Laura Jones - Page 5

The festive period is usually a time when we're told to look towards the future and forget about all of our troubles. The title Hope may be misleading for many, but the latest play by Jack Thorne to be staged at the Royal Court is a political production set around a group of Labour councillors struggling to deal with the financial strain currently being imposed upon local government.

Barney Norris' debut full-length play Visitors has transferred from the Everyman Theatre in Chichester to the Arcola earlier this year and is now starting its run at Bush Theatre, where all of the original cast members have reprised their roles. Set in a remote farm in north Wiltshire, Edie (Linda Bassett) and Arthur (Robin Soans) a married couple in their seventies are living happily alone with Arthur working out on the farm and Edie keeping things running in the home. Having lived there their whole married lives, the play opens with them worrying over the arrival of a visitor - one who they're concerned will change their daily lives.

Man to Man by Manfred Karge was first performed in 1982 and catapulted Tilda Swinton to fame when she starred in the 1987 production. Written before the destruction of the Berlin Wall, it is apt that it should be performed now given that it is the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. Set in Germany through the 1920s and 30s, it tells the story of Ella Gericke, a German woman who takes on her husband's identity after he dies, becoming known as Max Gericke.

Robert Holman's Jonah and Otto was first performed at Manchester's Royal Exchange in 2008 and this revival at the Park Theatre is directed by Tim Stark and stars Alex Waldmann and Peter Egan as Jonah and Otto.

Having missed the opportunity to see Sunny Afternoon during its run at the Hampstead Theatre, I was thrilled (and not at all surprised) when it was announced earlier this year that it would be transferring to the West End. The biographical show detailing the history of Ray Davies and The Kinks, is different in that alongside all of the hit songs we all know and love, it takes us through all of the personal and professional tribulations the band went through during their rise to fame in the 1960s.

Following a successful run at Chichester, Tim Firth's Neville's Island has transferred to the Duke of York's theatre, twenty years after it last appeared in the West End. Featuring four well-loved British comics in Neil Morrissey, Robert Webb, Ade Edmondson and Miles Jupp, Firth tells the story of a group of managers who get lost in the Lake District while on a team-building weekend.

Uncle Vanya follows on from Anya Reiss' two previous modernisations of Chekhov, Three Sisters and The Seagull, both of which were performed at Southwark Playhouse. This third attempt to bring Chekhov into the 21st century is a fair effort thanks to strong performances from the cast.

King Charles III is the latest production to transfer from the Almeida to the West End. Set after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, it focuses on the weeks between the former monarch's death and the new monarch's official crowning at their coronation ceremony. The production raises questions that have been raised repeatedly including the powers of the monarch and whether or not they're relevant anymore.

The autobiographical My Perfect Mind has returned to the Young Vic before embarking on a UK and International tour. Directed by Kathryn Hunter (well-known as the first British actress to play King Lear at the Young Vic) and starring Paul Hunter and veteran actor Edward Petherbridge, it takes the audience on a trip through Petherbridge's life.

It feels like all around me, friends are getting married and having babies - in fact I can hardly refresh my Instagram feed without a photo of a smiling/crying/laughing baby appearing on the homepage somewhere.