What’s opening in theatre’s this month (December 2023)
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| By
Sian McBride
December is here, and we are full of Christmas spirit (partly thanks to the numerous mulled wine stalls dotted around the capital…) roasted chestnuts, tinsel draped over every available surface, and Christmas films dominating our television sets, we’re fully committed to all things Christmassy.
However, the twinkling lights and decorated trees aren’t the only things going up in the capital this December, as the curtain is set to rise on a whole host of brand-new shows! With beautiful ballet, provocative pantos and Christmas classics, the West End is well and truly spoiling us this festive season (good thing indulgence is encouraged this month!)
A Very Very Bad Cinderella (01 December 2023)
Cinderella loses a shoe, and whilst we’d have to drunkenly retrace our steps and hope to God it was still outside the kebab shop, she has a prince’s footman deliver hers on a plump velvet cushion. It’s easy to feel a little jealous of the rags to riches princess, and as we get older, we kind of sympathise with the so-called Ugly Sisters. (Surely no one is THAT good.) The Other Palaces twist on the traditional tale thrusts these victimised sisters into the spotlight and gives them the opportunity to tell their side of the story.
If you want to leave the conventional story of good girl meets perfect prince ‘BEHIND YOU!’ then this is your perfect panto treat. Featuring a healthy dose of adult-oriented mischief, a pinch of stolen showtunes and a sprinkling of outrageous humour, this electric show is a celebration of irreverence.
Edward Scissorhands (05 December 2023)
The enchanting tale of an extraordinary boy who uses razor-sharp blades to create a slice of magic! carving a place in the hearts of audiences around the world, Matthew Bourne’s spellbinding dance production follows an incomplete boy left alone in a strange new world. If only making a friend was as easy as making topiary art!
When his ‘father’, an eccentric inventor, dies, Edward is left alone and unfinished with scissors in place of hands. Venturing down from his isolated castle a kindly townswoman invites him to live with her suburban family. Can the broken boy find his place in the well-meaning community, or will they struggle to see past his curious appearance to the innocence and gentleness within?
Based on the 1990 fantasy from visionary director, Tim Burton, Matthew Bourne’s Edward Scissorhands is a cut above the rest.
Christmas Actually (07 December 2023)
Christmas is all around you, so come on and watch this ultimate festive show!
Curated by Love Actually writer and director, Richard Curtis, and hosted by comic Jayde Adams and Goodness Gracious Me’s Sanjeev Bhaskar, Christmas Actually is a festive feast to rival the Christmas turkey! This hilarious and charming evening captures all the fun and laughter of Christmas with a treasure trove of entertainment, as a starry line-up, including Flo & Joan and Miriam-Teak Lee, performs live music, Christmas stories, poetry and comedy.
This night of collective merriment celebrates what makes this time of year so special and will leave you grinning from ear to ear.
The Motive and the Cue (09 December 2023)
Transferring to the West End after a sold out, critically acclaimed run at the National Theatre, The Motive and the Cue explores the complicated relationship between politics, art and ego.
Two ages of theatre collide, and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel, as Richard Burton, under John Gielgud’s exacting direction, prepares for his latest leading role – Hamlet.
Fresh from his (first) wedding to Elizabeth Taylor, Burton is ready to reprise his role as the Prince of Denmark, ten years, and countless number of films, after he first made his appearance as the doomed Prince. However, he and the acclaimed director rarely see eye to eye, and the drama soon spills off stage…
Also opening in London theatre’s this month.
Peter Pan opens at the Rose Theatre Kingston on 01 December 2023
The Rat Pack – A Swingin’ Christmas at the Sands opens at the Adelphi Theatre on 05 December 2023
Rock ‘n’ Roll opens at Hampstead Theatre on 06 December 2023
Finding Santa opens at the Bloomsbury Theatre on 07 December 2023
Hansel and Gretal opens at Shakespeare’s Globe on 08 December 2023
Cinderella opens at the Lyric Hammersmith on 08 December 2023
The House with Chicken Legs opens at Queen Elizabeth Hall on 13 December 2023
Go Your Own Way opens at the Adelphi Theatre on 18 December 2023
The Showstoppers’ Christmas Kids Show opens at the Other Palace on 21 December 2023
Sleeping Beauty opens at the Harold Pinter Theatre on 27 December 2023