Top 5 theatre openings: 5 – 11 June
5. Working
Southwark Playhouse, until 8 July
Southwark Playhouse host the European premiere of Working, Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz and Nina Faso's adaptation of the Studs Terkel book of the same name. Terkel's book contains interviews with ordinary working Americans, and this musical tells the story of a typical workday in the US from the point of view of various different perspectives – from a schoolteacher to a housewife to a fireman. Not only does it have songs by Schwartz, but the one and only Lin-Manuel Miranda has written a new piece for the musical (which you can hear in our video above). How about that for a Hamilton warm-up?
© Stephen Cummiskey
4. Anatomy of a Suicide
Royal Court, until 8 July
Alice Birch's latest piece at the Court is this play about three generations of women who struggle with a painful legacy. It's directed by Katie Mitchell, who worked on Birch's five-star Ophelias Zimmer at the theatre in 2016. The cast includes Kate O'Flynn, fresh from John Tiffany's Olivier Award-nominated production of The Glass Menagerie, Hattie Morahan (A Doll's House) and Paul Hilton (Terrorism).
Click here to read more about the cast of Anatomy of a Suicide
© Paul Coltas
3. Annie
Piccadilly Theatre, until 6 January
Miranda Hart makes her West End debut in Nikolai Foster's production of Annie. She's playing Miss Hannigan, and told WhatsOnStage she loves the "beautiful comic-tragic part", despite being quite nervous about performing in the West End. The production features all the classic songs, including "It's the Hard Knock Life", "Easy Street" and "Tomorrow", a supporting cast including Alex Bourne and Holly Dale Spencer, and an adorable Labradoodle called Amber. If that doesn't convince you to see this, we don't know what will.
Click here to watch our video with the three actresses playing Annie
© Johan Persson
2. Sweet Bird of Youth
Chichester Festival Theatre, until 24 June
Marcia Gay Harden was nominated for a Tony Award when she made her Broadway debut in Angels in America. Now, she's making her UK debut in Tennessee Williams' Sweet Bird of Youth, which is set in a hotel on the Gulf of Mexico in the '50s. Harden plays a Hollywood legend who is holed up in a small seaside town with hustler Chance Wayne – played here by Brian J Smith (also of Tiffany's The Glass Menagerie). Harden told WhatsOnStage that when she read the script for the play, she thought:"who the f**k wrote this role for me?!" So this is probably one you're going to want to see.
Click here to read our interview with Marcia Gay Harden
© Marc Brenner
1. Barber Shop Chronicles
National Theatre (Dorfman), until 8 July
It's a big week at the National. DC Moore's new play Common opens in the Olivier, and the Dorfman will host a new play set in barber shops in Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra, and follows the men who frequent them as they put the world to rights. Barber Shop Chronicles is Inua Ellams' new play, and has a stellar cast including Fisayo Akinade, Abdul Salis and Hammed Animashaun. If you can't catch it in London, don't panic, it heads up to Leeds next month for a run at West Yorkshire Playhouse, who have co-produced the piece.
Click here to read the full casting announcement for Barber Shop Chronicles
