10 Of The Best Theatre Shows To Book This Season
Lungs
The ice caps are melting, there’s overpopulation, political unrest; everything’s going to hell in a handcart – why on earth would someone bring a baby into this world? Directed by Matthew Warchus, The Crown’s Claire Foy and Matt Smith reunite to make their Old Vic debuts in Duncan Macmillan’s hilarious emotional rollercoaster of a play, as a couple wrestle with our planet’s biggest dilemmas.
Old Vic, The Cut, Waterloo, SE1 8NB; 14th October-9th November
Visit OldVicTheatre.com
Appropriate
The Lafayette family gather at their late father’s home in Arkansas to bury the hatchet and prepare the former plantation for its Estate Sale. Until, that is, they make a discovery which changes everything. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins takes on the rich tradition of American family drama in his gripping play about ghosts and the legacies we are left with. Stars Steven Macintosh and Monica Dolan.
Donmar Warehouse, 41 Earlham Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9LX; until 5th October
Visit DonmarWarehouse.com
The Son
Direct from a sold-out season at Kiln Theatre, the five-star hit play transfers to the Duke of York’s theatre for ten weeks only. Nicolas is going through a difficult phase after his parents’ divorce. He’s listless, skipping school, lying and thinks that moving in with his father and his new family may help. A fresh start. When he doesn’t settle there either, he decides that going back to his mother’s may be the answer. When change feels like the only way to survive, what will he do when the options begin to run out?
Duke of York’s Theatre, 104 St Martin's Lane, Covent Garden, WC2N 4BG; until 2nd November
Visit ATGTickets.com
Hansard
Simon Godwin (Antony & Cleopatra) returns to the NT to direct Simon Woods’ witty and devastating portrait of the governing class. It’s a summer’s morning in 1988 and Tory politician Robin Hesketh (Alex Jennings) has returned home to the idyllic Cotswold house he shares with his wife of 30 years, Diana (Lindsay Duncan). But all is not as blissful as it seems. Diana has a stinking hangover, a fox is destroying the garden, and secrets are being dug up all over the place. As the day draws on, what starts as gentle ribbing and the familiar rhythms of marital sparring quickly turns to blood-sport.
National Theatre, Upper Ground, South Bank, SE1 9PX; until 25th November
Visit NationalTheatre.org.uk
Waitress
A new cast headed up by Lucy Jones has breathed new life into this Broadway hit. Meet Jenna, a waitress and expert pie-maker who dreams of a way out of her small town and rocky marriage. Pouring her heart into her pies, she crafts desserts that mirror her topsy-turvy life. When a baking contest in a nearby county — and a satisfying run-in with someone new — show Jenna a chance at a fresh start, she must find the courage to seize it. Brought to life by an all-female creative team, this Tony Award-nominated hit is a joyous affair.
Adelphi Theatre, Strand, Covent Garden, WC2R 0NS; until 4th January
Visit LWTheatres.co.uk
Blood Wedding
From the creative vision of acclaimed director Yaël Farber (Les Blancs, The Crucible) comes this evocative production of Federico García Lorca’s most famous tragedy, in a new adaptation by the multi-award-winning Irish playwright Marina Carr. Written in the summer of 1932, Lorca’s original Blood Wedding foreshadowed the violence that would soon both tear his beloved country apart, and lead to his own tragic end. In this new adaptation, set in a rural village of parched mountains and planes, Lorca's meditation on the fate of the individual versus society is conjured into visceral new life.
Young Vic, 66 The Cut, Waterloo, SE1 8LZ; until 2nd November
Visit YoungVic.org
A Very Expensive Poison
A shocking assassination in London. In a bizarre mix of high-stakes global politics and radioactive villainy, a man pays with his life. At this time of global crises and a looming new Cold War, A Very Expensive Poison sends us careering through the shadowy world of international espionage from Moscow to Mayfair. John Crowley (Brooklyn, The Goldfinch) directs Lucy Prebble’s (The Effect, ENRON) reimagining of Luke Harding’s jaw-dropping exposé of the events behind the notorious death of ex-FSB Officer Alexander Litvinenko.
Old Vic, The Cut, Waterloo, SE1 8NB; until 5th October
Visit OldVicTheatre.com
Fiddler On The Roof
Direct from its sold-out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory, Tony and Olivier award-winning director Trevor Nunn’s revival of the classic Broadway musical Fiddler On The Roof has transferred to the West End. Old traditions and young love collide in this joyous and timely celebration of life starring Andy Nyman as Tevye, Maria Friedman as Golde and Anita Dobson as matchmaker Yente. Tevye’s daughters’ unexpected choice of husbands opens his heart to new possibilities, as his close-knit community also feels the winds of change blowing through their tiny village.
Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Avenue, West End, WC2N 5DE; until 2nd November
Visit ATGTickets.com
Dear Evan Hansen
The winner of six 2017 Tony Awards including Best Musical and a 2018 Grammy Award, Dear Evan Hansen has struck a remarkable chord with audiences and critics since its very first performance. Described by the Washington Post as "one of the most remarkable shows in musical theatre history”, it’s safe to say we’re excited about its London transfer. A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he’s always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Both deeply personal and profoundly contemporary, this is a new American musical about life and the way we live it.
Noel Coward Theatre, 85-88 St Martin's Lane, Covent Garden, WC2N 4AP; from 19th November
Visit DelfontMackintosh.co.uk
Fairview
Fairview is the winner of the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for female playwrights. It’s Grandma’s birthday and the Frasier family have gathered to celebrate. Beverly just wants everything to run smoothly, but Tyrone has missed his flight, Keisha is freaking out about college and Grandma has locked herself in the bathroom. Following a ground-breaking, sell-out run in New York, Jackie Sibblies Drury’s Fairview is an interrogation of our subtly destructive preconceptions, directed by the Young Vic’s Genesis Fellow and associate director Nadia Latif.
Young Vic, 66 The Cut, Waterloo, SE1 8LZ; 28th November-18th January
Visit YoungVic.org
more from
Culture
DISCLAIMER: We endeavour to always credit the correct original source of every image we use. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at info@sheerluxe.com.