Theatre News

Opening: Moose, So Long, Enigma, West End Live

Amongst the major London openings – in the West End and further afield – this week are:
OPENING TUESDAY, 16 June 2009, following its Afghanistan season The Great Game, north London’s Tricycle Theatre turns its focus to South Africa with two UK premieres, starting with Lara Foot Newton’s Karoo Moose, which continues until 11 July (See News, 18 May 2009). Produced by Cape Town’s Baxter Theatre Centre, Karoo Moose, which recently won eight Naledi Theatre awards including Best New South African Play, concerns a young girl struggling to survive in an impoverished village in the Karoo. A violent and terrifying incident and a chance encounter with an escaped moose change her life.


OPENING WEDNESDAY, 17 June 2009, television magician and mind control expert Derren Brown returns to the West End this summer, with his new live show Derren Brown: Enigma, which runs for 30 dates only to 28 July 2009 at the West End’s Adelphi Theatre. He promises that he will “absolutely push myself to the limit” (See News, 6 Mar 2009).

ALSO ON WEDNESDAY (previews from 11 June), Che Walker’s 1998 play Been So Long is relaunched at the Young Vic as a “neon-soaked” musical comedy with a score by Arthur Darvill (See News, 8 Jan 2009). Yvonne and Simone are cruising for action. Raymond stole Gil’s girl and now Gil wants to slice him up, while Barney is just after a quiet life. When all five collide in a seedy London bar, their desires ignite in a guttural blast of cusses, laughs and unexpected romance. The piece continues its London season until 15 July ahead of a tour and transfer to the Edinburgh Fringe.

ALSO ON WEDNESDAY (preview 16 June), Nevermind, Martin Sadofski’s new play inspired by the suicide of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain at the age of 27, receives its world premiere at the fringe Old Red Lion Theatre in Islington. Chris Coghill and Danielle Denby-Ashe star in the limited run to 4 July 2009.


ON SATURDAY & SUNDAY, West End Live, the world’s largest free theatre festival, now in its fifth year, takes place in Leicester Square from 11am to 6pm on Saturday 20 June and from noon to 6pm on Sunday 21 June (See News, 21 May 2009). More than 15 top West End musicals will perform over the weekend, cheered on by an expected 150,000 visitors. Look out for the team from Whatsonstage.com, one of the event’s key media partners again this year: we’ll be running a theatre prize draw and manning our stand at the north-west corner. Do come and say hello!