Shakespeare plays in London

Shakespeare’s history plays are heavy things. They’re the Irish stews of theatre, filled with chunks of banishments, lumps of plotting, blobs of battles, knobs of horse-related humour and… you get the idea…

If you’ve yet to venture out to Alexandra Palace’s newly-restored theatre venue, this seems like a pretty good excuse: visionary touring theatre company Headong drops by in March with a new production of Shakespeare’s dark history play. Tom Mothersdale will star as the eponymous tyrant in a production directed by Headlong associate John Haidar.

Globe boss Michelle Terry is kicking off her new season with a return for one of Shakespeare's best-known history plays, 'Henry IV'…

The second instalment of Globe boss Michelle Terry's take on one of Shakespeare's best-known history plays, 'Henry IV', centres on Falstaff.

Shakespeare's Globe is capping off its trilogy of Harry-centric plays with 'Henry V', the story of what happens when he finally becomes king. Sarah Amankwah takes the title role in a gender-swapped retelling…

The Globe complements its big summer run of ‘Henry IV’ with an outing for the other play featuring dissolute knight Sir John Falstaff…

Expect modern dress and a genuinely fresh take on the Bard’s undyingly popular comedy. Gwendoline Christie, Oliver Chris, David Moorst and Hammed Animashaun will play Titania, Oberon, Puck and Bottom

Staggeringly, there will now be FOUR major productions of ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ in London this summer: three in theatres, and this one from Shakespeare in the Squares…

Staging ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ inside the twinkly fastness of the Open Air Theatre almost seems to obvious. In fact, last time Shakespeare’s beloved comedy was staged here, in 2012 the whole thing was given a brutal post-industrial staging that seemed to almost taunt us for our expectations. No telling at this stage what the vibe is going to be vis a vis this new production from storied Scots director Dominic Hill, but statisticaly it’s liable to at least be a bit more of a crowd pleaser.

This really is the summer of ‘A Misummer Night’s Dream’ – the Bridge and Open Air Theatre have major productions, and here’s the Globe’s latest take, which comes just three years after Emma Rice’s magnificent version…

Anybody expecting the Globe to become a chintzy Shakespeare museum, in the wake of the untimely end of Emma Rice’s boisterous regime, doesn’t know the Globe…