Book your theatre tickets for this autumn! Check out top 10 London plays and enjoy a night of entertainment in the city.
By Andrea Pinto for The Handbook
Autumn is here and as we swap al fresco lunches and warm-weather sundowners for cosy nights indoors, we’re looking ahead to what’s coming up on the London stage. Plenty of new shows are opening in West End, as well as revivals or ongoing runs of much-loved classics and acclaimed modern productions. We’ve rounded up the best plays to book tickets for this autumn-winter.
Macbeth
David Tennant and Cush Jumbo are returning to their landmark performances in Shakespeare’s most extraordinary psychological drama, Macbeth. Unsettling intimacy and brutal action combine at breakneck speed as Max Webster directs this tale of love and murder. Expect groundbreaking sound design and live Celtic folk music (all played through lightweight headphones provided) that immerse the audience in every sound. This unforgettable staging is playing a strictly limited run at London’s Harold Pinter Theatre from 1st October 2024 onwards.
when: 1st October to 14th December 2024
where: Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton St, London SW1Y 4DN
website: www.haroldpintertheatre.co.uk
The Taming of the Shrew
Step inside an absurd carnival for this unique production of Shakespeare’s vicious comedy The Taming of the Shrew in the Globe Theatre. Need a little recap of the plot? Lucentio is determined to win the beautiful Bianca’s hand in marriage, and when her father declares that it will only happen once her older sister Katharina is wedded, the competition to mould the fiercely independent Katharina into obedient wifely material begins.
when: 23rd September to 26th October
where: 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT
website: www.shakespearesglobe.com
Juno and The Paycock
Tony award-nominee J. Smith-Cameron (Succession’s Gerri Kellman) stars as Juno Boyle opposite Mark Rylance as ‘Captain’ Jack Boyle in this highly anticipated new production. Directed by Tony and Olivier award-winner Matthew Warchus (Matilda The Musical, Pride) this is Dublin in 1922, when the Irish Civil War is tearing the nation apart. In the cauldron of a family’s tiny tenement flat, Juno Boyle, a matriarch whose sharp wit is her survival tool, struggles to make ends meet and keep the family together while her husband, Jack Boyle, fancies himself a ship’s commander but sails no further than the pub. Then, news of a great inheritance comes along…
when: 21st September to 23rd November 2024
where: Gielgud Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 6AR
website: www.delfontmackintosh.co.uk
The Buddha of Suburbia
The Buddha of Suburbia is a novel by British Pakistani author Hanif Kureishi, which won the Whitbread Award for the best first novel. Performed for a limited four-week season only, the play is set in South London in the late seventies, featuring high unemployment, inflation, food shortages and strikes. But despite the discontent, the protagonist, 17-year-old Karim, sees his life exploding into technicolour and he finds his way to “enlightenment.” Directed by Emma Rice, The Buddha of Suburbia will explore family, friends, sex, theatre and, ultimately, the idea of belonging, in a critically acclaimed production.
when: 22nd October to 16th November 2024
where: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London, EC2Y 8DS
website: www.barbican.org.uk
Barcelona
Lily Collins (Emily in Paris) and Álvaro Morte (Money Heist) make their West End debuts in Bess Wohl’s explosive play, Barcelona. Directed by Lynette Linton the play is set in Barcelona – where an American tourist goes home with a handsome Spaniard. What begins as a carefree, one-night stand becomes an invitation to danger, as the personal and political intertwine. Expect this to be funny, sexy and surprising in a thriller that is designed to keep audiences guessing. Running for 12 weeks only at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre, this one looks like a big change if you’ve gotten used to only seeing Collins in her marketing executive-Parisian avatar.
when: 21st October 2024 to 11th January 2025
where: Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Ln, London WC2N 4BG
website: www.thedukeofyorks.com
Starlight Express
With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe, Starlight Express is a fantastic creative exploration set in a state-of-the-art space. The design team is helmed by an all-star team including acclaimed director Luke Sheppard(&Juliet, The Little Big Things), set designer Tim Hatley (Back to the Future) and video designer Andrzej Goulding (Life of Pi), so you can expect an incredible immersive experience as the cast zooms about on skates, as a child’s train set magically comes to life and engines race to become the fastest in the world
when: 8th June 2024 to 8th June 2025
where: Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
website: www.starlightexpresslondon.com
Look Back in Anger
Former Almeida Resident Director Atri Banerjee (The Glass Menagerie, Julius Caesar) directs a new production of John Osborne’s ground-breaking, furious play which, alongside Arnold Wesker’s Roots, had a huge impact on British theatre. Now the mirror they held up to 1950s society is angled towards 2024, with the two plays running alongside each other for eleven weeks, as part of the Almeida’s Angry and Young season. We see Jimmy Porter frustrated by his post-war life running a local stall, embittered by the disapproval of his wife Alison’s wealthier family and a world that has shut him out, he frequently spirals into fits of rage. One night, when Alison’s friend unexpectedly turns up at their home, this uneasy marriage descends further into freefall, with their friends left trying to keep the peace.
When: 20th September to 23rd November 2024
where: Almeida Street, London N1 1TA
website: www.almeida.co.uk
Why Am I So Single?
From the writers of the worldwide mega smash hit SIX, comes a brand-new all-singing, all-dancing musical extravaganza, Why Am I So Single? Join two best friends as they drink, eat, laugh, and cry while they attempt to answer the impossible question of…why they are so single. The play is a fun, relatable musical that features a great soundtrack that will have you singing along in no time.
when: until 13th February 2025
where: Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Rd, London, WC2H 0HH
website: www.thegarricktheatre.co.uk
A Face In The Crowd
When radio producer Marcia Jeffries meets drifter “Lonesome Rhodes”, she immediately gives him a slot on her show. But as Lonesome’s fan base grows and the politicians take notice, Marcia realises she has unleashed a force she can no longer control. Singer-songwriter Elvis Costello and award-winning Broadway playwright Sarah Ruhl‘s timely new musical reignites this Hollywood classic about celebrity, power, and politics. Starring Ramin Karimloo (Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables) and Anoushka Lucas (recent Young Vic smash-hit Oklahoma!), A Face in the Crowd is definitely one to watch this season.
when: till 9th November
where: Young Vic, 66 The Cut, Waterloo, London SE1 8LZ
website: www.youngvic.org
The Devil Wears Prada
We all know the story: Aspiring journalist Andy gets a job working for the powerful (and terrifying) editor-in-chief of Runway magazine, Miranda Priestly and finds herself thrown into a glamorous world she once despised. The much-loved Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep film is finally getting its own musical adaptation in the UK, with an original score by none other than Elton John. Featuring Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty, Desperate Housewives) as MirandaPriestly and Georgie Buckland as Andy Sachs, we absolutely cannot wait for this one.
When: opens 24th october
Where: Dominion Theatre, london
Website: www.dominion.co.uk
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