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Top 5 theatre openings: 3 – 9 July

The Engineer heads out on tour and Kids Company goes under the spotlight once more, in this week’s top theatre openings

Ben Hewis

Ben Hewis

| London |

3 July 2017

5. Manchester International Festival

Various, until 16 July

The festival officially opened last week, but this week sees two major new shows premiere in Manchester. Scott Graham, Karl Hyde and Simon Stephens' Fatherland looks at the complexities and contradictions of contemporary fatherhood. Vicky Featherstone directs What if Women Ruled the World?, in which a group of ten women and one man attempt to tackle modern crises including climate change and mass migration.
Check out the photos from this year's opening event


Daniel Weyman, Jonathan Cullen, Naomi Frederick and F Murray Abraham in The Mentor
Daniel Weyman, Jonathan Cullen, Naomi Frederick and F Murray Abraham in The Mentor
(© Simon Annand)

4. The Mentor

Vaudeville Theatre, until 2 September

After its run at Theatre Royal Bath, Laurence Boswell's production of Daniel Kehlmann's play transfers to the West End. Homeland star F Murray Abraham plays Benjamin Rubin, a successful playwright is being paid to mentor an emerging one.

Read Matt Trueman's review of the show in Bath


Red Concepcion (The Engineer) and company of Miss Saigon in rehearsals
Red Concepcion (The Engineer) and company of Miss Saigon in rehearsals
© Manuel Harlan

3. Miss Saigon

UK tour, various dates

It played two years in the West End and now Boublil and Schoenberg's musical based on Puccini's Madame Butterfly is coming to a theatre near you. It opens this week at Curve Leicester before carrying on around the country. The production boasts a fantastic cast including Ryan O'Gorman (John), Marsha Songcome (Gigi) and Zoe Doano (Ellen).

See the cast of Miss Saigon in rehearsals


David Troughton as Titus
David Troughton as Titus
© Helen Maybanks

2. Titus Andronicus

Royal Shakespeare Theatre, until 2 September

David Troughton stars in the titular role in Blanche McIntyre's production. Part of the RSC's Rome, McIntyre told us that her production would be "modern, relevant and a hell of a ride."

Read our story on the RSC's Rome season


Sandra Marvin (Camila Batmanghelidjh) and Omar Ebrahim  (Alan Yentob)
Sandra Marvin (Camila Batmanghelidjh) and Omar Ebrahim (Alan Yentob)
© Manuel Harlan

1. Committee

Donmar Warehouse, until 12 August

Hadley Fraser and Josie Rourke's new musical (helpfully titled The Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee Takes Oral Evidence on Whitehall's Relationship with Kids Company) stars Sandra Marvin as Kids Company boss Camila Batmanghelidjh. The source material for the show is a parliamentary transcript of evidence given in 2015 by Batmanghelidjh and Alan Yentob, the charity's former chairman.

Get a first look at production photos for Committee

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