The fringe theatre shows you should book
From bold fringe shows to foreign language gems, here is the smaller theatre worth knowing about
The Writer, Almeida Theatre
Up and coming playwright Ella Hickson returns to the Almeida after 2016's Oil, with 'a hugely ambitious, deeply political play that consistently challenges what theatre can and should be'. Stage and screen star Romola Garai plays the titular writer.
Jubilee, Lyric Hammersmith Theatre
Anarchy comes to the Lyric Hammersmith stage in a new, contemporary, stage adaptation of Derek Jarman's cult film, Jubliee. Capturing the music, fashion, sex and rebellion that shaped the 1970s Punk movement, it tells the surreal story of a murderous girl gang and a time-travelling Tudor.
Read more ...The B*easts, Bush Theatre
BAFTA-winning actor Monica Dolan's potent debut play The B*easts explores the sexualisation of children. The Edinburgh Fringe premiere was described as a 'stunningly good show', 'full of hard truths and soft edges'.
Read more ...DollyWould, Soho Theatre
This strange, silly and gloriously fun Edinburgh Fringe hit combines a love for Dolly Parton with the story of Dolly the cloned sheep. Dollywould riffs on ideas spanning boobs, fame, legacy and mortality.
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Austentatious: The Improvised Jane Austen Novel on the West End
It is a truth universally acknowledged that an evening immersed in Jane Austen will bring laughter, romance, meddling and plenty of arch asides. Austentatious takes the hallmarks of Austen's novels and muddles them together into an improvised theatre show.
Read more ...Bring It On the musical, Southwark Playhouse
They're sexy, they're cute, they're popular to boot.
They are cheerleaders, and they are coming to London for a peppy new musical. Bring It On – the cult classic noughties teen movie – is transformed for the stage by Hamilton's Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Read more ...The Town Hall Affair, Barbican Centre Theatre
Video clips, photography, verbatim speech and performance come together in an experimental mixed-media play that takes us back to a historic and all too timely debate on women's liberation.
Read more ...Out of Love, Orange Tree Theatre
Out of Love opens at the Orange Tree Theatre after a successful run at the Fringe Festival. The Stage enthused about the 'funny, tender and well-crafted celebration of the richness of female friendship', while critic Lynn Gardner noted how there is 'more than a touch of Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels' in the portrayal of two girls growing up together.
Read more ...Alice Oswald: Memorial, Barbican Centre
Poet Alice Oswald's strikingly original reimagining of Homer's Illiad is brought to life in a new multi-media monologue, featuring an original score and a chorus of community members.
Read more ...Maly Drama Theatre of Saint Petersburg season, Theatre Royal Haymarket
The Maly Drama Theatre brings two Russian plays to London this May. Established in 1806, the esteemed Saint Petersburg theatre company boasts a hoard of prizes and accolades. Ten years since their last London appearance, Maly Drama bring Russian language productions of Uncle Vanya and Life and Fate to the West End.
Read more ...Secret Life of Humans, New Diorama Theatre
Fact and fiction combine in Diorama theatre's new devised play inspired by Yuval Harari's book Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. It comes to London after impressing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
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