London 2017: Mainstream Theatre (Jan-June)
© Johan Persson
Damian Lewis, Imelda Staunton and Griff Rhys Jones tread the boards in London's West End in 2017. Discover the hottest theatre tickets in town with our top picks on the main stage.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child director John Tiffany returns to the West End.
Duke of York's Theatre, St Martins Lane, London, WC2N 4BG
Tube: Leicester Square Station
, Charing Cross Station, Covent Garden Station, Piccadilly Circus Station, Embankment Underground Station
Dates: 26th January - 29th April 2017
Director John Tiffany returns to the West End for the first time since the international critical hit Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to revive his critically acclaimed production of The Glass Menagerie. An A-list cast includes Tony Award-winner Cherry Jones who stars as the domineering former southern belle, who enlists the help of her son to find a husband for her emotionally fragile daughter. She appears with fellow Edinburgh International Festival cast members Michael Esper (Tom) and Kate O'Flynn (Laura) while Brian J. Smith reprises his Tony Award-nominated Broadway role as the Gentleman Caller.
Gary Barlow and Tim Firth's new musical take on the Calendar Girls.
The Girls
Phoenix Theatre,
Charing Cross Road London, WC2H 0JP
Theatre
Phoenix Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0JP
Tube: Tottenham Court Road Station
, Leicester Square Station, Covent Garden Station
Dates: 28th January - 22nd April 2017
Based on the true story, film and award-winning play Calendar Girls, Gary Barlow and Tim Firth's new British musical, The Girls, opens at the Phoenix Theatre this January. Inspired by the story of a group of ladies who appeared nude for a Women's Institute calendar in order to raise funds to buy a settee for their local hospital, the musical comedy will show their life in the Yorkshire village, how it came about, the effect it had on their friends and family, and how a group of ordinary ladies achieved something extraordinary. Like the 2003 film, Tim Firth will direct with musical staging by Lizzi Gee and comedy staging by Jos Houben. The 'Girls' will be played by Debbie Chazen, Sophie-Louise Dann, Michele Dotrice, Claire Moore and Joanna Riding.
Silent Witness actress Emilia Fox stars in the UK premiere of Laura Eason's smart comedy.
Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, London, NW3 3EU
Tube: Swiss Cottage Station
Dates: 27th January - 04th March 2017
Emilia Fox stars in the UK premiere of Laura Eason's smart comedy Sex with Strangers, directed by Peter DuBois. The Silent Witness actress returns to Hampstead Theatre following the sell-out hit Rapture, Blister, Burn in 2014 to play Olivia, an attractive and talented but underappreciated mid-career writer. She is unexpectedly trapped overnight in a secluded, snowed-in B&B with Ethan, an equally attractive and wildly successful young blogger. What develops is a love story packed with hidden ambitions, desire and secret agendas.
Patrick Marber directs Tom Hollander and the full company from the Menier.
Travesties
Apollo Theatre,
29 Shaftesbury Avenue London, W1D 7EZ
Theatre
Apollo Theatre, 29 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7EZ
Tube: Piccadilly Circus Station
, Leicester Square Station
Dates: 03rd February - 29th April 2017
This production of Travesties broke box office records at the Menier Chocolate Factory, becoming the first play in the company's history to sell out ahead of its first preview. Now, with previews from 3rd February 2017, the play transfers to the Apollo Theatre in the West End. Patrick Marber directs Tom Hollander and the full company from the Menier - including Freddie Fox, Peter McDonald, Forbes Masson and Clare Foster - in Tom Stoppard's comedy of art, love and revolution. Tom Hollander is "hilarious in this mind-bogglingly entertaining Stoppard revival"(Telegraph), starring as minor British diplomat Henry Carr, who is stationed in 1917 Zurich and misremembers James Joyce, Tristan Tzara and Lenin.
Tamsin Greig take on the classic male role of Malvolio.
Twelfth Night
National Theatre: Olivier Theatre,
South Bank London, SE1 8XZ
Theatre
National Theatre: Olivier Theatre, South Bank, London, SE1 8XZ
Tube: Embankment Underground Station
Dates: 15th February - 13th May 2017
Continuing his commitment to diversity, Rufus Norris, artistic director of the National Theatre, brings a very modern take on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night to the Olivier Theatre. Directed by Simon Goodwin, the production sees Tamsin Greig take on the classic male role of Malvolio, which will be reimagined as Malvolia. "That play is about lots of gender confusion anyway" states Norris, making it an appropriate twist. The narrative follows Viola, who is washed ashore on a remote island, and her lost twin brother, Sebastian. What follows is a whirlwind of mistaken identity and unrequited love, with Malvolia being swept up in the madness.
Sherlock star Andrew Scott appears opposite Juliet Stevenson at the Almeida.
Hamlet
Harold Pinter Theatre,
6 Panton Street London, SW1Y 4DN
Theatre
Harold Pinter Theatre, 6 Panton Street, London, SW1Y 4DN
Tube: Piccadilly Circus Station
, Leicester Square Station
Dates: 09th June - 02nd September 2017
After starring in Mary Stuart in late 2016, Juliet Stevenson returns to the Almeida stage this year to star in Hamlet, playing Gertrude. Sherlock and Spectre star Andrew Scott, who makes his Almeida debut in the title role, will take the title role. The star will be following in the footsteps of his on-screen nemesis Benedict Cumberbatch, who tackled Shakespeare's toughest role in 2015 in what became the fastest-selling play in London theatre history.
Imelda Staunton plays Martha in Albee's examination of the breakdown of a marriage.
Harold Pinter Theatre, 6 Panton Street, London, SW1Y 4DN
Tube: Piccadilly Circus Station
, Leicester Square Station
Dates: 22nd February - 27th May 2017
Imelda Staunton returns to the West End after her triumphant and Olivier Award-winning performance as Mama Rose in Gypsy to star opposite Conleth Hill in a new production of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Multi Tony and Pulitzer prize-winning playwright Edward Albee, who sadly passed away recently, penned the 1962 play examining the breakdown of the marriage of a middle-aged couple. Martha (played by Imelda Staunton), much to her husband George's displeasure, has invited new professor Nick and his wife Honey to their home for some after-party drinks, leading to a moment of devastating truth-telling.
Daniel Radcliffe stars in the 50th-anniversary production of Tom Stoppard's situation comedy.
Old Vic Theatre, 103 The Cut, London, SE1 8NB
Tube: Waterloo Station
, Southwark Station, Lambeth North Station
Dates: 25th February - 29th April 2017
The play that made Tom Stoppard's name overnight, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead is staged at The Old Vic for the first time since its London debut in 1967. The 50th-anniversary celebratory production will be directed by David Leveaux and star Daniel Radcliffe and Joshua McGuire. Against the backdrop of Shakespeare's Hamlet, the mind-bending situation comedy sees two hapless minor characters take centre stage, becoming increasingly out of their depth. With the young double act stumbling their way in and out of action, Stoppard's play sees the audience witness the ultimate identity crisis.
Griff Rhys Jones and Lee Mack star in Moliere's classic comedy.
The Miser
Garrick Theatre,
2 Charing Cross Road London, WC2H 0HH
Theatre
Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0HH
Tube: Leicester Square Station
, Charing Cross Station, Covent Garden Station, Piccadilly Circus Station, Embankment Underground Station
Dates: 01st March - 03rd June 2017
Griff Rhys Jones takes the title role and comedian Lee Mack stars in a major revival of Moliere's classic comedy The Miser with Sean Foley directing the new adaptation. A biting satire about a wealthy and tyrannical father, The Miser attempts to set up a love match with a much younger woman. Unfortunately, she is already devoted to his son. Director Sean Foley has already given us the hugely successful production of Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense and with such well known names in the lead roles, this has all the ingredients to be a must-see piece of theatre. The play opens at Bath Theatre Royal and travels to Richmond Theatre before opening at the Garrick Theatre in the West End on Wednesday 1st March 2017.
Trials and tribulations of seven women and one man who meet at a weekly tap class.
Stepping Out
Vaudeville Theatre,
404 Strand London, WC2R 0NH
Theatre
Vaudeville Theatre, 404 Strand, London, WC2R 0NH
Tube: Covent Garden Station
, Charing Cross Station, Embankment Underground Station, Leicester Square Station
Dates: 01st March - 17th June 2017
Amanda Holden, Angela Griffin, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Tamzin Outhwaite and Nicola Stephenson star in Richard Harris' bittersweet comedy drama, Stepping Out, which choreographs the trials and tribulations of seven women and one man, who meet at a weekly tap dancing class in a north London church hall. Such an all-star cast make this award-winning comedy, directed by Maria Friedman at the Vaudeville Theatre, a toe tapping hot ticket.
David Tennant stars in Patrick Marber's contemporary take on Moliere's classic comedy.
Wyndham's Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DA
Tube: Leicester Square Station
, Covent Garden Station, Charing Cross Station, Piccadilly Circus Station
Dates: 17th March - 10th June 2017
David Tennant returns to the West End this March to play the title role in Patrick Marber's Don Juan in Soho. Directed by Marber himself (who's keeping himself busy in 2017, also directing Travesties at the Apollo Theatre) the play will be staged at the Wyndham's Theatre for a strictly limited 11-week run. The contemporary take on Moliere's classic comedy, Don Juan, first premiered at the Donmar Warehouse in December 2006, directed by Michael Grandage and starring Rhys Ifans. Now, with this West End transfer, more audiences will be able to enjoy the "dark, funny and very sexy" (The Telegraph) production.
Damian Lewis and Sophie Okonedo star in Albee's play about a father who falls in love with a goat.
Theatre Royal Haymarket, 18 Suffolk Street, Haymarket, London, SW1Y 4HT
Tube: Piccadilly Circus Station
, Leicester Square Station, Charing Cross Station
Dates: 24th March - 24th June 2017
Damian Lewis returns to the West End this March to star in Edward Albee's The Goat, Or Who Is Sylvia? The Tony Award-winning play follows Martin, who is at the pinnacle of his life. He has a loving wife and son, a fantastic career as an architect, and the commission of a lifetime. Despite this, he embarks on a love affair from which there is no going back, with familial relationships collapsing as a result. Ian Rickson, former Royal Court artistic director, directs the late classic, which is full of Albee's characteristically sharp wit and will be staged at the Theatre Royal Haymarket for a limited period.
Spider-Man actor Andrew Garfield spins a new web as HIV-positive New Yorker, Prior Walter.
Angels in America
National Theatre: Lyttelton Theatre,
South Bank London, SE1 9PX
Theatre
National Theatre: Lyttelton Theatre, South Bank, London, SE1 9PX
Tube: Temple Station
, Waterloo Station
Dates: From 11th April 2017
The National Theatre presents a new staging of Tony Kushner's multi-award winning two-part play, Angels in America, this April. The 1993 play won a Pulitzer, Tony and Drama Desk Award and was later adapted into a HBO miniseries. Now, Olivier and Tony Award-winning director Marianne Elliott (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and War Horse) directs the new production. Set in America in the mid-1980s, in the midst of the AIDS crisis, the genre-busting play, which is made up of two parts - Millennium Approaches and Perestroika - tells the story of a straight and a gay couple as they tackle addiction, diagnosis and desperate illness. Andrew Garfield takes the role of Prior Walter while other cast members include Denise Gough, Nathan Lane, James McArdle and Russell Tovey.
Lenny Henry appears in Bertolt Brecht's satire about a Chicago mobster's rise to power.
The Donmar Warehouse, 41 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, London, WC2H 9LD
Tube: Covent Garden Station
, Leicester Square Station, Tottenham Court Road Station
Dates: 21st April - 17th June 2017
Lenny Henry makes his Donmar Warehouse debut this April in Bertolt Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui. Written by Brecht in 1941 in just three weeks, the play focuses on fictional Chicago mobster Arturo Ui (played by Henry) to create an allegory of Hitler's Nazi Germany. The play has been given a new translation by Pulitzer, Olivier and Tony Award-winning American playwright Bruce Norris.
Jez 'Jerusalem' Butterworth and Sam Mendes collaborate on an emotionally wrought family drama.
The Ferryman
Royal Court Theatre,
Sloane Square London, SW1W 8AS
Theatre
Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London, SW1W 8AS
Tube: Sloane Square Station
Dates: 24th April - 20th May 2017
Olivier Award-winning playwright Jez Butterworth, who will forever be remembered for Jerusalem, returns to the Royal Court with The Ferryman, an emotionally wrought family drama set in 1981 rural Derry. American Beauty's Sam Mendes directs the play, which beings as the Carney farmhouse in Northern Ireland prepares for the annual harvest. A day of hard work on the land and a traditional night of feasting and celebrations lie ahead. But this year they will be interrupted by a visitor. With such an impressive creative team, we advise booking before it sells out.
The al fresco theatre opens with On the Town and presents two Dickens' classics.
Open Air Theatre
Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park,
Inner Circle, Regent's Park London, NW1 4NR
Theatre
Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park, Inner Circle, Regent's Park, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4NR
Tube: Regent's Park Station
Dates: 16th May - 19th September 2020
A mainstay of summer in London, the Regent's Park Open Air Theatre opens its doors for another season in 2017, opening with On the Town, directed by Olivier Award-winner Drew McOnie. We are then treated to two of Charles Dickens's most popular stories out in the open. Firstly, Matthew Dunster adapts Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities into a new play directed by Timothy Sheader. Secondly, Oliver Twist is created for everyone aged six and over, adapted by Anya Reiss and directed by Caroline Byrne. Jesus Christ Superstar, winner of the BBC Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical in the Evening Standard Awards, and a sell-out success in 2016, returns and runs until 16th September, giving audiences one final chance to see the production in its original home.