That was March in London theatre-land with Hamlet actor spots but a Shakespeare theatre low
03/04/2018
Theatre news highlights from March
* Mark Bonnar and Jane Horrocks have been cast in Instructions for Correct Assembly at the Royal Court which opens for preview on April 7.
* Samuel West joins the previously announced Romola Garai in Ella Hickson's The Writer, Almeida, which opens for preview on April 16.
* Not only is the Donmar staging a new adaptation of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, directed by Polly Findlay, but Lia Williams and Angus Wright are starring. Be lovely to see those two on stage together again.
* Stan-fav Jade Anouka has been cast in The Phlebotamist, the debut play by Ella Road at Hampstead Theatre Downstairs.
* It's bye bye to the Lyric Hammersmith for a little while (June to October) as it undergoes a refurbishment.
* Orlando Bloom has been cast in Killer Joe at Trafalgar Studios which opens for previews on May 18. I admit my interest in seeing this is more out of curiosity rather than being a fan.
* Another Stan-fav, Jonjo O’Neill, has been cast in The Prudes at the Royal Court Theatre which opens for preview on April 18.
Celebrity spots
There's a bit of a Hamlet theme to the spots in March. Game of Thrones's Joe Dempsie was watching the RSC's Hamlet at Hackney Empire and then he 'stalked' @PolyG and I nearly all the way home on the tube.
Not Hamlet but still Shakespear, John Hopkins was watching Factory Theatre's first performance of Macbeth in a church hall in Pimlico (read more about the Macbeth/church hall experience).
My spies have been eagle-eyed, spotting Harriet Walters and Simon Russell Beale at The York Realist, Donmar Warehouse and Ben Whishaw was spotted watching Summer and Smoke at the Almeida - because he can't keep away from the theatre, even on his night off from playing Brutus.
Theatre highs
The Great Wave, National Theatre was a gripping and fascinating story based on incredible true events and I loved the RSC's Hamlet all over again when I got to see it at the Hackney Empire.
While technically I saw this in February, my review was published in March so it qualifies here: Summer and Smoke at the Almeida was superb. Catch it while you can, it finishes on April 7.
That's two cracking performances by Patsy Ferran and we are only a quarter of the way through the year.
Theatre lows
There have Shakespeare plays among the highs in March but there was also a Shakespeare low: Macbeth at the National Theatre. Great setting but the production didn't make me care about anyone in the play. Shame, normally love Rory Kinnear and Anne-Marie Duff.