Following soon after the week of glories that gave us the brilliant Birdland and King Charles III, this week sees Josie Rourke directing James Graham’s new play, Privacy – a response to the recent revelations of Edward Snowden – at the Donmar Warehouse, while Mike Bartlett’s second new play of the month, An Intervention – a co-production with Paines Plough and discussed in more detail here – opens at Watford Palace Theatre
In the West End, Moscow’s Mossovet State Academic Theatre presents Uncle Vanya and Three Sisters – in Russian with English surtitles – at Wyndham’s Theatre while the National Theatre’s big opening this week is Howard Davies’ revival of Sean O’Casey’s Irish World War One drama, The Silver Tassie.
James Grieve’s English Touring Theatre production of Brian Friel’s Translations is at the Rose Theatre in Kingston, and Tom Littler directs Martine, by Jean-Jacques Bernard, in a translation by John Fowles, at the Finborough.
Nick Fogarty’s musical, Best of Friends, is at the Landor, in a production irected by Robert McWhir. The Tristan Bates Theatre presents On Safe Sex and Tidy Endings, two short plays by Harvey Fierstein, the latter of which is receiving its UK premiere. Belka Theatre stages A Dashing Fellow, a piece inspired by the stories of Vladimir Nabokov, at the New Diorama.
CircusFest 2014 continues at the Roundhouse with Puffball, a new piece performed by a company of LGBTQ circus artists in collaboration with the artist Mark Storor. Rachel Mars explores comedy as a form of performance in her solo show, The Way You Tell Them at Canada Water Culture Space on 25th April and the Invisible Dot’s West End residency at the Duchess Theatre kicks off with Adam Buxton’s Kernel Panic and the Claudia O’Doherty Experience. Austentatious, an exercise in improvised Austen, is at Leicester Square Theatre on the 27th.
Lots of exciting live lit/spoken word this week too. Authors Dixe Wills and Natalie Young participate in this month’s Literary Death Match on the 22nd April at the Century Club; Everything But The Girl’s Ben Watt and poet and performer Francesca Beard are on the bill at this month’s Book Slam at the Tabernacle on the 24th April and the Crick Crack Club presents SHIFTER, a night of performance storytelling by Jan Blake and TUUP at Rich Mix on the 26th April. Wednesday 23rd is World Book Night and a number of events and giveaways are happening around the capital to mark the event.