Best new theatre shows: London, April 2023
It's a starry month on the London stage (see The Motive and the Cue and Private Lives in particular), and there's revivals aplenty celebrating the classics
The Motive and the Cue, National Theatre
Sam Mendes directs Jack Thorne's new play The Motive and the Cue. The National Theatre production stars Johnny Flynn, Mark Gatiss and Tuppence Middleton.
Read more ...The Secret Life of Bees, Almeida Theatre
An award-winning team of theatre greats join forces to present a musical adaptation of Sue Monk Kidd’s bestselling novel The Secret Life of Bees. It features a book by Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage (Sweat), music by Tony-winning composer Duncan Sheik (Spring Awakening) and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead (Jelly's Last Jam).
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Dancing at Lughnasa, National Theatre
The ever-exciting Josie Rourke (Lemons..., As You Like It) directs this revival of Brian Friel's Olivier-winning play about sisters battling poverty and caring for other family members in 1936 County Donegal. Siobhán McSweeney (Derry Girls), Ardal O’Hanlon (Father Ted) and Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Translations) star.
Read more ...A Midsummer Night's Dream, Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe stages the Bard's ultimate story of summery whimsy. This one comes from director Elle While (The Merry Wives of Windsor, As You Like It and Hamlet), with the theatre's own boss Michelle Terry bringing her shapeshifting talents to the part of Puck.
Read more ...The Good Person of Szechwan, Lyric Hammersmith
Brecht's play questioning goodness and morality in a capitalist society gets a modern update at the Lyric Hammersmith to mark the show's 80th birthday. This new version comes from writer Nina Segal (In The Night Time (Before The Sun Rises)) with direction from Anthony Lau (Sheffield Theatres’ Anna Karenina).
Read more ...Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial, Ambassadors Theatre
Mere months after the celebrity trial of the decade was splashed across newspaper headlines, savvy playwright Liv Hennessy and director Lisa Spirling bring the Wagatha Christie saga back to the stage. Based, of course, on Rebekah Vardy's libel case against fellow WAG Coleen Rooney, who had accused her of leaking posts from a private Instagram account to The Sun newspaper, the play features shocking excerpts from the High Court transcripts, whipping seven days of legal back-and-forth into an evening of high drama.
Read more ...Retrograde, Kiln Theatre
In the same month that his well-received play For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy moves into the West End, Ryan Calais Cameron’s new show Retrograde opens at the Kiln. Directed by Kiln Associate Amit Sharma (The Boy with Two Hearts), it explores real-life actor Sidney Poitier's journey to becoming one of the most influential voices in 1950s Hollywood.
Read more ...Dixon and Daughters, National Theatre
A play with a good cause, Dixon and Daughters is the latest from writer Deborah Bruce (The House They Grew Up In) and a co-production with Clean Break – a theatre company uniquely working with women who have experienced the criminal justice system. The story follows Mary on her release from prison. She wants to move on with her life, but others aren't about to let that happen. Brid Brennan (The Ferryman), Liz White (Anatomy of a Scandal) and Andrea Lowe (Sherwood) star.
Read more ...The Dry House, Marylebone Theatre
Derry Girls actor Kathy Kiera Clarke stars alongside Mairead McKinley (Edge of Tomorrow, Molly's Way) and Carla Langley (The Ferryman) in The Dry House, a new play by Irish actor-writer Eugene O’Hare. Chrissy promises her sister Claire that she'll go to The Dry House to get sober – but not before she has one last drink.
Read more ...Private Lives, Donmar Warehouse
Noël Coward's comedy about a former couple, Elyot and Amanda, who go on holiday with their new partners only to find they're staying a mere hotel balcony away from one another gets an unlikely outing at the Donmar. If it sounds a bit old-fashioned and terribly British, remember there's the Donmar's progressive Michael Longhurst in the director's chair. A cast of Stephen Mangan, Rachael Stirling, Laura Carmichael and Sargon Yelda should bring in the crowds.
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