Opening: West Side, Ache, 50 Ways, Tate\’s Blue Sky
Amongst the major openings in London this week are:
OPENING TONIGHT, Monday 21 July 2008, Simon Russell Beale and Clare Higgins perform Harold Pinter’s A Slight Ache at the National’s Lyttelton Theatre for nine performances only (See News, 8 Jul 2008).
ALSO TONIGHT, Gob Squad recreates Andy Warhol’s film Kitchen in Gob Squad’s Kitchen (You’ve Never Had It So Good) at the Soho Theatre. Described as “a live film with bad coffee, nervous breakdowns, wild parties and modern hairstyles”, it runs until 26 July.
ALSO TONIGHT, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover opens at the Bush Theatre, written by five of the Bush’s young playwrights. The production, starring Ralf Little, arrives in the capital after a brief regional tour (See News, 2 Jul 2008), and runs until 26 July.
OPENING TUESDAY, 22 July 2008, Marc Salem brings his new mind-reading show Out of His Mind to the Shaw Theatre, where it runs until 27 July.
ALSO ON TUESDAY, Professor Bumm’s Story Machine by the Black Sheep Theatre Company opens at Trafalgar Studio 2, an improv show where stories are spun on the basis of audience suggestions. It runs until 16 August.
ALSO ON TUESDAY, Lynn Ramsey directs Frank Marcus’ comedy The Killing of Sister George at Greenwich Playhouse, where it runs until 27 July.
ALSO ON TUESDAY (previews from 18 July), award-winning young director Michael Oakley’s new production of Marlowe’s Edward II opens at BAC, until 9 August.
OPENING THURSDAY, 24 July 2008, As part of a 50th anniversary world tour, Joey McNeeley’s production of the classic Broadway musical West Side Story comes to Sadler’s Wells. In the gangland New York reworking of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Tony, founder of the native Jets, falls in love with Maria, sister of the Puerto Rican Sharks’ leader. The score features many well-loved songs including “America”, “Somewhere”, “Officer Krupke”, “I Feel Pretty”, “Tonight” and “Maria”. This production has toured Paris, Tokyo and Beijing (See News, 21 Dec 2007), and can be seen in London until 31 August.
ALSO ON THURSDAY, Andrew Jones and Ciaran Murtagh’s Monty Python meets King Lear comedy I, Lear opens at Trafalgar Studios. Tongues firmly in cheeks, the duo portray “great actors” Hugh Carpenter & Chester Blenheim as they regale the audience with advice, anecdotes and lashings of Lear. It runs until 16 August.
OPENING FRIDAY, 25 July 2008 (previews from 15 July), Catherine Tate, Francesca Annis, Lisa Dillon, Nigel Lindsay, Chris O’Dowd and Dominic Rowan star in the West End premiere of David Eldridge’s Under the Blue Sky at the Duke of York’s Theatre. First seen at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in September 2000 in a production directed by Rufus Norris, the West End production is helmed by Anna Mackmin (See News, 9 May 2008).
** DON’T MISS our Whatsonstage.com outing including a FREE programme and access to our EXCLUSIVE post-show Q&A with author, director and members of the cast – all for just £27.50! click here for more info **
– By Theo Bosanquet
