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After the sleepy summer months, London theatre rouses itself for a traditionally busy September. From the Royal Court’s biggest show in years to an intriguing new musical by Elvis Costello at the Young Vic, it’s a dizzyingly eclectic month.
1. Giant
Does ‘Giant’ tell us anything about the new regime at the Royal Court or is it basically a Bridge Theatre show that needed a home while the Bridge was occupied with ‘Guys and Dolls’? Who knows, but it’s an incredibly enticing prospect: Nicholas Hytner makes his Court debut directing a mouthwatering cast headed by John Lithgow, Elliot Levey, Rachael Stirling and Romola Garai in write Mark Rosenblatt’s dark comedy exploring Roald Dahl’s antisemitism.
Royal Court, Sep 20-Nov 16. Buy tickets here.
2. Coriolanus
Shakespeare’s knotty tragedy about a gifted Roman general pushed over the edge by his contempt for the populous is a rare but welcome visitor to the London stage. Now it’s back in a big splashy production starring a jacked and stacked David Oyelowo in his first big theatre role in aeons, directed by Lyndsey Turner.
National Theatre, Sep 11-Nov 9.
3. A Face in the Crowd
This intriguing new musical is a collaboration between New Wave legend Elvis Costello and acclaimed US playwright Sarah Ruhl. It’s an adaptation of the cult 1957 film of the same name, which follows a charismatic drifter who is turned into a star by an ambitious local news network, only to turn into a terrifyingly popular demagogue. Anoushka Lucas and Ramin Karimloo star.
Young Vic, Sep 10-Nov 9. Buy tickets here.
4. The Real Thing
The Old Vic sees in the autumn with a major revival of one of Tom Stoppard’s greatest plays, a head-spinning meta comedy about three actors and a playwright conducting affairs with each other in various real and fictional settings. Jame McArdle and Bel Powley front Max Webster’s production.
Old Vic, until Oct 26. Buy tickets here.
5. Waiting for Godot
Okay, some of the shine has been taken off by the mind-boggling recent announcement that Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter are doing the same play on Broadway, but Beckett’s existential masterpiece ‘Waiting for Godot’ is always a welcome sight on the West End. It’s also just possible that Brit stars Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati may have the edge on Reeves and Winter acting-wise, although we didn’t say that.
Haymarket Theatre Royal, Sep 13-Dec 14.
6. Why Am I So Single?
Writers Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss scored an almighty sleeper hit with sassy monarchical romp ‘Six’ and probably don’t really need to work again if they don’t feel like it. But clearly they do! ‘Why Am I So Single?’ is a musical about modern dating that follows two hopeless-in-love BFFs as they try and negotiate ‘the apps’.
Garrick Theatre, booking to Feb 13 2025. Buy tickets here.
7. Princess Essex
As per tradition, the Globe wraps up its 2024 outdoor season with a new play. ‘Princess Essex’ is written by actor Anne Odeke and dramatises a fascinating true story – that of the first woman of colour to enter a beauty contest in the UK. Way back in 1908 the mysterious Princess Dinubolu (probably not a princess) entered a pageant at Southend-on-Sea, despite attempts to bar her. Odeke’s play looks into her story.
Shakespeare’s Globe, Sep 13-Oct 26. Buy tickets here.
8. Pins and Needles
With erstwhile boss Indhu Rubasingham off to run the National it’s all change at Kiln Theatre. New artistic director Amit Sharma directs the first show of his first season, an intriguing play by high-concept writer Rob Drummond that seeks to explore the politics of vaccination.
Kiln Theatre, Sep 19-Oct 26. Buy tickets here.
9. Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro’s poetic and unsettling sci-fi novel feels like a perfect fit for the stage, with its slow-burning revelations about an English boarding school that is not all it appears to be. Rose Theatre boss Christopher Haydon directs this adaptation by former ‘Killing Eve’ showrunner Suzanne Heathcote.
Rose Theatre Kingston, Sep 20-Oct 12.
10. Twine
Although the official descriptions are somewhat opaque, this show on the theme of adoption is well worth a look by dint of it being by Selina Thompson, whose phenomenal ‘salt’ was as uncategorisable as it was brilliant, an intensely personal docu-drama about the white gaze and the slave triangle.
Yard Theatre, until Sep 21.
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