2023 has been a phenomenally busy year for Arts & Theatre, in Sheffield, across the country and across the world, with many new productions opening, awards recognising achievements of many in the community, and the loss of some of our Arts & Theatre heroes. With so many moments in 2023, it would be impossible to recap them all, but here are a few of our highlights from the past year!
The Hypochondriac ~ Adelaide Mason (she/her)
I saw Molière’s The Hypochondriac in Sheffield’s very own Crucible Theatre in October. Whilst the original is in French, Sheffield Theatres staged Robert McGough’s adapted version in English, which was charming, lively, and funny.
The main character of The Hypochondriac is Argon, a man who obsessively thinks he has every possible illness. He is initially a Scrooge-like character who the audience is called to dislike, but who develops into a character who the audience can sympathise with as he develops a worldview more similar to our own. The play also has a love story at its centre and Angelique, Argon’s daughter, is an easily likable character and the audience wants her to find true love. This love plot is where some of the funniest moments of the show appeared, with Thomas Diafoirus (the man betrothed to Angelique by her father) perhaps being the funniest character of them all.
I absolutely adored this show and if you ever have the chance to see any adaptation of The Hypochondriac, but especially if you get to see Roger McGough’s adaptation, I would really recommend it. You are sure to come away having realised that laughter really is the best medication!
A Year of British Comedy ~ Carys Reid (she/her)
Within such a tumultuous year, it’s hard not to look for something more lighthearted, and no better place to find it than on British television. If nothing else, 2023 gave us an array of TV laughs with nothing in common but unwavering wit. There’s so much to say about a show that can find a familiarity with its audience, and maybe that just boils down to excessive swearing and crude jokes, but the comedies coming out of the UK are much more than their humour.
And so, a spotlight on a few of my favourite laughs include Rain Dogs, Starstruck, Dreamland and probably my favourite watch this year, Extraordinary. To elaborate a little, it follows a 25-year-old girl moving aimlessly through a world where everyone else gets a power when they turn 18. More than that it speaks on the uncertainty of your 20s and the fear of falling behind.
This year of British comedy has found a way to keep prodding society without being cruel. Whilst touching on a character’s working-class background, or multiculturalism, all parts that deepen the narrative but don’t necessarily guide it, the British comedy manages to take little bits of reality and find a way to be funny without being insensitive. So this year, I take my hat off to British comedies as the perfect escapism that pieces back together what is broken on the outside.
Reading in Spanish ~ Lucy Riddell (she/her), Arts & Theatre Editor
Despite being an editor of the Arts & Theatre section as a whole, I must admit that my all-time favourite ‘art’ is literature, so when choosing my best Arts & Theatre moment from 2023, of course it had to be about reading. This autumn marked a big life change for me: I moved to Spain for my year abroad. Before moving in September, I frantically tried to brush up on my Spanish, and found that, for me, the most interesting and rewarding way to do this was to read books in Spanish.
As a student of English Literature as well as Spanish, it has always been a goal of mine to be able to properly appreciate literary works in Spanish that are of the same complexity, length and themes as the English-language books I already enjoy. I am very proud of myself this year for setting off on this journey. As I write this, I can happily confirm that I have read two Spanish novels and am now halfway through my third!
For anyone wishing to do the same, my advice would be to start small: try a book aimed at teenagers first, as the language is likely to be more basic, and the themes easier to digest.
Don’t start with Don Quixote. Maybe try Harry Potter or something you’ve already read instead. You’ll be able to fill in the gaps of vocabulary you don’t know from both the surrounding context and your prior knowledge of the story. Most importantly, don’t reach for a dictionary every time you come across a new word. If you don’t understand a small segment, that’s okay. Checking your phone every other page to translate something will take your mind out of the story and turn something that’s supposed to be fun into homework.
SUTCo ~ Sophie Layton (she/her), Arts & Theatre Editor
This year has been filled with so many great Arts & Theatre moments and memories, including experiencing the joy that is The Little Big Things twice, my first ever visit to Broadway, or getting to meet inspiring professionals such as Grace Mouat, Aimie Atkinson and Alice Fearn. But my stand-out memory of 2023 has to be the time I’ve spent with the Sheffield University Theatre Company (SUTCo).
Since MusicalCon 2022, I’ve been looking for any opportunities to get involved with creating theatre, and joining SUTCo has meant I’ve been able to meet amazing people who are all immensely talented! I’ve worked on Swap the Press and Medea and am currently working on next semester’s 5 Lesbians Eating a Quiche, and working with SUTCo is unlike anything I’ve ever done before, but it is one of the best things I’ve ever got involved with.
And being backstage means that every show night, I get to stand in the wings and watch as the cast make magic on stage, before getting to watch their curtain call as no one except the company can. Knowing just how much work they’ve all put into making their talent shine so brightly on stage for cheering audiences, it’s an amazing feeling and a moment I would never give up. SUTCo is an amazing society for seasoned creatives or first-time participants, and you should definitely consider joining if you haven’t already!
