GROUNDHOG DAY Leads our Top Ten Shows for June!

Summer kicks off in style on London's stage, with the return of Andy Karl in the Old Vic's Groundhog Day, to the West End transfers of Peter Morgan's latest play and the arrival of the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning big, Black, and queer American musical, A Strange Loop.

We also have outdoor opera, a production shuffled into random order and the blackest of black comedy. Summer has arrived!

Make sure you check back for all BroadwayWorld's latest news and reviews.

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1. Groundhog Day, the Old Vic

Andy Karl reprises his role which earned him an Olivier Award as Phil Connors, the cynical Pittsburgh TV weatherman, who is sent to cover the eccentric annual Groundhog Day event in the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. There he finds himself caught in a time loop that sends him on a hilarious path to enlightenment and redemption.

A comic parable of love, hope and transformation from Old Vic Artistic Director Matthew Warchus and Tim Minchin who wrote the music and lyrics. The show’s script is written by Danny Rubin, who co-wrote the screenplay for the iconic 1993 film of the same name.

Groundhog Day is at the Old Vic until 12 August. Book tickets here.

2. Patriots, Noël Coward Theatre

Peter Morgan's new play had a successful run at the Almeida theatre and is now transferring to the West End, directed by Rupert Goold. A brilliant and startlingly timely story of ambition, loyalty and betrayal in a brave new world set in 1991 during the fall of the Soviet Union.

BAFTA-winning Tom Hollander will reprise his starring role as Berezovsky, the ‘kingmaker’ behind Vladimir Putin, with Will Keen also returning to play Putin, and Luke Thallon as Abramovich. 

Patriots is at Noël Coward Theatre until 19 August. Book tickets here. 

3. Mrs. Doubtfire, Shaftesbury Theatre

Transferring to the West End after a succesful run in Manchester, Mrs Doubtfire sees the much-loved film come to the stage.

Out-of-work actor Daniel will do anything for his kids. After losing custody in a messy divorce, he creates the alter ego of Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire in a desperate attempt to stay in their lives. As his new character takes on a life of its own, Mrs. Doubtfire teaches Daniel more than he bargained for about how to be a father.

Mrs. Doubtfire is at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Book tickets here.

4. A Strange Loop, Barbican Theatre

A Strange Loop, the ground-breaking and critically acclaimed winner of every ‘Best Musical’ award on Broadway and the Pulitzer Prize, bursts onto the stage of the Barbican this June for a one time only, limited season.

Grab your chance to see Michael R. Jackson’s blisteringly funny and heart-felt masterwork, which exposes a young black artist grappling with desires, identity, and instincts he both loves and loathes. Kyle Ramar Freeman reprises his Broadway role as Usher in this hotly-anticipated show.

A Strange Loop is at Barbican Centre from 17 June - 9 September. Book tickets here.

5. Song From Far Away, Hampstead Theatre

Another transfer from Manchester, Simon Stephens and Mark Eitzel's show is set on one winter day in New York, when Willem receives a phone call – it’s time to go home.

Home to Amsterdam – to estranged family and forgotten relationships. As he reflects on his life, unwilling to face the future, he finds himself reaching out to the brother he lost.

Starring singer/songwriter and actor Will Young, Song From Far Away is his first live theatre role for a decade.

Song From Far Away is at Hampstead Theatre from 28 June - 22 July. Book tickets here.

6. Spy For Spy, Riverside Studios

Spy for Spy is a romantic comedy with a difference; a drama performed like a playlist with the scenes shuffled in a random order.

Starring Olive Gray and Amy Lennox, the show asks if our lives make more sense in the wrong order, and if there is any logic to love as it zigzags from moving drama to laugh-out-loud comedy.

Spy For Spy is at Riverside Studios from 15 June - 2 July. Book tickets here.

7. Dear England, National Theatre 

James Graham's new play examines the country that gave the world football has since delivered a painful pattern of loss. Why can’t England’s men win at their own game?

With the worst track record for penalties in the world, Gareth Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt to take team and country back to the promised land.

Joseph Fiennes plays Gareth Southgate, directed by Rupert Goold for this gripping examination of both nation and game.

Dear England is at The National Theatre from 10 June - 11 August. Book tickets here.

8. The Pillowman, Duke of York's Theatre

Starring Lily Allen, Paul Kaye and Steve Pemberton, Martin McDonagh's black comedy examines the role of the artist in society and asks what price do we pay for freedom of expression?

Directed by Matthew Dunster, in a totalitarian state a Writer is questioned by the authorities about a spate of murders that bear similarities to her short stories. Is this life imitating art or something more sinister?

The Pillowman is at the Duke of York's Theatre from 12 June - 2 September. Book tickets here.

9. Yours Unfaithfully, Jermyn Street Theatre

Miles Malleson’s un-romantic comedy takes a peek behind the closed doors of suburban England between the wars. Jonathan Bank directed the acclaimed world premiere of this forgotten 1933 play in New York and now brings it home to the West End.

Everyone knows Anne and Stephen are the happiest couple in the neighbourhood. Their secret? An open marriage. After all, it’s the 1930s – there’s no need to be old-fashioned. With Stephen struggling to write his latest novel, Anne encourages him to seek out fresh inspiration. But free love comes at a price…

Yours Unfaithfully is at the Jermyn Street Theatre from 1 June - 1 July. Book tickets here.

10. Rigoletto, Opera Holland Park

Outdoor opera is a sure sign that summer is here.

Opera Holland Park brings a new production of Verdi’s propulsive tragedy of toxic masculinity and unfettered power unfolds at breakneck speed.

Rigoletto, the jester, attempts to shield his daughter, Gilda, from the court of Mantua and a Duke whose greed for pleasure knows no bounds. Cloistered from the city, Gilda falls in love with a young student, unaware that he is the Duke in disguise.

Rigoletto is at Opera Holland Park until 24 June. Book tickets here.