Just like that… another season is upon us and news of new shows seems pleasantly relentless. Thus, I have compiled a handful of the shows I am most excited to catch across off-West End, regional and fringe venues. Ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer, there are so many shows delivering previews in and around London, so it is a fabulous opportunity to catch a snippet of some of the joys of fringe if you won’t be venturing for yourself.

I have split this list into category by location – North London (vaguely defined as anywhere north as Camden), South London, Central London and naturally, the Southwark Playhouse – my favourite postcode.

Starting with North London. There are a handful of exciting productions – both new works and revivals that I am hoping to catch.

• Two Halves of Guinness – 20 April – 2 May (Park Theatre). This is a heartwarming one-man show which captures the extraordinary legacy and impact of Guinness… yes, you heard that correctly! From Shakespeare and the Ealing Comedies to Hollywood and beyond.
• Entertaining Murder – 23 April – 10 May (Upstairs at the Gatehouse). A murder mystery inspired by the true story of Edith Thompson and Freddy Bywaters, this show foregrounds their Old Bailey murder trial of 1922. With new songs and a retro 1920s design, this is not one to miss.
• Down to Chance – 24 April – 9 May (Pleasance Theatre). Part of As You Like It’s double bill, Down to Chance follows the true story of a community in crisis falling the Great Alaskan Earthquake. The pair take on 20 characters in this slick 70-minute thriller.

Moving down now into Central London, there are a large handful of venues boasting fab productions.

• Lizzy Sunshine – 19 – 23 May (Drayton Arms). In this feel-good spectacle, Lizzy promises a two-person show and yet… her counterpart does not show up. Alas, she turns to the audience to step in, building a double act in real time. What ensues is a fast-paced, interactive comedy packed with big characters and so much more.
• Planet Omar – 21 May – 7 June (Unicorn Theatre). A celebration of empathy, resilience, community and childlike wonder, this story follows the delightfully chaotic world of an 8-year-old accidental trouble magnet. This adaptation is a powerful reminder that imagination can be a superpower, and that friendship and understanding can change the world.
• Cock – 22 April – 2 May (COLAB). This iteration brings a bold new staging of Mike Bartlett’s modern classic. This play centres on John, a man who unexpectedly falls in love with a woman while in a long-term relationship with a man. This gives rise to the necessity to confront difficult questions about identity, love and the pressure of self-definition.

Just outside of central – in Elephant & Castle – you will find two venues called the Southwark Playhouse; one of these is the ‘Borough’ venue, and the other is the ‘Elephant’ venue (with both being a 2 minute walk from the E&C tube station). Notorious for championing new, emerging works, these venues are home to some of the biggest gems in theatre.

• Lifeline – playing until 2 May (Elephant). Starring a chorus of real-life healthcare workers and scientists alongside a professional cast, these remarkable stories underpin the very concept. Such is to celebrate the everyday people who make extraordinary things happen in healthcare, with a particular focus placed upon antimicrobial resistance and the real, pressing problems being faced in light of this. You can read my review here; I urge you all to go and watch it for yourselves!
• Flyby – playing until 16 May (Borough). A captivating new musical, Flyby fuses an exhilarating love story with the vastness of space. Shifting between past and present, the show uncovers the story of a couple separated by space, from psychological unravelling to the struggle of self-definition.
• Invisible Me – playing until 2 May (Borough). This show follows three distinct people: Lynn – an older lady existing in a state of perpetual abstinence, Jack – a newly widowed and HIV-positive gay man, and Alex – a divorced man stuck in 1982. When each of these stumble into encounters in the bedroom, they crack open in unexpected ways. A comedy drama about romance, and above all, the discovery that it is never too late to start over.
• The Wasp – 6 – 30 May (Borough). The Wasp looks at how childhood experience affects our understanding of the world and how violence breeds violence. This chilling production will leave audiences questioning how far we carry our childhood experiences and to what lengths people are willing to go to come to terms with them.

Finally, we venture into South London – a lesser uncovered theatrical realm which boasts some of my favourite fringe venues.

• Charlie & Striptease – 21 April – 9 May (Golden Goose Theatre). This is a double-bill bearing the promise of two political satire plays from the Society era, distinctly blending absurdity and biting social commentary. At the heart of both works is a theme that remains disturbingly resonant in today’s political climate, exploring the uncertainty, mistrust and quiet coercion that shape life under surveillance.
• Smoke – 21 April – 20 June (Omnibus Theatre). Smoke is a savage contemporary queer thriller that confronts taboo topics around grief, mental health and addiction in the digital age with dark humour and emotional honesty. Following a sold-out London run, the show now tours the UK in partnership with LGBTQ+ organisation You Are Loved, combining a gripping one-man performance with post-show community panels. After Alex receives a message from a boyfriend who has been dead for two years, he begins a desperate search for the truth that leads to his psychological unravelling.
• Dead Air – 13 – 16 May (Greenwich Theatre). Inspired by real-world AI resurrection technology, Fringe hit Dead Air reimagines Hamlet for the digital age, with the solo show following grief-ridden Alfie, who uses AI to digitally resurrect her father after his death. Initially a source of comfort, “AI Dad” soon becomes more complex, as a meltdown at work leaves the audience questioning whether Alfie is in control, or whether the technology is shaping her behaviour. Drawing on rapidly advancing AI capabilities, Dead Air reflects on the ethical implications of grief tech on vulnerable people processing death.

There you have it! A list of shows across the London Area to catch this Spring. Who knows, we might just be able to catch the next big thing in British theatre before the buzz.