Most of us enjoy all forms of entertainment, but for some, nothing can beat the experience of seeing top-class professionals performing live. Whether that means Hollywood actors doing a play in a small alternative art theatre, the best singers in the world performing in a musical at a world-renowned venue, or chart-topping rock and pop acts treading the boards in their own unique fashion, there is always something for everyone.
Of course, 2020 has been something of an unprecedented shock for live performances of all kinds, with theaters ‘going dark’ and doors being closed in all areas of the arts and entertainment world due to social distancing measures.
Thankfully, in many parts of the world, things are getting back to something approaching normal and it shouldn’t be long before there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the very best that live performance can offer once again.
In the meantime, here are just a few of the cities across the world that regularly offer the very best productions across a wide range of different arts, all of which are eager to get back to doing what they do best!
New York
If a major live musical production is your favorite thing then you will know that Broadway is probably the global capital when it comes to top-class productions.
Featuring all of the best singers, dancers, directors, choreographers and everyone else who works hard to bring you the best shows, Broadway is seen as the pinnacle when it comes to those involved in the stage musical performing arts.
Of course, none of these people would have the opportunities to play their specific roles if not for the people behind the scenes who actually get the ball rolling to stage the productions in the first place.
The Broadway Producer and Environmental Activist Louise Gund, is a perfect example as she has been involved in some of the most acclaimed Broadway productions of recent years, including Sylvia, Fiddler on the Roof and Six Degrees of Separation.
Sydney
Proving that live performance is indeed a truly global affair on the opposite side of the planet, Australian theatre has become a unique attraction. Having produced a raft of well-known actors and actresses in recent years such as Liam and Chris Hemsworth, and Margot Robbie, as a whole the country punches well above its weight when it comes to nurturing talent.
However, it is the city of Sydney and the famous Festival that takes place there which best showcases the home-grown talent that has emerged from a world-class theater scene. Along with names such as the Griffin Theatre and Belvoir St Theatre, which might only be known to real fans of the city’s creative scene, the iconic Opera House is known to everyone both for its distinctive design and also the wealth of creativity that flourishes there.
London
London’s West End is perhaps the only real rival to Broadway and, with some of the most successful theater productions in the history of stage performances, it can make a strong claim. In fact, Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap’ opened in the West End in 1952 and continued through to March 16 2020 when its historic run was halted by the coronavirus pandemic.
Situated on the banks of the River Thames, which flows through the centre of the city, The Globe Theatre is a carefully constructed recreation of the kind of venue that Shakespeare’s plays would have been first performed in. Being as close to a theatre time machine as you can get, the audience experience is a unique one that gives the centuries-old works a totally new perspective.
Of course, London has even more to offer than theatre productions, as it is also home to legendary jazz clubs such as The 100 Club on Oxford Street and Ronnie Scott’s in Soho as well as now-defunct venues such as The Marquee which featured early performances by almost every major British rock act you could name. Today massive venues like the O2 offer the chance to see live music and comedy in a modern setting in a venue that was purpose-built to house the celebrations for the start of the 21st Century.
Post-Covid return
One of the biggest shocks of the pandemic has been the way that things in our day to day lives could be changed beyond recognition almost overnight. The total shutdown of live performances has perhaps not been the most important of these changes, but it is one that has affected the livelihoods of the many hundreds of thousands of people around the world who work in the sector – and to a lesser degree had a negative effect for the many millions more who enjoy their work.
Thankfully ‘this too will pass’ and before long doors will be reopened across the world and once again the joy that live performance brings in its many forms will once again be available to us all.
