Ebb, Forum Wythenshawe)
WEST SIDE STORY (Bernstein/Sondheim, Her Majestys)
BEST ACTOR - PLAY
IAN CHARLESON - Hamlet (Olivier, NT)
TOM BELL (Bent) ~ IAN CHARLESON (After Aida, Old Vic)
IAN CHARLESON (Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Lyttelton) ~ IAN CHARLESON (Fool For Love)
IAN CHARLESON (Youth Training Benefit, Roundhouse)
MICHAEL GAMBON (Tales From Hollywood)
MICHAEL GAMBON (View From The Bridge, Aldwych)
ANTHONY HOPKINS (Pravda) ~ ANTHONY HOPKINS (M Butterfly, Shaftesbury)
MICHAEL HORDERN (The Rivals) ~ IAN McKELLEN (Wild Honey)
STEPHEN MOORE (Bedroom Farce) ~ DEREK NEWARK (Glengarry Glen Ross)
BILL PATERSON (Schweyk in The 2nd World War) ~ JONATHAN PRYCE (The Sea Gull)
LEONARD ROSSITER (Loot) ~ MARTIN SHEEN (The Normal Heart, Royal Court)
JACK SHEPHERD (Glengarry Glen Ross) ~ TOM WILKINSON (Ghosts)
BEST ACTRESS - PLAY
VANESSA REDGRAVE - Orpheus Descending (Haymarket)
CHERYL CAMPBELL (Miss Julie, Duke of Yorks)
PAULINE COLLINS (Shirley Valentine, Vaudeville)
JULIE COVINGTON (Tom & Viv, Royal Court) ~ ELEANOR DAVID (Les Liaisons Dangereuses)
FRANCES DE LA TOUR (Moon For The Misbegotten, Mermaid)
JUDI DENCH (Pack of Lies, Lyric) ~ SHEILA GISH (A Streetcar Named Desire, Mermaid)
GERALDINE McEWAN (The Rivals) ~ JULIA McKENZIE (Woman In Mind)
VANESSA REDGRAVE (The Aspern Papers) ~ VANESSA REGRAVE (Ghosts)
VANESSA REDGRAVE (The Sea Gull) ~ VANESSA REDGRAVE (Youth Training Benefit)
NATASHA RICHARDSON (The Sea Gull) ~ MAGGIE SMITH (Lettuce & Lovage, Globe)
LILY TOMLIN (The Search For Signs Of Intellegent Life In The Universe, Schubert Chicago)
JULIE WALTERS (Fool For Love) ~ BILLIE WHITELAW (Tales From Hollywood)
PENELOPE WILTON (The Secret Rapture, Lyttelton)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - PLAY
MICHAEL BRYANT - Hamlet (Olivier, NT)
MICHAEL ALDREDGE (Bedroom Farce) ~ PETER BLYTHE (Woman In Mind)
IAN CHARLESON (An Evening with Frances de la Tour, Young Vic)
GEORGE COSTIGAN (Love On The Plastic - Half Moon) ~ GG GOEI (M Butterfly)
DAVID HAIG (Tom & Viv) ~ TONY HAYGARTH (Glengarry Glen Ross)
PAUL JESSON (The Normal Heart) ~ IAN McDIARMID (Tales From Hollywood)
DEREK NEWARK (Bedroom Farce) ~ JOHN NORMINGTON (Animal Farm, Lyttelton)
JOHN NORMINGTON (Coming Apart, Soho Poly)
JOHN NORMINGTON (Danton's Death, Olivier)
JOHN NORMINGTON (The Deep Blue Sea, Haymarket) ~ JEREMY NORTHAM (The Shaughraun)
ERIC PORTER (Cat On A Hot Tin Roof) ~ DAVID RYALL (Animal Farm, Cottesloe)
KEVIN SPACEY (Long Day's Journey Into Night, Haymarket)
DAVID TROUGHTON (Fool For Love)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - PLAY
MARGARET TYZACK - Tom & Viv (Royal Court)
SAMANTHA BOND (Les Liaisons Dangereuses) ~ CHERYL CAMPBELL (Bedroom Farce)
JUDI DENCH (Hamlet) ~ JUDI DENCH (Waste, Lyric)
CLARE HIGGINS (The Secret Rapture) ~ CLARE HIGGINS (A Streetcar Named Desire)
WENDY HILLER (The Aspern Papers) ~ MIRIAM KARLIN (Torch Song Trilogy)
LINDA KERR SCOTT (Ghetto, Olivier) ~ SUSAN LITTLER (Bedroom Farce)
MAGGIE McCARTHY (The Garden Girls, Bush)
IMELDA STAUNTON (The Corn Is Green, Old Vic)
SADA THOMPSON (The Little Foxes, Victoria Palace)
SOPHIE THOMPSON (The Garden Girls) ~ SOPHIE THOMPSON (Hamlet, Phoenix)
GLEN WALFORD (Love On The Plastic) ~ MARCIA WARREN (Blithe Spirit, Vaudeville)
MARCIA WARREN (Stepping Out, Duke of Yorks) ~ JUNE WATSON (Thump/Sad, Royal Court)
BEST ACTOR - MUSICAL
TOM ALDREDGE (Into The Woods) ~ DAVID BURT (The Mystery of Edwin Drood)
GEORGE COSTIGAN (Blood Brothers, Lyric)
MICHAEL CRAWFORD (The Phantom of The Opera, Her Majestys)
BERNARD CRIBBINS (Guys and Dolls, Olivier revival)
GEORGE HEARN (La Cage aux Folles) ~ TERENCE HILLYER (Figaro, Ambassadors)
BOB HOSKINS (Guys and Dolls) ~ BARRY JAMES (Little Shop of Horrors)
PAUL JONES (The Beggar's Opera) ~ DAVID KERNAN (The Ratepayer's Iolanthe, QE Hall)
ROBERT LINDSAY (Me and My Girl) ~ ROBERT LuPONE (A Chorus Line)
CLARKE PETERS (Guys and Dolls, Prince of Wales) ~ JONATHAN PRYCE (Miss Saigon, Drury Lane)
DENIS QUILLEY (La Cage aux Folles) ~ MARTIN SMITH (How Lucky Can You Get)
KEVIN WILLIAMS (Snoopy, Duchess) ~ CHIP ZIEN (Into The Woods)
BEST ACTRESS - MUSICAL
JOSEPHINE BLAKE (Follies, Wythenshawe) ~ JOSEPHINE BLAKE (How Lucky Can You Get)
JOSEPHINE BLAKE (The Rink) ~ GEORGIA BROWN (42nd Street)
JULIE COVINGTON (Guys and Dolls) ~ TYNE DALY (Gypsy)
ELLEN GREENE (Little Shop of Horrors) ~ JAN HARTLEY (West Side Story)
DIANE LANGTON (How Lucky Can You Get) ~ DIANE LANGTON (The Rink)
CLAIRE LEACH (42nd Street) ~ MAUREEN LIPMAN (Wonderful Town, Queens)
NATALIA MAKAROVA (On Your Toes, Palace) ~ NICOLA McAULIFFE (Kiss Me Kate, Old Vic)
JULIA McKENZIE (Follies, Shaftesbury) ~ BELINDA SINCLAIR (The Beggar's Opera)
IMELDA STAUNTON (The Beggar's Opera) ~ EMMA THOMPSON (Me and My Girl)
DOROTHY TUTIN (A Little Night Music)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - MUSICAL
DAVID HEALY - Guys and Dolls (Olivier, NT)
JEFF DANIEL (Starlight Express, New Victoria) ~ DREW GERACI (A Chorus Line)
MICHAEL GRUBER (A Chorus Line) ~ DAVID HEALY (Follies, Shaftesbury)
TERENCE HILLYER (Little Shop of Horrors) ~ DAVID KERNAN (Kern Goes To Hollywood)
DAVID KERNAN (Side By Side By Sondheim, Donmar) ~ JOHN NORMINGTON (Guys and Dolls)
DAVID RYALL (The Beggar's Opera) ~ DAVID RYALL (Jean Seberg, Olivier)
JOHN GUNTER - Guys and Dolls (Olivier, NT)
DAVID HERSEY - Guys and Dolls (Olivier, NT)
GOWER CHAMPION - 42nd STREET (Drury Lane)
JOHN SAVIDENT (Jean Seberg) ~ ANDREW SCHOFIELD (Sweeney Todd, Half Moon)
MICHAEL STANIFORTH (Starlight Express) ~ STEPHEN TATE (Figaro)
HARRY TOWB (The Beggar's Opera) ~ HARRY TOWB (Little Shop of Horrors)
DONALD WAUGH (La Cage aux Folles) ~ ROBERT WESTENBERG (Into The Woods)
KEVIN WILLIAMS (The Beggar's Opera)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MUSICAL
ELISABETH WELCH - Kern Goes To Hollywood (Donmar Warehouse)
PP ARNOLD (Starlight Express) ~ CAROL BALL (42nd Street)
LYNDA BARON (Follies, Shaftesbury) ~ DEBBY BISHOP (Blues In The Night)
NICOLA BLACKMAN (Little Shop of Horrors) ~ JOSEPHINE BLAKE (Jean Seberg)
FLAMINIA CINQUE (Anything Goes) ~ MARILYN CUTTS (The Mystery of Edwin Drood)
ELAINE DELMAR (Kern Goes To Hollywood) ~ SUSANNAH FELLOWS (Me and My Girl)
DOLORES GRAY (Follies, Shaftesbury) ~ SUSAN HAMPSHIRE (A Little Night Music)
DAWN HOPE (Little Shop of Horrors) ~ MEG JOHNSON (Follies, Wythenshawe)
NANCY LaMOTT (It's Better With A Band, Donmar) ~ PATTI LuPONE (Les Miserables, Palace)
JUNE WATSON (The Beggar's Opera) ~ SARA WEYMOUTH (A Little Night Music)
CAROL WOODS (Blues In The Night)
BEST DIRECTOR
RICHARD EYRE - Guys and Dolls (Olivier, NT)
ALAN AYCKBOURN (View From The Bridge) ~ ALAN AYCKBOURN (Woman in Mind)
BILL BRYDEN (Glengarry Glen Ross) ~ HOWARD DAVIES (Les Liaisons Dangereuses)
HOWARD DAVIES (The Secret Rapture) ~ HOWARD DAVIES (The Shaughraun)
RICHARD EYRE (The Beggar's Opera) ~ RICHARD EYRE (Edmond, Royal Court)
RICHARD EYRE (Schweyk in The 2nd World War) ~ PETER GILL (Fool For Love)
PETER GILL (Tales From Hollywood) ~ PETER HALL (Animal Farm)
PETER HALL (Orpheus Descending) ~ DAVID HARE (Pravda)
JONATHAN LYNN (Loot) ~ MIKE OCKRENT (Me and My Girl)
HAROLD PRINCE (The Phantom of The Opera) ~ DAVID THACKER (Ghosts)
PETER WOOD (The Rivals)
BEST DESIGNER
MARIA BJORNSON (Follies, Shaftesbury) ~ MARIA BJORNSON (Phantom of The Opera)
ALISON CHITTY (Fool For Love) ~ ALISON CHITTY (Tales From Hollywood)
BOB CROWLEY (After Aida) ~ BOB CROWLEY (Les Liaisons Dangereuses)
WILLIAM DUDLEY (Mutiny!, Piccadilly) ~ WILLIAM DUDLEY (Schweyk in The 2nd World War)
WILLIAM DUDLEY (The Shaughraun) ~ HAYDEN GRIFFIN (Glengarry Glen Ross)
HAYDEN GRIFFIN (Golden Boy) ~ JOHN GUNTER (The Beggar's Opera)
JOHN GUNTER (The Rivals) ~ JOHN GUNTER (Wild Honey)
EIKO ISHIOKA (M Butterfly) ~ PHILLIP PROWSE (The Duchess of Malfi, Lyttelton)
PHILLIP PROWSE (Phedra, Old Vic) ~ MARK THOMPSON (A Little Night Music)
CARL TOMS (The Aspern Papers)
BEST LIGHTING
ANDREW BRIDGE (The Phantom of The Opera) ~ ROBERT BRYAN (Bent)
ROBERT BRYAN (Dalliance, Lyttelton) ~ ROBERT BRYAN (The Rivals)
ROBERT BRYAN (Wild Honey) ~ WILLIAM BUNDY (Schweyk in The 2nd World War)
JOE DAVIS (The Aspern Papers) ~ MARK HENDERSON (Follies, Shaftesbury)
MARK HENDERSON (The Shaughraun) ~ DAVID HERSEY (John Gabriel Borkman, Old Vic)
DAVID HERSEY (Old Times, Haymarket) ~ DAVID HERSEY (Woman In Mind)
GERRY JENKINSON (The Duchess of Malfi) ~ CHRIS PARRY (Les Liaisons Dangereuses)
ANDY PHILLIPS (Glengarry Glen Ross) ~ ANDY PHILLIPS (M Butterfly)
PAUL PYANT (Orpheus Descending) ~ PETER RADMORE (The Beggar's Opera)
STEPHEN WENTWORTH (Fool For Love)
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
TOM ABBOTT / JEROME ROBBINS (West Side Story) ~ BOB AVIAN (Follies, Shaftesbury)
MICHAEL BENNETT (A Chorus Line) ~ EDIE COWAN (Little Shop of Horrors)
SHEILA FALCONER (Merrily We Roll Along) ~ RON FIELD (Kiss Me Kate)
GILLIAN GREGORY (Me and My Girl) ~ PAUL KERRYSON (Follies, Wythenshawe)
PAUL KERRYSON (The Rink) ~ GILLIAN LYNNE (Cabaret, Strand)
DONALD SADDLER / GEORGE BALANCHINE (On Your Toes)
SCOTT SALMON (La Cage aux Folles)
TOMMY SHAW / AGNES DE MILLE (Brigadoon, Victoria Palace)
PETRA SINIAWSKI (Poppy, Half Moon) ~ MICHAEL SMUIN (Anything Goes, Price Edward)
DAVID TOGURI (The Beggar's Opera) ~ DAVID TOGURI (Guys and Dolls)
DAVID TOGURI (Wonderful Town) ~ BONNIE WALKER / JEROME ROBBINS (Gypsy)
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