Theatre News

Opening: A Number, Enlightenment, NT Hamlet

4 October 2010

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

OPENING TONIGHT, Monday 4 October 2010, Ugly Betty’s Michael Uhrie reads Celebrity Autobiography at Leicester Square Theatre, nightly until 9 October then every second Monday until 10 January 2011.

ALSO TONIGHT (previews from 29 September), father and son Timothy and Samuel West star in A Number, Caryl Churchill’s 2002 two-hander about human cloning, at the Menier Chocolate Factory until 5 November, directed by Jonathan Munby.

ALSO TONIGHT (previews from 30 September), the Donmar’s showcase of new work by recent assistant directors launches with Charlotte Westenra’s production of Lower Ninth, by Beau Willimon about Hurricane Katrina, running at Trafalgar Studios 2 until 23 October.

OPENING TUESDAY, 5 October 2010 (previews from 28 September), playwright Neil Bartlett collaborates with Handspring Puppet Company for his new play, Or You Could Kiss Me, at the National’s Cottesloe, where it continues until 18 November.

ALSO ON TUESDAY Lisa Evans’ Hurricane Katrina-centred play for children, The Day the Waters Came, opens at the Unicorn Theatre for a week-long run.

ALSO ON TUESDAY, renowned cabaret act Fascinating Aida, comprising Adèle Anderson, Liza Pulman and founder member Dillie Keane, launches a three week residency at The Pheasantry on King’s Road.

OPENING WEDNESDAY, 6 October 2010 (previews from 30 September), Edward Hall launches his reign as artistic director of Hampstead Theatre with the UK premiere of Shelagh Stephenson’s modern psychological thriller Enlightenment, running until 30 October.

ALSO ON WEDNESDAY (previews from 30 September), Antony Sher stars in Iqbal Khan‘s revival of Arthur Miller’s Olivier Award-winning play Broken Glass at Kilburn’s Tricycle Theatre, where it runs until 27 November.

OPENING THURSDAY, 7 October 2010 (previews from 30 September), Rory Kinnear takes the title role in Hamlet, directed by artistic director Nicholas Hytner and co-starring Clare Higgins, at the National’s Olivier theatre, where it runs in rep until 9 January as part of the Travelex £10 Tickets season.

ALSO ON THURSDAY (previews from 5 October), Mike Folie’s futuristic romantic comedy Love in the Insecurity Zone opens at Hen & Chickens Theatre, running until 23 October.

ALSO ON THURSDAY (previews from 28 September) Montreal-based company Les 7 Doigts de la Main (The 7 Fingers) return to the Peacock Theatre with their sell-out circus show Traces, for a month-long run.

ALSO ON THURSDAY (previews from 5 October), Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1953 meta-fiction musical Me and Juliet, one of the pair’s few Broadway flops, gets its long-awaited UK premiere at the Finborough Theatre, where it runs until 30 October.

ALSO ON THURSDAY (previews from 5 October), Secret Boulevard, Dylan Costello’splay about the dark set of Hollywood’s Golden Age, opens at the Courtyard Theatre, running until 7 November.

OPENING FRIDAY, 8 October 2010 (previews from 6 October), Torben Betts’ The Company Man, about a couple facing retirement, premieres at the Orange Tree Theatre, running until 6 November.

OPENING SUNDAY, 10 October 2010, fringe favourite Showstopper! The Improvised Musical returns for an autumn residency at the King’s Head Theatre, playing Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays until 21 December.

ALSO ON SUNDAY, the Apollo Victoria stages a special 80th Birthday Gala Performance in aid of Cancer Research, as stars from some of the venue’s hit shows – including current incumbent Wicked – come together with other musical theatre stars to perform numbers from the productions that have graced the theatre’s stage over the years.