‘A new year raises the curtain on a new act in our lives’

In my early twenties, I spoke with the father of one of my best friends. He had enjoyed a successful career in the music industry and was concerned my chosen career in theatre was short-sighted. It was the early 1990s; was public interest in live theatre fading? Would there still be an appetite for it in 30 years’ time?

As it turns out, the music industry has undergone a far more seismic change over the past three decades, with the rise of streaming and near disappearance of tapes, CDs and LPs. Enthusiasm for cinema has also diminished – even though the cinema experience can’t be bettered in my view, but with films available on streaming platforms weeks after big screen release, is it any surprise? 

And yet, there is still something extraordinary about discovering a new piece of theatre. Sitting in a darkened room with others who have chosen to be there, experiencing the same thing at the same time. Theatre can take an audience on a shared emotional rollercoaster and, in some cases, be life-changing. Yes, theatre is very much alive and kicking.

While maintaining its popularity, the interest in ‘experiences’ has grown. Secret Cinema, together with immersive theatre such as The Great Gatsby, Sleep No More and the extraordinarily named You Me Bum Bum Train, are two such popular examples.The appetite for museums, galleries and exhibitions also seems undiminished and we are incredibly lucky in London that many of these are free. 

And every now and then something unique comes to London… some weeks ago I went with some trepidation to the Nova Music Festival Exhibition (not that I mean to put this in the category of entertainment). We heard a first-hand testimony from a survivor of that appalling massacre. There, more by luck than judgement, he described his experience on that fateful day when only half of his party of six returned home.

As a member of the Society of London Theatre, I am also an Olivier Award voter, so am fortunate to be invited to every new West End play and musical. I’m often asked by family and friends for my recommendations and a few of my highlights are: Paddington the Musical and the play 1536, set against the backdrop of Anne Boleyn’s beheading, both produced by the indomitable Sonia Friedman.

My friend Michael Harrison has been working his way through Andrew Lloyd Webber’s catalogue: two years ago it was Sunset Boulevard  with Nicole Scherzinger, then Evita with Rachel Zegler and, now, a lively production of Jesus Christ Superstar with Sam Ryder transferring from the Palladium to Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

I’m interested to see the manga musical Death Note at the Barbican and The Truth at the Apollo Theatre with Stephen Mangan, who is always good, and Adrian Lester, back as Cyrano de Bergerac, as he’s wonderful.

The joyous and energetic Andy Nyman finishes a very successful run in
The Producers at the end of September. Finally, look out for a transfer of the RSC’s Game of Thrones, which opened in Stratford-upon-Avon early August.

My own story has come full circle this summer. In 1985, I saw the magnificent production of Me and My Girl at the Adelphi Theatre, starring Robert Lindsay and an unknown Emma Thompson. I was 17 and walked out thinking, “That’s it… I want to be a theatre producer!” If one production can send 1,500 people dancing down the Strand, then I wanted to have something to do with creating that feeling.

In August, I opened The Comedy About Spies, in partnership with Mischief Theatre Ltd, at the very same theatre, which had a sell-out first week. It’s the first play in that venue for 15 years, which says something about the popularity of Mischief (creators of The Play That Goes Wrong and other TV and theatre spin-offs which I’ve produced for the past decade).

Next year, with some luck and a dose of producer’s optimism, we’ll be taking The Comedy About Spies to Broadway. And, in December, we’ll have three productions of Mischief’s newest offering, Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, on a UK tour either side of a run at the Wyndham’s in London, the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles and the Sydney Opera House.

Looking back, I realise that the greatest privilege has never been opening a hit show or seeing my name on a programme. It has been the opportunity to create experiences that bring people together – to make strangers laugh, cry and forget the divisions of the world outside for a few hours,.

Perhaps that’s one of the lessons of Rosh Hashanah. We cannot rewrite the story of the year that has passed, but we are all given the chance to write the next chapter. Every one of us has the opportunity to become a little more generous, more patient, more forgiving and a little more present for the people who matter most.

In theatre, most performances begins with the raising of a curtain. Rosh Hashanah offers us the raising of a different curtain – the opening of a new act in our lives. The question is not whether the script will be perfect; it never is. The question is whether we will use the year ahead to become better versions of ourselves.

May the coming year bring health, happiness and peace to you and your families. May it be filled with meaningful experiences, treasured memories and opportunities to make a positive difference in the lives of others.