It’s cold, it’s rainy, it’s officially March. Luckily we’ve found the perfect excuse to stay out of the horrible weather for a few hours, by going to the theatre! And there are some great shows to see in March!
Whether you’re looking for a thrilling play to make you think, an upbeat musical to make you laugh or something to take the whole family to, the West End has you covered!
But be quick, these nine shows won’t be around forever, in fact, they’re leaving Theatreland this month!
Cyprus Avenue
Closing: 16 March
Cyprus Avenue is the story of one man struggling with the past and terrified of the future.
A black comedy that’s seen sold-out runs at both the Royal Court and on an international tour, the show revolves around Eric Miller, a Belfast Loyalist who’s struggling to let go of the past.
Eric is so caught up in the past he’s convinced his five-week-old granddaughter is Gerry Adams. His worried family are desperate for him to stop living in the past, but Eric feels he must act to save his cultural heritage.
Directed by Royal Court Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone, Cyprus Avenue won Best New Play at the Irish Times Theatre Awards and James Tait Black Prize for Drama in 2017.
Gently Down The Stream
Closing: 16 March
Featuring an Olivier Award-nominated performance from Jonathan Hyde, Gently Down The Stream is the story of a budding romance between Beau (Jonathan) and Rufus.
Beau and Rufus are from different generations. Beau is a retired pianist whose romantic life has been defined by living in a world that wouldn’t accept him. Rufus however, is from a new generation of gay men who don’t share Beau’s doubts and fears. As Rufus assimilates himself into Beau’s past and present, Beau learns to embrace Rufus as one of the most defining relationships of his life.
As generations intertwine, Gently Down The Stream reveals the journey of gay history and celebrates the men and women who led the way for equality, marriage and the right to dream.
A passionate new play by Olivier and Tony-award nominee Martin Sherman, Gently Down The Stream makes its UK debut 40 years after his celebrated modern classic Bent.
The Animals And Children Took To The Streets
Closing: 16 March
Combining live music and performance with breath-taking film and animation, The Animals And Children Took To The Streets has a unique form of storytelling.
The show takes audiences into Bayou, a feared and loathed part of a city. Bayou Mansions is a sprawling, stinking tenement block, where curtain-twitchers and peeping-toms live side by side, fearing the wolf at the door. When Agnes Eaves and her daughter arrive late one night, does it signal hope in this hopeless place, or has the real horror only just begun?
Over the last four years, The Animals And Children Took To The Streets has seen huge success on an international tour. Touring across 28 countries since its initial premiere in Sydney, the production has also played three successful seasons at the National Theatre.
Equus
Closing: 23 March
Inspired by a true story, this new production of Peter Shaffer’s award-winning psychological play, Equus, is leaving London in just a few weeks.
This gripping psychological thriller explores the complex relationships between devotion, myth and sexuality.
The show follows psychiatrist Dr Martin Dysart and his latest patient, a teenager called Alan Strang. Alan has a pathological fascination which leads him to blind six horses, and it’s Martin’s job to find out why. But as Martin delves into Alan’s world of twisted spirituality, passion and sexuality, he begins to question his own sanity and motivations in a world driven by consumerism.
The cast includes Ethan Kai (Goats, Royal Court) as Alan Strang and Zubin Varla (Fun Home, Young Vic) as psychiatrist Martin Dysart.
We’re Staying Right Here
Closing: 23 March
In this black comedy, Matthew, a stand-up comedian and new father, struggles and fights against his depression. This is a story of one man’s survival in a world turned upside down.
Matthew hides in his flat with Benzies and Tristabel, who arrived one day and never left. No one leaves now, with the doors locked and windows boarded against the dangers outside. As the man Matthew used to be fades away, the three men tell themselves stories about the past, present and future, and talk about their escape.
The cast includes Game Of Thrones’ actor Daniel Portman, Tom Canton (previous credits including The Country Girls, Chichester), Danny Kirrane (Jerusalem, Royal Court) and Liam Smith (Howard Barker Double Bill, Arcola).
Company
Closing: 30 March
A twist on the classic Stephen Sondheim musical, this production of Company swaps the genders for a modern take on the story.
Bobbie has just turned 35, and she’s surrounded by married friends who are constantly asking her when she’s going to settle down. Featuring iconic songs The Ladies Who Lunch, Being Alive, Side By Side and more, Company questions what it means to love, marry and mature.
A runaway success since it arrived in the West End, this year Company has been nominated for nine Olivier Awards, including Best Actress in a Musical (Rosalie Craig), Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Patti LuPone) and Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical (Jonathan Bailey and Richard Fleeshman).
The American Clock
Closing: 30 March
Set in New York City in 1929, as The American Clock turns, fortunes are made, lives are broken. And then the stock market crashes, and everything changed. A revival of Arthur Miller’s ground-breaking play, The American Clock follows the Baum family, who are trying to survive an unprecedented financial crisis.
Helping to set the scene for the audience, the show’s accompanying score fuses 1920s swing and jazz with modern sounds.
The show celebrates the changing face of the American family by having three sets of actors in the central roles of Moe, Rose and Lee Baum for each performance.
A Hundred Words For Snow
Closing: 30 March
This critically acclaimed play follows Rory and her epic adventure to the North Pole. When Rory’s dad unexpectedly dies, she decides to honour his memory by going on an expedition. Equipped with a plastic compass and her dad’s ashes, she sets off on an epic adventure. But she needs to be quick, otherwise her mum will find out.
The show tells a complex story which deals with issues like grief, courage and polar bears. It’s an epic tale about how one girl goes on a journey through adolescence and the Arctic, discovering herself and also the destruction of the planet.
This coming-of-age story has been performed to audiences at both the Vault Festival and on a UK tour. It now comes to London for a limited run.
The Life I Lead
Closing: 30 March
If you’re a fan of the classic movie, Mary Poppins, then you’re probably familiar with David Tomlinson, who played Mr Banks. But you may not know a huge amount about the man himself. This show will help you fill in those blanks.
Because it turns out that the man who portrayed one of cinema’s most famous fathers was himself defined by his relationship with his own father – a remote eccentric, who was hiding an extraordinary tragicomic secret.
In this production, Miles Jupp, a stand-up comedian and actor (Mock the Week, The News Quiz, Rev, The Durrells) brings his remarkable story to life.