Best new theatre shows: London, May 2023
London's love affair with musicals shows no sign of abating, with beloved revivals and fresh arrivals landing this May. Elsewhere, outdoor theatres reopen!
Brokeback Mountain, @sohoplace
Writer Ashley Robinson joins forces with the team who brought Everybody’s Talking About Jamie to the stage to turn Annie Proulx’s seminal short story Brokeback Mountain into a 'play with music'. The show stars Mike Faist (Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway, the West Side Story film) and Lucas Hedges (Manchester By The Sea, Boy Erased).
Read more ...Groundhog Day musical, Old Vic Theatre
The five-star musical adaptation of hit 1993 movie Groundhog Day returns to where it all began, the Old Vic theatre. Boasting music and lyrics by Tim Minchin (Matilda) and a book by co-writer of the movie Danny Rubin, the musical was an instant hit when it opened in London in 2016. Following a stint on Broadway, it's back, with US actor Andy Karl, who won an Olivier Award for his performance as cynical weatherman Phil Connors, reprising the lead role and the Old Vic's Matthew Warchus once again directing.
Read more ...Mrs. Doubtfire, Shaftesbury Theatre
Wig, stockings and bust at the ready, it's Euphegenia Doubtfire, dear, and she's here to make things ship-shape at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Yes, the hit 1993 movie Mrs. Doubtfire has been transformed into a comedy musical by Wayne and Karey Kirkpatrick, with a book by John O’Farrell and a steering hand from four-time Tony winner Jerry Zaks (Guys and Dolls).
Read more ...Patriots, Noël Coward Theatre
Following a sell-out, critically acclaimed run at the Almeida Theatre, Peter Morgan’s Patriots is getting a West End transfer in 2023, with Tom Hollander (The Night Manager) reprising his starring role as Berezovsky.
Read more ...The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Southwark Playhouse Elephant
One of Culture Whisper's favourite shows of 2019, Jethro Compton and Darren Clark's musical production of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button sees a small, versatile cast perform the tale of the man travelling backwards through life, with folk music and a scattering of hard-working props. Moving and memorable, this one's a must.
Read more ...The Second Woman, Young Vic Theatre
In a serious theatrical tour-de-force, Olivier-winning actress Ruth Wilson (His Dark Materials, Hedda Gabler) is leading a 24-hour performance (yes, really!). Based on John Cassavetes' film Opening Night, the one-day-only performance sees Wilson perform the same break-up scene with 100 different men, many of whom aren’t professional actors.
Read more ...The Comedy of Errors, Shakespeare's Globe
Mistaken identities and long-lost siblings are familiar tropes in Shakespeare, but they're dialled up to 10 in The Comedy of Errors. The Globe's latest production of the classic farce is being helmed by the theatre's artistic director Sean Holmes, and comes off the back of his trailblazing indoor-outdoor take on The Winter's Tale.
Read more ...Once on this Island, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
A revival of Lynn Ahrens (book and lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty's (music) coming-of-age musical Once on this Island opens the 2023 summer season at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. First staged in 1990, and based on an earlier story by Rosa Guy which itself was a Caribbean-set retelling of The Little Mermaid fairy tale, the show follows a peasant girl, Ti Moune, who falls in love with a wealthier boy, Daniel, and makes a pact with the gods to save his life.
Read more ...Under the Kundè Tree, Southwark Playhouse
Proudly the only production in the UK to explore the Cameroonian Independence War through the lens of women, Under the Kundè Tree follows Sara, a young woman torn between fulfilling the role society expects of her and following her heart. Through its themes of colonialism, family, identity and striving for freedom, the 1950s-set play hopes to finds contemporary relevance while also educating audiences about the often-overlooked history of the 'Hidden War'.
Read more ...Every Leaf a Hallelujah, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
A stage adaptation of Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri's first kids' novel Every Leaf A Hallelujah is hoping to capture the hearts of little theatregoers at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre this summer. A gentle lesson about the environment from the Nigerian-British poet, the story invites families into an enchanted world of extraordinary endangered trees. The production has been adapted by playwright Chinonyerem Odimba, and is being performed on the theatre lawn (at the family-friendly times of 11am and 2pm). Suitable for ages 4+.
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