What makes Great Theatre?
Why audiences remember some productions long after the curtain falls
Theatre is one of the few art forms that invites complete strangers to gather in the same room and share the same story at the same moment. When it's at its best, people don't simply leave entertained—they leave changed, even if only a little.
Spectacle certainly has its place, but memorable theatre has never depended solely on big budgets. It begins with compelling characters. Audiences fall in love with people long before they notice the set, the lighting or the special effects.
Bigger isn’t necessarily better
Some of my favourite productions have actually been the smallest. Working with regional companies such as the New England Theatre Company and The Q Theatre taught me that imagination will always outperform money. At The Q, I choreographed Beach Blanket Tempest, played multiple roles in Twelfth Night and performed a one-man show called Puppy Love.
Puppy Love had almost a bare stage—a dog bed, a rubbish bin and a food bowl. Yet together we created an entire world. Children and adults alike accepted the invitation, filled in the missing pieces with their own imaginations and came on the journey with me. That's the magic of theatre. Give an audience the truth, and they'll happily build the scenery themselves.
Rhythm is equally important. Every scene should move the story forward or deepen our understanding of a character. Humour, silence and surprise all have their place. There are certainly formulas that work, but some of the most exciting moments happen when you have the courage to break them.
Andrew Lloyd Webber - don’t read this next para
Music and movement can elevate emotion beyond words, but only when they serve the story. The audience should never feel that a song or dance has interrupted the action simply because it's expected. The best musical moments feel inevitable—they arrive because no other form of expression will do. I’m going out on a limb here, but CATS is a perfect example to me of a musical that doesn’t work on this level. Sure it’s been running for over 40 years now and has lined ALW’s pockets nicely, but its stories don’t need to be sung; it’s deliciously hollow like a soufflé. My opinion of CATS may have been tarnished as a result of performing 416 shows in 365 days! (no wonder my feet hurt!)
Perhaps the greatest quality of theatre is its honesty. When performers commit completely to the truth of a moment, audiences recognise it instantly. That connection between actor and audience cannot be manufactured anywhere else.
The productions that stay with us are those that entertain while quietly asking bigger questions such as love, courage, identity, sacrifice and hope. They remind us that every life has value and every person has a story worth telling.
I've always believed that great theatre isn't measured by the size of its budget or the scale of its spectacle; it is measured by what people carry home with them after the final curtain.