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Opening: Last Five Years, Beautiful Thing & Errors

Amongst the major shows opening in London this week are:

OPENING TUESDAY, 25 July 2006 (previews from 19 July), Toby Frow’s acclaimed revival of Jonathan Harvey’s award-winning 1993 “urban fairy tale” Beautiful Thing returns to Leicester Square’s Sound Theatre (See News, 2 Mar 2006). During a long, hot summer on the Thamesmead Estate in south-east London, two teenage boys gradually discover their mutual affection and love.

In Frow’s production, which had a sell-out season at the Sound this past February, Gavin Brocker reprises his performance as Ste with new cast members Jonathan Bailey, Steven Meo, Carli Norris and Michelle Terry. Beautiful Thing runs until 26 August 2006. It’s the final production at the Sound, which will close in September to make way for a new hotel development (See News, 21 Jul 2006).

** DON’T MISS our Whatsonstage.com Outing to Beautiful Thing THIS THURSDAY 27 July 2006 - including a FREE programme & access to our EXCLUSIVE post-show Q&A session with the director, cast & author Jonathan Harvey! - all for just £20!! - click here for more details! **

ALSO ON TUESDAY (previews from 18 July), Tony Award-winning American composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years receives its UK premiere at Southwark’s Menier Chocolate Factory, where it continues until 30 September 2006 (See News 13 Jun 2006). The semi-autobiographical song cycle about a marital breakdown is told by the man, starting at the couple’s first meeting and ending in the present, and by the woman, working backwards from the break-up. Matthew White directs Damian Humbley and Lara Pulver in the two-hander (See News, 21 Jun 2006).

OPENING WEDNESDAY, 26 July 2006, the National Youth Theatre revives Christopher Hampton’s play Savages, in which a British diplomat is captured by Brazilian guerrillas, at the Royal Court where the play premiered in 1973 (See News, 29 Mar 2006). Both the NYT and the Royal Court are celebrating their 50th anniversaries this year. Savages continues until 29 July 2006.

OPENING THURSDAY, 27 July 2006 (previews from 22 July), The Comedy of Errors joins the summer season at Shakespeare’s Globe, where it runs in rep until 5 October 2006. The fourth and final Shakespeare production in Dominic Dromgoole’s inaugural season as artistic director, the comedy is directed by Christopher Luscombe.

- by Terri Paddock

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