London theatre: February 2022's best plays you can still see

By Holly O'Mahony on 1/3/2022

With February behind us, we look back on the month's stage highlights you can still catch – from the return of Cyrano to the revival of a French anti-play.

The Chairs, Almeida Theatre ★★★★★

The Almeida’s revival of The Chairs, helmed by former associate director of the Bush Theatre Omar Elerian (Misty), unfolds like a love letter to live theatre. Through crashing props, stunts gone awry and a tannoy blurting out backstage troubles, Elerian humorously demystifies the magic of the stage, while celebrating its resilience. The tragic farce is bolstered by a quirky, convention-defying cast comprising Olivier-winner Kathryn Hunter, her spouse the Complicité co-founder Marcello Magni, and Olivier Award-winning choreographer and performer Toby Sedgwick (War Horse).

WHEN

Saturday 5 February – Saturday 5 March, 7:30pm – 10pm

WHERE

Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, Islington, London N1 1TA

James McAvoy as Cyrano de Bergerac. Credit: Marc Brenner

Cyrano de Bergerac, Harold Pinter Theatre ★★★★★

James McAvoy reprises his role in The Jamie Lloyd Company’s Olivier award-winning production of Cyrano De Bergerac, which returns to London this month following a sold-out season at the Playhouse Theatre in 2019.

WHEN

Thursday 3 February – Saturday 12 March, 7:30pm – 10pm

WHERE

Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton Street, London SW1Y 4DN

A Number, Old Vic Theatre ★★★★★

It's 20 years since Caryl Churchill’s pacy play about cloning and a failed father-and-son relationship first hit the stage, and while the technology to clone humans presumably exists in laboratories, concerns over the ethics of the practice have prevented it becoming a reality. As a result, A Number remains an eerily futuristic and dystopian watch today, and it’s currently showing at Old Vic Theatre in a production directed by Churchill connoisseur Lyndsey Turner (Top Girls, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire, Far Away).

WHEN

Until Saturday 19 March

WHERE

Old Vic Theatre, The Cut, London SE1 8NB

Small Island, National Theatre ★★★★★

Andrea Levy's epic tale of love, hope and sacrifice between Britain and Jamaica in the 40s returns to the National after a sell-out premiere in 2019. If you missed it the first time, this revival of a gorgeous production is an absolute must.

WHEN

Thursday 24 February – Saturday 30 April, 7:30pm – 10pm

WHERE

Olivier stage at the National Theatre, South Bank, London SE1 9PX