The show must go on as venues prepare to reopen
The curtain is set to go up at indoor theatres across the country after months of waiting.
A wave of venues have committed to reopening dates following the publication of the route out of lockdown roadmap.
Many theatres, including London’s West End, have been shut to the public since before Christmas. But now there is light at the end of the tunnel as a raft of live show dates are ready to be pencilled in your diary.
Theatre listing site WhatsOnStage has compiled a lengthy record of what treats are in store for show-starved theatregoers. A spokesperson said: “Of course – just because a venue hasn’t announced its reopening date doesn’t mean a show set for this summer isn’t going ahead. We’re just going by what we’re being updated on, or unveiling new shows that hadn’t announced their seasons. We’ll be amending this list on a regular basis as new announcements come in.”
Scanning the document reveals a wealth of drama and music from the greatest stages to smaller theatres.
At the top of the scale is the National Theatre in London, which is due to reopen its Olivier Theatre on June 16 with a production of Under Milk Wood starring Michael Sheen. Its smaller Dorfman Theatre is back in action first with After Life by Jack Thorne on June 2. It will play to audiences of 120.
But if musical theatre is more your thing then the socially-distanced all-star Les Misérables concert is set to open at the Sondheim Theatre, London on May 20.
Producer Cameron Mackintosh announced the news on the first anniversary of the enforced closure of British Theatre due to the pandemic.
He said: “The cast drawn from the West End and national tour companies will be headed by Jon Robyns as Jean Valjean, Bradley Jaden as Javert, Lucie Jones as Fantine, Shan Ako as Eponine and Harry Apps as Marius. Gerard Carey and Josefina Gabrielle will play the Thenardiers.”
There is also the return of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom on the Opera at Her Majesty’s Theatre London from July 21. Before that he will open Joseph at The London Palladium on July 1.
Away from London, there is also a lot to look forward to. Liverpool Royal Court has ringed July 2 as the date for its return. Ellen & Rigby will play throughout the month before a revival of John Godber’s Bouncers (August 13 to September 11) and a new musical, Homebaked (September 24 to October 23).
While Nottingham Playhouse will bring up the curtain with Piaf on July 2, The play about the life story of French singer Edith Piaf is a co-production with Leeds Playhouse and it is expected to transfer there sometime after its run finishes on July 17. Nottingham has also announced its new ‘Spring Loaded’ season, which includes
both online and live events from May 17).
Over on the East Coast, the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough is due to reopen its doors from May 18 with Julie Hesmondhalgh’s The Greatest Play in the History of the World… where a man wakes in the middle of the night to discover that the world has stopped.
But if it’s star power that you want, then Ralph Fiennes is directing and starring in TS Eliot’s Four Quartets at the Theatre Royal, Bath from May 25 to June 5. According to press material, “The Four Quartets (Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages and Little Gidding), contain some of the most exquisite and unforgettable reflections upon surviving periods of national crisis.”
For more information on any of these shows and theatres please see: www. whatsonstage.com.