I’m forever being asked, much as my brother who is a vet is asked for fixes for people’s ailing pets, what shows I’d recommend people to see. With that in mind, I’m going to offer a weekly top ten here, as well as a diary of the big openers of the week so you know what reviews to look out for (and I’ll be digesting here every Sunday, as I did here yesterday).
This week’s main openings
In London:
- Hangmen – Premiered at the Royal Court in October, Martin McDonagh’s black comedy transfers to Wyndham’s for an extended run, opening tonight (December 7), with David Morrissey (pictured) and Johnny Flynn newly joined by Andy Nyman, replacing Reece Shearsmith.
- A Christmas Carol – Jim Broadbent stars as Scrooge in Phelim McDermott’s production of Patrick Barlow’s adaptation, opening on December 9 at the Noel Coward.
- Peter Pan Goes Wrong – The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society now has two productions in the West End: joining The Play That Goes Wrong (still at the Duchess) is their show about their attempt to get to Neverland, opening on December 9 at the Apollo.
- Hapgood – Tom Stoppard’s 1988 espionage thriller gets a rare outing, revived by Howard Davies in a production starring Lisa Dillon that is set to open at Hampstead Theatre on December 9.
- wonder.land – Damon Albarn and Moira Buffini’s new musical, premiered at the Manchester International Festival in July when I reviewed it for The Stage here, re-opens, in a reportedly revamped and extensively re-cast version, at the National’s Olivier on December 10.
wonder.land opens to the London press on Thursday 10 December 2015
Beyond London:
- Into the Woods – Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester — Matthew Xia directs Alex Gaumond, Gillian Bevan and David Moorst (who just won this year’s Evening Standard newcomers award) starring Sondheim and Lapine’s new musical, opening on December 9.
- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds — James Brining directs Jon Robyns and Tamsin Carroll in an all-new production of the Sherman Brothers musical, prior to a (re-cast) national tour, opening on December 10.
My top ten shows this week
My favourite new musical of the year – Howard Goodall’s glorious music soars in this stage version of the 2002 film, booking at the Phoenix Theatre to March 5. Jamie Muscato joins the cast from Dec. 14, to replace Jamie Campbell Bower, joining existing principals that include Natalie Dew,Lauren Samuels, Sophie-Louise Dann, Preeya Kalidas, Tony Jayawardena and the indescribably beautiful Jamal Andréas.
See my Stage review here.
Joyful concert revue of Burt Bacharach classics, mashed up and re-made for now, now extended at the Criterion to 14 February.
See my Stage review here.
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 2008 Tony winning Broadway musical returns to London in the exhilarating production first seen at Southwark Playhouse last year, and now at the new Olivier-eligible King’s Cross Theatre, where it is currently booking to 10 April.
See my Stage review here.
4. Derren Brown – Miracle
The amazing Derren Brown with a show that I described in
my Stage review as “truly gobsmacking”. Running at the Palace Theatre to 16 January, then resuming regional tour.
Simon Russell Beale, Dervla Kirwan and Joseph Millson in Ian Kelly’s marvellous theatrical play, first seen at Hampstead Theatre where I reviewed it for
London Theatre Guide, now transferred to the Haymarket, where it is, appropriately, partly set, and where it’s running to23 January.
6. Farinelli and the King
Kenneth Branagh leads the opening production of his new theatre company’s year-long residency at the Garrick, running to January 16. Also in the cast are Judi Dench, Michael Pennington, Hadley Fraser, Tom Bateman, John Dagleish, Adam Garcia and Jessie Buckley.
See my Stage review here.
And I’ve not seen these yet, but am dying to:
Penelope Skinner’s new play that opened last week, with Noma Dumezweni stepping in at short notice for Kim Cattrall.
See my reviews digest here.
Jamie Lloyd’s production of Pinter’s play with an all-star cast including Keith Allen, Gary Kemp and John Simm. I hate going to the Trafalgar Studios, but I’m going to have to steal myself to see this one.
Anne-Marie Duff in an adaptation of DH Lawrence at the National’s Dorfman, directed by Marianne Elliott. Michael Billington didn’t like it, but most others raved.
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Mark Shenton has been a full-time freelance London-based theatre critic and journalist since 2002, and is proud to have co-founded MyTheatreMates with Terri Paaddock. He has variously (and sometimes simultaneously) been chief theatre critic for the Sunday Express, The Stage, WhatsOnStage, What's On in London magazine and LondonTheatre.co.uk. He has taught at ArtsEd London in Chiswick on musical theatre history since 2012. He was until recently President of the Critics' Circle, and is also on the board of Mercury Musical Developments and the National Student Drama Festival (NSDF). You can follow him on Twitter
@ShentonStage, and on instagram at
@ShentonStage. His personal website is
www.shentonstage.com.
Tags: /hangmen/, /MR FOOTES OTHER LEG/, A Christmas Carol, Adam Garcia, Alex Gaumond, Andy Nyman, Anne-Marie Duff, Bend it Like Beckham, claire van kampen, Close to You, Damon Albarn, David Moorst, David Morrissey, Derren Brown, DERVLA KIRWAN, farinelli and the king, Gary Kemp, Gillian Bevan, Hadley Fraser, Hapgood, In the Heights, Include in homepage slide?, James Brining, Jamie Campbell Bower, Jamie Lloyd, jamie muscato, Jessie Buckley, Jim Broadbent, John Dagleish, John Simm, Johnny Flynn, Jon Robyns, Joseph Millson, Keith Allen, Kenneth Branagh, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Lisa Dillon, Marianne Elliott, Mark Rylance, Mark Shenton, Martin McDonagh, Mates co-founder, Michael Billington, Michael Pennington, Moira Buffini, Penelope Skinner, Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Phelim McDermott, ShentonStage, Simon Russell Beale, Tom Bateman, wonder.land
Mark Shenton has been a full-time freelance London-based theatre critic and journalist since 2002, and is proud to have co-founded MyTheatreMates with Terri Paaddock. He has variously (and sometimes simultaneously) been chief theatre critic for the Sunday Express, The Stage, WhatsOnStage, What's On in London magazine and LondonTheatre.co.uk. He has taught at ArtsEd London in Chiswick on musical theatre history since 2012. He was until recently President of the Critics' Circle, and is also on the board of Mercury Musical Developments and the National Student Drama Festival (NSDF). You can follow him on Twitter
@ShentonStage, and on instagram at
@ShentonStage. His personal website is
www.shentonstage.com.
mytheatremates.entstix.com
nationaltheatre.org.uk
