*Kiss Me Kate, London*
The last time Kiss Me Kate hit London was just after 9/11, with a sizzling Broadway production that lifted the spirits. Cole Porter's show within a show sees a company performing a modern musical version of Shakespeare's The Taming Of The Shrew, with parallel romantic entanglements and misunderstandings backstage. The score includes such numbers as Another Op'nin' Another Show and Brush Up Your Shakepeare. Too Darn Hot is one of the dance highlights and this time around it gets the treatment from top choreographer Stephen Mear, while Trevor Nunn directs an impressive cast including Adam Garcia and Holly Dale Spencer (pictured).
*Old Vic, SE1, Tue to 2 Mar*
Mark Cook
*Peter Pan, Bolton*
DH Lawrence once said of JM Barrie that "he has a fatal touch for those he loves. They die." His impact upon the lives of those he befriended, particularly the Llewelyn-Davies family, was often deadly, but his greatest creation – Peter Pan – lives on. Bolton's Elizabeth Newman, who has had several seasonal hits at this address, writes and directs a new adaptation based on Barrie's 1911 novel version, rather than the stage play which was first performed at the Duke of York's theatre in London in December 1904. Pirates, mermaids and the lost boys will be there in a story of imagination and adventure set on a magical island. "To be born," wrote Barrie, "is to be wrecked upon an island." That island is brought to life in Neverland.
*The Octagon Theatre, to 12 Jan*
Lyn Gardner
*We Hope That You're Happy (Why Would We Lie?), on tour*
Made In China is a hot young company which has gone from zero to 60 in a nanosecond. It emerged at the Edinburgh fringe a couple of years ago with Stationary Excess and debuted at the NT this summer. First seen earlier this year at BAC and now on tour, We Hope That You're Happy… is a gloriously slippery show about empathy and compassion fatigue, performed by two unreliable narrators. The company has cornered the market in the art of saying one thing and meaning another. There are times when this feels like a roll call of theatrical tricks learned on performance courses but there's a freshness that keeps you hooked.
*Hull Truck, Sat; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Wed & Thu; Lantern Theatre, Sheffield, Fri then touring*
LG
*The Mouse And His Child, Stratford-upon-Avon*
After the success of family favourites such as Matilda, hopes are high at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre this year. With echoes of Hans Christian Andersen's best stories, director Paul Hunter (helped by great source material from Russell Hoban) tells the story of a clockwork mouse and his child who are made to dance under the tree at Christmas. But when the family cat knocks them over and they get thrown in a bin they're determined to make their way home to the toy shop. It's a traditional quest story with many foes, most notably Manny The Rat.
*Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Sat to 12 Jan*
LG
*Arab Nights, London*
The Arabian Nights tales are a surprising source of inspiration for an evening of theatre reflecting a more modern picture of the restive region today. Six writers have created stories – brought to life on stage by Queen Shahrazad – which include genies, an ancient wall, 1,000 plastic dolls on the banks of the Nile, a modern-day Sinbad, and a shoe-obsessed dictator's wife. The authors are UK-Iraqi playwright Hassan Abdulrazzak, Egyptian storyteller Chirine El Ansary, Syrian writer Ghalia Kabbani, Lebanese live artist Tanya El Khoury, award-winning Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh and a young anonymous Iranian playright. Directed and created by Poppy Burton-Morgan, the evening includes both classical Arabic and western music by Bushra El-Turk.
*Soho Theatre, W1, Wed to 1 Dec, then touring*
MC
*The Double, Bath*
This is an intriguing stage version of Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1846 novella about a mild-mannered government clerk Golyadkin, who becomes convinced that someone else has usurped his identity. The imposter behaves in ways that the clerk would never countenance and it is not long before he is fearing for his good name as the doppelganger infiltrates his social circle and runs amok. Is it a hallucination, or is something more sinister taking place? Staging the novel's exploration of the protagonist's internal psychological struggles will be challenging, but with adapter Meredith Oakes and director Laurence Boswell on hand, this final production in the Ustinov's page-to-stage season could be very interesting indeed.
*Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal, Thu to 22 Dec*
LG Reported by guardian.co.uk 4 hours ago.
The last time Kiss Me Kate hit London was just after 9/11, with a sizzling Broadway production that lifted the spirits. Cole Porter's show within a show sees a company performing a modern musical version of Shakespeare's The Taming Of The Shrew, with parallel romantic entanglements and misunderstandings backstage. The score includes such numbers as Another Op'nin' Another Show and Brush Up Your Shakepeare. Too Darn Hot is one of the dance highlights and this time around it gets the treatment from top choreographer Stephen Mear, while Trevor Nunn directs an impressive cast including Adam Garcia and Holly Dale Spencer (pictured).
*Old Vic, SE1, Tue to 2 Mar*
Mark Cook
*Peter Pan, Bolton*
DH Lawrence once said of JM Barrie that "he has a fatal touch for those he loves. They die." His impact upon the lives of those he befriended, particularly the Llewelyn-Davies family, was often deadly, but his greatest creation – Peter Pan – lives on. Bolton's Elizabeth Newman, who has had several seasonal hits at this address, writes and directs a new adaptation based on Barrie's 1911 novel version, rather than the stage play which was first performed at the Duke of York's theatre in London in December 1904. Pirates, mermaids and the lost boys will be there in a story of imagination and adventure set on a magical island. "To be born," wrote Barrie, "is to be wrecked upon an island." That island is brought to life in Neverland.
*The Octagon Theatre, to 12 Jan*
Lyn Gardner
*We Hope That You're Happy (Why Would We Lie?), on tour*
Made In China is a hot young company which has gone from zero to 60 in a nanosecond. It emerged at the Edinburgh fringe a couple of years ago with Stationary Excess and debuted at the NT this summer. First seen earlier this year at BAC and now on tour, We Hope That You're Happy… is a gloriously slippery show about empathy and compassion fatigue, performed by two unreliable narrators. The company has cornered the market in the art of saying one thing and meaning another. There are times when this feels like a roll call of theatrical tricks learned on performance courses but there's a freshness that keeps you hooked.
*Hull Truck, Sat; Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Wed & Thu; Lantern Theatre, Sheffield, Fri then touring*
LG
*The Mouse And His Child, Stratford-upon-Avon*
After the success of family favourites such as Matilda, hopes are high at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre this year. With echoes of Hans Christian Andersen's best stories, director Paul Hunter (helped by great source material from Russell Hoban) tells the story of a clockwork mouse and his child who are made to dance under the tree at Christmas. But when the family cat knocks them over and they get thrown in a bin they're determined to make their way home to the toy shop. It's a traditional quest story with many foes, most notably Manny The Rat.
*Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Sat to 12 Jan*
LG
*Arab Nights, London*
The Arabian Nights tales are a surprising source of inspiration for an evening of theatre reflecting a more modern picture of the restive region today. Six writers have created stories – brought to life on stage by Queen Shahrazad – which include genies, an ancient wall, 1,000 plastic dolls on the banks of the Nile, a modern-day Sinbad, and a shoe-obsessed dictator's wife. The authors are UK-Iraqi playwright Hassan Abdulrazzak, Egyptian storyteller Chirine El Ansary, Syrian writer Ghalia Kabbani, Lebanese live artist Tanya El Khoury, award-winning Palestinian writer Raja Shehadeh and a young anonymous Iranian playright. Directed and created by Poppy Burton-Morgan, the evening includes both classical Arabic and western music by Bushra El-Turk.
*Soho Theatre, W1, Wed to 1 Dec, then touring*
MC
*The Double, Bath*
This is an intriguing stage version of Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1846 novella about a mild-mannered government clerk Golyadkin, who becomes convinced that someone else has usurped his identity. The imposter behaves in ways that the clerk would never countenance and it is not long before he is fearing for his good name as the doppelganger infiltrates his social circle and runs amok. Is it a hallucination, or is something more sinister taking place? Staging the novel's exploration of the protagonist's internal psychological struggles will be challenging, but with adapter Meredith Oakes and director Laurence Boswell on hand, this final production in the Ustinov's page-to-stage season could be very interesting indeed.
*Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal, Thu to 22 Dec*
LG Reported by guardian.co.uk 4 hours ago.