What to See in London Theaters This Summer
The London stage is, as ever, bustling with an array of shows to satisfy all tastes. Starry plays and revivals jostle with high-profile musicals, both new and revivals, new drama and children's theater.
Here's a guide to some of the enticements of the coming months, presented with an awareness that just as London contains multitudes, so, too, does its theater.
Shows With Star Power
Rosamund Pike has made her name onscreen in films like 'Gone Girl' and 'Saltburn' and returns to the stage to head the new play from the team behind the London and Broadway hit 'Prima Facie.' Like that play, Suzie Miller's 'Inter Alia' is set in the legal profession, with Pike as a prominent London judge, though unlike its solo-performer predecessor, 'Inter Alia' features a supporting cast, led by Jamie Glover. The show is just one of several National Theater titles vying for playgoers' attentions this summer: Others include the return of Michael Sheen in 'Nye' and the West End transfer of Beth Steel's 'Till the Stars Come Down.'
Runs July 10 through Sept. 13 at the National Theater.
The accolades have been pouring in for the onetime director Mark Rosenblatt's Olivier Award-winning debut play, which recalls an episode in the career of the author Roald Dahl. John Lithgow is in career-best form as Dahl, who has written a book review that is widely seen as antisemitic and refuses to reign in his language. Aya Cash and Elliot Levey do standout work playing his publishers; Nicholas Hytner is the characteristically adroit director.
Buying tickets
The box office is often the best port of call, if you want to avoid online fees or get 'rush' seats that are sometimes available shortly before curtain up. Various websites, including whatsonstage.com, sell tickets alongside reviews and features.
Drinks
Reusable Sippy Cups may be the norm on Broadway, but they are rare outside the United States. 'Interval drinks,' as intermission beverages are known in Britain, are often served in actual glasses that can sometimes be taken into the auditorium and which can be ordered before the performance to avoid a crush at the bar in the break.
Programs
The pleasures of a free Playbill don't exist in London, where programs — not Playbills, which is an American brand — must be purchased. Some theaters have gone paperless and make program information available only by scanning a QR code or looking online.
Refunds and exchanges
These policies vary venue to venue, and sometimes show to show. Some theaters will issue a credit that can be used for other productions under the same roof, but London is stricter than New York about offering money back if a star is absent.
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