Our top recommendations for post-lockdown theatre
It has not gone unnoticed that, of the industries hit hardest by the pandemic, the performing arts have taken front row seats. In particular, many of London’s oldest auditoriums and revered stages have remained empty for over a year.
We’ve ogled from home in recent months as creative innovation has reached new heights. The rebirth of the monologue, immersive drive-through theatrics and emerging virtual drama are just some of the creations which have triumphed during the pandemic; not only keeping theatre-lovers quenched but so many creatives in work. Now however, as lockdown is beginning to lift so, finally, is the curtain.
From 17 May smaller productions have been opening back up across the city, with the West End to follow suit from 21 June. If, like us, you have desperately missed live theatre and are equally keen to help #savethearts, here are some of the productions we recommend this season.
Cruise
Where: Duchess Theatre
When: 18 May - 13 June 2021
Price: from £20
Image: @cruisetheplay
#FLODown: Already receiving critical acclaim, Cruise is the musical retelling of the night that Michael, a gay man living in Soho during the 80s AIDS crisis, expected to be his last alive. Jack Holden wrote the script during the pandemic and is accompanied on stage by musician and composer John Elliot. A heart-wrenching piece of London’s queer history, if you loved It’s a Sin, this is a must-see.
The Death of a Black Man
Where: Hampstead Theatre
When: 28 May - 10 July 2021
Price: from £25
Image: Hampstead Theatre
#FLODown:Alfred Fagon’s post-colonial satire is being revived for the same stage on which it premiered 56 years ago. It’s 1973 on the King’s Road and, following the thrashing of the England cricket team by the West Indies, Shakie and Strumpie are living smugly and earning quickly. This black British classic follows the characters in their turbulent quest for fortune.
Under Milk Wood
Where: The National Theatre
When: 16 June – 24 July 2021
Price: from £20
Image: National Theatre
#FLODown: Under Milk Wood allows the audience into the dreams and minds of its characters before their everyday lives tell the story. Likely to be quaintly amusing in keeping with the Dylan Thomas radio play on which it is based, it will be an undoubtedly and thoroughly Welsh affair with Michael Sheen and Siân Phillips centre stage.
Cinderella
Where: Gillian Lynn Theatre
When: 25 June onwards
Price: from £29.50
Image: @alwcinderella
#FLODown:The drawn out anticipation over Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s recent instalment is the Theatreland equivalent of the COVID-Bond fiasco. Originally due to premiere in August 2020, we will finally be relieved from our tenter hooks as the adaptation of Cinderella hits the West End this summer.
Anna X
Where: Harold Pinter Theatre
When: 10 Jul - 4 Aug 2021
Price: from £5
Image: Harold Pinter Theatre
#FLODown: Anna X portrays the identity crises of two of New York’s fashion elite. It is the stage-debut for The Crown’s Princess Diana, Emma Corrin, whilst written by Joseph Charlton of the BBC’s Industry. Needless to say, we can expect a fast-paced but slick drama.
The Tragedy of Macbeth
Where: Almeida
When: 25 Sep - 20 Nov 2021
Price: Tickets on sale in July
Image: Almeida
#FLODown:As Saoirse Ronan superfans, we are wonderfully giddy anticipating her portrayal of one of the most vibrant female protagonists of all time - Lady Macbeth. What’s more, she does so alongside her fellow Mary Queen of Scott’s cast member, James McCardle. The Almeida’s inevitably electric version of The Scottish Play is directed by the experienced and ambitious Yaël Farber.
White Noise
Where:The Bridge Theatre
When: 5 Oct - 13 Nov 2021
Price: from £15
Image: @_bridgetheatre
#FLODown:Following critical success during its premiere in New York, White Noise debuts in Europe in the autumn, directed by Olivier award winner Polly Findlay. The show looks to undercut the usual narrative of a mid-thirties hotchpotch group of friends, with a poignant discussion of racial injustice and police brutality in the twenty-first century.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Where: Duke of York’s Theatre
When:From October 2021
Price:Tickets from £55
Image: @oceanwestend
#FLODown:A sell-out in its premiere season at the National (cut short by the pandemic last February), Katy Rudd’s production is set to be equally popular on its return in October. Spells and monsters abound as the design team take the reigns in this stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s childhood fantasy adventure.
Global cinema platform MUBI and intersectional feminist publication Polyester kicked off Halloween week with a hauntingly glamorous launch event for the much-anticipated body-horror film The Substance at The Standard.