Features

Big Fish, Glengarry Glen Ross and Twelfth Night in our top openings of the week

Kelsey Grammer and Christian Slater add some Hollywood clout to this week’s openings

Maxine Peake
Maxine Peake
© Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage

5. The Last Testament of Lillian Bilocca

The Guildhall, Hull until 18 November

Hull's year as the UK's City of Culture has produced some powerful work, including All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, which had a spell at the Edinburgh Fringe, and the immersive One Day Maybe. This month, actor and writer Maxine Peake will premiere her new play, based on local Hull hero Lillian Bilocca. The immersive show runs at the city's Guildhall with live music courtesy of The Unthanks. Though currently sold out, there may be return tickets throughout the run (check the Hull Truck Twitter account for updates).

See the full announcement for the final Hull City of Culture season.


Gavin Spokes and the cast of Quiz
Gavin Spokes and the cast of Quiz
© Johan Persson

4. Quiz

Minerva Theatre, Chichester until 9 December

James Graham is the toast of the West End right now, with two shows, Labour of Love and Ink, rubbing shoulders on St Martin's Lane. Graham is about to open a third show, Quiz, directed by Daniel Evans, down at the Minerva Theatre in Chichester. Revolving around cheaters in game shows with a focus on Charles Ingram, (in)famous 'winner' of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?, the show will star Gavin Spokes and Stephanie Street. In perhaps the perfect mix of subject matter and space, the Minerva will be adapted to imitate the studio set of the Chris Tarrant show.

See the casting announcement for Quiz here.


3. Twelfth Night

Royal Shakespeare Theatre until 24 February

Shakespeare's gender-muddled masterpiece returns to the RST for a festive run in Stratford this year, starring EastEnders and Mr Selfridge's Kara Tointon and sitcom legend Adrian Edmondson (best known for his roles in The Young Ones and Bottom). Directed by Christopher Luscombe, the show will also be screened in cinemas on 14 February 2018, for all those lovebirds wanting to plan their Valentine's Day in advance.

Read our interview with Adrian Edmondson here.


Christian Slater and Kris Marshall
Christian Slater and Kris Marshall
© Marc Brenner

2. Glengarry Glen Ross

Playhouse Theatre until 3 February

David Mamet's smooth-talking sleeze-stuffed play opened almost 35 years ago at the National Theatre, winning the Pulitzer Prize the following year. The film, released in 1992, won actor Jack Lemmon the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival. Starring Christian Slater, who recently won a Golden Globe for his role in TV show Mr Robot, alongside Kris Marshall and Robert Glenister, the show is directed by Sam Yates, who recently oversaw Desire Under The Elms at the Sheffield Crucible.

See Glengarry Glen Ross in rehearsals here.


Kelsey Grammar and the cast of Big Fish
Kelsey Grammar and the cast of Big Fish
© Manuel Harlan

1. Big Fish

The Other Palace until 31 December

Award-winning Cheers and Frasier star Kelsey Grammer makes his London theatre debut in the stage adaptation of Big Fish, which started life as a 1998 novel before being adapted into a Tim Burton film five years later. Focussing on the life of one Edward Bloom (Grammer), the show, directed by Nigel Harman, also stars Clare Burt as his wife, alongside Jamie Muscato and Matthew Seadon-Young. The musical first debuted in Chicago in 2013, before transferring to Broadway the same year.

See Big Fish in rehearsals here.