Mrs Henderson Presents, London
Without the movies as source material, it seemed the musical might die out. But now there’s this adaptation of Mrs Henderson Presents, a 2005 film which starred the crowd-pleasing duo of Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins, based on the true story of an eccentric widow who, in 1937, joined forces with an impresario to revitalise London’s Windmill Theatre. With the venue’s fortunes wavering, Henderson created the Windmill girls, who posed nude in static tableaux (if they moved, it would be ruled illegal), and during the Blitz, the famously never-closing theatre provided a refuge. Double Olivier award-winner Tracie Bennett stars alongside Ian Bartholomew, while direction is by multi award-winner Terry Johnson.
Noël Coward Theatre, WC2, Tue to 18 Jun
MC
Doctor Faustus, Stratford upon Avon
Maria Aberg is a fearless director who has done some of the best RSC productions of recent years, including a thrilling and distinctive King John and a very enjoyable As You Like It. Now, she turns her attention to Marlowe’s great play of vanity, greed and damnation, a drama that rivals anything in Shakespeare. The play offers two equally meaty but contrasting roles, and this production allows each lead actor the chance to have a bash at both. Two fine and distinctive actors, Sandy Grierson and Oliver Ryan, will alternate the roles of the scholar Faustus, who is tempted by the prospect of discovering all the most precious secrets of the universe, and the demon Mephistophilis who offers him what seems to be a good bargain. But there is a high price to be paid for knowledge in a play which is rich in both poetry and tension.
Royal Shakespeare Theatre: Swan, Sat to 4 Aug
LG
The Broke ‘N’ Beat Collective, Liverpool
Connor thinks that, if his hood is up, he’s invisible. Joanne can’t help comparing herself and her body with the perfect young women she sees in magazines. Jack is in for a surprise when his former one-night stand Lafteefah unexpectedly turns up at his house one day. But is it with good news or bad? The brilliant Liverpool company 20 Stories High, which makes work with young adults, joins forces with puppeteer Sue Buckmaster of Theatre-Rites, better known for making work for the very young. The show takes the form of a live gig and combines beatboxing, hip-hop, poetry and puppetry to explore the pressures faced by teenagers today.
LG
The Herbal Bed, Northampton
In 1613, Susanna Hall, daughter of William Shakespeare and wife of the respected Stratford upon Avon physician Dr John Hall, brought an action for slander against a neighbour, John (here Jack) Lane, who had publically accused her of having gonorrhoea and having “been naught” with a local haberdasher called Rafe Smith. The case was heard at a court in Worcester and Susanna was vindicated. But was there any truth in the accusation? From the bare bones of the case, writer Peter Whelan has spun a delicate and emotionally luminous play that speculates on what might have happened, and about the state of Susanna’s marriage. An involving drama about love, desire and economies of truth that was first produced by the RSC in 1996, it’s a tantalising yet meaty piece, to which director James Dacre should do justice.
Royal Theatre, to 27 Feb, touring to 7 May
LG
Motown The Musical, London
From Mamma Mia! to We Will Rock You, the jukebox show is a more modern form of the stage musical. Motown The Musical comes from Broadway, with Cedric Neal playing the famed Motown founder Berry Gordy. Having been a boxer, Gordy borrowed $800 to start the label that made pop music history and launched the careers of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Marvin Gaye. The show follows Gordy’s rise and offers terrific, timeless hits, from Dancing In The Street to I Heard It Through The Grapevine. There are more than 50 such songs, so probably not much in the way of a storyline here.
Shaftesbury Theatre, WC2, Thu to 22 Oct
MC
Any Means Necessary, Nottingham
Undercover policing tactics have been high on the news agenda recently, making this play by Kefi Chadwick quite timely. It’s a fictionalised story of the Nottingham-based female political activists who discovered that the men they thought they knew so well and who they were in relationships with were actually police officers. So, who should be held to account? Giles Croft directs a drama which investigates the effects on the women and their families when they discover the truth about the people close to them who have been misleading them over many years to gather evidence. It’s the last in the Playhouse’s Conspiracy Season exploring love, betrayal and secrets from the 17th century to today.
Nottingham Playhouse, to 20 Feb
LG
