(Lyn Gardner’s article appeared in the Guardian, 6/17.)
1 The Truth
The Florian Zeller hit factory just keeps on delivering. First came The Father, then The Mother and now his Pinter-esque examination of marriage and betrayal gets a West End transfer from the Menier. It’s lighter in tone than those other works but offers the same slippery grip on reality, as it charts the infidelities of two married couples.
Wyndham’s Theatre, WC2, Wed to 3 Sep
2 Bird
The bird metaphors may be scattered a little too enthusiastically throughout Katherine Chandler’s award-winning play about two teenagers living in care, but it still has a ring of authenticity and a real whiff of anger to it, as inadequate parents and creepy adults take advantage with tragic consequences. Rachel O’Riordan, who directed Sherman Cymru’s Iphigenia In Splott to such effect, once again proves how good she is at charting the lives of the overlooked and the dispossessed.
Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, to 25 Jun
3 The Curious Incident Of The Dog in The Night-Time
Simon Stephens’s version of Mark Haddon’s bestselling novel has been a major hit – and deservedly so. It’s smart enough to satisfy both adult and family audiences as it tells the story of Christopher, who possibly has Asperger syndrome and is investigating the mysterious death of the neighbour’s dog.
Gielgud Theatre, W1, to 18 Feb
https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/jun/17/five-of-the-best-new-plays