Romantic theatre: London shows for date night

Sweetness and light at Romantics Anonymous

As you enter the intimate, candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse you are given a chocolate. It is, you’re soon told, a magic chocolate. And it is fitting introduction to show that only gets sweeter and more enchanting.New musical Romantics Anonymous combines sparky story-telling with zesty humour to delicious effect in a chocolate-themed love story with a kooky shell and a gorgeous, gooey centre.

(Oh and lucky Culture Whisper Gold members got a pair of free tickets)

Intellectual stimulation and unlikely connections at Oslo

How do you begin to broker peace between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation? It may not sound like a subject for date night, but this lively drama about the Norwegian back channel that brought about peace is as eye-opening as it is entertaining. You'll leave feeling intellectually enriched, and with a keener sense of what it means to connect.

Sensual passion at Antony and Cleopatra

'O! my oblivion is a very Antony'. Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra brings passion and politics to the Barbican this winter. The story may be a tragic, but the love between Cleopatra and her Antony is told with some of the most intensely beautiful poetry in all of literature. And this intense and glamorous production captures the potency with aplomb.

Crack the whip at Venus in Fur

Show your date who's boss with this sly power-play. The narrative is a little anti-climactic but the visuals are sizzling. Natalie Dormer is magnetic as a mysterious young actress who becomes increasingly dominant. And, at just 90 minutes long, you'll have time for dinner and a debrief after the show.

Soul searching at Beginning

The desolate pasts and deepest desires of two lonely 30-somethings, march cheek by jowl in this punchy new play. Watch as an unlikely relationship flickers from the dregs of a house party, and leave armed feeling far better about your own (hopefully more stable) relationships.

Sass and scandal at La Soirée

This high octane variety show-cum-circus is a harum-scarum delight that revels in the weird and wonderful. Whatever mood you're in when you walk in, you'll leave footloose, fancy-free - and possibly a wee bit horrified. But the bare-cheeked, tongue-in-cheek bawdiness is a feat to behold: sassy, sexy and silly without ever verging on seedy.