Double Shakespeare rations in an eclectic year: as Nicholas Hytner’s unfussy, modern Hamlet goes on tour round the UK with an authoritative Rory Kinnear as the Prince, a new Twelfth Night by octogenarian Sir Peter Hall stars his daughter. Two scientific men go astray — Mary Shelley’s monster creator Dr Frankenstein, who hits the boards under the direction of Danny Boyle, a stage talent poached for film stardom, and the drab dentist in Clifford Odets’s 1938 drama, Rocket to the Moon. New plays about Israel and its effect on London Jews (by Ryan Craig) and on climate change (by a group of contemporary playwrights) discuss turbulent modern issues.
Hamlet, Olivier, till 26 January
Rory Kinnear’s unfussy, battling Dane finishes a strong showing in London, in Nicholas Hytner’s modern, militaristic production, then tours to The Lowry, Salford 8–12 Feb, Nottingham Theatre Royal 15–19 Feb, Woking New Victoria Theatre 22–26 Feb, Milton Keynes Theatre 1–5 Mar, Plymouth Theatre Royal 8–12 Mar, Luxembourg Théâtre de la Ville 17–18 Mar
Men Should Weep, Lyttelton, till 10 Jan
Ena Lamont Stewart’s moving and funny portrayal of impoverished 1930s Glasgow, a raw salute to the human spirit.
War Horse, New London Theatre, Drury Lane, booking till Feb 2012
The National Theatre’s smash hit is now playing at the New London Theatre in Drury Lane.
FELA!, Olivier, till 23 Jan
A provocative and wholly unique hybrid of dance, theatre and music exploring the extravagant, decadent and rebellious world of Afrobeat legend Fela Anikulapo–Kuti. NT Live! cinema broadcast performance of FELA! on 13 January, relayed to cinemas in the UK around the world.
Season’s Greetings, Lyttelton, till 13 Mar
Alan Ayckbourn’s masterly comepdy offers a seriously entertaining look at the misery and high jinks of an average family Christmas with Catherine Tate in a riveting performance.
Twelfth Night, Cottesloe, 11 Jan–2 Mar
Peter Hall marks his 80th birthday soon after Twelfth Night itself by directing a play he must know by heart in a building he once ran; his luminous daughter, Rebecca, a former Rosalind for her father, plays Viola.
Greenland, Lyttelton, 25 Jan–2 Apr
In an effort to understand our changing relationship with the planet the National Theatre has asked four of the most distinct and exciting playwrights in British theatre, Moira Buffini, Matt Charman, Penelope Skinner and Jack Thorne, to collaborate on a new piece of documentary theatre. On 7 Feb, in the Platform discussions Rewriting the Nation, Cottesloe, our own Aleks Sierz chairs a Platform discussion with Sebastian Born (NT’s Associate Manager, Literary), Ruth Little (former Literary Manager of the Royal Court), and Ben Power (NT Associate Director) to discuss the latest trends in new writing in the last decade as explored in Sierz’s new book, Rewriting the Nation.
Frankenstein, Olivier, 5 Feb–17 Apr
Danny Boyle, once a Royal Court presence worth reckoning with before his Oscar–winning Slumdog Millionaire, gives Mary Shelley’s novel — and the National — a go. Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller will alternate the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature.
The Holy Rosenbergs, Cottesloe, 8–31 Mar
As patriarch David clings to a deal that could save both his ailing catering firm and his cherished standing in the Edgware Jewish community, his children are at loggerheads about politics in Ryan Craig’s new play, which stars Henry Goodman.
Rocket to the Moon, Lyttelton, 23 Mar–10 Apr
Keeley Hawes, star of TV’s Upstairs Downstairs and Ashes to Ashes, makes her NT debut as an avid, sexually charged woman who visits a drab, repressed dentist in Clifford Odets’ 1938 New York drama.
Later in 2011, readings of the King James Bible, Cottesloe
The 400th anniversary of arguably the primary text of all time is celebrated with a series of readings.
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For The Arts Desk.
(Source: theartsdesk.com)