London theatre- which plays to see

I'm going to see Brecht's 'The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui' at the RSC theatre in Stratford in May.

We are planning to see 1536 and Mother Courage and Her Children in London in May.

We are booked to see Operation Mincemeat in May.

Not knowing what you have seen, I have seen and recommend the following shows that are playing in London now.

Phantom (must see at least once in your lifetime.)

Hamilton (seen twice, not in London) (not sure about actors with British accents trying to act like Americans, or do they do American accents? If someone can fill us in.)

Wicked ( better than the movie- because it's live theatre)

Lion King (a must see if you are Musical theatre afficianado)

Les Miserable (also a theatre must see, if you are a musical theatre nerd)

Book of Mormon (funny)

Moulin Rouge (jukebox musical)

harry potter (best if you are a fan)

Mamma Mia (great music- Abba)

Back to the future (lightweight, fun, if you have seen the movie)

hadestown (though provoking, no violence)

Into the woods (you have to like Sondheim.)

Kinky boots (drag queen saves the factory)

The play that goes wrong (slapstick comedy- hilarious)

Gary Oldman is playing in Krapp’s Last Tape in May.

One I am quite excited about (but have not seen yet, as it's not yet out) is Les Liaisons Dangereuses with Aidan Turner and Lesley Manville. It's on at the National Theatre thru early June and booking up fast: https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/les-liaisons-dangereuses/

To answer the question about Hamilton, yes, they do American accents in the production!

Shadowlands with Hugh Bonneville is at the Aldwych until early May.

Cat, I would love to see Les Liasons Dangereuse with Lesley Manville. And I just realized that Monica Barbaro is in it as well. I loved her in A Complete Unknown as Joan Baez, and she has the most beautiful voice (not that she'll need it in this production, just saying...) 😊

not sure about actors with British accents trying to act like Americans, or do they do American accents

Ha ha ha! Derek, I had to laugh at that. That's a skill that most actors have: the ability to do accents from other countries ( With the exception of Kevin Costner, who could not for the life of him get a British accent down in Robin Hood).

But there are also quite a few American actors that will portray Brits, and Brits that portray Americans. If you want to see some good examples, watch Kate Winslet in Mare of Easttown, which takes place in Pittsburgh. Or Rufus Sewell, who is a Brit playing an American but living in London. That one just cracks me up, but you'd never know he wasn't American unless you knew.

Oh, Laura, I have a ticket to that one and am excited.

I'd don't know if I'd call them thought provoking, but I recommend Mama Mia, The Play that Goes Wrong, and The Book of Mormon. They were all excellent!

Mama Mia was one of the best musicals I've seen. The Play that Goes Wrong was very funny, and The Book of Mormon took funny to the next level. A bit raunchy but my daughter and I couldn't stop laughing.

At opposite ends of the spectrum, Woman in Black and Paddington the Musical.

Mormon takes raunchy to infinity and beyond, definitely not a family friendly evening of theater. And this from someone with an awesome sense of humor (just ask anyone!).

Mincemeat has become a phenomenon, big feature article recently in the NYT Sunday magazine. The British cast in NYC had to extend their run to accommodate all the ticket requests, before it flips over to American actors.

Mormon takes raunchy to infinity and beyond, definitely not a family friendly evening of theater.

Let me demur on this. Although there is some "blue" humor, I found Book of Mormon to be very sweet-natured in its depiction of religious faith writ large and Mormon beliefs specifically. Much like the movie Dogma, there's a lot to piece out about the value of religious faith to us all, which can lead to valuable family discussions. Plus it's funny as all get-out.

Just another perspective.