H
ere are this week’s theatrical openings and reminders about those shows that are leaving London in the next seven days.
THEATRE
There are three very different shows opening tonight: Roger Rees tackles all things Shakespearean in What You Will at the Apollo Theatre; Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful faces the firing squad at dawn at the Theatre Royal Haymarket; and Zelda is a good-time girl capturing the heart and imagination of novelist F Scott Fitzgerald at the Trafalgar Studios.
Tomorrow is the opening night for Bully Boy at the newly opened St James Theatre in Victoria. A new play by Sandi Toksvig, Bully Boy looks at the effect of modern warfare on the mental health of soldiers. Thom Pain (Based on Nothing) opens at the Print Room from Thursday (see a taster below), as does a contemporary production of Strindberg’s Mademoiselle Julie at the Barbican (starring Juliette Binoche) and Celebrity Night at Café Red at the Trafalgar Studios, a black comedy of love, awkwardness and mime.
Celebs are the order of the day at the production of Twelfth Night opening at the Globe Theatre on Saturday: look out for Stephen Fry, Mark Rylance and Samuel Barnett in this all-male production of Shakespeare’s classic comedy.
And Monday is the first night for the new Beatles musical, Let It Be at the Prince of Wales Theatre; and Insufficiency, a comedy of academic manners, mystery and suspense at the Riverside Studios.
OPERA
Two opera choices have caught our eye this week. First up: Barbershopera presents Cabaret Sauvignon from tonight at the Trafalgar Studios. It’s a mix of cabaret, song and laughter, featuring Rob Castell, Lara Stubbs, Pete Sorel Cameron and Will Kenning who arrive in the West End fresh from a successful run at the Edinburgh Festival.
Das Rheingold comes to the Royal Opera House from Monday; it’s the prelude to Wagner’s magnificent four-opera cycle, Der Ring Des Nibelungen; this production is performed in German with English surtitles.
LONDON SHOWS CLOSING
Saturday is the last night for Morning at the Lyric Hammersmith and for the much-praised Philadelphia, Here I Come! at the Donmar Warehouse.
