Top ten theatre shows to see in June 2019

Summer can be a bit of barren period for new theatre. Luckily this June has plenty of intriguing options for those looking to escape the sun and duck into some theatrical shade.

Wife at the Kiln Theatre

Taking inspiration from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll’s House, Samuel Adamson’s new play looks at the ways the institution of marriage has changed in the last 60 years, especially for those branded as “wife”. Kiln Theatre artistic director Indhu Rubasingham directs.

Wife at is on at the Kiln Theatre from 30^th May to 6^th June 2019, with a press night on 4^th June. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Armadillo at the Yard Theatre

If it’s on at the Yard, it’s most likely worth a watch. The theatre’s latest production comes from writer Sarah Kosar (Mumburger) and director Sara Joyce (Dust), a new play about “the dangerous ways we make ourselves feel safe”.

Armadillo is on at the Yard Theatre from 30^th May to 22^nd June 2019, with a press night on 4^th June. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream at the Bridge Theatre

Returning to the immersive well they used for last year’s Julius Caesar, the Bridge Theatre’s big summer show sees director Nichols Hytner enter the forest of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie leads the cast in the dual roles of Titania and Hippolyta.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is on at the Bridge Theatre from 3^rd June to 31^st August 2019, with a press night on 11^th June. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Sweat at the Gielgud Theatre

After a rapturously received stint at the Donmar Warehouse, Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Sweat returns to London, rocking up at the Gielgud Theatre for a short transfer. Most of the cast are back, including Martha Plimpton and Clare Perkins, the latter coming fresh off of Emilia’s West End run.

Sweat is on at the Gielgud Theatre from 7^th June to 20^th July 2019, with a press night on 12^th June. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Strange Fruit at the Bush Theatre

The latest entry in the Bush Theatre’s “Passing the Baton” series, Caryl Phillips’s Strange Fruit – first performed almost 40 years ago – traces a family “caught between two cultures”, and the new version of the past that emerges when a son returns from his grandfather’s funeral in the Caribbean.

Strange Fruit is on at the Bush Theatre from 12^th June to 27^th July 2019, with a press night on 17^th June. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

The Light in the Piazza at the Southbank Centre

Renee Fleming and Dove Cameron star in the London premiere of Broadway hit The Light in the Piazza, described by The New York Times as being “the most intensely romantic score of any musical since West Side Story“.

The Light in the Piazza is on at the Southbank Centre from 14^th June to 5^th July 2019, with a press night on 18^th June. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Present Laughter at the Old Vic

Maybe the hottest ticket this month, Present Laughter sees Andrew Scott on stage for the first time since his much-talked-about appearance in the second season of Fleabag. The Noel Coward comedy is directed by Matthew Warchus, with a cast including Sophie Thompson and Indira Varma.

Present Laughter is on at the Old Vic from 17^th June to 10^th August 2019, with a press night on 25^th June. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

The Hunt at the Almeida Theatre

An adaptation of 2012’s Danish drama Jagten, The Hunt sees soon-to-be Prince Philip Tobias Menzies star as a man accused of sexually abusing a child in his kindergarten class. David Farr pens the adaptation, with Rupert Goold directing.

The Hunt is on at the Almeida Theatre from 17^th June to 3^rd August 2019, with a press night on 26^th June. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

The Damned at the Barbican

Photo: Jan Versweyveld

Directing the Comedie-Francaise, Ivo van Hove’s adaptation of Luchino Visconti’s screenplay arrives at the Barbican for a short stay this month. The production follows the Essenbeck family and their deepening collusion with the nascent Nazi regime.

The Damned is on at the Barbican from 19^th to 25^th June 2019, with a press night on 19^th June. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Europe at the Donmar Warehouse

The inaugural production of Michael Longhurst’s tenure at the Donmar Warehouse is an obviously timely staging of David Greig’s Europe. Though the play is celebrating its 25^th anniversary, it will no doubt strike a chord in 2019, coming three years after the Brexit referendum.

Europe is on at the Donmar Warehouse from 20^th June to 10^th August 2019, with a press night on 27^th June. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Connor Campbell