10 New Theatre Shows To Book Now
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Aldwych Theatre
This new stage musical reveals the untold story of a woman who dared to defy the boundaries of her age, gender and race. One of the world’s best-selling artists of all time, Tina Turner has won 12 Grammy Awards and her live shows have been seen by millions, with more concert tickets sold than any other solo performer in musical history. The musical has Tina’s blessing, and lead actress Adrienne Warren has a fantastic voice, so you know it’s going to be a cracker.
49 Aldwych WC2B 4DF; until 20th October; tickets from £10
Visit TinaTheMusical.com
Strictly Ballroom The Musical, Piccadilly Theatre
Baz Luhrmann’s award-winning 1992 film has been reimagined for the stage, bringing with it the vocal chords of Will Young (a joy for anyone who was sad about his early departure from Strictly Come Dancing in 2016). Combining the story’s heart and drama with a soundtrack that includes the likes of Time After Time and Love is in the Air, director and choreographer Drew McOnie has created a kaleidoscopic production that does the film justice.
16 Denman St, Soho W1D 7DY; until 21st July; tickets from £17
Visit PiccadillyTheatre.org
Chicago The Musical, Phoenix Theatre
After a five-year absence, Roxy, Velma and Billy are back in London’s West End with a brand-new cast. First up, Oscar winning Cuba Gooding Jr is making his stage debut as male lead, sleazy but whip-smart lawyer Billy Flynn. But we all know that Chicago is all about the women behind bars: Gooding Jr will be joined by stage veterans Sarah Soetaert as Roxie Hart, Josefina Gabrielle as Velma Kelly, and Ruthie Henshall playing Mama Morton. Bring on the razzle dazzle.
110 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0JP; until 6th October 2018; tickets from £24
Visit Phoenix.LondonTheatres.co.uk
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Apollo Theatre
You know you’ve seen a terrific musical when, three-weeks later, you’re still singing along to a song you’ve heard just once. But even without the ear worms, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie hits the mark when it comes to successful new productions: a fantastic, believable cast, poignancy and a collective sense of elation as the curtain falls to a standing ovation. Set in Sheffield, the play centres on the titular Jamie New, a 16-year-old boy who wants to become a drag queen. Based on a 2011 BBC Three documentary, we follow Jamie (played brilliantly by newcomer John McCrae) as he faces prejudice and setbacks for vowing to wear a dress and heels at his school prom.
Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 7EZ; until 6th October; tickets from £24
Visit NimaxTheatres.com
Frozen, Theatre Royal Haymarket Theatre
Don’t worry – this isn’t a Disney reboot, but rather a psychological thriller about a mother whose child goes missing. A play about retribution, remorse and redemption, Frozen explores the interwoven lives of three strangers as they try to make sense of the unimaginable. Suranne Jones (Doctor Foster), Jason Watkins (Line of Duty, Taboo, W1A) and Nina Sosanya (W1A, Last Tango in Halifax) star.
18 Suffolk Street, Haymarket SW1Y 4HT; until 5th May; tickets from £15
Visit TRH.co.uk
The Inheritance, Young Vic
You’ll have to be quick if you want to snap up tickets for this extraordinary two-part play. Based on the novel Howards End by E. M. Forster, this is a seven-hour epic split into two but designed to be watched sequentially. The new play follows the lives of four gay men a generation on from the AIDS crisis in New York in the 1980s. It explores the relationship with the men that came before them, and what it’s like to be a young gay man in contemporary America.
66 The Cut, Waterloo SE1 8LZ; until 19th May; tickets from £38
Visit YoungVic.org
Brief Encounter, Empire Cinema
Noël Coward’s Brief Encounter is remembered as one of the most haunting love stories of all time. This award-winning Kneehigh production has triumphed in the West End, toured the globe and opened to rave reviews on Broadway. Now it’s back in London at the Empire Cinema, where audiences will once again experience the inner turmoil of two happily married strangers who fall in love after a chance meeting at a train station.
63-65 Haymarket, Westminster SW1Y 4R; until 2nd December; tickets from £17.50
Visit TheOldVicTheatre.com
Julie, National Theatre
Fans mourning the cast replacements in series three of The Crown will be pleased to learn that one of its original stars, Vanessa Kirby (Princess Margaret) will be taking to the stage this May. Kirby plays the wild and newly single Julie, who throws a late night party at her place. In the kitchen, Jean and Kristina clean up as the celebration heaves above them. Crossing the threshold, Julie initiates a power game with Jean which descends into a savage fight for survival.
Upper Ground, South Bank SE1 9PX; until 4th August; tickets from £15
Visit NationalTheatre.org.uk
Imperium, Gielgud Theatre
Fresh from a run of first-rate reviews from its RSC residency in Stratford upon Avon, Imperium is invading the Gielgud Theatre this summer. Based on Robert Harris’s Ancient Rome novels, this two-part play follows various leaders, from Cicero to Caesar, in a bloody battle to become emperor. The fact that it’s been made for the stage by Mike Poulter, who also adapted the award-winning Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies, is a sure sign this will be nothing short of magnificent.
Shaftesbury Avenue, W1V 8AR; until 8th September; tickets from £35.50
Visit Londontheatre.co.uk
Quiz, Noel Coward Theatre
In 2001, the years’ biggest TV scandal wasn’t a whodunnit or murder mystery, but that of the cheating ‘coughing major’. Quiz takes us onto the set of the most notorious episode of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, where Army Major Charles Ingram won the £1m jackpot. He was later convicted of fraud and jailed after it was discovered that his wife and friend in the audience had been coughing in the background to direct him to the correct answer. A real-life drama that takes audience participation to the extreme.
85-88 St Martin's Ln, WC2N 4AP; until 16th June; tickets from £17.50
Visit DelfontMackintosh.co.uk
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