Am I Dead Yet?, Edinburgh
Let’s talk about death. It’s something that Unlimited Theatre’s Jon Spooner and Chris Thorpe reckon we don’t discuss enough, so they’re going to spend 75 minutes doing just that in a show that has been created with input from Dr Andy Lockey, an expert in the field of resuscitation. There will be a live demonstration of CPR techniques, songs and stories as the pair try to talk about death and dying with honesty, the conversation inspired partially by the idea that medical advances mean it could become possible to resuscitate patients hours after their hearts have stopped beating. Spooner and Thorpe both have track records in making difficult ideas seem entertaining, and this show is among the selections for the British Council Edinburgh Showcase.
Traverse, Tue to 30 Aug
LG
Our Ladies Of Perpetual Succour, Edinburgh
A new play by Lee Hall, who wrote Billy Elliot and The Pitmen Painters, is something to celebrate and this adaptation of Alan Warner’s novel The Sopranos, co-commissioned by National Theatre of Scotland and Newcastle’s Live Theatre, should be a treat. Vicky Featherstone directs the tale of a Catholic school choir trip, which focuses on the lives of a group of teenage girls who are supposed to be concentrating on singing but are more interested in sex and sambuca. Hall describes the show as “filthy, manic, hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure” and with a soundtrack of classical music and 1970s rock and pop this should be a real crowd-pleaser.
Traverse, Tue to 30 Aug
LG
Lady Anna: All At Sea, London
This year marks the bicentenary of the birth of the much-loved Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope. To honour the man who gave us the Chronicles Of Barsetshire and the Palliser novels, the Trollope Society has commissioned a play, Lady Anna: All At Sea. It’s not quite what you might expect, though. In 1871, Trollope is bound for Australia on the steamship Great Britain with his wife, during which time he pens his latest work, Lady Anna. With its theme of scandal and intrigue, it divides his fellow passengers. The ensuing drama, in which life and fiction overlap, involves fraud, bigamy, madness and even attempted murder.
Park Theatre, N4, Wed to 19 Sep
MC
Forest Fringe, Edinburgh
The artist-led venue Forest Fringe sits outside the Edinburgh fringe programme, and offers a brilliantly curated season of work that is sometimes strange, always interesting and quite frequently utterly brilliant. This is a chance to pay what you can to see artists and companies pushing at the boundaries of theatre and performance. Check the website – forestfringe.co.uk – for a full list of artists participating over the two-week festival; remember, though, it’s always worth taking a risk on shows and companies that you haven’t seen before. But just to tickle your fancy, some of those taking part including Forced Entertainment, Action Hero, Jo Bannon, Tania El Khoury and Verity Standen.
Out Of The Blue Drill Hall, Mon to 30 Aug
LG
Kinky Boots, London
Two years ago, the Broadway production of Matilda was expected to sweep the boards at the Tony awards but it was unexpectedly beaten to the best musical, score and choreography gongs by Kinky Boots. Though a US show – with a book by multiple Tony winner Harvey Fierstein and songs by 80s pop star Cyndi Lauper – it is actually based on the feelgood 2005 British film comedy, and a true story. Charlie Price has inherited the family firm, a gentleman’s shoe factory in Northampton, but it has fallen on hard times. Redundancies beckon – until the arrival of drag queen Lola, whose demands for outlandish (but sturdy) footwear lead to happiness all round. Jerry Mitchell (Hairspray, Legally Blonde) is the director and choreographer.
Adelphi Theatre, WC2, Fri to 6 Feb
MC
Mrs Henderson Presents, Bath
The Theatre Royal Bath clearly has its eyes on the West End for this musical version of the Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins film about the Windmill Theatre in London. In a show in which book and direction both come courtesy of Terry Johnson, Tracie Bennett plays the recently widowed Laura Henderson, looking for somewhere to place her money and her energies. She teams up with impresario Vivian Van Damm (Ian Bartholomew) and takes on a rundown former cinema near Piccadilly Circus. But as the war looms she has to come up with a way to keep business booming.
Theatre Royal Bath, Sat to 5 Sep
LG
