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[Guardian]

[img]http://hits.guardian.co.uk/b/ss/guardiangu-feeds/1/H.20.3/50215?ns=guardian&pageName=Christmas+going+out+guide+2009%3A+theatre%3AArticle%3A1305085&ch=Stage&c3=Guardian&c4=Theatre%2CStage%2CChristmas+%28Life+and+style%29%2CLife+and+style%2CFamily+%28Life+and+style%29%2CCulture+section&c6=Michael+Billington&c7=09-Nov-16&c8=1305085&c9=Article&c10=&c11=Stage&c13=&c25=&c30=content&h2=GU%2FStage%2FTheatre[/img]There's no shortage of drama over the festive period, so here's some of the highlights

The Secret Garden

A new musical version of the classic about the 10-year-old orphan, Mary Lennox, who returns from India to Yorkshire, where she discovers a lost, wintry garden. Tim Sutton and Garry Lyons provide the music and lyrics, Ian Brown directs, and the result should be a refreshing alternative to panto. At West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds (0113-213 7700), from 8 December.

Blithe Spirit

Coward's eerie comedy about a suave novelist haunted by the mischievous ghost of his first wife is revived by Sarah Frankcom. Often seen as a jolly romp, it's really about Coward's own fear of emotional entanglements. The chief attraction of this revival is the presence of Coronation Street's Suranne Jones. At Royal Exchange, Manchester (0161-833 9833), from 14 December.

Rope

Roger Michell directs Patrick Hamilton's grisly chiller about two students who, believing themselves to be above common morality, have killed a colleague. Famously filmed by Hitchcock, this revival stars Blake Ritson and Alex Waldmann as the boy killers. At Almeida, London N1 (020-7359 4404), from 16 December.

The Misanthrope

Can Keira Knightley cut it on stage? We'll find out in this all-star revival – also featuring Damian Lewis, Tara Fitzgerald and Dominic Rowan - of Martin Crimp's version of Molière's scintillating satire on social hypocrisy. Thea Sharrock directs a show guaranteed to be the season's hottest ticket. At Comedy, London SW1 (0870 060 6637), from 17 December.

Twelfth Night

Richard Wilson's Malvolio is the main draw in this picturesque RSC revival, set in the Ottoman empire, of Shakespeare's greatest comedy. But the most treasurable performance is Alexandra Gilbreath's Olivia, switching magically between curdling disdain and feverish eroticism. At Duke of York's, London WC2 (0844 871 7623), from 22 December.

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[img]http://ads.guardian.co.uk/image.ng/richmedia=yes&site=Theatre&spacedesc=rss&system=rss&transactionID=12584926315752819475190831209780[/img]Michael Billington
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