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Theatre

Best plays of 2018: London theatre highlights

By Lucy Brooks on 4/12/2018

From mind-altering immersive theatre and stars on stage to searing new writing and resplendent revivals, we look back at the 10 best plays of 2018 (four of which are still on, so hurry up and book).

Clara Read in The Wild Duck, Almeida Theatre. Photo by Manuel Harlan

The Wild Duck, Almeida Theatre ★★★★★

Robert Icke made Ibsen's 1884 tragicomedy feel bracingly fresh in a production that blurred the boundaries of performance to examine the inherent conceit of storytelling. Over a pacy three hours he fleshed out Ibsen’s imagery, showing lies and secrets buried in cosy domesticy, while undercutting our understanding of truth and redemption.

Read more ...
WHEN
15 Oct 2018 – 01 Dec 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
WHERE
Almeida Theatre
Almeida Street, Islington, London, N1 1TA
Summer and Smoke, Almeida Theatre, photo by Marc Brenner

Summer and Smoke, Almeida and Duke of York's Theatre ★★★★★

Tennessee Williams's lesser known story of anxiety, desire and desperation earned its place in the canon with the Almeida's immensely moving revival. Pasty Ferran brought intensity to the role of preacher's daughter Alma. And after the glowing reviews it was no surprise when the show transferred to the West End.

Read more ...
WHEN
10 Nov 2018 – 19 Jan 2019, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
WHERE
Duke of York's Theatre
St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4BG
Rosalie Craig, Bobbi: Company, London 2018. Photo by Dan Kennedy

Company, Gielgud Theatre ★★★★★

With its gender switch up, tweaked lyrics and shift to the present day, Marianne Elliott's production of Stephen Sondheim's 1970 musical comedy Company was a timely watch in 2018. The story follows 35-year-old singleton Bobbie (a relatable and hugely likeable Rosalie Craig), whose friends cannot understand why she hasn't settled down with a husband yet. But are they truly any better off for being married?

Read more ...
WHEN
26 Sep 2018 – 22 Dec 2018, Monday - Saturday 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday 2.30pm
WHERE
Gielgud Theatre
35 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 6AR
Aidan Turner The Lieutenant Of Inishmore

The Lieutenant Of Inishmore, Noel Coward Theatre ★★★★★

Poldark’s Aidan Turner brought a new spin on the cliche of crazy cat lover in his crackling, wickedly funny West End debut. He prowled around the stage with a gun in each hand in this uproarious revival of Martin McDonagh's 2001 satire The Lieutenant Of Inishmore.

Read more ...
WHEN
23 Jun 2018 – 08 Sep 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM
WHERE
Noel Coward Theatre
St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4AU
The Inheritance, Noel Coward Theatre

The Inheritance, Young Vic and Noel Coward Theatre ★★★★★

Like 2018's answer to Angels in America, this two-part epic explored legacy in the life of a group of gay men. The Inheritance was a touching, funny, often painful story of loss, grief and the ways in which we learn from the past. The impressive Young Vic premiere prompted a West End transfer.

Read more ...
WHEN
21 Sep 2018 – 05 Jan 2019, Monday to Saturday at 7.15pm. Wednesday & Saturday matinee performances at 1.15pm
WHERE
Noel Coward Theatre
St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4AU
David Morrissey and Ben Whishaw star in a new production of Julius Ceasar at London's Bridge Theatre

Julius Caesar, The Bridge Theatre review ★★★★★

Bass lines soared, feet stamped and campaign posters flurried through the crowd in Nick Hytner’s promenade production of Julius Caesar. The combination of gig, political rally and rich rhetoric felt especially timely and made Shakespeare's history into an immersive vision of fake news culture.

Read more ...
WHEN
20 Jan 2018 – 15 Apr 2018, 7:45 PM – 9:45 PM
WHERE
Bridge Theatre
3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG
Somnai: immersive experience London 2018

Somnai immersive experience, London review ★★★★★

Over 90 minutes – across a 20,000 sq. ft. Clerkenwell warehouse – live performance, multi-sensory elements and immersive technologies merged in Sonmai. The result is a cryptic augmented reality experience, that took audiences on a lucid dreaming journey.

Read more ...
WHEN
01 Mar 2018 – 03 Jul 2018, 90 minute time slots, starting from 5:30pm
Nine Night, National Theatre

Nine Night, National Theatre ★★★★★

Nine Night was a bombastic debut from actor turned writer Natasha Gordon. Starting off with the death of matriarch Gloria, it charted three generations of grieving in a Jamaican family.

We were charmed, amused and moved in equal measure at the National Theatre premiere in May. Happily for those that missed it at the Dorfman, Nine Night's transferring to the West End.

Read more ...
WHEN
01 Dec 2018 – 23 Feb 2019, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM
WHERE
National Theatre, then West End transfer atTrafalgar Studios
14 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2DY
Kelli O'Hare and Ken Watanbe: The King and I, London Palladium review. Photo by Matthew Murphy

The King and I, Palladium Theatre ★★★★★

This resplendent revival of The King and I made getting to know Rogers and Hammerstein’s classic 1951 musical a pure pleasure. The glossy production captured the charm and escapist glamour of a story that can feel all too problematic to contemporary audiences.

Read more ...
WHEN
21 Jun 2018 – 29 Sep 2018, Performance times at 2pm and 7pm
WHERE
London Palladium
Argyll Street, London, W1F 7TF
Carey Mulligan, Girls and Boys Royal Court Theatre

Girls and Boys, Royal Court Theatre ★★★★★

In just 70 minutes, all alone on an aqua-coloured stage, Carey Mulligan took us from ribald laughter to icy devastation. Dennis Kelly's monologue melded mischievous comedy and gut-wrenching darkness to scrutinise a marriage, from first encounter to final blow.

Read more ...
WHEN
08 Feb 2018 – 17 Mar 2018, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM
WHERE
Royal Court Theatre
Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AS
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