Best new theatre shows: London, August 2023
From the long-awaited arrival of a Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical to, er, more musicals and the return of a Lucy Prebble masterpiece (not Enron, sorry!)
The Effect, National Theatre
A decade after it ran at the National's intimate Dorfman Theatre, ever-thrilling director Jamie Lloyd (The Seagull, Cyrano de Bergerac) devises a fresh take on Lucy Prebble's play The Effect for the venue's larger Lyttelton stage.
Read more ...A Mirror, Almeida Theatre
'This play is a lie', reads the poster for Sam Holcroft's new show. Audiences are invited to attend a play disguised as a wedding (for which the dress code is 'smart casual', naturally) in a work that looks to interrogate censorship, authorship and free speech. Jeremy Herrin (People, Places and Things) directs the world premiere, which stars Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting), Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education) and Micheal Ward (Top Boy).
Read more ...Macbeth, Shakespeare's Globe
Director Abigail Graham (The Merchant of Venice) takes on the Bard's sorcery-fuelled tragedy of greed for power at any cost in this new production for the Globe's summer season.
Read more ...Next to Normal, Donmar Warehouse
It's been a long wait for British musical theatre fans, but Brian Yorkey and Tim Kitt's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical Next to Normal is finally coming to London. The Donmar's own Michael Longhurst directs the production, which stars seasoned pro Caissie Levy (Elsa in the original Frozen cast on Broadway) as the focal Diana Goodman, a wife and mother living with bipolar disorder, who's haunted by her past.
Read more ...La Cage aux Folles, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
Olivier and Tony-winning musical La Cage aux Folles hasn't been seen on the London stage since 2008, yet its themes of gay representation in the face of adversity are sadly as relevant as ever. Hats off to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre boss Timothy Sheader (Carousel) for spotting the potential for the 1980s hit to enjoy another outing this summer.
Read more ...As You Like It, Shakespeare's Globe
If Abigail Graham's fresh take on Macbeth is casting a long, bloodied shadow over Shakespeare's Globe this summer, here with some light relief is director Ellen McDougall's colourful take on the Bard's court-to-forest romp, As You Like It.
Read more ...The Way Old Friends Do, Criterion Theatre
Ian Hallard's comedy about an ABBA tribute band in drag might sound more camp than Christmas, but it comes to the stage swaddled in serious prestige: Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who, The Unfriend) directs, while the cast of stage and screen regulars comprises Donna Berlin (Doctors), Sara Crowe (Olivier Award for Private Lives), Andrew Horton (Jupiter’s Legacy), Rose Shalloo (Malory Towers) and Anton Tweedale (The Mousetrap). The show comes to the West End following a test run at the Park Theatre earlier this year.
Read more ...The Spongebob Musical, Southbank Centre
It’s one of the most hyped kids shows of the year and it’s swimming into London’s Southbank Centre: The SpongeBob Musical brings to life Stephen Hillenburg’s cheeky TV series about the misadventures of a talking sea sponge who lives in an underwater pineapple. The cast is a hoot too: Ru-Paul’s Drag Race star Divina De Campo is playing Plankton; with the role of Squidward being alternated between Pop Idol winner Gareth Gates and Celebs Go Dating’s Tom Read Wilson. A chance for your kids to see one of their favourite characters up close.
Read more ...A guide to Kids Week 2023: half-price theatre tickets for families
Looking to treat the kids to a West End show this summer? Children go free to a whole bunch of them every August with the Kids Week promotion. Any under-17 accompanied by a paying adult gets a free ticket, and two additional children can attend half price. From stalwarts such as Wicked and The Lion King, via Disney magic in Frozen, to toddler fun with Tales from Acorn Wood and The Tiger Who Came to Tea, there's something for all ages. Make the most of the bargain and spark their love for theatre this summer.
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