1 Groundhog Day
Reuniting the team behind Matilda (composer Tim Minchin, director Matthew Warchus and designer Rob Howell), this musical version of the 1993 Bill Murray vehicle really does deliver. It’s a much-loved movie that’s likely to become a long-running and much-loved musical, as it follows the life of a Pennsylvania weatherman who finds himself living the same day over and over. It looks and sounds great – surely a West End transfer beckons?
2 A Midsummer Night’s Dream
There were some who were less than enthusiastic about the appointment of Emma Rice at the Globe. But she’s more than proved herself in a terrific first season that has included Caroline Byrne’s very fine The Taming Of The Shrew and two of her own productions: the delicious The Flying Lovers Of Vitebsk and a rumbustious and celebratory version of Dream. It’s your last chance to catch the latter this week, and if you want to brighten the dying days of summer, its big heart and anarchic energy are just the ticket.
Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, SE1, to 11 Sep
3 Every Brilliant Thing
Duncan Macmillan is riding high at the moment. His collaboration with Robert Icke on 1984 continues in the West End and, following Edinburgh, his play about depression begins an autumn tour. A cleverly structured, funny and uplifting piece that never shirks the harsh realities of mental illness, it’s a delight for teens and adults alike.
4 In Fidelity
It’s a big year for Rob Drummond, whose new play Grain In The Blood opens in the autumn at the same time as his touring stage version of Scotland’s favourite cartoon strip family, The Broons. But first off, there’s a chance to see his entertaining live dating show, recently seen at the Edinburgh fringe. It’s part of the High Tide festival, which this year also includes Anders Lustgarten’s The Sugar-Coated Bullets Of The Bourgeoisie, Theresa Ikoko’s Girls, and Pilgrims by Elinor Cook.
Theatre Box, Aldeburgh, Fri to 18 Sep
5 Strife
Bertie Carvel may still be best known to theatregoers for his Olivier-winning turn as Miss Trunchbull in the musical Matilda, but he may yet be known as a director. This revival of John Galsworthy’s 1909 drama about a strike in a Welsh tin factory marks his directorial debut, with a play in which class divisions and social injustice come under scrutiny.
