Marianka Swain - Page 34

The words 'an intimate evening with' may seem at odds with the cavernous Palladium. But leave it to the pint-sized Broadway legend with the huge voice to work her magic on the space. Somehow, with just a mic and a piano, Kristin Chenoweth put on a spectacular show and simultaneously formed a heartfelt connection with fans.

Marking the 15th anniversary of pioneering company Deafinitely Theatre, Artistic Director Paula Garfield is directing a new production of Mike Bartlett's Contractions. It runs at New Diorama Theatre 1-29 November.

The urge to present state-of-the-nation plays following the Brexit vote is understandable, even vital, but has produced decidedly mixed results. Thankfully, Mike Bartlett's empathetic Chekhovian response is a real winner: rich in loamy metaphor, yes, but also a gripping family drama crackling with humour.

Dominic Dromgoole's new company Classic Spring kicks off its year-long celebration of Oscar Wilde with lesser-known 1893 work A Woman of No Importance. A starry cast, led by the incandescent Eve Best, makes a strong case for the play, though Dromgoole's reclaiming of Wilde in the proscenium arch theatre space for which he originally wrote is more of a mixed affair.

It seems to be the week for notable romcom two-handers. Joining Simon Stephens' Heisenberg and David Ireland's The End of Hope is David Eldridge's meditation on the loneliness and halting longing of modern relationships.

Actress Emma Fielding's work ranges from Arcadia, Private Lives and The King's Speech to Terror and The School for Scandal. She's now playing Mrs Allonby in Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance at the Vaudeville Theatre, currently in previews.

For the premiere work of new company Elliott & Harper Productions, director Marianne Elliott got the Curious Incident band back together, from playwright Simon Stephens to her acclaimed creative team. But it's in service of a much more intimate piece that while strikingly staged at times feels like an odd fit for a West End house.

Multi-award-winning director and choreographer Susan Stroman is helming the West End premiere of Young Frankenstein, the stage musical version of Mel Brooks's beloved movie. It's currently in previews at London's Garrick Theatre.

With This House enjoying an acclaimed revival last year, and Almeida hit Ink now situated just metres away from new offering Labour of Love on St Martin's Lane, the West End currently belongs to the fantastically prolific playwright James Graham.

Three years after its Bristol Old Vic debut, Sally Cookson's fervently theatrical reimagining of Charlotte Bront 's novel returns to the National Theatre as part of a UK tour with a new cast, but with its collective spirit intact.

London is never short of theatre temptations, whether epic West End shows or bold fringe offerings. From political drama to immersive Agatha Christie and the unveiling of a new venue, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews...

Sally Cookson's past work includes inventive adaptations of Peter Pan, Hetty Feather and La Strada. Her acclaimed version of Jane Eyre, which first appeared at Bristol Old Vic in 2014, completes its 2017 UK tour with an encore run at the National Theatre from 23 September.

Emily Stilson (Juliet Stevenson) is suspended in a void. She analyses this strange situation with wry perspicacity and occasional breathless panic. She's a prisoner, a specimen. She's fallen, trapped. She's flying.

We need more waffles in diplomacy. Or rather more personal connections to bridge those vast divides. So believed the Norwegian couple who orchestrated secret peace talks in 1993 between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization - a slice of stranger-than-fiction history grippingly dramatised in JT Rogers' play, which deservedly picked up this year's Tony Award.

New Orleans comes to Marble Arch via this energetic revival of Clarke Peters' 1990 tribute to 'The King of the Jukebox', swing and blues bandleader Louis Jordan. Occupying a new pop-up, circus tent-style venue complete with stylish bar serving Southern cocktails it's a welcome blast of jazz-hot fun as autumn draws in.

Kristin Chenoweth's work ranges from Wicked and On the Twentieth Century to The West Wing, Pushing Daisies and Glee, plus numerous albums and concerts. British fans will have a chance to see her in person at An Intimate Evening with Kristin Chenoweth at London Palladium on 20 October.

Ben Lewis's past work includes Forbidden Broadway and Candide at Menier Chocolate Factory, Annie Get Your Gun at Sheffield Crucible, and playing The Phantom in the original Australian production of Love Never Dies. He's now donning the mask again to lead the West End production of Phantom of the Opera.

Theatre has a long memory. Stephen Sondheim and James Goldman's 1971 musical has been through myriad incarnations, donning and shedding numbers, an interval, an ill-conceived upbeat ending, and yet the original vision has lingered. It comes to extraordinary life in a blockbuster National Theatre revival that proves Follies isn't just still here - it's thrilling, heartrending and utterly vital.

Ria Jones has starred in numerous musicals, including Evita, Chess, Cats and Les Miserables. She's now reprising her acclaimed performance as Norma Desmond in the UK tour of Sunset Boulevard, which begins at Leicester Curve on 16 September.

London is never short of theatre temptations, whether West End epics or bold fringe offerings. From starry Sondheim to political plays and a new Florian Zeller, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews...