This November is a marriage of old favourites and newborn delights.
There’s a wealth of musical entertainment, dramatic adaptations... and maybe a little sex.
It’s your last round of theatre before all of the Christmas shows hit, so have a look at what you can expect before the festive feels set in.
Hadestown
We’re getting this musical before Broadway does which is a real treat. Based on Anaïs Mitchell’s concept album, Hadestown follows Greek mythology’s ultimate tragic it-couple, Orpheus and Eurydice. The music is a mix of American folk and vintage New Orleans jazz, putting a new twist on an ancient tale.
November 2-January 26, National Theatre, nationaltheatre.org.uk
Summer and Smoke
This Almeida transfer of Tennessee Williams’s play sees Alma and John meet one summer on Mississippi in a haze of passion. Patsy Ferran and Matthew Needham lead the return of the entire original cast, directed by Rebecca Frecknall.
November 10-January 19, Duke of York’s Theatre
Buy tickets for Summer and Smoke with GO London
White Teeth
Zadie Smith’s breakthrough North London-based novel gets a new adaptation, and where better to stage it than at Kilburn's Kiln Theatre? The characters of Kilburn High Road come to life in Stephen Sharkey’s comedy with music and dance, incorporating Smith’s penchant for overlapping stories and chance encounters. Indhu Rubasingham directs.
Until December 22, Kiln Theatre; kilntheatre.com
Caroline, or Change
Another smashing transfer. Sharon D Clarke led the previous runs at the Chichester Festival Theatre and Hampstead Theatre to five star reviews as Caroline, a black maid who serves a grieving Jewish family in civil rights era Louisiana. The creative team is just as exciting, written by Tony Kushner (Angels in America) with music by Jeanine Tesori (Fun Home).
November 20-February 9, Playhouse Theatre
Buy tickets for Caroline, or Change with GO London
ear for eye
Olivier and BAFTA award-winning debbie tucker green is being very secretive about her new work. Tosin Cole, starring, said: “When people know what it’s about, or have preconceptions, they might programme their minds to start thinking the play’s going to be about one issue or another.” We do know it pieces together snapshots of life and protest for black people in the UK and US.
October 31-November 24, Royal Court, royalcourttheatre.com
Don Quixote
With David Threlfall in the title role and Rufus Hound playing his long-suffering squire, Angus Jackson directs the RSC production at the Garrick Theatre. Losing his grip on reality, self-styled knight Don Quixote goes off on a farcical adventure with his sidekick Sancho Panza through medieval Spain.
November 8-February 2, Garrick Theatre
Buy tickets for Don Quixote with GO London
War Horse
Currently in the midst of a mammoth UK tour, War Horse returns for another outing at the National, eleven years after its debut here. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel, the World War One drama uses feats of puppetry to tell a moving story, and marks the centenary of Armistice Day.
November 8-January 5, National Theatre, nationaltheatre.org.uk
The Funeral Director
Iman Qureshi’s new play makes its premiere at the Southwark Playhouse, exploring a gay Muslim woman coming to terms with her identity. Ayesha is director of a Muslim funeral parlour, whose life turns upside-down when she has to help a man organise his boyfriend’s funeral, making her confront a secret buried deep.
November 2-24, Southwark Playhouse; southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
All We Ever Wanted Was Everything
Exploring the world we inherit and the one we leave behind, Luke Barnes’s play spans three decades from Cool Britannia to Brexit Britain. It follows millennials Leah and Chris, raised on the belief that they’re special. It’s a gig-theatre show with live music - and a bit of Harry Potter thrown in there.
Until November 24, Bush Theatre; bushtheatre.co.uk
The Fishermen
Gbolahan Obisesan has adapted Chigozie Obioma’s Man Booker Prize-shortlisted novel into this play about Ben and Obembe, who risk their father’s wrath to go fishing with their older brothers in a forbidden river. It returns to the Arcola after a sold-out week in September.
November 20-December 1, Arcola Theatre; arcolatheatre.com
Super Duper Close Up
Theatre company Made in China bring a show about movies, the male gaze and being a woman in an age where pictures of women are everywhere. Using a green screen, they shoot a film live every night onstage, projecting it via live-feed.
November 13-24, Yard Theatre; theyardtheatre.co.uk
Magic Mike Live
Based on the hit films Magic Mike and Magic Mike XXL comes a steamy live production. Set on a 360 degree surround stage, the show mixes dance, acrobatics, striptease and drama conceived and produced by Channing Tatum himself. Who knows? He may even make an appearance...
November 28-April 28, Hippodrome Casino; magicmikelondon.co.uk
