The Merchant Of Venice, London
When Rupert Goold’s daring RSC production of The Merchant Of Venice played at Stratford three years ago it divided critics, set as it was in modern-day Las Vegas. It had the innovation – some might say gimmicks – you’d expect of Goold: Portia’s casket scene became a TV gameshow, and an Elvis impersonator featured. Money and antisemitism are the themes, of course, and a largely Christian city obsessed with spondulicks would seem to offer an intriguing backdrop. Whatever your viewpoint, this revival is bound to be eye-catching, with Ian McDiarmid starring as Shylock at the theatre he once ran.
Almeida Theatre, N1, Fri to 14 Feb
MC
Anything Goes, Sheffield
PG Wodehouse had a hand in the writing of this 1934 musical set on a transatlantic liner, involving a love triangle between nightclub singer Reno Sweeney, her friend Billy Crocker and the debutante Hope Harcourt. There’s also a wonderfully larger-than-life supporting cast, including a small-time gangster masquerading as a priest and an eccentric English lord. In its original Broadway run Ethel Merman was Reno, belting out such sensational numbers as I Get A Kick Out Of You; since then, the role has been associated with Patti LuPone and Elaine Paige among others. Now Daniel Evans, who’s had a string of musical hits at Sheffield, casts Debbie Kurup, recently seen at the Adelphi in London in The Bodyguard.
Crucible Theatre, to 17 Jan
LG
Sex And The Three Day Week, Liverpool
Those old enough to remember the early 1970s will almost certainly remember the three-day week. People were put on short time, homework had to be done by candlelight, and TV closed down early every night in order to conserve electricity. But energy could be expended in other ways and blackouts could offer the perfect opportunity for a bit of hanky panky. That’s the premise of Stephen Sharkey’s reinvention of George Feydeau’s farce, L’Hôtel du Libre Echange, which is relocated to a 70s Britain where the lights may have gone out but the fun is only just beginning, as neighbours Philip and Catherine check into the Paradise Hotel together.
Playhouse Theatre, Fri to 10 Jan
LG
The Christmas Truce, Stratford-upon-Avon
Every child grows up knowing the story of soldiers from both sides along the western front leaving their trenches on Christmas Eve of 1914 and walking into no man’s land, where they exchanged gifts and played football. Hours later, they were trying to kill each other again. Now, playwright Phil Porter has turned fact into fiction, drawing on the story of Warwickshire Regiment soldier Bruce Bairnsfather, whose cartoons of life on the frontline became world famous during the first world war, and subsequently worked as an electrical engineer at the old Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. An exhibition of his cartoons will accompany the production, which marks Erica Whyman’s RST directorial debut.
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Sat to 31 Jan
LG
City Of Angels, London
In March 1993, City of Angels – a film noir-style musical starring Roger Allam, Henry Goodman and Haydn Gwynne – opened to rave reviews at the Prince Of Wales Theatre in the West End, but posted closure after just a few months. It may have foundered because the score by Cy Coleman and David Zippel boasts few showstoppers, and the clever script by Larry Gelbart (of M*A*S*H and Tootsie fame) appealed only to the smarter musical aficionado. Hopefully the show will find a suitably discerning home at the Donmar Warehouse under the charge of artistic director Josie Rourke. It’s the tale of a writer seduced by Hollywood when asked to turn his detective hero into a movie character, and the parallel plot of the sleuth’s adventures.
Donmar Warehouse, WC2, Fri to 7 Feb
MC
101 Dalmatians, Bristol
Bristol’s Tobacco Factory has delivered a string of seasonal winners over the last few years, ranging from NIE’s Hansel And Gretel to the Sally Cookson-directed Ali Baba and Cinderella: A Fairytale. The latter transferred to London and was deservedly nominated for an Olivier award. Now Cookson, in a co-production with the excellent Travelling Light, turns her attention to Dodie Smith’s much-loved story about Mr and Mrs Dearly and their pair of dalmatians, Perdita and Pongo. When Perdita gives birth to a litter of 15 puppies the young dogs come to the attention of the couple’s wicked, fur-fixated acquaintance Cruella de Vil, a woman who has clearly never heard of Peta. It should be loads of spotty, furry fun.
Tobacco Factory Theatres: Factory Theatre, to 11 Jan
LG
