Monday
In London, it’s your last chance this week for Emma Rice’s swoon-worthy The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk, which is at the Globe’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Also check out Caroline Byrne’s Irish-set The Taming of the Shrew in the main house. Helen McCrory is magnificent in Carrie Cracknell’s revival of The Deep Blue Sea in the Lyttelton. Still time at the Royal Court to be saddened and outraged by Cuttin’ It, Charlene James’s story of female genital mutilation, which is taking place in the UK right here and right now. There are some great shows from emerging companies during the Incoming festival at the New Diorama this week, including Sh!t Theatre’s Letters to Windsor House, James Fritz’s Ross and Rachel, Walrus’s Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, and the new piece from Breach, whose Beanfield was a hit in Edinburgh last summer.
Tuesday
Don’t miss Martin Bonger as Fat Man, a very clever sideways look at the Orpheus myth which is at the Bike Shed in Exeter from tonight. Zoe Cooper’s Petrification re-creates a booze-filled night in a pub at the Shaftesbury Club in London’s West End. Bodies, space and robots are fused in Meeting, a choreographic sound installation at Battersea Arts Centre in London. Dysfunctional friendship is explored in Screwed by Kathryn O’Reilly at Theatre 503. The brilliant Connections festival is at the National in London all week – a chance to see young companies and schools from across the UK tackling new plays by Davey Anderson, Patrick Marber and more.
Wednesday
Travelling Light’s Into the West takes up residence at the Tobacco Factory in Bristol. Polly Findlay’s revival of The Alchemist and Erica Whyman’s postwar A Midsummer Night’s Dream are both worth seeing at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Thursday
Howard Jacobson’s tribute to ping pong and the Manchester of his youth is adapted by Simon Bent at the Royal Exchange in Manchester. 2’s Company, a mini-festival from Harrogate theatre, continues with Haunt, a ghost walk around the town using stories developed by writers who have experienced homelessness. National Theatre of Scotland’s exuberant Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour will be behaving badly at Dundee Rep. David Almond’s The Savage, a story of creation a renewal, will make its world premiere at Live Theatre in Newcastle. Thirteen girls aged 13 and a bodybuilder are on stage in The Hamilton Complex, which looks at identity, conformity and change. It’s directed by Lies Pauwels, and is at the Unicorn in London as part of Lift festival.
Friday and the weekend
There’s a chance on Friday to get a first glimpse at the new work by Anthony Neilson. Unreachable at the Royal Court is about a film director on an obsessive quest to capture light. Into the Woods starts at the Menier Chocolate Factory. There are some great free events in the Greenwich and Docklands international festival tonight and over the weekend including Dancing City at Canary Wharf today and tomorrow, and Ignite! In Woolwich tomorrow. On Saturday night, the Yorkshire festival continues with the magical Place des Anges in Queens Gardens in Hull. The On the Edge festival for children and young people kicks off in Birmingham today with I Think I Can and continues tomorrow and all next week. Some great shows on Sunday, including Pim and Theo and the delightful The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean at Birmingham Rep, and Theatr Iolo’s Out of the Blue at Birmingham City University and much more. Also on Saturday you can catch previews of Vicky Ireland’s stage version of Kipling’s Just So Stories at the Stephen Joseph in Scarborough. The Edinburgh international magic festival plays host to Vincent Gambini’s slippery and entertaining This is Not a Magic Show, a piece whose title lies.
