If you could watch any historic theatre performances, which one(s) would you pick?

[AllaMova]

Inspired my a commenter on one of my previous threads (whose username I’ve forgotten - sorry.)

Admittedly, there are so many, which I’d chose including:

Hedda Gabler and Ghosts (both starring Alla Nazimova - my namesake!)

The Glass Menagerie (staring Laurette Taylor)

Hamlet (staring John Barrymore)

The Lady of the Camellias (staring Sarah Bernhardt)

Little Foxes (staring Tallulah Bankhead)

(And many more)

Juliet Stevenson, Fiona Shaw and Alan Rickman in the 1985 RSC production of As You Like It. A dream cast!

Also the original production of Jerusalem.

It would have been amazing in that tiny theatre. Really really claustrophobic. And Bob Peck as Macduff as well, absolute bonus

Antony Sher as Richard III
Rik Mayall & Ade Edmondson in Waiting for Godot

Mark Gatiss is doing Arturo Ui now, I’d like to see that!

I did get to see Judi Dench and Daniel Day Lewis in Hamlet at the National though and that was pretty cool.

Richard Burton as Henry IV
Julie Andrews in My Fair Lady
Kenneth Branagh in Another Country
Jonathan Bailey in Company

I saw this 🤣

Saw Jonathan Bailey in Company also, that was a good production although I still don’t get the adoration for Patti LuPone, she’s fabulous of course but just not my thing!

Had tickets for this but our performance was cancelled due to a Covid outbreak! We were offered to rebook but the same seats had tripled in price so we ended up seeing the second cast, so wish we had seen these two!

I would love to have seen the original London cast of Phantom, it’s just one of those iconic companies isn’t it. I would have also liked to have seen the original Broadway cast of Wicked, again, iconic company as a whole now. I saw Idina twice in London and she was phenomenal.

This is my one too!
I was just looking through everyones quite "worthy" answers and thinking prime Tim Curry in heels....it just does something to me
Though was Meatloaf in NYC or LA?

Im quite tempted to go to one of the anniversary showings of the film this year to meet Brad, Magneta, Colombia and i think and really hope Riff Raff.

I am so jealous! That sounds amazing!!

I wish I'd seen Phylidda Lloyd's all female Julius Caesar- the one set in a women's prison.

Always grateful to the colleague who tipped me off about the RSC doing The Alchemist. I did it for A Level and it's not performed very often so glad I got the chance. There was nobody famous in it, just proper luvvies.

The RSC are doing a version of the Phyllida Lloyd JC with Harriet Walter reprising her role as Brutus this winter. I can’t quite work out how it will differ, but it’s short (90 mins) and aimed at schools.

It was phenomenal. But I’d watch Harriet Walter recite football results.

@ToffeePennie It was!

I wish I'd seen Mark Rylance in Twelfth Night at The Globe. My old boss saw it and said it was fantastic.

I actually saw that one on a school trip! It was definitely the best production I've ever seen. Shivers down my spine

Or In Bottom Live. 😂

id have loved to have seen Michael Crawford and Sarah brightman in the original Phantom of the Opera.

I saw this as a child and it was wonderful. I can still remember the actor who played Smike as if it was last year not 40 + years ago

You should definitely go!! We met Susan Sarandon,Rocky,Magenta, Columbia and Brad at a comic con a couple of years ago almost. They were all lovely. Tim was due to attend but he had to cancel 😔

I saw that, it was a wonderful production.

@Thechateau Smike was played by the wonderful David Threlfall.

I saw that at Stratford on a school trip!! It was amazing!

No way! I cannot express how envious I am... I need to know your thoughts.

Thank you, I'd never have known! I can't have been more than 10 and I was blown away by it. Incredible acting. God I'd love to see it as a grown up.

So many of these posts show how important school trips are, and I really worry that school trips in general and investment in arts education have declined.

I was taken to a production of Treasure Island at Nottingham Playhouse for a friend’s birthday party and was hooked (ha!) from then on. Then a touring company from the playhouse came to our school when I was about 12, and I started going on my own. Saw some wonderful productions when Richard Eyre was director there. The early Brenton and Hare plays, the Comedians starring Jonathan Pryce, I can still remember the heady rush I got from it all

When I was 13 my parents to me to see Jessica Lange, Imogen Stubbs and Toby Stephens in Peter Hall's version of Streetcar Named Desire (obvs at time I had no idea who any of the people were or about the play) and I was absolutely blown away. I'd love to be able to revisit that experience, 30 years and a couple of Eng Lit degrees further on.