Day twelve, for words and music

So here we go, this is it, the top twelve things about 2013; how many did you get?

These aren't in any order or priority, by the way.  This isn't necessarily my top event of 2013.  But at times it certainly has been.  It was certainly, by far and away, the best piece of theatre I saw last year, and aside from friendships and family and those moment on the walks, this is probably the one event that had the most profound impact on me creatively.

Words and Music, by Samuel Beckett and Morton Feldman, performed at Cheltenham Music Festival.

In conception and execution this was certainly the finest cultural experience of the year.  The writing is impeccable, there isn't a moment out of place, it's precious and profound.  But the performances by the actors and the BCMG lifted the experience to a new level for me and demonstrated what I found with The Gambit, that fine writing is only enhanced by fine performances, and that great performances are what I go to the theatre to experience.  The staging was iconic, perfectly simple.  There was nothing about it that wasn't spot on, because they didn't try to do anything beyond the text, but done so well that I left with all sort of tears at the end, bursting with laughter and fraught with emotion.  It was stunning.

So that's it.  Thank you for following over the past twelve days, and lets hope that everything we see in 2014 inspires us to do the same again next year!

Get in touch, let me know what you thought, and make sure I get a heads up on anything I ought not to miss...