THIS IS LONDON SEPTEMBER EDITION 2025 copy - Flipbook - Page 36
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BACCHAE
National Theatre
Bacchae is the first debut play ever to
be performed in the Olivier Theatre. It
has been written by Nima Taleghani,
after Euripides’ original Ancient Greek
text.
Dionysos, the god of wine, rhyme and
a good time, wants acceptance and
recognition of his godliness from his
mortal relatives, Pentheus and Agave.
They are royalty from the conservative
land of Thebes. Instead of dropping in
on Thebes for a family reunion,
Dionysos twists the mind of Agave to
join the Bacchae, Dionysos’ group of all
female, all feral followers.
In the tradition of Greek tragedy, the
Bacchae act as the Greek chorus,
observing, commenting and responding
to the ensuing chaos. Led by the
formidable Vida (Clare Perkins) and
supported by an array of colourful, wild
women, the Bacchae in this production
serve as ballast to the destructive acts of
its leading characters.
James McArdle’s Pentheus, a king
who strives to live up to the patriarchal
role set for him despite secretly longing
to be allowed his sensitivity, and Ukweli
Roach’s Dionysos, a rhyming, flirtatious,
capricious good-time god are
particularly memorable; their scenes
together are some of the best in the play
- amusing, tender and brutal.
The show is a great spectacle - rap
and street dance fill the auditorium with
energy, and the set, three large rotating
blocks of marble, conveys the scale and
weight of a Greek tragedy. It’s a pity that
the text occasionally suffers from some
obvious gags and predictable acting, but
the lead actors drive the narrative with
great dexterity and charm.
Reece Webster
PLAYS
EVERY BRILLIANT THING
From Olivier Award-nominated writer Duncan
Miller (who wrote ‘People, Places and
Things’) comes this moving one-person play,
rich with theatrical innovation. Until 8 Nov.
@sohoplace
4 Soho Place, Charing Cross Road, W1
THE LADY FROM THE SEA
A thrilling dissection of desire, loss and
rebirth for the contemporary age. Until 8 Nov..
BRIDGE THEATRE
Potters Fields Park, SE1 (0333 320 0052)
WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION
Based in a unique court room setting inside
London’s County Hall, a landmark production
of Agatha Christie’s gripping story of justice,
passion and betrayal.
COUNTY HALL
Belvedere Road, SE1 (0844 815 7141)
THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG
A polytechnic amateur drama group are putting
on a 1920s murder mystery and everything that
can go wrong... does!
DUCHESS THEATRE
Catherine Street, WC2 (0330 333 4810)
THE WEIR
Brendan Gleeson stars as Jack in what
promises to be a definitive production of the
celebrated modern classic. Until 6 December.
HAROLD PINTER THEATRE
Panton Street, SW1 (0333 009 6690)
National Theatre
STRANGER THINGS: THE FIRST SHADOW
Directed by Stephen Daldry, this gripping new
adventure will take you back to the beginning
of the Stranger Things story – and may hold
the key to the end...
PHOENIX THEATRE
Charing Cross Road, WC2
FAULTY TOWERS THE DINING EXPERIENCE
Inspired by one of Britain’s greatest ever
comedy series, a 2 hour production is set in a
restaurant where the audience are the diners.
PRESIDENT HOTEL
Guilford Street, WC1 (0845 154 4145)
THE MOUSETRAP
Agatha Christie’s whodunnit is the longest
running play of its kind in the history of
British theatre.
ST MARTIN’S THEATRE
West Street, WC2 (0844 499 1515)
OTHELLO
Shakespeare’s play rages to life like never
before in an explosive new production starring
David Harewood, Toby Jones and Caitlin
FitzGerald.
THEATRE ROYAL HAYMARKET
Suffolk Street, SW1 (020 7930 8800)
BORN WITH TEETH
Liz Duffy Adams’ daring new play imagines
the relationship between Christopher
Marlowe, rock star of Elizabethan theatre and
William Shakespeare, jobbing actor and
promising young playwright. Until 1 Nov.
WYNDHAM’S THEATRE
Charing Cross Road, WC2
OLIVIER THEATRE
BACCHAE
Indhu Rubasingham begins her tenure as
National Theatre Director by bringing Nima
Taleghani’s exciting new version of Euripides’
ultimate tragedy to life through rhythm,
movement and music. Until 1 November.
LYTTELTON THEATRE
HAMLET
Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera plays
the title role in this fearless, contemporary
take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy. Until
22 Nov.
DORFMAN
THE LAND OF THE LIVING
Juliet Stevenson plays Ruth in this remarkable
and timely new play by David Lan, immersed
in the shapeshifting nature of memory and
morality. Directed by Stephen Daldry.
MUSICALS
CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story about a boy
born old, who grows younger every day,
transposed to a Cornish fishing village.
Until 11 October.
AMBASSADORS THEATRE
West Street, WC2 (0207 395 5405)
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Adventure based on the 1985 blockbuster
about a rock‘n’roll teenager who is
accidentally transported back to 1955 in a
time-travelling DeLorean.
ADELPHI THEATRE
Strand, WC2 (020 7557 7300)
NATIONAL THEATRE
South Bank, SE1 (020 7452 3000)
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