FUNNY SHOWS 

Joz Norris: You Wait. Time Passes. | Soho Theatre Dean Street | 8-11 Apr  
How about we start with some comedy, perhaps it will ease the pain of knowing you ate all your Easter chocolate too quickly? Let’s start over at Soho Theatre with a show we saw and loved in Edinburgh last summer. Joz Norris is ready to unveil his life’s work to the world: “But what exactly is it? How much has it cost him? And now that he’s done it, what will he do next?” Click here. 

Buds, Revolt! | Union Theatre | 14-15 Apr
“Summer in London. A massive spicy scandal strikes the city! Mei, freshly moved to England and ready to start her new life, wakes up one day to find her taste buds have gone rogue!” Intrigued by this one, a poetic absurdist comedy that sees Mei deal with the repercussions of a life without taste, while exploring themes of food, migration and identity. More info here. 

James Barr: Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex To My Mum) | Soho Theatre | 13-14 Apr (pictured)
Back over to Soho for some more stand-uppy stuff with James Barr, another comedian whose work we saw and loved at edfringe 2025, this exact show in fact. It’s darkly funny, because at the core of it is a heart breaking theme – domestic abuse – and an enlightening message, delivered by a talented and entertaining storyteller. Head this way to book tickets. 

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MUSICAL SHOWS 

The Witch And The Whistleblower | The Glitch | 8-20 Apr  
Musical shows always feel to me like a very good fit for the spring months, and it’s definitely springy outside my window, even if it’s perishingly cold. First up, though, one with a rather dark theme. This is a folk musical inspired by true events: a woman is accused of being a witch, and a community crumbles and turns on itself. I think things might end well, though. More here. 

God Is A Woman The Musical | King’s Head Theatre | 12 Apr -1 May 
“Not actually a musical. Think more a play with music, all about Mary Magdalene. Let’s rewrite Herstory”. I think you probably need to hurry if you want to see this, because it’s by the fabulously talented Luisa Omielan and so, naturally, it looks like tickets are going very quickly. Expect a pitch for a musical – “think a female ‘Book Of Mormon’” – and quickly, click here, to book. 

Any Objections? | Drayton Arms Theatre | 12-13 Apr (pictured)
This is not a musical, really, but a harp and comedy show, and I really want to see it. Scarlett Smith, electroacoustic harpist and comedian, is tired of the demure, classical reputation that the harp is blessed/cursed with. This show sees her on a quest to prove that the harp is more than that, covering popular songs and self produced, innovative work. Find out more here. 

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SHORT STOPS

Poetry Plays | The Cockpit | 9-11 Apr   
RIght, a few short stops, two of which are family ones, which is fair enough, because it’s still the Easter holidays for small people. This one isn’t that though, it’s a short but beautiful festival of interdisciplinary performance featuring or inspired by poetry. There’s a lovely variety of work to see that I haven’t space to go on about, so please take a look at all of it here. 

So Unfair | Greenwich Theatre | 10 Apr 
This “unexpectedly ridiculous adventure involving engineering challenges, bad dad jokes and an extraordinary quantity of molten chocolate” is suitable for older kids aged seven to eleven, and their grown-ups, and looks fab, so check it out here. But I also want to alert you to the fact that there are lots of other children’s shows on at Greenwich Theatre in the next few days, so check the listings here. 

Pause: The Clown Opera | Museum Of Comedy | 11 Apr (pictured)
“The Maestro dreams of conducting grand opera – a real orchestra, real singers, a moment of artistic glory. Instead, he finds himself face-to-face with two hapless cleaners, whose well-meaning but disastrous attempts to help spiral out of control”. A family friendly show that invites you to embrace the chaos… book your tickets via the venue website here. 

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LONGER RUNS

Second Trimester | Battersea Arts Centre | 14-25 Apr  
No massively long runs here, but you’ve got time to plan ahead. First up ‘Second Trimester’, the name of which will surely chime with formerly pregnant readers. This is the second in a trilogy of work inspired by Bollywood sagas, and yes, it’s focused on the theme of pregnancy as well as those of gender, loss, and the “weight of inherited memories”. Find out more about it here. 

Invisible Me | Southwark Playhouse Borough | 8 Apr-2 May   
A comedy drama about romance and second chances, focusing on three older single Londoners: newly widowed HIV+ gay man Jack; divorced Alec, estranged from his grown-up kids; and Lynn, whose “sex life more or less expired in 1987”. It’s written by Bren Gosling and stars Kevin N Golding, James Holmes and Tessa Peake-Jones. Book your tickets here. 

Iphigenia | Arcola Theatre | 9 Apr-2 May (pictured)
“The winds have stopped. The Greek fleet is stranded. King Agamemnon is told by the gods that there is only one way for his army to reach Troy: he must sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia”. A modern re-imagining of Euripides’ classic text that replaces the traditional chorus with filmed testimony by women reflecting on motherhood, loss, duty and war. Read more about it here. 

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MORE GREAT STUFF 

The Other Mozart | Omnibus Theatre | 14-18 Apr (pictured)
As someone who is very invested in talking about the women of the world of classical music who have been routinely ignored in the past despite their brilliance, this one obviously called out to me. As you’ve probably guessed by now, it tells the story of Nannerl Mozart, and is inspired by her family’s funny and heartbreaking correspondence. All the details right about here. 

TR[IA]L| White Bear Theatre | 14-18 Apr 
“Waking up in a treatment room with a single camera and no memory of how she got there, Subject X is freaking out”. Before long, she’s told she’s taking part in a medical trial and she’s being paid a significant amount. But is that the real reason she is there? This promises to be a “taut psychological thriller for the digital age”, and I am intrigued. See this page here. 

The Golden Dragon | Drayton Arms Theatre |  14-18 Apr
And finally, a staging of Roland Schimmelpfennig’s acclaimed 2010 play ‘The Golden Dragon’, translated by David Tushingham. The focus is on five cooks working in a restaurant, illegal immigrants, all with their own problems, and tackles the themes of anonymity in big cities, and the neighbours we barely know. Read more about it and book your tickets here.