Accidental Death of an Anarchist
Written over 50 years ago and performed in over 40 countries, Dario Fo's 1970 farce has flown (out the window) and landed in the West End this summer. Following a highly acclaimed run at the Lyric Theatre, this biting satire of police corruption cleverly exposes the misconduct and abuse of power within the force in a wickedly quick-witted and darkly comedic way.
This punchy play follows an arrested, unhinged showman as he attempts to recreate the untimely death of a young, falsely accused anarchist in police custody. Did he fall out of the window or was he pushed? Through the showman’s absurd performance, he unintentionally reveals the corruption, coverups, and clueless constables that caused the crime, but will justice be served?
Adapted by Plebs creator Tom Basden and starring BAFTA Award winner Daniel Rigby, alongside Tony Gardner (Last Tango in Halifax) this modern update would be criminal to miss.
2:22 A Ghost Story
Are you feeling brave? Danny Robins chilling play has had theatregoers on the edge of their seats since it first opened 2 years ago and (just like our heart rate when we watched the show) it shows no signs of slowing down!
Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam is skeptical, choosing to believe in scientific explanations over his wife. Their argument extends when their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and her new partner Ben, come to stay. The night slowly descends into chaos as the foursome argues over the possibilities of the paranormal. Accusations and glasses are thrown as tensions mount. What secrets and ghosts will reveal themselves, as the couples stay up until 2:22?
At this point, it would be easier to list the celebrities who haven’t appeared in Matthew Dunster’s award-winning production, with the likes of Tom Felton, Lily Allen, James Buckley, Cheryl, Stephanie Beatriz, and more all taking turns in the haunting show. This time Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) Clifford Samuel (McMafia), Ricky Champ (Eastenders), and Jamie Winstone (Made in Dagenham) will be braving the bumps in the night, will you be joining them?
Brokeback Mountain
First published 25 years ago, Annie Proulx's moving short story finally makes its way to the stage in this hotly anticipated new production. The 'play with songs' features a country and western score by The Feeling’s frontman Dan Gillespie Sells and is expertly performed live by BRIT award-winning singer Eddie Reader with her band. The emotional love story, made famous by the Oscar-winning film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger, follows Ennis and Jack, two young men whose lives are forever changed by an intense spark that bounds them together. The men, knowing their love will be condemned by the tight-knit conservative communities they each hail from, navigate the harsh realities and devastating consequences of their forbidden love.
Multi-award-winning actor Mike Faist, who originated the role of Connor Murphy in Dear Evan Hansen and played Riff in Stephen Spielberg’s West Side Story makes his West End debut as Jack, alongside Oscar-nominated actor Lucas Hedges, best known for his performances in Manchester by the Sea and Lady Bird also making his West End debut as Ennis.
Patriots
Following a phenomenal run at the Almeida, where the political production became the theatre's fastest-selling original play, Patriots has made its much-anticipated West End transfer.
Set during the collapse of the Soviet Union, Patriots explores the story of billionaire businessman, and Putin kingmaker, Boris Berezovsky, as he struggles amidst a new generation of oligarchs that threaten to seize political control. Under the ever-changing regimes of post-Soviet Russia, he knows that anyone can become a winner or a loser, and he will try and protect his reputation and legacy at any cost.
From the creator of the critically acclaimed Netflix period drama The Crown, and starring BAFTA winner Tom Hollander as Boris Berezovsky, opposite Will Keen in an Olivier-winning performance as Putin, everyone will be Russian to get their tickets, don’t miss out on yours!
The Crucible
After a triumphant run at the National Theatre, Lyndsey Turner's incredible production of the Arthur Miller classic has now transferred to the West End, so if you let this bewitching production pass you by last time now you have no excuse! With a creative team of some of theatre's most exciting practitioners including Es Devlin and Catherine Fey, don't miss your chance to experience this magical revival.
A powerful fable of false accusations and very real consequences, The Crucible follows the infamous witch trials that plagued Salem in the 1600s. In a world where paranoia reigns supreme, anyone has the influence to inflict untold upset on others and soon a group of young women suddenly find their voices and discover that their words can have terrible power.
Starring House of Dragon’s Milly Alcock, Bad Sisters’ Brian Gleeson, Succession’s Catlin FritzGerald, and Hot Fuzz’s Ron Cook, there may not be spirits roaming Salem, but there are plenty of stars.
Bleak Expectations
Why settle for one famous face, when you can have 15? Each week the role of the narrator in this delightful Dickens parody is performed by a different guest star. Some of the celebrities who have already donned the storytellers’ top hat include; Sue Perkins, sketch show legend Sally Phillips, and everyone’s favourite TV and radio presenter, Dermot O’Leary. Don’t fear if you haven’t had a chance to see the show yet, you still have a chance to catch Jo Brand, Jack Dee, Stephen Fry, Nish Kumar, Lee Mack, and more!
What the dickens is the show about, we hear you say. Well, combining elements of Victorian melodrama, satire, and absurdity, Bleak Expectations is completely farcical and frivolous, in the best possible way. Adapted from the much-loved BBC Radio 4 drama of the same name, this tall tale follows the exploits of orphan Pip Bin and his best pal Harry Biscuit as they attempt to escape the evil clutches of Mr. Gently Benevolent, defeat the irrepressible Hard thrasher siblings and avert disaster at every turn. Can love triumph over hate? There’s only one way to find out.
Ocean at the End of the Lane
The critically acclaimed stage adaptation of Neil Gaiman's fantastical novel returns with a splash this Autumn! Blurring the boundaries between reality and imagination, this enchanting play weaves sorcery and memories, in a spellbinding odyssey to a childhood long forgotten, and a place that is on the brink of darkness.
Returning to his childhood home, a man finds himself wandering to the Old Sussex farmhouse where he used to play, and the pond that runs beside it. On looking into the pond, he's transported to his 12th birthday where his remarkable friend Lettie claims it never was a small body of water, but rather a deep, rich ocean full of magic –a place where everything is possible...
Plunged into a mysterious world, their survival depends on their ability to confront their deepest fears and find the strength to survive. Will they drown under the pressure, or can they swim up to the light?
School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play
Class is in session as the award-winning comedy School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play by Ghanaian American Jocelyn Bioh makes its UK premiere. Set during a beauty pageant in a Ghanaian girls’ boarding school in 1986, this heart-warming and hilarious show explores the universal similarities, and glaring differences, facing teenage girls around the world.
Set against the mountainous Ghanaian landscape, a group of school girls await the arrival of the Miss Ghana pageant recruiter. However, when the gorgeous and accomplished transfer student Ericka starts school, everything unravels. Cliques dissolve, and the title of Miss Ghana becomes more elusive. As the power dynamics shift, secrets are revealed, and the stakes raise, leaving everyone wondering - who will come out on top, and more importantly, at what cost?