CYRANO DE BERGERAC Leads December's Top 10 New London Shows

London is never short of temptations, whether splashy West End shows, epic dramas or bold fringe offerings. From a starry revival to musical comedies and an incendiary Pulitzer winner, here are some of this month's most eye-catching openings. Don't forget to check back for BroadwayWorld's reviews, interviews and features!

1. Cyrano de Bergerac, Playhouse Theatre

James McAvoy returns to the West End for Jamie Lloyd's revival of Edmond Rostand's iconic drama, in a new translation by Martin Crimp. McAvoy plays the titular big-nosed lover, and the cast also features Anita-Joy Uwajeh, Tom Edden, Nima Taleghani, Adam Best, Kiruna Stamell, Eben Figueiredo, Adrian Der Gregorian, Michele Austin and Nari Blair-Mangat. Read our interview with Tom Edden

27 November-29 February, 2020. Book tickets here

2. The Boy Friend, Menier Chocolate Factory

It's back to the Roaring Twenties via Sandy Wilson's light-as-a-soufflé musical comedy, set in a finishing school in the south of France; the original Broadway run starred Julie Andrews. Matthew White directs, and the cast includes Janie Dee, Adrian Edmondson, Amara Okereke, Robert Portal, Issy van Randwyck, Jack Butterworth, Tiffany Graves and Dylan Mason.

Until 7 March, 2020. Book tickets here

3. Swive [Elizabeth], Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

Ella Hickson's intriguing new play examines how women in power negotiate patriarchal systems. It focusses on Elizabeth I and her various guises, from political mastermind and resolute monarch to the label of unmarried, childless woman. Natalie Abrahami directs, and the cast is comprised of Nina Cassells, Abigail Cruttenden, Michael Gould and Colin Tierney.

6 December-15 February, 2020. Book tickets here

4. Amélie, The Other Palace

An encore for this well-received touring stage musical version of the classic film - featuring a re-orchestrated score and magical evocation of Paris. Audrey Brisson leads the actor-musician company: Sophie Crawford, Faoileann Cunningham, Rachel Dawson, Oliver Grant, Chris Jared, Caolan McCarthy, Emma Jane Morgan, Kate Robson-Stuart, Josh Sneesby, Jez Unwin and Johnson Willis. Read our interview with Audrey, and watch the cast perform

29 November-1 February, 2020. Book tickets here

5. A Taste of Honey, Trafalgar Studios

Another hit tour coming into the West End: the National Theatre's revival of Shelagh Delaney's revolutionary kitchen-sink drama, about a difficult mother/daughter relationship in post-war Salford. Bijan Sheibani's production is infused with blues and soul, performed by the onstage band, and stars Jodie Prenger, Gemma Dobson, Durone Stokes, Stuart Thompson and Tom Varey.

5 December-29 February, 2020. Book tickets here

6. Fairview, Young Vic

Jackie Sibblies Drury's extraordinary 2019 Pulitzer-winning piece about an African-American family, which interrogates the audience about their perceptions of race, makes its UK debut. It's helmed by Young Vic Associate Director Nadia Latif, and the cast features Naana Agyei-Ampadu, Donna Banya, David Dawson, Julie Dray, Nicola Hughes, Matthew Needham, Esther Smith and Rhashan Stone.

28 November-18 January, 2020. Book tickets here

7. A Kind of People, Royal Court

Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's prize-winning play Behzti, which depicted violence in a Sikh temple, was cancelled when protests broke out. Her latest also promises unflinching social realism: it examines a community struggling succeed due to systemic oppression. Michael Buffong directs Richie Campbell, Thomas Coombes, Claire-Louise Cordwell, Asif Khan, Petra Letang, Amy Morgan and Manjinder Virk.

5 December-18 January, 2020. Book tickets here

8. The Duchess of Malfi, Almeida Theatre

Rebecca Frecknall helms this revival of John Webster's bloody revenge tragedy, about the eponymous duchess battling her power-hungry brothers. Lydia Wilson stars, and the cast also includes Khalid Abdalla, Hadassah Allen, Leo Bill, Jersey Blu Georgia, Ioanna Kimbook, Michael Marcus, Ciarán Owens, Shalini Peiris, Jack Riddiford, Jethro Skinner and Kalungi Ssebandeke.

30 November-25 January, 2020. Book tickets here

9. Curtains, Wyndham's Theatre

This is the first time Kander and Ebb's musical whodunnit, about a murderer amidst the company of a Broadway show, will play in London. Paul Foster's touring revival features Jason Manford, Carley Stenson, Adam Rhys-Charles, Alan Burkitt, Rebecca Lock, Minal Patel, Samuel Holmes, Andy Coxon and Emma Caffrey, Leah West and Mark Sangster.

13 December-11 January, 2020. Book tickets here

10. Ravens: Spassky vs. Fischer, Hampstead Theatre

Tom Morton-Smith, who wrote the critically acclaimed Oppenheimer, premieres this Cold War psychological thriller: global politics played out via the World Chess Championship of 1972. Annabelle Comyn directs Ronan Raftery, Robert Emms, Gunnar Cauthery, Simon Chandler, Buffy Davis, Philip Desmeules, Solomon Israel, Beruce Khan, Emma Pallant, Gyuri Sarossy, Rebecca Scroggs and Gary Shelford.

29 November-18 January, 2020. Book tickets here

You can also check out our picks for festive London shows and West End musicals that would make the perfect Christmas gift!

Want more recommendations? Find previous Top 10 lists here

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