Entertainments Theatre

Theatre Listings for Autumn 2018

BRIDGE THEATRE
SOUTHBANK
SE1 9PX
020 7452 3000

Hallelujah!
11 July to 29 September
by Alan Bennett
The Beth, an old fashioned cradle-to-grave hospital serving a town on the edge of the Pennines, is threatened with closure as part of an NHS efficiency drive. Meanwhile, a documentary crew eager to capture its fight for survival follows the daily struggle to find beds on the Dusty Springfield Geriatric Ward, and the triumphs of the old people’s choir.

A Very Very Very Dark Matter
12 October to 6 January 2019
by Martin McDonagh
In a townhouse in Copenhagen works Hans Christian Andersen, a teller of exquisite and fantastic children’s tales beloved by millions. But the true source of his stories dwells in his attic upstairs, her existence a dark secret kept from the outside world. As dangerous, twisted and funny as his National Theatre and Broadway hit The Pillowman, Martin McDonagh’s new play travels deep into the abysses of the imagination.

Company – A Musical Comedy
26 September to 22 December
by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth
Marianne Elliott directs Company, Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s legendary musical comedy about life, love and marriage.

At Bobbie’s (Rosalie Craig) 35th birthday party all her friends are wondering why isn’t she married? Why can’t she find the right man? Why doesn’t she settle down and have a family? Featuring Stephen Sondheim’s award winning songs Company, You Could Drive a Person Crazy, The Ladies Who Lunch, Side by Side and the iconic Being Alive.
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NATIONAL THEATRE
SOUTHBANK
SE1 9PX
020 7452 3000

Exit the King
To 6 October
by Eugène Ionesco
Patrick Marber directs his new version of Exit the King with a cast including Rhys Ifans in the title role and Indira Varma as his first Queen. Somewhere in Europe the kingdom is disintegrating. It’s the last day of King Bérenger’s life. Queen Marguerite is preparing for the end and Queen Marie is in denial.

The Prisoner
12 September to 4 October
by Peter Brook and Marie-Hélène Estienne
Somewhere in the world, a man sits alone outside a prison. Who is he, and why is he there? Is it a choice, or a punishment? Peter Brook and his long-time collaborator Marie-Hélène Estienne return to London with a provocative study of what it means to be free.

The Lehman Trilogy
To 20 October
by Stefano Massini
The story of a family and a company that changed the world, told in three parts on a single evening. Sam Mendes directs Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Ben Miles who play the Lehman Brothers, their sons and grandsons.

Antony & Cleopatra
From 18 September to 19 January
by William Shakespeare
Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo play the famous fated couple. Caesar and his assassins are dead. General Mark Antony now rules alongside his fellow defenders of Rome. But at the fringes of a war-torn empire the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony have fallen fiercely in love.

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SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE
56 PARK STREET
SE1 9AR
020 7261 9565

The Winter’s Tale
To 14 October
by William Shakespeare
In a fit of groundless jealousy, Leontes wrecks his marriage, defies the gods, destroys his family and ruins himself. As the years roll around, a new generation flee their own country and take refuge in Sicilia. Unknowingly they bring with them the key to the past, present and future…

Othello
To 13 October
by William Shakespeare
The republic of Venice employs General Othello, a self-made man and a Moor, to defend its overseas territories against the Turks. As the Turkish threat gathers and Venetian forces are despatched to Cyprus, the love Othello holds for his new wife becomes a raging, uncontrollable torrent. Iago, a junior officer secretly enraged by Othello, exploits his General’s ambiguous position and ingenuous nature, driving him into a passionate and overpowering jealousy.

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THE OLD VIC
103 THE CUT
SE1 8NB
020 7928 2651

Wise Children
8 October to 10 November
by Angela Carter
In Brixton, Nora and Dora Chance – twin chorus girls – are celebrating their 70th birthday. Over the river in Chelsea, their father and greatest actor of his generation Melchior Hazard turns 100 on the same day. As does his twin brother Peregrine. If, in fact, he’s still alive. And if, in truth, Melchior is their real father after all…

A big, bawdy tangle of theatrical joy and heartbreak, Wise Children is a celebration of show business, family, forgiveness and hope. Expect show girls and Shakespeare, sex and scandal, music, mischief and mistaken identity – and butterflies by the thousand.

A Christmas Carol
27 November to 19 January
by Charles Dickens and adapted by Jack Thorne
Matthew Warchus’ big-hearted, smash hit production of Charles Dickens’ immortal classic A Christmas Carol returns to The Old Vic, joyously adapted for the stage by Jack Thorne. Filling the auditorium to the brim with mince pies, music and merriment, a unique staging immerses the audience in this uplifting story for everyone aged 8+.

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THE YOUNG VIC
66 THE CUT
SE1 8LZ
020 7922 2922

Twelfth Night (Musical)
18 Jun 2018 to 1 Sep 2018
by William Shakespeare and adapted by Kwame Kwei-Armah & Shaina Taub
Shakespeare gets a shake-up as soulful melodies and R&B beats weave through this enchanting musical adaptation of Twelfth Night.

Viola and her twin brother Sebastian wash up on the shores of Illyria and when she disguises herself as a man, a joyous whirlwind of gender-bending and unrequited love begins.

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MENIER CHOCOLATE FACTORY
53 SOUTHWARK STREET
SE1 1RU
020 7378 1713

Pack of Lies
20 September to 17 November
by Hugh Whitemore
The Jacksons are a nice middle aged English couple. Their best friends are the Krogers, their Canadian neighbours. All is blissful in their world until a detective from Scotland Yard asks to use their house as an observation station to foil a Soviet spy ring operating in the area. They are really put to the test when the detective asks them to help set a trap. Should they betray their friends… Or their country? This play is based on a true story.

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SOUTHWARK PLAYHOUSE
77-85 NEWINGTON CAUSEWAY
SE1 6BD
020 7407 0234

The Sweet Science of Bruising
3 October to 27 October
by Joy Wilkinson
London, 1869. Four very different Victorian women are drawn into the dark underground world of female boxing by the eccentric Professor Sharp. Controlled by men and constrained by corsets, each finds an unexpected freedom in the boxing ring. As their lives begin to intertwine their journey takes us through grand drawing rooms, bustling theatres and rowdy Southwark pubs where the women fight inequality as well as each other. But with the final showdown approaching only one can become the Lady Boxing Champion of the World…

The Trench
10 October to 17 November
by Oliver Lansley
Inspired by the true story of a miner who became entombed underground in a collapsed tunnel during World War One. As the horror threatens to engulf him, he finds that not everything in the darkness is what it seems. The line between fantasy and reality blurs as he embarks on an epic journey for survival questioning what’s real, what’s not and whether it even matters?

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