As March zooms by, here’s a guide to many of the shows which are opening in April…
1. Honk!, Union Theatre: this is only the third time that this George Stiles and Anthony Drewe musical has been seen in London and to celebrate its 20th anniversary, Andy Room directs this new production running at the Union theatre from the 29th March until the 22nd April, officially opening the 1st April.
2. 42nd Street, Theatre Royal Drury Lane: now in previews and officially opening 4th April, Mark Bramble directs this tap dancing spectacle starring Sheena Easton, Tom Lister and Clare Halse. To book tickets visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk, Discount Theatre.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love Theatre.com, Theatre People.com and UK Tickets.co.uk.
3. Posh, Pleasance Theatre: Laura Wade’s hit play is given a makeover, by placing women in the leading roles usually performed by men. The production is directed by Cressida Carré and will star Serena Jennings, Lucy Aarden, Cassie Bradley, Alice Brittain, Molly Hanson, Verity Kirk, Macy Nyman, Toni Peach, Jessica Siân, Sarah Thom, Gabby Wong and Amani Zardoe. The production will play at the theatre from the 29th March and will officially open on the 3rd April.
4. Miss Nightingale, The Vaults: officially opening the 5th April, this musical is brought to the stage by Matthew Bugg, who as well as directing wrote and composed the show. It was first staged in 2011 and was voted into the Top 100 Greatest Musicals of All Time organised by British Theatre.com, coming in at number 80 and beating classics such as Sweet Charity, Hello Dolly!, Top Hat, Show Boat and Sister Act.
5. The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? Theatre Royal Haymarket: Damian Lewis and Sophie Okonedo star in this revival of Edward Albee’s darkly comic play, officially opening the 5th April.
Martin is at the pinnacle of life: he has a loving wife and son, a hugely successful career as an architect, and the commission of a lifetime, but when he embarks upon an improbable and impossible love affair from which there is no return, he must face the dizzying, explosive consequences.
To book tickets visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk, Discount Theatre.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love Theatre.com, Theatre People.com and UK Tickets.co.uk.
6. This Joint is Jumpin’, The Other Palace studio: previewing from the 4th April and officially opening on the 6th April, this show celebrates jazz and the life of Fats Waller. The show features songs such as Ain’t Misbehavin’, Black and Blue and Honeysuckle Rose.
7. Carousel, London Coliseum: now in rehearsals, Alfie Boe and Katherine Jenkins star in this semi-staged version of the classic Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, officially opening on the 11th April.
Fifteen years after getting caught up in an armed robbery and taking his own life, the charming carousel barker Billy Bigelow gets a chance to return to earth and make amends. Discovering that his daughter Louise has grown into a lonely, troubled teenager, haunted by her father’s legacy, Billy vows to restore pride to his family in the musical voted by Time as the greatest of the 20th Century.
To book tickets visit: Tickemaster.co.uk, Discount Theatre.com, Last Minute.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love Theatre.com, Theatre People.com and UK Tickets.co.uk.
7. The Philanthropist, Trafalgar Studios: Christopher Hampton’s play arrives in London in a new producion directed by Simon Callow, starring Matt Berry, Simon Bird, Lily Cole, Charlotte Ritchie and Tom Rosenthal.
Out in the ‘real world’ the Prime Minister and his cabinet have been assassinated and England’s most treasured writers are being murdered one by one! Back in the cosy bubble of university life, a bachelor don anguishes over sex, marriage, anagrams, and the meaning of life. Did someone suggest academics were ‘out of touch’?
To book tickets visit: ATG Tickets, Discount Theatre.com, Love Theatre.com, UK Tickets.co.uk and Theatre People.com.