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Small but mighty, Islington’s Almeida Theatre is one of the most prestigious – and on form! – theatres in London, equally influential as a haven for great writers, great directors and great actors.
And all of those things are in supply as artistic director Rupert Goold announces a five-show 2024 season that takes us right up to the end of November.
First up is the UK premiere of brainbox US playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins ‘The Comeuppance’ (Apr 6-May 18), a dark comedy about a group of high school rejects’ 20-year reunion. The show got fine notices in New York, from where Eric Ting’s production transfers with a new British cast that includes Yolanda Kettle, Ferdinand Kingsley, Tamara Lawrance, Katie Leung and Anthony Welsh.
Next it’s ‘Alma Mater’ (Jun 11-Jul 20), a new drama by playwright Kendall Feaver about a divided college campus that stars the mighty Lia Williams and is directed by Polly Findlay.
For the summer there’s a UK premiere for the new artistic director of the revered Internationaal Theater Amsterdam Eline Arbo’s ‘The Years’ (Jul 27-Aug 31), an already acclaimed adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s novel about a woman’s rapidly-changing life in postwar Europe.
Then for the autumn there’ll be the theatre’s first-ever rep season, that is to say it’ll feature two different plays that will run in the theatre’s repertoire for 13 weeks. Dubbed the Angry and Young season, it’ll feature two classics of mid-twentieth century British theatre making: Diyan Zora will direct Arnold Wesker’s ‘Roots’ (Sep 10-Nov 30), about a young woman who returns home to sleepy Norfolk with her head full of firebrand politics; and Atri Banerjee will tackle John Osborne’s monumental ‘Look Back in Anger’ (Sep 18-Nov 30), the play about an angry young man in post-war Britain that revolutionised theatre – and film – forever.
Casting for the last three remains TBC, but expect some decent names.
‘The Comeuppance’ and ‘Alma Mater’ will go on sale Feb 16, with the rest later in the spring.
The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2024.
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