The shows you need to see in April
Hit new theatre shows are springing up all over London. From an epic tale of Windrush immigration to a starring stage role for Maggie Smith, here's what not to miss
All My Sons, Old Vic Theatre
Distinguished talents and risings stars come together in The Old Vic's All My Sons. Sally Field, Jenna Coleman, Bill Pullman and Colin Morgan star in a revival of Arthur Miller's masterful 1947 story of suburban sadness, guilt and the failure of the American dream.
Maggie Smith in A German Life, Bridge Theatre
Whether you know her as the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey, Professor McGonagall from the Harry Potter films, or as more or less any of Shakespeare's heroines, it's certain that you will know Maggie Smith.
Her return to the stage – in a five-week run of A German Life – was an instant sellout. So if you missed out, make time to queue for day tickets.
Read more ...Small Island, National Theatre
Best-selling book Small Island, by the late Andrea Levy, is transformed into an epic new play at the National Theatre. It explores the experiences of Jamaican immigrants in 1940s London, charting the beginning of Britain's future attitudes towards immigration.
Read more ...Three Sisters, Almeida Theatre
Chekhov's Three Sisters is updated and relocated to 2019 London in a new production starring Patsy Ferran, who dazzled audiences in Summer and Smoke. We predict a bold and thought-provoking interpretation from up-and-coming playwright Cordelia Lynn.
Sweet Charity, Donmar Warehouse
Artistic director Josie Rourke bids farewell to the Donmar Warehouse in style with a revival of the classic musical Sweet Charity, to star Anne-Marie Duff and Arthur Darvill. Originally produced on Broadway in 1966, it features beloved songs 'Big Spender' and 'The Rhythm of Life'.
Read more ...Avalanche: A Love Story, Barbican Theatre
Maxine Peake has an appetite for roles that spark debate and shift perceptions, from searing TV drama Three Girls to a historic female Hamlet at the Manchester Royal Exchange. This spring she makes her Barbican theatre debut with a characteristically provocative role in a timely true story about one woman's struggle with infertility and IVF.
Read more ...Rosmersholm, Duke of York's Theatre
Duncan Macmillan re-imagines Ibsen's political drama in a new production starring TV regulars Tom Burke and Hayley Atwell. Rosmersholm is one of Ibsen’s lesser-known plays in the English-speaking world. First performed in 1886, it continues Ibsen’s line in investigating personal human lives within the context of grand political and social ideas.
Read more ...