TAKE FIVE Wonderfully Winter! by Judith Schrut
The Bewitching Cast of Hex at the National Theatre, photo courtesy NT Press Office.
By the time you are reading this, the holiday bright lights and seasonal buzz will be fond memories and it will be some weeks until the snowdrops, crocus and chocolate mini eggs of spring are with us. Yes, it’s the perfect time to snuggle up and savour the first treats of the brand new year! Let us introduce you to five of our favourites.
1. Best In Show
After spending most of 2021 in darkness due to Covid shutdowns, British theatre is hotting up for a glorious New Year comeback, and we can hardly wait to tell you about it! Whether your fires are best lit by toasty and traditional pantomime, steamy and serious drama or toe-tapping, soul-warming musicals, you can rely on UK Theatreland to deliver a snowplough of great shows. All that’s needed is a big dose of old-fashioned audience love - we urge you to give generously. There’s always a time and place for cherished West End oldies but goodies, especially when re-energised with fresh casts and creatives. Shows like Phantom of the Opera, Wicked and the Lion King still take the breath away, and Hamilton continues to live up to its hype. We’re looking forward to seeing all of these again soon. If you’re after something new, West End newbies include a lavish and luscious revival of My Fair Lady and the eagerly awaited premiere of Moulin Rouge the Musical. It’s ‘Wilkommen’ and ‘Bienvenue’ to 1930’s Berlin, as the Kit Kat Club takes over London’s Playhouse Theatre, in a gobsmacking version of Cabaret, starring Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley. Amy Adams makes her stage debut in Tennessee 24
AMERICAN IN BRITAIN
Williams’ classic, the Glass Menagerie. And don’t miss the rare second chance to be mesmerised by Mark Rylance as ‘Rooster’ Byron in the return of Jerusalem. The eternally superb National Theatre presents Hex, a dark new musical that goes beyond the kiss that woke the Sleeping Beauty and tells the fairy’s tale; a revival of The Corn is Green, with Nicola Walker as a teacher determined to teach struggling Welsh coalminers to read and write; and The Father and The Assassin, by exciting Indian playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar. It’s the gripping story of Nathuram Godse, who assassinated Mahatma Gandhi in 1948. You can also catch NT-originated Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime on tour across the UK. Even better knowing that friends and family back home can also enjoy these marvellous shows, as NT continues to broadcast in movie theatres across the USA and around the world with National Theatre Live. London’s many off-West End venues offer a pleasure and quality match for West End best at a fraction of the price. The Young Vic has a thrilling Oklahoma, re-orchestrated for the 21st century, and Islington’s innovative Almeida Theatre brings us the world premiere of House of Shades. For something completely different as well as beautiful, historic and inexpensive, you’ll love an evening at Wilton’s Music Hall. This one-of-a-kind gem in the heart of London is the oldest Grand Music Hall on the planet. Wilton’s proudly hosts a yearround programme of exceptional shows and community events. Upcoming highlights include Tonight You Belong to Me, featuring heart melting, smoky-voiced Christine Bovill singing well-loved tunes from the Jazz
Jessie Buckley sizzles in Cabaret at the KitKat Club, photo credit Joel Palmer, courtesy RawPR.
Age; the ever-popular Carradine’s Cockney Singalong; and Gilbert and Sullivan’s joyful and witty HMS Pinafore. Britain’s excellent regional theatres should not be overlooked for outstanding drama, musicals and family-friendly shows. Belfast Theatre celebrates the late, great Stephen Sondheim, in a sparkling production of Into the Woods. Chichester Festival Theatre, home to world-class theatre productions including many West End transfers, premieres The Unfriend and The Taxidermist’s Daughter, while its acclaimed 2021 production of South Pacific transfers to Manchester Opera House, followed by a spectacular UK and Ireland tour. Sheffield’s theatre triplets, the Crucible, Lyceum and the Studio, mark their 50th birthdays with a packed and adventurous programme such as Rock/ Papers/Scissors, a trilogy which will play simultaneously at all three theatres, the same cast mindbogglingly moving from venue to venue while performing. Newlytouring shows in 2022 worth going that extra mile for include Chicago, Bugsy Malone, Anything Goes and Les Miserables. Further information: wiltons.org.uk nationaltheatre.org.uk youngvic.org
