Preview: The best UK theatre to see in June 2023
From the return of Grindr: The Opera to a musical version of an Audrey Hepburn classic, Simon Button rounds up this month’s must-sees.
By Simon Button
Happy Pride theatre people!
Here are some of the best shows to see this June.
The King and I
Audiences around the country are getting to know just how lavish this production of the Rodgers & Hammerstein classic is. Directed by Broadway legend Bartlett Sher, it was a smash hit on Broadway and a sell-out sensation at the London Palladium. The tour stars Darren Lee as the King of Siam and Ann Lenowens as the British schoolteacher who challenges his traditions, with Call The Midwife star returning to the show when it’s back in the West End next January.
The King and I is touring the UK until 13 January 2024. Get tickets here. The show is at the Dominion Theatre, London, from 20 January. Get tickets here.
Fury and Elysium
Set in Weimar-era Berlin, Fury and Elysium is a revolutionary queer musical. Directed by Rafaella Marcuss and Karoline Gable and written by Stephanie Martin, it’s about the fight for artistic revolution in the face of the rise of fascism. And it centres on three very different Jewish women from the worlds of expressionism, political agitation and drag king performance.
Fury and Elysium is at The Other Palace Studio, London, from 6 to 18 June. Get tickets here.
Shutters: A Lesbian Rock Opera
The world premiere of Rena Brannan’s new work promises to break boundaries, push for more queer visibility and celebrate LGBT+ culture. Running during Pride month, it centres around a young and idealistic punk rocker named Saving Liz and her experiences of the joys and struggles of queer life.
Shutters: A Lesbian Rock Opera is at The Omnibus Theatre, London, from 6 to 24 June. Get tickets here
Grindr: The Opera
Writer-composer Eric Ransom’s “unauthorised parody” returns to the capital for the first time since 2019. With music that ranges from baroque to pop, it views the hook-up app through an operatic lens – with Ransom noting: “Opera brings to mind tuxedos, elegant gowns and pearl necklaces. GRINDR brings to mind bare torsos, leather harnesses and, well… pearl necklaces.”
Grindr: The Opera is at the Union Theatre, London, until 8 July. Get tickets here
Roman Holiday
The magnificent Audrey Hepburn-starring movie comedy gets a stage musical makeover. Rebecca Collingwood and Michael D. Xavier star as the young princess and American journalist caught up in a 24-hour adventure in the French capital. We’re humming the songs already, since they’re Cole Porter classics like ‘Night and Day’ and ‘Just One of Those Things’.
Roman Holiday is at the Theatre Royal, Bath, from 10 June to July 1. Get tickets here