Alison Larkin – Grief ...A Comedy
The comedian, actress and prolific audiobook narrator brings her sad yet life-affirming personal show to Soho Theatre. It follows her journey of finding true love for the first time in her 50s, only for her fiancée to die five days after they became engaged. This is the story of how the traumatic experience meant that she wanted to live more fully than ever.
Soho Theatre, August 27 to 30; sohotheatre.com
How I Learned to Swim
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This searing debut by Somebody Jones explores what lies beneath the surface of black people’s relationship to water. It follows Jamie, who can’t swim and – driven by guilt and a desire to mend her family – decides to tackle her fear of the ocean with the help of a chipper swimming instructor, a shady spiritual guide, and a cathartic crab sandwich.
Brixton House, September 2 to 14; brixtonhouse.co.uk
A Letter to Lyndon B Johnson or God; Whoever Reads this First
New York duo Xhloe Rice and Natasha Roland won their third consecutive Fringe First award with A Letter to Lyndon... at this year’s festival, and it is transferring to the King’s Head in September. This absurdist show draws on their experiences of being in military families.
The King’s Head Theatre, September 4 to 14; kingsheadtheatre.com
Zoe Coombs Marr: Every Single Thing in My Whole Entire Life
The Australian comic is looking inward and attempting to chart everything she can remember from her life. It’s described as a “tell-all, personal storytelling comedy show” from the performer, who has her own Prime Video special and appeared on Harry Hill’s Club Nite on Channel 4.
Soho Theatre, September 10 to 24; sohotheatre.com
My English Persian Kitchen
Playwright Hannah Khalil has adapted this true story by Atoosa Sepehr, about being forced from her home and having to make a fresh start somewhere new. In it, the lead, played by Isabella Nefar, builds a new life around community and food, recreating the dishes of her childhood and homeland.
Soho Theatre, September 16 to October 5; sohotheatre.com
Ginger Johnson Blows Off
The series 5 winner of Drag Race UK brings her uproarious new show from the Fringe to London. The Stage called it “gutsy, knockabout humour punctuated by uproarious witty songs” adding that under the auburn wig and fierce make-up “Ginger Johnson is a consummate vaudeville clown”.
Soho Theatre, September 23 to October 24; sohotheatre.com
Janie Dee’s Beautiful World Cabaret
This is a chance to see the brilliant Janie Dee, a two-time Olivier Award winner, in the intimate setting of Jermyn Street Theatre. The performer explores man’s relationship to nature through song and spoken word – a green twist on classic cabaret. It promises special guests and to be both informative and fun.
Jermyn Street Theatre, September 24 to 28; jermynstreettheatre.co.uk
Bellringers
Writer Daisy Hall’s comic and moving debut was a finalist for the Women’s Prize for playwriting, and is transferring from Summerhall in Edinburgh to the Hampstead Theatre in September. It follows Clement and Aspinall, who have the dangerous task of pealing the church bells during a terrible storm in the belief that this is the only way to quell the raging tempest. But the weather is worsening, and their faith begins to falter.
Hampstead Theatre, September 27 to November 2; hampsteadtheatre.com
It’s the Economy, Stupid
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This is a show about how the economy dominates our lives, and sets out to explore why it’s just so complicated. Joe Sellman-Leava and Dylan Howells – the Fringe First winning creators behind Labels and Fanboy – use bags, boxes and an old boardgame to calculate how their lives have been shaped by it.
Camden People’s Theatre, October 25 to 26; cptheatre.co.uk
Pali & Jay’s Ultimate Asian Wedding DJ Roadshow
Described as an “immersive DJ bromance”, this is the story of old school DJ Pali as he puts on a banging wedding reception while moulding his nephew Jay to follow in his footsteps. But is the younger man more interested in the perks that come with the job? And are rival DJs out to sabotage the big day?
Soho Theatre, October 28 to November 2; sohotheatre.com
Tones – A Hip-Hop Opera
This is a journey of self-discovery as told through black-British culture, class and belonging. The show follows Jerome, AKA The Professor, from childhood to leaving university, and combines “the gritty underground sounds of hip-hop, grime and drill with the melodrama of opera”.
Brixton House, November 4 to 9; brixtonhouse.co.uk
L’Addition
Performance duo Bert and Nasi (Bertrand Lesca and Nasi Voutas) are trapped in a single scene in which a customer orders a drink from a waiter, before everything goes wrong. The show, which was first performed in French at the Avignon Festival in 2023, has been described as “theatre pushed to its limits” with the scene repeating itself again and again.
Battersea Arts Centre, November 5 to 16; bac.org
Or What’s Left of Us
The brilliant fringe icons Sh!t Theatre are back. Following a number of acclaimed shows, including about Dolly Parton, expats and a “disco dictator mega-musical“ about Isabel Peron (who followed Evita and became Juan Peron’s third wife) this is a more stripped back show. It looks at grief through the medium of folk music, and afterwards there’s a chance to have a singalong in the bar.
