Five of the best… theatre shows this week
1 Key Change
Devised with female prisoners, and originally designed to tour male jails so that men could get an understanding of the issues women face, this show became an unlikely hit in Edinburgh in 2015 and won the Carol Tambor award, leading to a highly praised run in New York. It is a terrific piece: unvarnished, raw and full of compassion as it explores the lives of women who, through mistakes and unfortunate circumstances, end up in the prison system.
Mumford Theatre, Cambridge, Wed; Theatre Royal, Margate, Thu; touring to 10 Dec
2 World Without Us
In quietly understated fashion, the Belgian collective Ontroerend Goed make us contemplate the unimaginable: a world in which every human being has vanished from the face of the earth. Cleverly constructed, this is a paean to human ego that tells of the moment when people suddenly cease to exist. Planes continue to fly on autopilot until they drop from the sky and unmaintained machines blink and bleep until they finally fall silent. The world goes on. We are not missed.
Theatre Royal: The Drum, Plymouth, Thu to 26 Nov
3 The Red Barn
Robert Icke’s staging is the draw in this version of Georges Simenon’s novella, adapted by David Hare. Icke plays with the psychological thriller format, ratcheting up the tension with a design by Bunny Christie that cunningly controls what is revealed. It’s a fascinating two hours that comes across like a suburban US Greek tragedy about a man blind to his own nature with fatal consequences.
National Theatre: Lyttelton, SE1, to 17 Jan
4 Oil
From Lucy Prebble’s Enron to Penelope Skinner’s Linda, there have been some epic plays in recent years. The latest on a grand scale is Ella Hickson’s ambitious work, which combines a time-travelling family drama with an examination of shifting geopolitical power since the late-19th century. Hickson’s approach is bold, Carrie Cracknell’s production has style and Anne-Marie Duff holds it all together with a vivid central performance.
Almeida Theatre, N1, to 26 Nov
5 Grain In The Blood
Rob Drummond throws a dash of Golden Bough-style folklore and a big dollop of thriller into this entertaining story, which examines whether sacrifices must be made for the greater good. Set around the harvest moon on a remote Scottish farm, the play focuses on Autumn, who is dying of cancer, her grandmother and a young man who has arrived at the farm to save the child.
Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, to 12 Nov
Three of the best… theatre shows this week
1 Rambert
A rich week of dance in which Rambert presents three works by young choreographers – including Alexander Whitley’s Frames – and then reprises its epic staging of Haydn’s Creation.
Sadler’s Wells, EC1, Mon to 12 Nov
2 Multiverse
The Royal Ballet celebrates Wayne McGregor’s 10th anniversary as resident choreographer with a programme dedicated to his work, featuring this new collaboration with composer Steve Reich.
Royal Opera House, WC2, Thu to 19 Nov
3 Coal
Recently garlanded with a UK theatre award, Gary Clarke’s recreation of life in mining communities is both humane and powerfully dramatic.
