Theatre News

Opening: Barbershopera II, Playhouse Petticoats

Amongst the major openings in London – in the West End and further afield – this week are:

OPENING TUESDAY, 5 January 2010, a capella comedy Barbershopera II, a hit at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, receives its London premiere at Trafalgar Studios 2 (See News, 19 Nov 2009), where it continues until 6 February 2010.

ALSO ON TUESDAY, Cirque du Soleil’s Varekai returns to the Royal Albert Hall as part of an international tour (See News, 29 Dec 2010), continuing until 13 February. According to promotional material, the show “pays tribute to the
nomadic soul, to the spirit and art of the circus tradition, and to the
infinite passion of those whose quest takes them along the path that
leads to Varekai”.


OPENING WEDNESDAY, 6 January 2010, Dreamboats and Petticoats, the musical inspired by the rock ‘n’ roll compilation albums of the same name, reopens at the Playhouse Theatre after an extended season at the Savoy (See News, 16 Nov 2009).


OPENING THURSDAY, 7 January 2010 (previews from 5 January), Generous, by Canadian playwright Michael Healey, returns to the Finborough Theatre for a month-long run to open the venue’s 30th anniversary year.


OPENING FRIDAY, 8 January 2010, provocative German playwright Dea Loher’s Innocence, billed as a “lyrical and darkly comic passion play for our times”, opens at the Arcola Theatre (See News, 9 Dec 2009), continuing until 30 January.

ALSO ON FRIDAY, the full version of 2007 Edinburgh Fringe hit Jihad! The Musical, a “satirical romp about the war on terror”, premieres at the Jermyn Street Theatre, continuing until 6 February.