Unmissable London Theatre in 2013

Here’s a good long list of London’s Magnificent Musicals, Thrilling Theatre, and Dazzling Directors you wouldn’t want to miss out on this 2013.

By Imogen Sarre

Magnificent Musicals

The West End is famed for its musicals – and with good reason too. The feel-good factor to be had from a night out in the city of the big sparkly smoke is pretty unparalleled. Soak up the buzz and see London at its best, with its best.

Once

If music be the food of love, see Once. A celebration of love, friendship and music, this musical transfers to the West End after a sensationally successful run at Broadway, where it won itself eight Tony Awards, including Best New Musical. If this isn’t a must see for 2013, I don’t know what is.

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Spamalot

Having travelled the length and breadth of the country to rapturous reviews, Monty Python comes to the West End with every irresistible ounce of silliness you could hope for. After bopping away to these classic toons, you’ll be sure to leave looking on the brightest side of life.

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Viva Forever

If you love the Spice Girls’ music, think comedian Jennifer Saunders is the tops, and feel Mamma Mia! is the epitome of the truly great musical, then Viva Forever is probably for you. If you have a penchant for the X Factor, it’s confirmed. Viva Forever combines all these winning ingredients and charts the journey of a young wannabe singer as she enters the world of overnight celebrity.

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The Bodyguard

When Secret Service agents, superstars and stalkers combine with a Whitney Houston soundtrack, you can’t help but be the talk of the capital.

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The Book of Mormon

South Park and Avenue Q creators make musical comedy heaven and history, transferring to the West End after taking Broadway by storm and being credited as ‘The best musical of this century’ (New York Times).

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A Chorus Line

Telling the true stories of dancers auditioning for a musical, A Chorus Line is not only about Broadway, it also revolutionised it. The longest running musical in New York theatre history, this iconic masterpiece returns to wow West End audiences for the first time since its award-winning London premiere season in 1975.

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Thrilling Theatre

If you have regretted forever and a day being too late on the scene to catch David Tennant and Catherine Tate in Much Ado, or Mark Rylance in Jerusalem, Richard Griffiths in The History Boys, or maybe even Harry Potter naked in Equus, we’re on hand to help out. This is a helpful guide to all those plays you know you’ll kick yourself for missing:

A Doll’s House

This is definitely one of those beg/borrow/steal-tickets plays. Hattie Morahan wows in Simon Stephens’ adaptation of Ibsen’s absolute corker... The production’s reputation precedes it: after adding a second (sell out) run at the Young Vic, it transfers to the West End. This is an adaptation that will go down in history.

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Passion Play

Love and betrayal: two intense experiences that go hand in hand in this sensuous, moving and darkly comic play about the illicit desires that lie beneath the every day facade of a marriage. Zoë Wanamaker is a serial Olivier Award winner for a reason. Sensational.

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Relatively Speaking

It seems we West Enders just can’t get enough of Alan Ayckbourn. Charmingly English, this made Alan into a household name. In true deference to this inaugural success, this production pulls together an absolute stonker of a cast and crew.

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Sweet Bird of Youth

What do Sex and the City and Tennessee Williams’ Sweet Bird of Youth have in common? Not much, but on this occasion they do have Kim Cattrall, who plays a fading Hollywood legend. Directed by Marianne Elliott – you know, the one who swept the board at the Oliviers this year with the superb Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time – Cattrall takes centre stage at The Old Vic.

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The Woman in Black

Embrace the sado-masochistic experience of paying for the privilege of sleepless nights.

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The Audience

Long live our noble Queen, and long live the excitement the Royal Family generates. Here, Helen Mirren returns to her queenly role in the world premiere of The Audience.

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War Horse

Michael Morpurgo –
Stunningly poetic puppetry and choreography –
Perfect for all occasions, all audiences, all locations –

And now not only in the West End, this award winning production that has captured the imagination of thousands also hits up Sunderland Empire in April and May.

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Dazzling Directors

The Olympics Opening Ceremony in 2012 set in stone something that, deep down, we all already knew. Great Britain is at the peak of its artistic production, and the creative stars on stage and off it will be the talk of many generations to come. The opportunities to see work from these directors is one of the many reasons why London is the theatrical capital of the world.

Michael Grandage’s season of plays

Labelled one of the best living directors, in 2012 Michael Grandage announced his first season of plays to a cascade of critical acclaim and general excitement. His new production company is set to showcase the great and the good, from Simon Russell Beale in the five-star Privates on Parade (until March), to Judi Dench and Ben Whishaw in the newly written play Peter and Alice (March - June). Daniel Radcliffe stars in The Cripple of Inishmaan (June - August), and Legally Blonde’s Sheridan Smith takes on David Walliams in the love battle that is A Midsummer Night’s Dream (September - November). And finally, we have Jude Law in Henry V to finish off the year with a good bit of Christmas eye candy. All in all, an absolute treat of a programme to keep you entertained throughout the year.

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Jamie Lloyd

It appears that Mr Lloyd can do no wrong. After the success of Macbeth (starring James McAvoy) and Pinter’s The Hothouse (John Simm & Simon Russell-Beale), this supremely talented director moves into the realm of musical theatre with an adaptation of Roddy Doyle’s best-selling novel, The Commitments.

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Mark Rylance

We hate to love those people who can do it all, but Rylance still pulls in the punters, and with good reason too. After stunning – well, everyone – with his performance in Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem (he was deemed so crucial to the play’s success that they didn’t even get an understudy for him... if he was ill, the play simply didn’t go on), he went from strength to strength with sell-out performances in Twelfth Night (alongside Stephen Fry) and Richard III. Having dominated the acting world, he now takes on the directing one, with Much Ado About Nothing at The Old Vic (September – November).

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