Mermaid, On tour
Polly Teale has been at the helm of some memorable adaptations for Shared Experience. Here she turns her attention to Hans Christian Andersen’s fairytale about the little mermaid who is prepared to mutilate herself and lose her voice for the sake of the love of a prince who doesn’t feel the same. The production will recruit a chorus of young women at every touring venue to create the sound of the mermaids’ singing. For adult and young adult audiences, it reimagines the tale and probes its meanings for us today.
LG
The Harvest, Bath
The Ustinov Studio in Bath has become a major player under Laurence Boswell, with a string of hits and London transfers, from Florian Zeller’s extraordinary The Father (which won a clutch of five-star reviews) to Bad Jews, which went into London’s St James Theatre. Zeller’s Molière award-winning comedy The Mother will also get its UK premiere here (21 May to 20 Jun), but first in the venue’s world theatre season is a play from Belarus. Set at harvest time, Pavel Pryazhko’s story brings a satirical eye to post-Soviet life as the harvesters find that tiny problems in their attempts to pick and box their apples turn into a shambles on a grand scale. Michael Boyd directs.
Theatre Royal: Ustinov Studio, Thu to 11 Apr
LG
The Royale, London
Boxing has inspired a fair bit of theatre. Recently, we’ve had Roy Williams’s excellent Sucker Punch at the Royal Court, and, further back, Howard Sackler’s 1967 play The Great White Hope. The Royale, by US playwright Marco Ramirez – who’s written for the TV series Sons Of Anarchy and Orange Is The New Black – is closer in tone to Sackler’s play, since it’s also loosely based on Jack Johnson. The first black heavyweight champion of the world, Johnson’s story entails talent and triumph but also racism and injustice too. Told in six “rounds” and staged in a boxing ring, the play looks at the difficult rise of the pugilist, as well as society’s relationship with today’s cultural heroes and the responsibilities they face away from their arena.
Bush Theatre, W12, Fri to 18 Apr
MC
Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole, Leicester
It’s such a good idea that it’s a surprise no one thought before to turn Sue Townsend’s tale of the tormented young Adrian Mole into a musical. Well, now Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary have, and appropriately the 1980s Leicester adolescent gets his first musical outing on home turf. First published in 1982, Townsend’s story recounts the experiences of a teenager who feels misunderstood by his parents and unloved by the girl he adores, Pandora, who only has eyes for his best friend, Nigel. It has sold 20m copies worldwide and spawned seven sequels and many copycat novels. Few have had the wit and charm of the first book, however, and if Luke Sheppard’s production can capture it onstage, this could be a British musical with legs.
Curve Theatre, Sat to 4 Apr
LG
Buyer & Cellar, London
As the camp fashion-victim assistant Marc St James, Michael Urie was one of the standout stars of the hit American TV series Ugly Betty. Now the 34-year-old actor is making his London theatrical debut in a crowd-pleasing one-man comedy inspired by – of all things – the faux shopping mall installed in the basement of Barbra Streisand’s Malibu home to house her many collections. Written by New York playwright Jonathan Tolins, Buyer & Cellar considers the notion of fame by focusing on Alex More (Urie), an out-of-work actor employed to look after her street of old-time shops. The show was a big hit off Broadway, bringing Urie – who also features in the multi-award-winning TV comedy Modern Family – a clutch of awards for his performance. Stephen Brackett directs.
The Menier Chocolate Factory, SE1, Thu to 2 May
MC
After Electra, Plymouth
The Drum continues to be a significant player in the creation of contemporary theatre. This latest commission comes from April de Angelis, whose Royal Court hit Jumpy explored the relationship between mothers and daughters through a woman who’d protested at Greenham Common and her 21st-century teenage daughter. Mothers and daughters are under the spotlight again here, but in this instance the mother is 84. Despite her age, however, Virgie is still determined to run the show – and she has some very unusual birthday plans. The title may provide a few clues, as De Angelis looks at what motherhood really means, and how the choices we make can impact in ways we might never have imagined.
Theatre Royal: The Drum, Thu to 28 Mar
LG
