Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre have today announced MOREoutdoor events as part of their 90th anniversary season.
Daniel Kitson returns to the stage for the first time in two years with three gigs (Sunday 19 June, 24 July, 21 August). Performing with or near Gavin Osborn, it’s entirely unclear what the “thing” is they’ll be doing. It may involve them both being on stage at the same time, winking at each other, giggling or taking turns to do a nice little dance for everyone. Lovely.
Following sold-out gigs in 2020 and 2021, Berk’s Nest and Canned Laughter present two all-star comedy fundraisers in support of The Trussell Trust’s London food banks (Sunday 12 June). Suzi Ruffell hosts a 5pm early show, which also includes Sukh Ojla and Brett Goldstein, with Chloe Petts hosting an 8.30pm late show, featuring Ria Lina and Kerry Godliman. Full lines-ups to be announced in due course.
Tim Key (Alan Partridge, The Witchfinder) brings his 5-star show Mulberry to the Open Air Theatre (Sunday 19 June), with ruminations about the great indoors and a bit of stamping around. Oh, and a velour tracksuit, continental lagers and some “poetry”.
Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel, is the award-winning smash-hit comedy – as seen in the West End and heard on Radio 4. Inspired entirely by a title from the audience, a new Jane Austen novel will be performed in period costume with live musical accompaniment. Swooning guaranteed (Sunday 31 July).
From Battersea Arts Centre the BAC Beatbox Academy present Frankenstein: How To Make A Monster (Monday 8 August). Part electrifying gig, part thrilling theatre this powerful and poetic show pushes the power of the human voice to its expressive, musical and rhythmic limits. Reimagining a world of modern monsters and taking musical inspirations from Pachelbel to The Prodigy, Frankenstein will leave you asking: Who are the monsters we fear? Who created them? And how the hell did they just do that with their voices?
Le Gateau Chocolat makes his Open Air Theatre debut with his delicious Raw Cacao (Sunday 14 August). Sitting at the profound intersection of William Shakespeare and Maya Angelou, Raw Cacao is an exploration of intimacy; an invitation into the most hallowed of spaces – the chamber where one transitions from performer to person, asking “who are we when no one is watching?” Lurching from pop to opera via folk song, musical theatre, disco and more, this is a mixtape of who Gateau was, who Gateau is, and who Gateau hopes to become.
An annual Open Air Theatre favourite, The Luna Cinema present two incredible outdoor cinema events, both classics in their own right. With the night sky the backdrop to the galactic civil war, experience George Lucas’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope (Sunday 26 June) in a 45th anniversary screening, followed by Steven Spielberg’s multi-award-winning new take on West Side Story (Sunday 18 September). With an epic score featuring ‘America’, ‘Maria’, ‘Tonight’ and ‘Somewhere’, this phenomenal movie musical is one not to miss in the glorious surroundings of a Royal Park.
Full details can be found here