By Tessa Nolan
Ian McKellen, Brian Cox, and PJ Harvey headline a thrilling month on the London stage. Some huge names are dominating the London theatre scene in April, as stage legends Ian McKellen and Brian Cox take on colossal roles in Shakespearean plays and Eugene O’Neill’s masterpieces. Neither actor seems to be showing any signs of slowing down, but you might want to catch them in something so epic while you still can. Music icon PJ Harvey will also receive her first major stage credit as a songwriter for the National Theatre’s adaptation of Dickens’ “London Tide” in an eclectic month that features everything from post-colonial interactive theatre to a sci-fi classic adaptation of “Minority Report.”
1. The King’s Player
Ian McKellen is truly the David Attenborough of the stage: almost two decades past retirement age, this is something like the legendary actor’s sixth stage role of masterful acting after just one pandemic. And what a role it is. At 84 years old, Sir Ian will star in one of Shakespeare’s greatest parts, portraying the funny, tragic Sir John Falstaff in a four-hour mashup of modern dress by director Robert Icke from the first and second parts of “Henry IV.” Truly unmissable, and if McKellen can go through a four-hour play, then you certainly can.
2. Long Day’s Journey Into Night
Having become a global superstar playing one flawed patriarch in “Succession,” universal acting legend Brian Cox is climbing back to the heights of his fame to tackle another. “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” is certainly Eugene O’Neill’s posthumously published monolith of a play about the disintegration of the deeply damaged Tyrone family: Cox will play James Tyrone, the embittered father, in a career-defining role.
3. London Tide
Alt-rock genius PJ Harvey has quietly been contributing songs to theatre productions for many years, mainly under the direction of Ian Rickson, who also directs her live shows. “London Tide,” however, marks her first foray into a creative role in a stage show: it’s a new adaptation of Dickens’ “Our Mutual Friend” by Ben Power, with songs by Harvey and directed by Rickson. A must-see for fans of the uncompromising grunge icon.
National Theatre, April 10 – June 22.
4. Bluebeard
By all accounts, this is another stellar show from the brilliant Emma Rice, formerly of Kneehigh and Shakespeare’s Globe. Adapted by Rice from the bloodthirsty French legend of a wealthy nobleman who kills his numerous wives, her version of “Bluebeard” received rave reviews on tour for its combination of her signature whimsy and a sharp feminist edge that emerges late in the story.
Battersea Arts Centre, April 23 – May 18.
These exciting productions promise to captivate audiences and showcase the talents of these renowned artists on the London stage in April.