The Salterton Arts Review 2021 Countdown

A countdown of the best the Salterton Arts Review has seen and done in 2021. Including museums, theatre and heritage outings in London and further afield!

2021 – What A Year!

Well. 2021. Who would have thought it would be December already? And who would have thought this year would have turned out like it did? Maybe all of you. But not me. I started the year very optimistic, my diary full of bookings. Cancelling them all one by one as lockdown carried on and on was difficult. But we all made do. For me, my way of making do was to refocus my energies. Rather than museums, theatre, opera, ballet and the other things I usually go to, I engaged with London’s history by getting out and seeing it. Armed with a stack of guidebooks old and new, I went to many new places in the city on foot or by bike.

Once things began to open up again in April/May, I was unstoppable. I don’t know about all of you, dear readers, but I have found it very difficult to slow down and take it easy this year, because of the ever-present feeling that the arts might shut down again. As we approach the end of the year, it’s still not clear whether that fear has been justified. However in the past six months I’ve been to more exhibitions, shows and random cultural activities than ever. I’m definitely happy with (almost all of) my choices.

I don’t know what’s going to happen in 2022. I’ve given up trying to predict it! But before we move into the new year together, I want to invite you to take a look back with me at some of the highlights of my cultural year. We will cover theatre, museums and more. There are events from London and further afield. May I look back on as varied and exciting a selection in twelve months’ time!

5. Anything Goes – Barbican

In fifth position is Anything Goes, which I saw in late August 2021 at the Barbican. As I wrote at the time, this Depression-era musical felt perfect for right now. I felt so excited and energised coming out of the Barbican Theatre, as did the rest of the audience based on the wild applause. I absolutely loved the proper, bells-and-whistles, Broadway-style tap dance numbers. And Sutton Foster was glorious.

I’m not normally one for musicals (I will happily go to one, but normally at one friend or another’s instigation), but this was a very good exception to this rule. Anything Goes is back in 2022, at the Barbican and on tour (with updated casting). More information here.

4. Current, Rising – Royal Opera House

It’s not often you can say you have been to a virtual reality opera. In fact, this was the world’s first. I saw Current, Rising just a couple of weeks after the 17 May reopening. For me it actually represents one of the silver linings on the culture front of all this. Current, Rising took over the backstage area of the Royal Opera House’s Linbury Theatre. In other words, with uncertain regulations and a lot of down time to get creative, the team behind this VR experience took over a space that would normally be off limits, to treat small, socially-distanced audiences to something completely new and different.

I’ve done a few things this year which used VR technology (including this and this), but this one was much more ambitious. We walked around, experienced different landscapes and sensations, and all with a storyline and an opera performance in there somewhere. 2021’s fourth place winner was very cool, and very fun.

3. Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon

And now in third place, we have an entry from my only trip outside the UK in 2021. In late October we headed off for a long weekend in Lisbon. While we were there, I had the great privilege of visiting the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian. Built to house the collection of British-Armenian businessman Calouste Gulbenkian, the museum covers millennia of art history in beautiful, expansive gallery spaces. There are some nice works on display (Gulbenkian had the funds to buy the best of the best), but mostly I loved it for being a perfectly-sized oasis of history and art. Wonderful.

The Gulbenkian Museum was my highlight of what was a great trip for culture lovers. I learned a lot about the city, saw some very interesting things, and enjoyed myself immensely. As ever in these pandemic times, the key is not to plan too far in advance, but to seize your moment whenever restrictions allow and it seems sensible to get away for a bit, however far from home that may be.

2. After Life // The Normal Heart – National Theatre

In second place in our 2021 countdown, I couldn’t quite decide – please forgive me squeezing in two plays at the National Theatre here. I have been lucky to see some really wonderful productions at theatres all over London this year, but it is these two, both at the National, which have stuck with me.

I saw After Life in July. An adaptation of a film, the story takes place in a sort of waiting room for the afterlife. Everyone has to pick a memory that they will stay in forever, and we follow the team who make it happen. It’s a powerful and emotional story, and had a great cast with an absolutely stellar performance from Luke Thallon.

And in October I was back to see The Normal Heart, a revival of Larry Kramer’s play set (and written) in the middle of the AIDS epidemic. I have never cried so much at a play in my life. I couldn’t even stoically wipe away tears and pretend I wasn’t heartbroken. My face mask almost needed wringing out by the time I got outside. But this play, like After Life has wormed its way into my heart, and I still think about Ben Daniels in the lead role and his partner, played by Dino Fetscher.

1. Walking Tours of London: The Salterton Arts Review’s Top Pick For 2021

If squeezing in two plays in second position was a bit of a cheat, then look away now. In first place is… drum roll please… all the heritage walks I did in 2021. I started early in the year with a walk along the path of the lost River Neckinger, and went, well, everywhere. I explored a lot of the Docklands. Went as far as Chelsea and Battersea. Did themed walks, like this one following the city’s Roman walls, or this one exploring the Great Fire of London.

The walks started as a way for me to keep up momentum on this blog. But they soon became a lifeline and a way for me to keep my sanity as I struggled in my own way with lockdown. And they also created a sense of community around the Salterton Arts Review – I reconnected with old friends through discussions about some of these posts, and loved all of the comments and engagement.

So I think the message here is something about opportunities. I restarted the Salterton Arts Review in 2020 because I missed the arts so much during the first lockdown. I thought things would be back to ‘normal’ in 2021; when they weren’t, I found something great instead and reconnected with my adopted city as well as my community. Let’s see what 2022 has in store for us: wishing you all a happy and safe new year in the meantime.

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