Theatre Listings

May - 1-31, 2008

Blue Elephant Theatre 59a, Bethwin Road, Camberwell, SE5 (020-7701 0100)
Hide & Seek Tal Jakubowiczova directs Shift Theatre’s piece about a woman, who finds a baby amidst some ruins, triggering painful memories of the past. Tue-Sat 8pm (press night May 1), ends May 17, £10, concs £8.
Out Of Chaos Temple Theatre’s newly devised piece mixing Greek mythology with true stories of the present day, directed by Mike Tweddle. May 20-24, 8pm, £10, concs £8.
Pluto New drama written by Jonathan Bonfiglio about the relentless need to define this world, set beneath the clear skies of Pisco de Elqui in Chile. From May 28, Wed-Sat 8pm, Sun 5.30pm, ends Jun 15, £12, concs £10.

Greenwood Theatre 55, Weston Street, SE1 (020-7700 6192)
Hitting Home Theatre and dance adaptation of Andrea Ashworth’s autobiographical novel about a family coming apart at the seams. May 15, 1pm, £7.50, concs £4.50.

The Menier Chocolate Factory 51-53, Southwark Street, SE1 (020-7907 7060)
Maria Friedman: Re-arranged Solo show from musical theatre star Friedman, showcasing new arrangements of modern classics by the likes of Burt Bacharach, Jacques Brel, Kander & Ebb and Stevie Wonder. Thu-Sat 8pm, mat Sun 3.30pm, ends May 4, £20, concs £17.50, Meal Deal £27.50.
The Common Pursuit Nigel Harman, James Dreyfus and Reece Shearsmith star in Simon Gray’s comedy, charting the friendships of a group of Cambridge undergraduates across almost 25 years. From May 10, Tue-Sat 8pm (press night May 27), mats Sat & Sun 3.30pm, ends Jul 20, previews to May 25 £20, concs £18, Meal Deal £27.50, then £22.50, concs £18, Meal Deal £30.

National Theatre: Cottesloe South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000)
Harper Regan Simon Stephens’s new drama stars Lesley Sharp as a wife and mother, who walks away from her family, and keeps on going. Directed by Marianne Elliott. May 1-3, 5, 12-15, 7.30pm, mats May 3 & 14, 2.30pm, booking to May 15, previews £10-27, then £10-£29, concs available.
Happy Now? Kitty has a chance encounter at a hotel that sends her mind into a whirl in a new drama on modern living by Lucinda Coxon, starring Olivia Williams. May 6-10, 7.30pm, mats May 7 & 10, 2.30pm, £10-£29.
The Pitmen Painters Max Roberts directs Lee Hall’s new play about about a group of ’30s miners who decide to take an art appreciation evening class. May 19-20, 22-24, 26-28, 7.30pm (press night May 21, 7pm), mats May 22, 24 & 28, 2.30pm, ends Jun 25, previews £10-£27, then £10-£29, concs available.

National Theatre: Lyttelton South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000)
The Year Of Magical Thinking Adapted from her own memoirs, Joan Didion’s new play chronicles the time after her husband’s sudden death, with Vanessa Redgrave in the lead role. Directed by David Hare. May 1, 7-10, 15-17, 19-20, 8pm, mats May 8, 10, 17, 20, 3pm, booking to May 20, previews £10-£27, then £10-£41, concs available.
Never So Good Jeremy Irons stars as Howard Macmillan, a man out of step in an era of the fading Empire and vicious Conservative politics, in Howard Brenton’s new drama, directed by Howard Davies. May 2, 5-6, 12-14, 21-24, 7.30pm, mats May 3, 6, 13, 24, 2.15pm, booking to May 24, £10-£41, concs available.

National Theatre: Olivier South Bank, SE1 (020-7452 3000)
Fram Mark Addy and Jasper Britton star in Tony Harrison’s new drama about Fridtjof Nansen, the famed Norwegian explorer, shipbuilder and member of the League of Nations. May 1, 8-10, 12-13, 16-17, 19-22, 7.30pm, mats May 1, 10 & 17, 2pm, booking to May 22, previews £10-£20, then £10-£30, concs available.
Major Barbara Classic satirical drama about an idealistic Salvation Army volunteer and her millionaire father, starring Simon Russell Beale as Undershaft. May 2-3, 5-7, 14-15, 7.30pm, mats May 3, 7 & 15, 2pm, booking to May 15, £10-£30, concs available.
The Revenger’s Tragedy Rory Kinnear plays Vindice in Melly Still’s staging of Thomas Middleton’s dark tale of murder and skullduggery. May 27-31, 7.30pm, ends Aug 7, previews £10-£20, then £10-£30, concs available.

Old Vic 103, The Cut, SE1 (0870-060 6628)
Pygmalion Peter Hall’s staging of Bernard Shaw’s classic tale of the battle of wills between a Cockney flower girl and an arrogant phonetics professor. With Tim Pigott-Smith as Henry Higgins and Michelle Dockery as Eliza Doolittle. From May 7, Mon-Sat 7.30pm (press night May 15, 7pm), mats Wed & Sat 2.30pm, May 8, 2.30pm, no mat perf May 7, booking to Aug 2, previews £10-£42.50, then £10-£45.

Oval House 54, Kennington Oval, Kennington, SE11 (020-7582 7680)
Footprints In The Sand (For One Night Only/Letting Go) Double bill of plays written by Oladipo Agboluaje and Rukhsana Ahmad, melding African slapstick humour and feelings of love and loss in a strange country. Directed by Helena Bell. Thu-Sat 7.45pm, ends May 3, £12, concs £6.
Confessions Of A Dancewhore Michael Twaits’s solo performance fuses burlesque, comedy and alternative media to explore the clichés of gay culture. Contains strong language. Thu-Sat 9pm, ends May 3, £12, concs £6.
First Bites Spring 2008: Rage And Breathe Performance art, choreography, live and recorded music and song depicting the start and demise of a multi-ethnic gay love affair. May 7, 7.45pm, £4.
First Bites Spring 2008: The Maid A single mother working for a telephone sex line is preoccupied by matters close to home in Sheila White’s vibrant yarn. May 8 & 9, 8pm, £4.
Moj Of The Antarctic: An African Odyssey Video, dance, music, song, storytelling, text and original photographs relate the true story of 19th century African-American slave woman Ellen Craft. May 13-17, 7.45pm, mat May 17, 3pm, £12, concs £6, Meal Deal £15.
The Conquest Of The South Pole Modern interpretation of Manfred Karge’s psychological drama in which a group of disabled friends re-enacts Amundsen’s expedition to the South Pole with imaginative results. May 20-24, 7.45pm, mat May 22, 1pm, £12, concs £6.
Rock Tim Fountain’s drama about Henry Willson, the unscrupulous but steadfastly loyal agent to ’50s screen idol Rock Hudson. Starring Bette Bourne. From May 27, Tue-Sat 7.45pm (press night May 29), ends Jun 21, £12, concs £6.

Pacific Playhouse 5, Playhouse Court, SE1 (0870-060 0100)
Southern Lights Staged rehearsed readings of four new plays by young writers, Stuart Hoar, Vivienne Plumb, Sarah Robertson and Tom McCrory, from New Zealand, presented by Shaky Isles Theatre. May 1 & 2, 8pm, £5.
Cat’s-Paw Noah Lee Margetts directs William Mastrosimone’s provocative drama about a radical cell which kidnaps a journalist to draw attention to its environmental manifesto. From May 3, Mon-Sun 7.30pm, mat Thu 3.30pm, ends May 9, £10.
Dangerous Corner Unsettling drama set in the early ’30s, in which a couple act as host to a small group of friends. Written by J.B. Priestly, directed by Daniel Brennan. From May 13, Tue-Sat 7.30pm (press night May 13, 8pm), ends May 31, £11, concs £8.

Royal Vauxhall Tavern 372, Kennington Lane, Vauxhall, SE11 (020-7820 1222)
Topping & Butch’s School Gang Stand-up and satirical songs from the award-winning double act, plus guests Andre Vincent, Hattie Hayridge, Andrew Maxwell and Phil Nichol. May 7, 7pm, £5.
BrouHaha Comedy Zoe Lyons and Cathy P host the weekly night of irreverent stand-up with music from DJ Eddie K plus special guests Jo Jo Smith, Ava Vidal (May 14), Sarah Millican, Josh Howie (May 21), Marian Pashley, Pam Ford (May 28). May 14, 21 & 28, 7pm, £5.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre 21, New Globe Walk, SE1 (020-7401 9919)
Totus Mundus: King Lear Shakespeare’s familial tragedy stars David Calder as the weary King under the direction of Dominic Dromgoole. May 1-3, 6-9, 13, 15, 28, 31, 7.30pm, May 11, 1pm & 6.30pm, mats May 1, 3, 14, 29, 2pm, ends Aug 15, £5-£33, concs £12-£30.
Totus Mundus: A Midsummer Night’s Dream The season continues with Jonathan Munby’s production of of the magical comedy, with Christopher Brandon and Oliver Boot. May 10, 12, 14, 16-17, 19-21, 26-27, 29-30, 7.30pm, mats May 13, 15-17, 20, 22, 27-28, 30-31, 2pm, ends Oct 4, £5-£33, concs £12-£30.

Southwark Playhouse Shipwright Yard, Corner Of Tooley Street and Bermondsey Street, SE1 (0870-060 1761)
Triptych Poetic drama by Edna O’Brien starring Terry Norton, Orla Brady and Jessica Ellerby, sketching a portrait of a man through the eyes of a wife, a daughter and a mistress. Mon-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 3pm, ends May 10, £7-£20.
Como Agua Para Chocolate (Like Water For Chocolate) Theatre Sans Frontieres’s vibrant adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s romantic story about a young woman who cooks to heal her broken heart in 1910 Mexico. Performed in Spanish with a little English. From May 13, Mon-Sat 7.30pm (press night May 15), ends May 31, £7-£20.

Unicorn Theatre 147, Tooley Street, SE1 (0870-053 4534)
The Flying Machine (Over 7s) A new play about children who try to escape from the hospital where they are patients. May 2, 7, 13-14, 20-21, 1.15pm, May 3-4, 11, 18, 25, Jun 1, 2.30pm, May 6, 1.15pm & 7pm, May 8-9, 16, 23, 10.30am, May 10, 24, 28, 31, 11am & 3pm, May 15 & 22, 10.30am & 1.15pm, May 29 & 30, 11am, ends Jun 1, £14.50, concs £9.50, family £40.
Egg And Spoon: Theatre Lyngo (Ages 6-24 months) Discover what is hidden inside the magical eggs in this live stage show. May 13, 1.45pm, May 14-15, 20-23, 10am, 11.30am, 1.45pm, May 16, 11.30am & 1.45pm, May 17-18, 24-25, 11.30am, 2pm, 3.30pm, £9.50, concs £6.50.
Tom Thumb: Lyngo Theatre Company (Over 6s) A fairy-tale based around a magical kitchen table and intriguing theatre props. May 27-Jun 1, 11.30am & 1.45pm, £9.50, concs £6.50.

The Union Theatre 204, Union Street, SE1 (020-7261 9876)
The Pajama Game The workers at the Sleep-Tite Pajama factory are poised to strike in Thom Southerland’s production of the romantic musical by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. Tue-Sat 7.30pm, mats Sat 2.30pm, ends May 10, £15, Tue & mats £10, concs available.
Water Sculptures/Zoo Two strangers break into a war-torn zoo and a flood destroys the capital just before the start of the 2012 Olympics in these short, dark comedies written by Dawn King. From May 13, Tue-Sat 7.30pm (press night May 15), ends May 31, £10-£12, concs £8-£10.

White Bear Theatre 138, Kennington Park Road, SE11 (020-7793 9193)
The Cabinet Of Doctor Caligari Stage adaptation of the chilling ’20s German film, brought to life using live music, multi-media, physical theatre and illusion. Written by Sarah Mann and Alex Bothwell. Tue-Sat 7.30pm, Sun 5pm, ends May 11, £12, concs £10.

Young Vic 66, The Cut, SE1 (020-7922 2922)
The Good Soul Of Szechuan Jane Horrocks stars as Shen Te in David Harrower’s new translation of Bertolt Brecht’s drama about a good-hearted prostitute, whom the gods favour on their visit to earth. Directed by Richard Jones. From May 8, Mon-Sat 7.30pm (press night May 14, 7pm), mats Wed & Sat 2.30pm from May 17, ends Jun 28, previews £20, then £22.50, concs available.

To submit listings, please visit www.pa-entertainment.co.uk/listings, and email events at least two weeks in advance.

A DANCE PURE OF DELIGHT
26 Mar 09 - SO, AFTER negotiating the roadworks at Blackheath, the Millwall Mob in Ilderton Road and suppressing Road Rage when faced with the bad drivers that seem to rule the Old Kent Road, myself and the Ballerina arrived at the Old Vic just in time to catch a cold beer for me and a white wine for the lady before curtain up. ..