Lyn's Picks: July 11

The Darkest Part of the Night (Kiln)

Directed by Nancy Medina, the Brooklyn-born director who has recently been appointed to succeed Tom Morris as artistic director at Bristol Old Vic, this family drama tells of Shirley and Dwight who have come together to bury their mother. But their past looms over them, particularly a childhood spent in Chapeltown in Leeds in the 1980s where both racism and poverty impacted the family. It’s written by poet and playwright Zodwa Nyoni best known for Boi Boi is Dead at West Yorkshire Playhouse, a play that also takes place in the wake of a death and funeral.

101 Dalmatians (Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre)

A show which should knock the spots off other summer offerings, this comes with the dream casting of Kate Fleetwood as the villainous Cruella de Vil. This show has been twice delayed because of the pandemic but should have audiences wagging their tails. It's a musical version written by Douglas Hodge and Johnny McKnight, and adapted by Zinnie Harris. It's based on Dodie Smith’s book about dalmatians, Pongo and Perdita, who set out to rescue their abducted puppies before they are turned into fur coats. Timothy Sheader directs.

Chasing Hares (Young Vic)

Sonali Bhattacharyya’s delightful hit play, Two Billion Beats, will be returning to the Orange Tree early next year, but if you can’t wait for that, check out her latest play, winner of Theatre Uncut’s Political Playwriting Award. At its heart is the power of stories and storytelling as it tells of West Bengal factory workers, Prab and Kajol, who dream of a better life for their daughter. But when the opportunity arises, they discover that telling stories can be mighty dangerous and have consequences, particularly in a word of exploitation. Seven methods of killing Kylie Jenner director, Milli Bhatia, directs.

Cover image from The Darkest Part of the Night at the Kiln Theatre.