TRUE WEST Leads December's Top 10 New London Shows

London is never short of temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. We've already posted our Christmas picks, and now here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings (sans tinsel). Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld reviews, interviews and features!

1. True West, Vaudeville Theatre

Sam Shepard's searing, California-set play about the primal rivalry between an ambitious screenwriter and his drifter brother gets a glitzy new outing. Matthew Dunster directs, with Games of Thrones' Kit Harrington and actor/musician Johnny Flynn starring; the cast also includes Madeleine Potter and Donald Sage Mackay. Read our interview with Madeleine

Until 23 February, 2019. Book tickets here

2. Fiddler on the Roof, Menier Chocolate Factory

Musical theatre fans are fascinated to see what Trevor Nunn does in this new staging of Joseph Stein, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick's classic work about a Jewish family in Imperial Russia. The cast features Andy Nyman, Judy Kuhn, Molly Osborne, Harriet Bunton, Kirsty MacLaren, Louise Gold, Dermot Canavan, Stewart Clarke, Joshua Gannon and Matt Corner.

Until 9 March, 2019. Sold out, but check here for returns

3. The Tragedy of King Richard the Second, Almeida Theatre

The great Simon Russell Beale, on spectacular form in the recent Lehman Trilogy, tackles Shakespeare's vain, arrogant, power-obsessed monarch - one imagines there might be some contemporary parallels... Joe Hill-Gibbons directs, and the cast also includes Leo Bill, Martins Imhangbe, Natalie Klamar, John Mackay, Joseph Mydell, Saskia Reeves and Robin Weaver.

Until 2 February, 2019; broadcast to cinemas on 15 January. Book tickets here

4. Nine Night, Trafalgar Studios

Natasha Gordon's triumphant debut play, about a Jamaican family in mourning, gets a welcome transfer from the National (read our original review here). Gordon joins the cast of the West End run, and Roy Alexander Weise also directs Cecilia Noble, Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Karl Collins, Michelle Greenidge, Hattie Ladbury and Rebekah Murrell.

Until 23 February, 2019. Book tickets here

5. Caroline, or Change, Playhouse Theatre

Another show hugely deserving of a further run, following stints at Chichester and the Hampstead: Michael Longhurst's magnificent revival of Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori's musical about a woman in Civil Rights-era Louisiana working as a maid to support her kids. The incomparable Sharon D Clarke encores her acclaimed lead performance.

Until 6 April, 2019. Book tickets here

6. The Merry Wives of Windsor, Barbican

The RSC continues its London season with Fiona Laird's sharply contemporary take, which filters Shakespeare's riotous comedy through the reality TV stylings of The Only Way Is Essex. David Troughton stars as unlucky hustler Falstaff, and the cast also features Rebecca Lacey, Beth Cordingly, Karen Fishwick, Luke Newberry, Ishia Bennison and Vince Leigh.

Until 5 January, 2019. Book tickets here

7. Sweat, Donmar Warehouse

Lynn Nottage's Pulitzer-winning play, based on interviews with the impoverished inhabitants of Reading, Pennsylvania, shows the desperation, disillusionment and racial tension that prefigured a Trump Presidency. For this UK premiere, Lynette Linton directs a cast that includes Martha Plimpton, Leanne Best, Clare Perkins, Wil Johnson, Stuart McQuarrie and Sule Rimi.

Until 26 January, 2019. Book tickets here

8. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Piccadilly Theatre

The National's beloved version of Mark Haddon's novel - adapted by Simon Stephens and directed by Marianne Elliott - is back in town, giving Elliott a third simultaneous London show (Company, War Horse). Joshua Jenkins makes his West End debut as Christopher, and the cast also features Julie Hale, Stuart Laing and Emma Beattie.

Until 27 April, 2019. Book tickets here

9. The Convert, Young Vic

Wakanda Forever! It's a Black Panther reunion, with Letitia Wright starring in this revival of the acclaimed play by castmate Danai Gurira, which tackles faith and colonialism in Zimbabwe. Ola Ince directs, and the cast also features Paapa Essiedu, Ivanno Jeremiah, Jude Akuwudike, Luyanda Unati Lewis-Nyawo, Rudolphe Mdlongwa and Pamela Nomvete.

Until 26 January, 2019. Book tickets here

10. Doctor Faustus, Shakespeare's Globe

Paulette Randall directs Marlowe's enduring cautionary tale about the devilish consequences of unchecked ambition, which should be a great fit for the Sam Wanamaker's candlelit atmospherics. The cast includes Jocelyn Jee Esien, Pauline McLynn, Louis Maskell, Jay Villiers, Sarah Awankwah, John Leader, Mandi Symonds, Lily Bevan and Lucie Sword.

Until 2 February, 2019. Book tickets here

Want more recommendations? Find previous Top 10 lists here