The London theatre thread

This thread is intended for noting shows that are on in London theatres, usually for limited runs and usually specific to London, that are particularly noteworthy or recommended but which non-Londoners might otherwise find it hard to get information about.

This is not intended for the hardy perennials / tourist traps like Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Mamma Mia! or The Lion King, which have been on for years and will almost certainly be on for years. Information about shows like these is widely available.

Imelda Staunton stars as Momma Rose in a revival of the Sondheim / Laurents / Styne musical Gypsy (1959) in which the role was originally played by Ethel Merman.

She delivers an absolutely stunning performance, energetic and full of character from beginning to end. It's almost impossible to believe that someone can do so much for so long on stage. She's extraordinarily sensitive to all the facets of the character, unlikeable though that character is, and you can see a serious actor at work throughout the show. Watching her was riveting.

She's also supported by a great cast, including in particular Lara Pulver as Louise, and the band are fantastic too.

I doubt that I'm likely to experience many (if any) outings to the theatre that are better than this. Highly recommended.

Wikipedia's page on the show: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsy_%28musical%29

The Theatremonkey's page: http://www.theatremonkey.com/SAVOYbooking.htm

And the theatre's official website: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/gypsy/savoy-theatre/#showinfotabs=overview - although tickets can be obtained through other agents too.

After booking hundreds of shows in London ( not the mentioned musicals) I find the best information is on the website http://www.londontheatre.co.uk. It is very user friendly and usually has all the off and off off west end theatre listings.

Thanks!

I'll be checking back before our July visit. While I do love many of the big musicals, what I love in London are the great smaller shows that often feature big name talent. Had the opportunity a few years back to see a cool production with Bob Hoskins and Kristen Scott Thoms in a small theater near Whitehall. Part of what's great with British theater.

Nicole Kidman plays Rosalind Franklin in a new play by Anna Ziegler.

Unlike the last time that she appeared on a stage in London, I suspect that her appearance will not be described as "theatrical Vi.a.gra", nor will there be any nudity. But for anyone who rates her acting abilities, this will be a rare chance to see her perform live.

The Theatremonkey's page: http://www.theatremonkey.com/NOELCOWARDbooking.htm

And the theatre's official website: http://www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/Tickets/Photograph51/Photograph51.asp - although tickets can be obtained through other agents too.

Mark Rylance again leads the cast as King Philippe V of Spain in Claire van Kampen's extremely well-received play in this transfer from the Globe's Sam Wanamaker Playhouse to a mainstream West End venue.

I don't think that it's hyperbole to describe him as "one of the greatest stage actors in the world". And the blurb promises that the atmosphere of the Playhouse, which is lit solely by candlelight, will be recreated in the theatre.

The Theatremonkey's page: http://www.theatremonkey.com/DUKEOFYORKbooking.htm

And the theatre's official website: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/farinelli-and-the-king/duke-of-yorks - although tickets can be obtained through other agents too.

Judi Dench plays Paulina and Kenneth Branagh plays Leontes; this new production is co-directed by Rob Ashford and Kenneth Branagh.

Living legends? Even if opinions differ on that, there is no doubt that Judi Dench is a national treasure. She may be coming to the end of her acting career (she's having difficulties with her eyesight, which makes reading scripts a problem) so one never knows when there will be no more chances.

The Theatremonkey's page on this theatre still deals with the current show, but has useful information about the theatre anyway: http://www.theatremonkey.com/GARRICKbooking.htm - and note that The Winter's Tale will be in rep alongside a number of other plays.

The theatre's official website: http://www.nimaxtheatres.com/garrick-theatre/the_winters_tale - but note that tickets are already extremely difficult to get for this.

Sheridan Smith will play Fanny Brice in the first London production of this musical since its 1966 premiere.

I saw her in Legally Blonde, in which she was an impressive performer (despite the undemanding rubbish that the show consisted of) and she has attracted quite a lot of attention for her other work. This promises to be another big success for the Chocolate Factory, which has a long track record of these. However, as it's a ~180-seat theatre, interesting shows sell out fast, including this one which I think was sold out before general public booking opened. But I thought it was worth noting here for two reasons: the run could get extended, so providing another chance to get tickets; and Chocolate Factory shows also have a track record of later transferring to larger venues in the West End.

The theatre's official website: https://www.menierchocolatefactory.com/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=94E2D7D1-80AE-4D1E-9E44-AC34ED755673

Imelda Staunton stars as Momma Rose in a revival of the Sondheim / Laurents / Styne musical Gypsy (1959) in which the role was originally played by Ethel Merman.

 

She delivers an absolutely stunning performance, energetic and full of character from beginning to end. It's almost impossible to believe that someone can do so much for so long on stage. She's extraordinarily sensitive to all the facets of the character, unlikeable though that character is, and you can see a serious actor at work throughout the show. Watching her was riveting.

 

She's also supported by a great cast, including in particular Lara Pulver as Louise, and the band are fantastic too.

 

I doubt that I'm likely to experience many (if any) outings to the theatre that are better than this. Highly recommended.

Enthusiastic +1 for Gypsy.

For those of us whose know Imelda Staunton only from speaking roles in movies, the first surprise was that she could sing at all. The second surprise was how fabulously well she could sing.

In the US, there's an unfortunate tendency to cast performers for their name value over performers who have the skills to do justice to the role. Imelda Staunton makes a great Mama Rose, both singing and acting.

Nicole Kidman plays Rosalind Franklin in a new play by Anna Ziegler.

 

Unlike the last time that she appeared on a stage in London, I suspect that her appearance will not be described as "theatrical Vi.a.gra", nor will there be any nudity. But for anyone who rates her acting abilities, this will be a rare chance to see her perform live.

 

The Theatremonkey's page: http://www.theatremonkey.com/NOELCOWARDbooking.htm

 

And the theatre's official website: http://www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk/Tickets/Photograph51/Photograph51.asp - although tickets can be obtained through other agents too.

We have tickets and saw The Blue Room @ the Donmar.Can't wait to see her in this.

Mark Rylance again leads the cast as King Philippe V of Spain in Claire van Kampen's extremely well-received play in this transfer from the Globe's Sam Wanamaker Playhouse to a mainstream West End venue.

I don't think that it's hyperbole to describe him as "one of the greatest stage actors in the world". And the blurb promises that the atmosphere of the Playhouse, which is lit solely by candlelight, will be recreated in the theatre.

The Theatremonkey's page: http://www.theatremonkey.com/DUKEOFYORKbooking.htm

And the theatre's official website: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/farinelli-and-the-king/duke-of-yorks - although tickets can be obtained through other agents too.

Have tickets for this as well. Although I am not so sure about MR being the greatest, he is very good,

Have tickets for this as well.

As if to prove what I was saying about shows transferring to the West End from the Chocolate Factory, here is another one that had a sold-out run there during the summer. It was called What's it all About? when it was there, but (unless the change results from shenanigans over the Chocolate Factory's entitlement to the show's name), I suspect that the new name of Close to You has been chosen to ring immediate bells with more people.

Bacharach Reimagined is the sub-title, and it explains exactly what this show is. Burt Bacharach's music is a large part of the soundtrack to the lives of many of us. But this isn't just another jukebox musical. The music really has been reimagined, and the reinterpretations are sometimes extremely creative. Perhaps the greatest compliment was that Bacharach himself came on stage for an encore number at the opening night at the Chocolate Factory. Casting hasn't yet been announced, but at the Chocolate Factory there were a number of extraordinarily good performances. We loved it, and it is very good to see that it's getting a further outing in a higher-profile place that is nonetheless not so big that it would lose the intimate feel of the show.

The Theatremonkey's page: http://www.theatremonkey.com/CRITERIONbooking.htm

The theatre's official website: http://www.criterion-theatre.co.uk/home

And the show's official website: http://closetoyoulondon.com

As always, tickets can be obtained through other agents too.

You lucky thing. I'm still trying to find some date on which I can go to this! And then I have to hope to be able to get a reasonable ticket for it.

The line for tickets was around the block when I passed there at 9:30 this morning and the same for Photograph 51 which we also have tickets for.

jUst saw the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time again this afternoon after seeing it when it opened at the National in 2012. wHat a great play and production. I could see it a third time.

Sheridan Smith will play Fanny Brice in the first London production of this musical since its 1966 premiere.

 

I saw her in Legally Blonde, in which she was an impressive performer (despite the undemanding rubbish that the show consisted of) and she has attracted quite a lot of attention for her other work. This promises to be another big success for the Chocolate Factory, which has a long track record of these. However, as it's a ~180-seat theatre, interesting shows sell out fast, including this one which I think was sold out before general public booking opened. But I thought it was worth noting here for two reasons: the run could get extended, so providing another chance to get tickets; and Chocolate Factory shows also have a track record of later transferring to larger venues in the West End.

 

The theatre's official website: https://www.menierchocolatefactory.com/Online/default.asp?doWork::WScontent::loadArticle=Load&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::article_id=94E2D7D1-80AE-4D1E-9E44-AC34ED755673

And then there was a lot of high-profile controversy. Sheridan Smith had some personal/family issues, so (to cut a long story short) took a break from the show for a couple of months. Natasha J Barnes, her understudy, took over - at very short notice, initially - and has garnered some very high praise for her performance. Friends who took our tickets for a performance in mid-May said that although they hadn't seen Smith, they found it hard to imagine how she (or anyone else) could have done more with the role than Barnes did.

Smith came back to the show about 8 July, and on a whim we booked a pair of tickets at the last minute to see her last weekend. There were many parallels with Legally Blonde. The show itself is so-so; the first half is interesting but the second half fades away until a very unsatisfying ending. However, Smith seemed perfectly in control of every tiny detail of what she does; the precision with which she plays is amazing. In addition, because the subject matter has some similarities to Gypsy, there were also some echoes of Imelda Staunton's performance in that show (see posts above), which was coincidentally in the same theatre.

One of the outcomes is that Barnes is now advertised to do one show a week (Monday nights, I think), and we will have to make a plan to see her. The show itself closes on 8 October; I think that is after one extension already and AIUI it can't be extended again because of the timetable for the next show coming in to the venue.

Imelda Staunton will be back in the West End, alongside Conleth Hill, for a new production of this very famous play which probably needs no introduction. Sadly, Edward Albee died only last week.

The theatre's official website: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf/harold-pinter-theatre

Imelda Staunton will be back in the West End, alongside Conleth Hill, for a new production of this very famous play which probably needs no introduction. Sadly, Edward Albee died only last week.

 

The theatre's official website: http://www.atgtickets.com/shows/whos-afraid-of-virginia-woolf/harold-pinter-theatre

Just booked this for our May-June visit.;)

For those of you who enjoyed the sitcom, fawlty towers. My friends went to faulty towers-the dining experience on at the Torquay suite theatre, they said it was hilarious

When guests become diners in the ‘Faulty Towers’ restaurant and they’re served by Basil, Sybil and Manuel, pretty much anything can happen – especially when two-thirds of the show is improvised.

It isn't on in the west end but it sounds unique. :)

St.James Theatre re-named "The Other Place". Looks like it will be a great place for experimental musicals.

It is a very comfortable off west end place to see theatre (neighbor of the Queen too!)

That's interesting, thanks - although it looks like the new name (from February 2017) will actually be "The Other Palace", partly as a reference to its illustrious neighbour's house.

This follows Really Useful's acquisition of the theatre. I suspect that the repertoire it's been putting on may not have been attracting the necessary audiences because it is a bit out of the way, and that it may be better doing the fringe-y stuff that Lloyd Webber has in mind for it.

That's interesting, thanks - although it looks like the new name (from February 2017) will actually be "The Other Palace", partly as a reference to its illustrious neighbour's house.

 

This follows Really Useful's acquisition of the theatre. I suspect that the repertoire it's been putting on may not have been attracting the necessary audiences because it is a bit out of the way, and that it may be better doing the fringe-y stuff that Lloyd Webber has in mind for it.

You are right PALACE! We have been there three or four times and only once was it even nearly at full capacity. We love fringe and will certainly give it a chance.