Lots of different things opening across the country this month. In London there are a lot of Fringe and Off West End productions coming your way, such as Glass Roots at Tristan Bates, Br’er Cotton at Theatre503, Returning to Haifa at the Finborough, Man Up (Temper-Mental Theatre) at the Drayton Arms, and The 4 Clowns of the Apocalypse at Canada Water Theatre.
Oneness, The Glorious Tour and Sisyphus Distressing open at Blue Elephant Theatre; The North! The North! and Mortgage have short runs at the Omnibus.
The RSC Hamlet tour stops off at the Hackney Empire for a few weeks, and From Ibiza To The Norfolk Broads returns to Jacksons Lane next week.
Southwark Playhouse begins its Jazz Age-inspired production of The Country Wife and the Old Vic hosts One Hand Tied Behind Us – a series of monologues curated by Maxine Peake, marking 100 years since the first women gained the right to vote.
Elsewhere, a new translation of The Cherry Orchard begins at the Bristol Old Vic (transforming the auditorium to perform it in the round), ‘The Party Somewhere Else’ Festival comes to Nottingham, Frankenstein opens at Manchester’s Royal Exchange, and Labyrinth enjoys a run at the Oxford Playhouse.
As ever, there is a slew of closures to go along with all this exciting new theatre. In London, it’s your last chance to see Dry Powder (Hampstead Theatre), Eugenius! (The Other Palace), Mary Stuart (Duke of York’s Theatre – touring in April), The Moor (Old Red Lion Theatre), Becoming Shades (VAULT Festival), and Girl From The North Country (Noël Coward Theatre).
All’s Well That Ends Well and The Captive Queen close at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, and the National Theatre’s Network (Lyttelton) and Beginning (transfer at the Ambassadors Theatre) end their respective runs. The UK & Ireland tour of Wicked says goodbye to the Bristol Hippodrome, The Importance of Being Earnest leaves the Theatre Royal Bath, and Cilla The Musical ends its run at the Theatre Royal Newcastle.
Keep an eye out this month for the Olivier Awards nominations! The announcements will be broadcast live on Facebook next Tuesday (6th March).
New releases: Jimi Hendrix – Both Sides Of The Sky (9th), Jack White – Boarding House Reach (23rd); Call Me By Your Name (5th), Collateral (26th)
Reviews
It seems like the sense of January really is wearing off, as my diary is starting to look increasingly packed…
Electra, The Bunker Theatre
Photo credit: Richard DavenportHilda & Virginia, Jermyn Street Theatre (rescheduled)Love’s Labour’s Lost, Rose PlayhouseCrazy For You, New Wimbledon TheatreJulius Caesar, Courtyard TheatreThe Dog Beneath The Skin, Jermyn Street TheatreAfter The Ball, Upstairs at the GatehouseThe Lord of the Flies, Greenwich TheatreGreat Apes, ArcolaThis Restless State, OvalhouseA Spoonful of Sherman, Greenwich Theatre
My final confirmed visit to the VAULT Festival is this week, with Lowri Amies’ Words, Words, Words.
Any Other Business
Photo credit: Will Longman
If all that wasn’t quite enough… I’m confirmed to review Brief Encounter at the Empire Cinema (Haymarket) and Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons: A Reimagining at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Both will be on BroadwayWorld UK in the next couple of weeks!
Excitingly, I also get to revisit a couple of things this month. A little show called Hamilton (you might have heard of it?) and The Grinning Man – hopefully I’ll have one more chance to see it next month before it closes. I’m also heading to The Other Palace for the first time in ages to see Myth (the reworked version of 27).
I also couldn’t let the month go by without a bit of touring! First up is a day trip to Bristol for some Chekhov; I’m excited to see their Old Vic reconfigured, and also to see the wonderful Kirsty Bushell in something else very different to her previous work. I’ll also be heading to Bromley (technically out of London!) to see that George Maguire in 20th Century Boy, and the UK tour of The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk kicks off – so I’m heading to the West Yorkshire Playhouse and then Salisbury Playhouse to get that going!
Outside of theatre, I’ve got a trip to the National Gallery lined up for their Reflections: Van Eyck and the Pre-Raphaelites exhibition – and I’ve been lucky enough to be invited along to the release party for David Hunter’s new EP (Silver Linings).
Hot tips
Blog post: Musical Manda’s review of Think of England
Book recommendation: Nomad (Alan Partridge)
“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time.”
Macbeth, Macbeth 5.5 (William Shakespeare)
Don’t miss!
My interview with Happy Idiot’s Lawrence Russell, talking about the forthcoming Not: Lady Chatterley’s Lover tour and their Kickstarter fund.
