Opening: La Cage, Hall’s Labour’s, DV8, Dracula

Amongst the major openings in London this week are:

OPENING TUESDAY, 28 October 2008 (previews from 21 October), Peter Hall directs Shakespeare’s Love’s Labour’s Lost, the newly-built Rose Theatre Kingston’s first in-house production (See News, 2 Jul 2008), with a cast including Finbar Lynch and Peter Bowles. It runs until 15 November 2008.

OPENING WEDNESDAY, 29 October 2008, highly acclaimed physical theatre company DV8 returns to the National Theatre with To Be Straight With You, which runs in rep in the NT Lyttelton until 15 November. Directed by Lloyd Newson, it’s billed as a “poetic but unflinching exploration of tolerance, intolerance, religion and sexuality”. The show incorporates dance, text, documentary, film and animated projections.

ALSO ON WEDNESDAY, a new partnership between the Gate Theatre and Sadler’s Wells begins with the transfer of dance theatre piece I Am Falling to the Lilian Baylis Studio (See News, 17 Jul 2008). Directed by Gate joint artistic director Carrie Cracknell and choreographed by Anna Williams, it premiered at the Gate back in January and blends dance and text to explore the “damage that can be caused by loving too much”. It runs for four nights only, until 1 November.

ALSO ON WEDNESDAY, American Briefs, a collection of short American dramas, launches new Fringe venue Above the Stag, near Victoria Station (See News, 15 Oct 2008), where it runs until 23 November.

OPENING THURSDAY, 30 October 2008 (previews from 20 October), the Menier Chocolate Factory production of La Cage Aux Folles transfers to the West End’s Playhouse Theatre, starring Douglas Hodge and Dennis Lawson (See News, 29 Aug 2008). The show has been specially reconceived by director Terry Johnson for the Playhouse, where it’s booking for a limited season to 10 January 2009, with cabaret-style seating available at the front of the stalls for audience members over 18 years of age.

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ALSO ON THURSDAY (previews from 28 October), the White Bear Theatre in Kennington presents the world premiere of Alex Loveless’ new musical adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which runs until 23 November.

OPENING FRIDAY, 31 October 2008 (previews from 29 October), Mountain Hotel and Audience, a double bill of Vaclav Havel plays, opens at the Orange Tree theatre. Directed by Sam Walters and Geoffrey Beevers, the bill runs until 6 December 2008.

– by Theo Bosanquet