With the New Year firmly within sight, here’s Love London Love Culture’s guide to some of the best theatre to see during January…
Bananaman the Musical, Southwark Playhouse: it might already be in previews, but this world premiere production of the brand new musical officially opens in January. As one of the flagship characters in the world’s longest running comic, The Beano, Bananaman is set to rescue the world once more from the dastardly plots of supervillains Doctor Gloom and General Blight – will he be able to stop them from taking over the world?
Lobster, Theatre503: this new and contemporary love story follows the lives of two very different women who are desperate to love each other – even if it is not enough. Written by Lucy Foster and directed by Kayla Feldman, Lobster plays at Theatre503 from the 9th January.
Bunny, Tristan Bates Theatre: Fabricate Theatre bring Jack Thorne’s one woman show back to London from the 15th until the 27th January.
A summer of love. A fight. A car chase. A siege. When
Katie’s boyfriend is attacked on the streets of Luton, she is
propelled outside of her borders on to the frontier of council
estates and concrete jungles. Amidst the sweltering heat,
the baying for blood and longing for love, Katie is forced to
decide her future.
Woman Before A Glass, Jermyn Street Theatre: the Jermyn Street Theatre will present the UK premiere of Lanie Robertson’s play about the life of Peggy Guggenheim. Directed by Austin Pendleton, the production will play at the theatre from the 17th January.
Peggy Guggenheim collected art — and artists. Married to Max Ernst, lover of Samuel Beckett, champion of Jackson Pollock and Pablo Picasso, Peggy’s love life was as colourful as her art collection. She moved to Venice in the late 1940s and quickly became one of its most glamorous, scandalous residents.
Lanie Robertson’s play brings Peggy’s remarkable story to life. Peggy’s passionate loyalties and prejudices changed the face of twentieth century art–but at what cost?
The Birthday Party, Harold Pinter Theatre: Harold Pinter’s darkly comic play is set to be revived from the 9th January with an all star cast and directed by Ian Rickson.
Stanley Webber (Toby Jones) is the only lodger at Meg (Zoë Wanamaker) and Petey Boles’ (Peter Wight) sleepy seaside boarding house. The unsettling arrival of enigmatic strangers Goldberg (Stephen Mangan) and McCann (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor) disrupts the humdrum lives of the inhabitants and their friend Lulu (Pearl Mackie), and mundanity soon becomes menace when a seemingly innocent birthday party turns into a disturbing nightmare.
To book tickets visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk, See Tickets.com, Last Minute.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love Theatre.com and Love London Love Culture .
The Brothers Size, Young Vic Theatre: from the 19th January, the Young Vic Theatre will showcase Tarell Alvin McCraney’s (the writer of Moonlight, the 2017 Academy Award winner for Best Picture) play directed by Bijan Sheibani.
After a spell in prison, two African-American brothers reunite through Yoruba mythology and live music.
Bijan Sheibani directs this long-awaited revival of a deeply moving fable about the bonds between men.
Eugenius!, The Other Palace: following a successful concert performance at the London Palladium in 2016, this brand new musical will head to The Other Palace from the 22nd January.
Written by Ben Adams and Chris Wilkins, EUGENIUS! tells the story of Eugene, a teenage boy whose nightly dreams of a distant world of heroes and villains may just be the ticket to him creating his very own comic book movie in Hollywood. Joined by his best friends ‘Janey’ and ‘Feris’, our comic writing genius must discover the true meaning of growing up, finding the superhero within, saving the world from both earthbound villains and possibly those from distant galaxies, and along the way, falling in love.
To book tickets for the production click here or visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk, See Tickets.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk , and Love Theatre.com .
Julius Caesar, Bridge Theatre: this second production at the new theatre is directed by Nicholas Hytner and is set to star Ben Whishaw and David Calder. Playing at the the theatre from the 20th January, it is a production which will be in promenade, throwing the audience into the heart of the drama.
Caesar returns in triumph to Rome and the people pour out of their homes to celebrate. Alarmed by the autocrat’s popularity, the educated élite conspire to bring him down. After his assassination, civil war erupts on the streets of the capital.
Lady Windermere’s Fan, Vaudeville Theatre: this next production in Classic Sping’s Oscar Wilde season at the Vaudeville Theatre will play from the 12th January and is directed by Kathy Burke. The cast is set to star Samantha Spiro, Kevin Bishop and Jennifer Saunders.
The day of Lady Windermere’s birthday party, and all is perfectly in order. Until her friend Lord Darlington plants a seed of suspicion. Is her husband having an affair? And will the other woman really attend the party?
To book tickets click here or visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk, See Tickets.com, Last Minute.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk and Love Theatre.com.
Long Day’s Journey into Night, Wyndham’s Theatre: following its successful run at the Bristol Old Vic, Richard Eyre’s production of Long Day’s Journey into Night transfers to the West End in 2018. The transfer sees Jeremy Irons and Lesley Manville reprising their roles for the production.
The Tyrones’ summer home, August 1912. Haunted by the past but unable to face the truth of the present, the Tyrones and their two sons test the bonds of a family caught in a cycle of love and resentment. As day turns to night and the family indulge in their vices, the truth unravels leaving behind a quartet of ruined lives.
To book tickets visit: Ticketmaster.co.uk, See Tickets.com, Last Minute.com, Theatre Tickets Direct.co.uk, Love Theatre.com and Love London Love Culture.