The 16 hottest new dramas and musicals to see this summer

Memorials

The iceman returns: Complicité’s 1999 wonder about memory, technology and identity, inspired in part by the 1991 discovery of Europe’s oldest natural mummy (Ötzi), resurrected by Simon McBurney with a few old faces (Complicité stalwart Tim McMullan) among the new (Khalid Abdalla, who was Dodi Fayed in the Crown).

National Olivier Theatre, London SE1 (nationaltheatre.org.uk), 2 July – 10 August

Chorus line

Another five-star win for Nikolai Foster at Curve during the pandemic; what might seem like a museum piece from the mid-seventies (with a score by Marvin Hamlisch) about hopeful Broadway auditions, reaches brutal glamor and isolated force.

Curve, Leicester (curveonline.co.uk), 8 –13 July; then at Sadler’s Wells, London EC1 (sadlerswells.com), 31 July – 25 August

Shakespeare live

Leading actors including Paul Chahidi, Damian Lewis, Derek Jacobi, Stephen Mangan and Tracy-Ann Oberman will open the Complete Works barrier for a one-off feast of speeches, scenes and entertainment.

Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, London NW1 (openairtheatre.com), July 8

Slave Play

A West End run for Jeremy O Harris’s name-making play in 2018 about identity, desire and the legacy of slavery as it affects three interracial couples undertaking “Antebellum Sexual Performance Therapy” to expose them physically and emotionally.

Celebrities who have seen the show in New York include Madonna and Whoopi Goldberg. In London, the team includes Kit Harington and Olivia Washington.

Noel Coward Theatre, London WC2 (slaveplaylondon.com), 10 July – 21 September

Chariots of Fire

Robert Hastie directs Mike Bartlett’s adaptation of Colin Welland’s Oscar-winning 1981 film which tells the story of Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell’s bid for British athletics glory at the 1924 Paris Olympics.

Crucible Sheffield (sheffieldtheatres.co.uk), July 11-27

ECHO (Oxygen Every Cold Heart)

Nassim Soleimanpour’s playful drama about immigration and belonging requires a new performer at each show to tackle his unsolved script and navigate the author’s story; Those already signed up include Toby Jones, Meera Syal and Fiona Shaw.

The Royal Court, London SW1 (royalcourttheatre.com), July 17-27

Hello, Dolly!

Jerry Herman’s evergreen 1964 Broadway smash about charming New Yorker Dolly Levi is back where it belongs – the West End, after a four-year delay due to Covid, among other factors . Imelda Staunton recently took the lead, directed by Dominic Cooke.

London Palladium, W1 (hellodollyldn.com), 18 July – 14 September

Oliver!

Lionel Bart’s delightful take on the Dickens classic – arguably the best British opera of the 20th century – has been reborn (and revised by Cameron Mackintosh) in a new production by Matthew Bourne, coming to the West End this winter. Simon Lipkin is Fagin.

Chichester Festival Theater (cft.org.uk), 24 July – 7 September; then at the Gielgud Theatre, London W1 (oliverthemusical.com), from 14 December

The Grapes of Wrath

Greg Hicks and Cherry Jones lead a large ensemble that aims to bring John Steinbeck’s grim vision of depression-era Oklahoma farmers to life (courtesy of Frank Galati’s Tony-winning adaptation).

Lyttelton National Theatre, London SE1 (nationaltheatre.org.uk), 25 July – 14 September

The Edge

Stef Smith adapts Amy Liptrot’s memoir about returning to a sheep farm in Orkney where she grew up after settling in London for the stage; Directed by Vicky Featherstone. Part of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Lyceum, Edinburgh (lyceum.org.uk), 31 July – 24 August

The Sound Within

Adam Rapp’s multi-nominated drama about a creative writing professor “who was crushed by a star-studded student.” An early highlight of the Edinburgh Fringe.

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh (cross.co.uk), until August 25

Fiddler on the Roof

Expect above-average levels of grit for this sometimes cozy classic about life in an Eastern European seattle, circa 1905, with Adam Dannheisser taking on the role played by Chaim Topol of Tevye, the milkman with daughters. married and rebellious.

Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park, London NW1 (openairtheatre.com), 6 August – 21 September

Pericles

Shakespeare’s late epic play is just the RSC’s directorial debut for his co-artistic director, Tamara Harvey – a strain that was eased by Alfred Enoch’s calming presence as the fugitive prince.

Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon (rsc.org.uk), 7 August – 21 September

The Birthday Party

Richard Jones, fresh from success with Machinal, directs Pinter’s masterpiece (which was initially underwhelming) and Jane Horrocks plays the nice but slim landlady Meg, surrogate mother to the twitchy, hunted Stanley.

Ustinov Studio, Royal Bath Theater (theatre.org.uk), until 7-31 August

Hamlet

The Peruvian company Teatro La Plaza envisions Shakespeare’s best play from the perspective of eight actors with Down Syndrome. Part of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Lyceum, Edinburgh (lyceum.org.uk), August 15-17