Gypsy, London
For many, this is probably the theatrical highlight of the year. After Imelda Staunton ended her award-winning run in 2012’s Sweeney Todd, many salivated at the rumour that she was looking to star in another Sondheim musical – Gypsy (music by Jule Styne, book by Arthur Laurents) – as the ultimate pushy showbiz mum Mama Rose. Jonathan Kent’s production opened to acclaim at Chichester Festival Theatre last year and now comes to the West End. Alongside Staunton will be Lara Pulver, of Sherlock fame, playing the burlesque dancer/stripper Gypsy Rose Lee, and Peter Davison as husband Herbie. Get in the queue for a ticket.
Savoy Theatre, WC2, Sat to 18 Jul
MC
Last Dream (On Earth), On tour
A man drops from the undercarriage of an aeroplane as it comes in to land. An overcrowded boat capsizes off the coast of Italy and everyone drowns. A group of people being led across a border are abandoned and left for dead. We’ve all seen the stories in the news, but those migrants who lose their lives are all too often merely statistics; we never know what made them undertake these dangerous journeys. Creating an immersive experience via a headphone soundscape and live performance, Kai Fischer’s National Theatre Of Scotland show draws on the accounts of those who risk their lives for what might seem like an impossible dream: from a group of north African migrants to Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space.
LG
Private Lives, Bolton
Another day and another revival of Noël Coward’s 1930 comedy, which originally starred Coward himself opposite Gertrude Lawrence, with support from Adrienne Allen and a young Laurence Olivier. Written in just four days, the story of the outrageous Elyot and Amanda – once married but now finding themselves in adjoining hotel rooms on their honeymoons with new partners – was an instant success. When it doesn’t shirk the emotional viciousness that underlies the surface humour, it can be a hugely entertaining production, if not always an entirely pleasant one. The real interest here is that it’s directed by Elizabeth Newman, who will take over from David Thacker as the Octagon’s artistic director in July.
Octagon Theatre, to 18 Apr
LG
Dead Sheep, London
It’s 25 years since one of the most blistering political speeches of all time helped bring down a British prime minister. It came from an unexpected source: the seemingly mild-mannered Geoffrey Howe, erstwhile friend and political soulmate of his target, Margaret Thatcher. Howe’s oratorial skills had previously been compared to those of a dead sheep, and it is this devastating simile that provides the title of a new debut play by broadcaster and writer Jonathan Maitland. Dead Sheep looks again at this piece of public political assassination and touches on themes of loyalty, morality and Britishness. The cast – directed by Ian Talbot – includes James Wilby as Howe and Steve Nallon, the voice of Mrs T in the cult 80s TV satire show Spitting Image, as Thatcher.
Park Theatre, N4, Wed to 9 May
MC
This Is How We Die, On tour
The trick of Christopher Brett Bailey’s savage and exhilarating monologue is that it somehow manages to feel startlingly fresh and contemporary, yet is also deeply rooted in the work of the 50s Beat poets, B movies and American road trips. It fits neatly into the current explosion of spoken-word performance, yet at the same time – even when Brett Bailey is sitting alone at a desk reading from a script, as he does for most of the show – you can sense the strong theatrical framing of the piece. At the end you actually see it and feel it too, in a finale that is part exorcism, part out-of-body experience and part trumpet for the end of the world. Enjoy the ride at a venue somewhere near you until the end of June.
LG
Blood, On tour
Emteaz Hussain is a poet and playwright who has toured the world as a spoken-word artist. The follow-up to her debut play, Sweet Cider, is this two-hander, a 21st-century urban love story set within the Midlands’ Pakistani community. At its heart is a conflict of desire that occurs when Caneze and Sully meet in the college canteen: Caneze’s family – particularly her brother – are determined to keep the two of them apart. Staged by Tamasha Theatre Company, the show will tour to theatres throughout the UK, offering local communities a chance to see their own lives reflected back to them from the stage.
LG
