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The best London theatre: autumn 2017

By Lucy Brooks on 29/11/2017

After the summer's hibernation, London's theatres are a flurry of activity come autumn. New plays, blockbuster musicals, and starry revivals open each week and it can be hard for even the most seasoned thespian to keep up. So we've done the hard work and rounded up the shows that everyone will be talking about for the rest of 2017.

Christian Slater. Photo by Christopher Wahl

Glengarry Glen Ross, Playhouse Theatre

How do you measure a modern classic? Well, an Olivier award for Best Play, a handful of Tony nominations, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an Oscar-nominated film adaptation make David Mamet's Glengarry Glen Ross a shoe-in. Christian Slater lends star power to this West End revival.

WHEN

26 Oct 2017 – 03 Feb 2018, Matinees on Thursdays and Saturdays start at 2.30pm

WHERE

Playhouse Theatre
Northumberland Avenue, London, WC2N 5DE

Kabeiroi, Punchdrunk London 2017: photo by Stephen Dobbie

Kabeiroi, Punchdrunk London 2017

Punchdrunk, pioneers of immersive theatre and masters of bold new experiences, finally return to London with a new show. And it's bolder than ever...

WHEN

26 Sep 2017 – 05 Nov 2017, The experience will start early in the afternoon and finish by 10pm.

WHERE

Various Locations

Hamilton musical London 2017

Hamilton, Victoria Palace Theatre, London 2017

It's the hip-hop musical that has dominated Broadway and had the whole world and his wife queuing for tickets and it's finally coming to London. Hamilton might be long sold out, but watch this space for details on the next ticket release.

WHEN

06 Dec 2017 – 30 Jun 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

Victoria Palace Theatre
Victoria Street, London, SW1E 5EA

Network - Bryan Cranston National Theatre 2017

Network, National Theatre

America's most lovable teacher-turned-drug-baron, Bryan Cranston, will make his National Theatre debut this November. The unstoppable Ivo van Hove directs a stage adaptation of 1980s media satire movie, Network.

WHEN

04 Nov 2017 – 24 Mar 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

National Theatre
South Bank, London, SE1 9PX

Natalie Dormer to star in Venus In Fur, London 2017

Venus in Fur, Theatre Royal Haymarket

Sadomasochism and star power come to the London stage in a new production of off-Broadway hit Venus in Fur, starring Natalie Dormer and David Oakes.

WHEN

06 Oct 2017 – 09 Dec 2017, 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM

WHERE

Theatre Royal Haymarket
18 Suffolk Street, London, SW1Y 4HT

Labour of Love, Noel Coward Theatre

Labour of Love, Noel Coward Theatre

Martin Freeman is a Labour MP and Sarah Lancashire is his constituency officer in a new political satire by in-demand playwright James Graham.

WHEN

03 Oct 2017 – 02 Dec 2017, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

Noel Coward Theatre
St Martin's Lane, London, WC2N 4AU

Mike Bartlett's Albion, Almeida Theatre, London

Albion, Almeida Theatre

Rural ruin and English decay come to the Almeida stage in a new collaboration between writer Mike Bartlett and director Rupert Goold. Last time the two joined forces was for 'future history' play King Charles III at the Almeida, so we are expecting big things.

WHEN

10 Oct 2017 – 24 Nov 2017, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

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

Oslo, National Theatre transfer 2017

Oslo, National Theatre & Harold Pinter Theatre

Oslo, JT Rogers' political thriller about brokering peace between Israel and Palestine, comes to London after superlative reviews in New York. It premieres at the National Theatre before transferring to the West End.

WHEN

05 Sep 2017 – 23 Sep 2017, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM
30 Sep 2017 – 30 Dec 2017, 7:30 PM – 10:30 PM

WHERE

National Theatre
South Bank, London, SE1 9PX

Kenneth Cranham and Anne-Marie Duff: Heisenberg play London 2017

Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle, Wyndham's Theatre

A high-calibre team of talents including Simon Stephens, Marianne Elliott, Anne-Marie Duff and Kenneth Cranham joins forces for a new play about a life-changing encounter.

WHEN

03 Oct 2017 – 06 Jan 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

Wyndham's Theatre
32 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DA

Rhys Ifans: A Christmas Carol, Old Vic Theatre London

A Christmas Carol, Old Vic Theatre

Bah Humbug! Rhys Ifans plays Scrooge this Christmas in a new version of Dickens' classic festive fable, re-worked by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child playwright Jack Thorne.

WHEN

18 Nov 2017 – 20 Jan 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

The Old Vic
The Cut, London, SE1 8NB

Witness for the Prosecution: London County Hall. Photo by Helen Maybanks

Witness for the Prosecution, London County Hall

You are invited into the courtroom, to witness the dramas of a trial as they unfold, in a new site-specific production of Agatha Christie's classic crime story directed by Lucy Bailey.

WHEN

06 Oct 2017 – 11 Mar 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

The Chamber, County Hall
Belvedere Road, London, SE1 7PB

John Tiffany and Dennis Kelly: Pinocchio, National Theatre 2017

Pinocchio, National Theatre

Writer Dennis Kelly, of Matilda the Musical prestige, John Tiffany, director of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, and Disney Theatre Productions combine their talents for a new musical version of Pinocchio.

WHEN

01 Dec 2017 – 07 Apr 2018, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM

WHERE

National Theatre
South Bank, London, SE1 9PX

Director Dominic Dromgoole at the Vaudeville Theatre. Image © Laura Radford.

A Woman of No Importance, Vaudeville Theatre

Lords, Ladies and loose morals are invited to the Vaudeville Theatre as part of a year-long celebration of Oscar Wilde’s life and achievements. Former Globe artistic director Dominic Dromgoole's season begins with A Woman of No Importance.

WHEN

06 Oct 2017 – 30 Dec 2017, 19:30

WHERE

Vaudeville Theatre
404 Strand, London, WC2R 0NH

Young Marx, The Bridge Theatre

Young Marx, The Bridge Theatre

Titans of the stage Nicholas Hytner and Nick Starr have put together a team of formidable talents to launch their new project, an ambitious, purpose-built 900-seat performance space. Rory Kinnear plays a young Karl Marx in the inaugural production.

WHEN

18 Oct 2017 – 31 Dec 2017, 7:45 PM – 9:45 PM

WHERE

Bridge Theatre
One Tower Bridge, London, SE1 2UP

Everybody's Talking About Jamie, London Theatre 2017

Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Apollo Theatre

A 16-year-old living on a Sheffield council estate breaks the mould in this uproarious coming of age musical. Everybody's Talking About Jamie transfers to London after glowing reviews at the Sheffield Crucible Theatre.

WHEN

06 Nov 2017 – 21 Apr 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

Apollo Theatre
31 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7ES