The show must go on: theatre to look forward to this year

With the vaccine rollout underway, the theatre world is betting on a triumphant return in the spring - and this time for good.

If, like me, you can't wait to get back to the West End, here are eight shows to book ahead for (whilst keeping your fingers firmly crossed for the vaccine rollout).

Good

Harold Pinter Theatre, 21 April - 17 July

David Tennant returns to theatreland to take on the leading role in CP Taylor’s seminal play about a liberal-minded professor and dutiful husband who finds himself seduced by the rise of National Socialism in 1930s Germany. Once described as English theatre’s ‘definitive’ Holocaust play, Good is the first output from Fictionhouse: a new company founded by the Royal Court’s former AD, Dominic Cooke. Call the Midwife’s Fenella Woolgar - always a delight on stage - stars as the loyal wife.

Frozen

Theatre Royal Drury Lane, 2 April onwards

Originally scheduled to be the big Disney musical of 2020, the cancellation of Frozen must have been devastating news to thousands of would-be Elsas who had already marked their calendars in anticipation (though some parents may have been secretly relieved). Fear not though as the Snow Queen-inspired sensation finally arrives in the West End at the beginning of April. The critics will be sharpening their pencils in anticipation. The audience, one suspects, won't care less.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Gielgud Theatre, 27 May - 6 Nov

Of all the things that have made me miss theatre during lockdown, one of the most galling has been seeing old adverts - now months out of date - of cancelled shows I'd been looking forward to. Such was the case for Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill A Mockingbird, which seemed to taunt me on every time I used the tube last year. If you’re also struggling with the anticipation before it opens in May, it might be worth taking a look at the Trial of the Chicago 7 on Netflix. The snappy and smart drama (about the unjust conviction of anti-Vietnam war protestors) shows what Mr Sorkin can bring to the courtroom format.

Hymn

Almeida Theatre, date TBC

While the Almeida chose to sit out much of the summer, it did at least plan ahead for an exciting 2021 season. Though dates have been put back from their planned January opening, a new play from theatrical power couple Lolita Chakrabarti and Adrian Lester (who last collaborated on the superb Red Velvet) is always worth waiting for. Hymn tells the story of two men who meet at a funeral and find themselves brought together by music. Chakrabarti’s acclaimed Life of Pi, meanwhile, is also set to resume later in the year.

Back to the Future

Adelphi Theatre, 14 May - 26 September

After successful runs for Kinky Boots and Waitress, The Adelphi cements its reputation for kitsch and camp nights out with the much-anticipated arrival of the Back to the Future musical. With music written by Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard, the show reportedly takes few liberties with its source material. And why would it? Much better to give the audience the nostalgia fest they came for. If anything can revive the energy of the West End, it has to be this.

Leopoldstadt

Wyndham’s Theatre, from June

Tom Stoppard’s loosely-autobiographical play about a thriving Jewish community in early 20th Vienna got some seriously good reviews before being forced to close its doors less than six weeks later. The Spectator’s own critic described the play as brilliant but commercially flawed. Why the latter? ‘Because the 40 strong company is exceptionally large’. No social distancing in this one then - and thank goodness for that.

The Pillowman

Duke of York’s Theatre, 24 July - 17 October

Martin McDonagh’s grisly play about a novelist being interrogated over his ultra-violent stories earned its writer a reputation as the master of the macabre - with McDonagh later bringing us the blood-soaked comedy In Bruges and the fantastic Hangmen. Now 17 years on from its premiere, The Pillowman gets its first major West End arrival with Aaron Taylor-Johnson and League of Gentlemen’s Steve Pemberton as the writer and interrogator respectively. The perfect anecdote to those frothy musicals.

Jerusalem

Location and date TBC

Few theatrical events generated as much buzz and excitement as the news that Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, the smash hit play of 2010, was set to return to the West End. After all, what better way to kick off theatreland's (hopefully) roaring twenties than bringing back perhaps the most acclaimed play of the previous decade? Even better, the peerless Mark Rylance will step back into the shows of the inimitable Rooster - a role he will relish again. We await further details with baited breath.