A very happy new year from Breaking a Leg Hurts! 2012 was a great year for West End theatre with Matilda walking away triumphant from the Oliviers with 7 gongs, the new play Constellations (starring Sally Hawkins and Rafe Spall) set to make its own mark across this awards season, and Alan Bennett's new play People sold out at theNational's Cottesloe until April this year. We saw tiumphs of engineering, composition, music, and dance come together under the ever audacious and exciting direction of Danny Boyle to create certainly one of the most unique and intimate Opening Ceremonies recorded at the Olympic Games. Equally, whilst shops languished due to the mixed keep-off-the-streets-go-shop-shop-shop messages put forth in the run-up to the Games, the theatres made a killing; Yours Truly tried to go see a number of plays quite spontaneously over this period only to find that there were no tickets available for love or money. I found myself unable to resent this situation; it just goes to show that when it comes to attracting the tourists, our West End truly is the goose that lays the golden egg, as the mayor of London recently mentioned in defence of the arts.
This brings us, briefly, to the downsides of 2012. Cuts in the arts budget throw into uncertainty the future of smaller galleries, arts spaces, centres, and theatres. Provincial theatre, such a valuable aide in the continued education of actors young and old, has been struggling with this situation for years. Whether or not the shortfall really can be covered by private donations (or maybe, who knows, a revival of patronage) is something which remains to be seen. At the end of the day, however, what we have to remember is this: London may have been considered to be Europe's financial centre - perhaps it still is - but it is also the centre for world-famous theatre. To experience such a quantity and breadth of theatrical productions, styles, genres, and innovation in one place, the only alternative would be Broadway. People fly from other continents to see one show in London. That's what we as a country and community can do, have done, and will continue to do: world-leading theatre and culture for poorer for richer. Bring on 2013!
