SHOWS TO SEE
Image: Jan Noble's BODY 115 transfers to Jack Studio Theatre in May
Stepping into Spring with some of the best shows around. View all our recommendations below.
CHECK OUT OUR WHAT'S ON PAGES HERE for more shows at London pub theatres
THE DAYLIGHT ATHEIST by Tom Scott
Old Red Lion Theatre 16 Apr - 4 May
The UK Premiere of a hit New Zealand Classic
Danny Moffat is a post-war Irish immigrant living in rural New Zealand. Cantankerous and isolated, the old man has retreated to his bedroom fortress, a bombsite of old newspapers, beer crates, aircraft parts and candlewick bedspreads. Amid the debris of a furiously varied life, he conjures the characters and narrative of his past in a twilight quest for resolution and redemption. From Irish boyhood to World War II airman to New Zealand immigrant, he retraces a life of profane exploits and irreverent adventures interrupted by a shotgun marriage and the birth of triplets. An instant hit when it premiered in 2002, written by award-winning satirist and author Tom Scott, and still one of New Zealand´s most popular and often-performed plays. It stars the chameleonic Irish/New Zealander Owen Lindsay and directed by award-winning European wunderkind Richard Panzenböck.
THREE QUEENS by Rosamund Gravelle
Barons Court Theatre 23 April - 11 May 2024
A forgotten moment of English history comes to life at Barons Court Theatre this spring with the debut play from Rosamund Gravelle.
February, 1554.
Queen Mary wears the crown of a nation divided by religion. Before the dawn breaks, confessions will be made, prayers will be sent, and more than one life will hang in the balance.
Queen Mary is determined to save the soul of England. Future Queen Elizabeth is desperate to avoid her mother’s fate, and teenage Queen Jane Grey’s rebellion seeks to unravel everything.
Told in real time over one sleepless night, the play follows three women maneuvering for power, each carving out their place in history.
KUNSTLER by JEFFREY SWEET at White Bear Theatre, Kennington 1 - 18 May
Direct from New York and a UK/European premiere, iTheatre Saratoga/AND Theatre company’s acclaimed production stars Broadway veteran Jeff McCarthy (Urinetown, Beauty and the Beast), as the legendary Kunstler—a self-described “radical lawyer” and civil rights activist. Famous for defending the Chicago Seven and his involvement at Attica and Wounded Knee, attorney William Kunstler had an outsize personality and a tremendous appetite for life. In this two-character drama, tensions flare when he arrives on a college campus to give a seminar. The brilliant young law student assigned to introduce him objects to his appearance and is determined to confront him. Has Kunstler finally met his match?
Reviews
“Wise and revealing. A skilful script. An eye-opening history lesson. Jeff McCarthy seduces his audience. Mr. McCarthy has the Kunstler style down pat…”
The New York Times
REANICORP at Lion and Unicorn Theatre, Kentish Town 7 - 11 May
What if you didn’t have to say goodbye to your loved ones just yet? Introducing Reanicorp, a company that confronts you with your grief face to face, literally. After a series of blunders, Reanicorp faces ruin. Head of the Reanicorp programme, Michael Wallace, presents two case studies to the board in order to plead for the programme’s continuation. A wife is reunited with her deceased husband and two estranged sisters meet again under the most bittersweet of circumstances. But is the world ready for Micheal’s AI-generated ‘Arti-people’? And does he really have the public’s best interests at heart?
Reanicorp is a reflection of the current debate surrounding AI and asks if we could prolong human life with an AI version of a loved one - would it be worth it? Exploring themes of life, death, grief, human relationships and the power of corporate economic power, Reanicorp takes a darkly humorous yet subtly thought-provoking approach to exploring unspoken grief and why we struggle to accept it.
BODY 115 written and performed by Jan Noble
Jack Studio Theatre 7 - 11 May
Ever wished that you were somewhere else? Ever wished that you were somebody else?
Escaping the rain, a journey on the London Underground becomes a descent into the underworld in this award-winning show.
Summoning a spirit guide in the form of ‘Body 115’, we follow our poet-hero down and out through the sewers and tubes of Kings Cross Station to the heart of Italy. Part invocation, part rain dance, this poetic odyssey is delivered with a contemporary kick.
Body 115 was the winner of the London Pub Theatre Awards for ‘Best Innovative Play’ 2023. Jan Noble is an award winning poet. He has performed at the ICA in London, The Nuyorican Poets Cafe in New York and Teatrino Di Palazzo Grassi in Venice. He has taught creative writing in prisons and psychiatric hospitals and was poetry facilitator for leading London mental health charity Core Arts.
Quid Pro Quo Theatre presents
THE HOUSE WE INHERIT
Bridge House Theatre, Penge 21 May - 01 Jun
poignant and relatable, new-writing.
In a small town in America, the Wrights reside. Timothy Wright lives alone in his childhood home after taking it over from his deceased parents – and due to an innate heart defect he only has a couple months left to live.
After Timmy falls down the stairs and breaks his leg, his adoptive brother, Kevin. and their older sister, Helena, all find themselves reunited in their childhood home. But why are Kevin and Helena not talking? And what is up with her incessant need to clean the house?
The House We Inherit is a story about love, loss, family and the impact of the truth. It examines how we are conditioned by both the darkest and the dearest parts of our upbringing – and how we can find a way to move on.
YOGA & SEX...for women (over 40) at Bread and Roses Theatre, Clapham 9 - 11 May / Canal Cafe Theatre, Little Venice 8 - 13 July
Being a woman! Being over 40! Sex!
Kath has found the solution to all three of these problems.
YOGA! Based on three real Australian self-help books from the 1960s, Yoga for Women, Sex and Yoga and Yoga Over Forty by Nancy Phelan and Michael Volin. Are they out-of-date? Of course not! Kath (Kathryn Haywood) has found loads of helpful advice and practical exercises that are still relevant today to help you “stay slim for your husband,” “destroy your wrinkles” and “save your unhappy marriage.” You don’t have to be a woman, you don’t need to be over forty and you don’t even have to be sexual.
★★★★★"Sheer delight...Haywood's timing is pitch perfect, her expressive face like an Australian Fleabag. You laugh and laugh and it's all over too quickly. Brilliant." The Reviews Hub
Bread & Roses Theatre Book now >
Canal Cafe Theatre
Book now >
ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS
The Hope Theatre, Islington 7 - 11 May
'A joyous farce'★★★★THE REVIEWS HUB
Dylan and Lucy are best friends and housemates, but the fallout of a tragic accident causes the trajectory of their relationship to descend into unexpected chaos.
As the situation escalates and the stakes get higher, they use the game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to make some life-changing decisions; but when your choices directly affect the outcome of a game, how much of it is ever really left up to chance?
This is a comedy of errors with a twist, a farcical thriller exposing the rawness of human nature; involving friends, lovers…and possible manslaughter.
THE GIRL IN THE GREEN ROOM written and directed by Luke Adamson
Jack Studio Theatre 21 - 25 May
As the heavens open and the thunder cracks, a young writer dives into a never before seen bookshop for shelter on his way home one Autumn evening. Despite nobody answering his calls he has the distinct feeling that he is not alone.
When he discovers a secret room hidden behind an old mahogany bookcase things take a turn for the weird. Poetry scrawled into the pages of a handwritten diary reveals the details of a forbidden love affair.
Could this mysterious author be his unseen companion? As he dives further into the writing, the spirit’s dark purpose is revealed.
Can he calm the spirit in time? Will he ever escape The Green Room?
Inspired by The Green Room by Walter De La Mare, The Girl In The Green Room is an atmospheric one-man ghost story.
After its Five Star, award-nominated run at the neighbouring Bridge House Theatre, The Girl In The Green Room is getting a new life at the Jack Studio for one week only!
THE GREAT PRIVATION: HOW TO FLIP TEN CENTS INTO A DOLLAR at Theatre503, Battersea 14 May - 1 June
The Great Privation is about Grave Robbing: Grave Robbing during the early 1800’s. Grave Robbing during the Cholera outbreak. Grave Robbing in Pennsylvania. Robbing of Black bodies for medical research. Black bodies that were commodified even after death. Black bodies that never got their rest.
2023 Theatre503 International Playwriting Award Finalist is a stunning, profound play exploring the historical disruption of black bodies at rest, and the deep impact still felt today. Nia Akilah Robinson’s beautiful and haunting debut play, directed by Theatre503 Carne Associate Director Kalungi Ssebandeke, captures humour and joy amongst the darkest moments, and asks us all to reflect deeply on who we once might have been.
TAILORED PERFORMANCES:
14 May 7.30pm WRITERS NIGHT
22 May 7:30pm & 25 May 2:30pm PAY WHAT YOU CHOOSE
29 May 12pm PARENT & BABY
FONDLY REMEMBERED by Gareth Armstrong
Theatre at the Tabard,Chiswick 22nd May - 15 June 2024
Is a man’s memorial service the right time to tell the truth? Reunited for the occasion, a group of friends gather to celebrate a life.
But who are they remembering? A creative genius, a former lover, a bitter rival or the man who deceived them all?
From Gareth Armstrong, the writer of last year’s critically acclaimed A Critical Stage this wickedly funny new play is full of revelation, rediscovery and revenge.
REVIEWS FROM LAST YEAR’S A CRITICAL STAGE
A Critical Stage is beautifully conceived with a huge depth of knowledge informing the story and realisation onto stage. ★★★★★ The Review Chap
Pithy opinions and witty ripostes…well worth seeking out.
★★★★ The Daily Mirror
From Gareth Armstrong, the writer and director of last year’s critically acclaimed A Critical Stage this wickedly funny new play is full of revelation, rediscovery and revenge.
Sunday on the Rocks by Theresa Rebeck
directed by Rachael Bellis
Bread and Roses Theatre, Clapham 22 May - 1 June
It's an idyllic Sunday in a sleepy Boston suburb, and three housemates decide to have scotch for breakfast, naturally. A Theresa Rebeck masterpiece, Sunday on the Rocks, explores the problems of several young women in the nineties. Elly is pregnant and considering an abortion, Jen is being harassed by a coworker, and Gayle feels lost. Their problems are exacerbated by a fourth roommate -- Jessica -- whose religious compassion and activist zeal does not extend to their individual problems. As they drink, debate, discuss, and dance, it becomes clear just how muddied making a moral decision is in a world with only shades of grey.
“Sunday on the Rocks” is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French Ltd.
So Help Me Dog
The Hen & Chickens Theatre, Islington 28th May – 1st June, 4th – 8th June, 11th – 15th June 7.30pm £10/6.50
Directed by Lil Warren
A2B2C.I.D – SO HELP ME DOG
DANNY FRANKS was born into a tough crime family. Diagnosed with ADHD aged 3. Dyslexic. He left school aged 14 with no formal qualifications. But his family still taught him to “make a living”, It is 2004. He is facing trial for possession of 6 million pounds worth of contemporary art. A collection the upper echelons of society says, he, has no right to have.
The audience will be immersed in a revealing, tough, humorous courtroom drama and witness the consequences when Danny Franks starts to lose the stacked game he is playing against the establishment. A sometimes-surreal trip with plenty of authentic bite.
The Raymondos Presents: MACPLEBS
Golden Goose Theatre, Camberwell 30th May - Sat 1st June
Following a tram related accident, the renowned cast of Macbeth have been all but wiped out. The only two surviving members are The Messengers. After realising they can split the profits 50/50, these plebs attempt to tell the tale as a two-man show. One problem - they haven’t read it!
Armed only with their wits, wigs and willies, these fools will have you singing and dancing as they fumble their way through Shakespeare’s epic.
Whether you know every sonnet and soliloquy, or have never batted an eye at the bard, the Plebs will have you laughing from start to finish.
Tom Lehrer Is Teaching Math and Doesn’t Want to Talk to You
Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate 28 May - 9 Jun 2024
Production by:
Francis Beckett
In 1960, at the height of his fame, singer, songwriter, and satirist Tom Lehrer gave it all up. He spent the rest of his career as an obscure maths lecturer. This show investigates the strange disappearance of Tom Lehrer - and includes some of his greatest songs, like Poisoning Pigeons in the Park, and The Elements.
From the writer of sell-out shows including VODKA WITH STALIN and A MODEST LITTLE MAN, this new musical featuring the music of Tom Lehrer sheds light on the most enigmatic figure in musical comedy.
KAFKA - translated, devised & performed by Jack Klaff
Finborough Theatre 11 June - 6 July
Franz Kafka died in June 1924, one hundred years ago.To commemorate his centenary, Kafka, receives its first production in over 30 years. Franz Kafka – even more than James Joyce – is still the presiding genius of experimental storytelling in the West.
A hundred years on from his terrible death at the age of just 40, Kafka remains the voice of the outsider and the disempowered – struggling between the agony of solitude and the pains of intimacy, isolated in the big city and in the world, whilst never quite forgetting the mordant humour of existence.
Kafka himself presented an actor friend of his in Prague in a series of theatrical one man shows. Inspired by this knowledge, multi-award-winning writer and performer Jack Klaff created his internationally acclaimed solo evocation of Kafka’s life, works and times. Featuring a tremendous array of indelible characters from Kafka’s unmatchable imagination, drawing on all of Kafka’s works including Metamorphosis, The Trial, Amerika, The Castle, and his letters, diaries, and fragments, Jack Klaff also impersonates a star-studded cast of Kafka’s friends, lovers, fans and commentators, including – amongst many others – Alan Bennett, Bertolt Brecht, Max Brod, Albert Camus, Anthony Perkins, Orson Welles, Melvyn Bragg, Ben E King, Harold Pinter, David Baddiel, Samuel Beckett, and Albert Einstein. And the many Kafka ‘scholars and intellectuals’ whose pomposity and pretension are satirised without mercy.
It’s a Mystery!
written and performed by Tim Benzie & directed by Sarah Chew
produced by Tim Benzie at Bread and Roses Theatre
25th - 29th June at 7pm
2nd-4th July at 9:30pm
5th & 6th July at 5pm
Tim Benzie, the acclaimed creator and host of Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote presents his new one-man show, a funny and engrossing deep dive into the appeal of murder mysteries.
The audience are summoned to the drawing room as Tim takes on the role of detective, examining the clues that drew him to the genre as a child, a journey from Scooby Doo and Encyclopedia Brown, to German mystery-puzzle books via reading the entire works of Agatha Christie as a teenager. Along the way he draws connections between obsessions with detective films, the TV series Murder, She Wrote, his role as Detective Tim for Disney TV and his current Solve-Along show.
Funny, touching and showcasing the delight in pop culture minutiae that has made Solve-Along-A-Murder-She-Wrote a cult hit, It’s a Mystery! will appeal to fans of the genre and anyone who’s ever wondered whodunnit (and why).
West End Best Friend
***** Five stars
“Benzie is a great host. His enthusiasm for this genre is immediately apparent and his journey through the topic, heartfelt … This is a great insight, lots of fun and a joyful production at this year's Fringe. A killer of a show!”
The Brig Newspaper
**** Four stars
“From the history of the genre, to what academics have theorised, to multiple pop culture references, the audience's attention is held in rapture. In the end this is an enlightening hour, and a surprisingly personal piece of story-telling. If you love detective fiction, murder mysteries, or even just stories with puzzles in them, you will find much to enjoy here.”
First peek at shows coming up in July
ED: the totally unofficial ginger-inclusive sketch show
Canal Cafe Theatre, Little Venice 22 - 24 July 7.30pm
A comedy of remixed pop hits parodying Ed Sheeran’s rise to stardom return.
Accompanied by a glittering live band and transferring from five star reviews at Edinburgh Fringe, don’t miss Ed: the totally unofficial ginger-inclusive sketch show, charting the story of the ginger pop sensation who just wants to play music. He’s our ginger hero!
Starring Rosie Parrish and ensemble cast, Ed combines joyful comedy, first-class musical talent and a kid with suspiciously decent guitar skills. Can Ed survive fame, fortune and being ginger? A cheeky and raucous night out of remixed pop hits, slammin’ music industry pccadilloes and championing auburn culture.
Compared to the works of Bo Burnham (Varsity newspaper) and featuring multiple inauthentic gingers, Ed is packed with parody remixes of pop songs, character sketches and cameo appearances including a sequin-jacketed Rocket Man. Audience members also have the chance to participate onstage in a live game show. The show is classic sketch comedy with a modern twist. Best consumed with pre-dinner drinks (you can take them into the theatre - cabaret tables provided).
“Every second is comedy gold … Out-there, intelligently written, and unafraid of having fun … A rip-roaring, hilarious parody” – Edinburgh Fringe Review – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Psst ... more shows being added each week
We are very proud to announce that LONDON PUB THEATRES MAGAZINE is now an OFFIE AWARD WINNING publication
A ONEOFF Special Award has been awarded to London Pub Theatres Magazine and Editor Heather Jeffery for providing a vital forum for highlighting the excellent work that happens in rooms in pubs, with sensitive editing, and an acute sense of the importance of tiny fringe venues to the health and development of British Theatre