Casting has been announced for [*Heathers the Musical*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/11652-heathers-the-musical), which returns to the West End later this month. The show will open at @sohoplace for a limited run.

Kevin Murphy and Laurence O’Keefe's musical about dangerous high school cliques was last seen in the West End in 2021.

The show will star Jenna Innes (*Les Misérables*), who returns as Veronica Sawyer. She is joined by Keelan McAuley (*Clueless, Grease*) as JD.

The titular...

Casting announced for 'Heathers the Musical' at @sohoplace

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ITV’s *I Have a Dream* finalist Esme Bowdler, Sedona Sky, and Daisy Twells are the musical's titular Heathers. Jenna Innes returns to the show as Veronica Sawyer.

Summer in London means one thing: it's musicals season! Sure, we have fantastic musical theatre in the capital all year round, but the sunnier months always seem to be a particularly exciting time for big song-and-dance shows – ideal for filling the school holidays with [family trips to spectacular productions](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/whats-on/family-kids).

You’ll find plenty of blockbuster West End entertainment this summer, thanks to the likes of *[Kiss, Me...

Top West End musicals to see this summer

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This essential list features all the musicals, from *Kiss Me, Kate* to *Hello, Dolly!*, that are perfect for a summer trip to the West End, whatever the weather.

Wilkommen! Four new actors will join the [*Cabaret*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/23939-cabaret-tickets) West End cast, beginning performances on 3 June at the [Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/playhouse-theatre).

*Heartstopper* star Rhea Norwood will make her professional stage debut as Sally Bowles alongside *Everybody’s Talking About Jamie* and *Bad Education* star Layton Williams as The Emcee. Norwood and Williams will perform in...

'Cabaret' sets new West End cast, including Rhea Norwood

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*Heartstopper* star Norwood and *Bad Education*'s Layton Williams are among the new actors joining the seven-time Olivier Award-winning musical revival.

The world premiere of *My Neighbour Totoro* triumphed at the 2023 Olivier Awards, winning six categories out of its nine nominations at the ceremony. It’s a good time for the Studio Ghibli stage adaptation, too, as *My Neighbour Totoro* will open in the West End next year, with performances at the [Gillian Lynne Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/gillian-lynne-theatre) from 8 March.

Based on Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 Studio Ghibli film, *My Neighbour Totoro* follows Satsuki and Mei,...

Here's why 'My Neighbour Totoro' deserved all the Oliviers

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Based on Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 Studio Ghibli film, *My Neighbour Totoro* will return to London later next year, opening at the Gillian Lynne Theatre.

Next year, the [Royal Shakespeare Company’s](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/royal-shakespeare-company) triumphant 2022 stage adaptation of [*My Neighbour Totoro*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/25389-my-neighbour-totoro) heads to the West End's [Gillian Lynne Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/gillian-lynne-theatre) for a third run due to enormous popular demand. The show won six Olivier Awards and broke the Barbican’s box office record for the most tickets...

What to expect from London shows based on Studio Ghibli films

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Studio Ghibli is a renowned Japanese animation film studio founded in 1985. They are known for creating imaginative movies, including *My Neighbour Totoro* and *Spirited Away*.

A stage adaptation of television comedy *Inside No 9* will arrive in the West End next year. The show opens for a 12-week run at Wyndham's Theatre from 18 January 2025.

The TV show's original writers and performers Steve Pemberton (*The Pillowman*) and Reece Shearsmith (*A Very Expensive Poison*) will star in the West End show, titled *Stage/Fright*, which will blend original material with familiar characters from the series. 

Speaking about the announcement, Pemberton and Shearsmith said:...

Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith's 'Inside No 9' to be adapted for the West End 

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The TV show's original creators Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith will star in the West End adaptation when it opens next year. 

The hit musical comedy *Titanique* has confirmed plans for a West End run later this year. The show is currently performing at Off-Broadway venue the Daryl Roth Theatre.

The musical, which is co-written by Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle, and Constantine Rousouli, has received critical acclaim and multiple awards since its premiere off Broadway at Asylum Theater in 2022.

The parody of James Cameron's Oscar-winning *Titanic* film features a raft of Celine Dion’s iconic songs including “My Heart Will...

'Titanique' confirms planned West End run

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The musical has received critical acclaim and multiple awards since its premiere off Broadway at Asylum Theater in 2022. It is currently at the Daryl Roth Theatre.

The British writer James Graham is on an incredible run at the moment. He just won the Olivier Award for Best New Play for *Dear England*, a fantastic drama about football manager Gareth Southgate, which enticed new audiences into theatre, and the musical *Tammy Faye*, for which he supplied the book, is opening on Broadway this autumn.

He’s also a prolific screenwriter, with recent hits including the crime series *Sherwood* and the dystopian drama *The Way*. Graham has that rare combination of...

Learn more about James Graham’s career ahead of 'Boys from the Blackstuff'

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From plays *Dear England* and *This House* to TV hits like *Sherwood*, Graham is unstoppable – and now his *Boys from the Blackstuff* is coming to the West End.

The bright lights of West End theatres are always appealing, but there are also a number of exciting Off-West End venues in the capital, such as the small but mighty [Bush Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/bush-theatre), which is nestled in west London.

This theatre has always punched above its weight, launching the careers of hugely successful writers such as James Graham and Lucy Kirkwood, as well as actors like Victoria Wood, Alan Rickman, Andrew Scott, and Phoebe...

A complete guide to the Bush Theatre

Bush Theatre credit Philip Vile

Get to know this exciting new-writing venue in west London, which has launched the careers of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Victoria Wood, among others.

The acclaimed screen and stage actor Ben Whishaw is back in town, starring in the premiere of Margaret Perry’s *[Bluets](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/39930-bluets)* at the Royal Court. The play is an adaptation of Maggie Nelson’s book and follows someone obsessed with the colour blue – taking in artists like Joni Mitchell and Billie Holiday as they navigate a devastating heartbreak.

Whishaw is joined in *Bluets* by *House of the Dragon* star Emma D’Arcy and *The Girl Before*’s Kayla...

Learn more about Ben Whishaw's career ahead of 'Bluets' at the Royal Court

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The James Bond and *Paddington* actor is co-starring in this new adaptation of Maggie Nelson's book *Bluets* with Emma D'Arcy and Kayla Meikle.

Ahead of the West End premiere of [*Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/26891-lemons-lemons-lemons-lemons-lemons), take a look at stars [Aidan Turner](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/aidan-turner) and Jenna Coleman in rehearsal photos. The play runs at the [Harold Pinter Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/harold-pinter-theatre) from 18 January to 18 March. 

The *Lemons* play explores the importance of our words, after a Quietude bill forces a lawyer and a musician to speak a maximum of 140 words a day. Josie Rourke directs Sam Steiner’s debut play.

*Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons* is at the Harold Pinter Theatre.

Book *Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons* tickets on London Theatre.

[![LT - CTA - 250](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/1t6HRGmhlYl70k6PmR0mOZ/3caac861bc1d4233cd7844652c925623/LT-CTA-250.png)](https://ticket.londontheatre.co.uk/booking/calendar?product_id=26891&content_product_id=26891&venue_id=134)

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![Lemons - 750 - LT](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/2KKtVmMw0v1d3QqRXzIzyC/bd5d66b6ebf0eaaf5206bab1cc077b61/Lemons1-750-050123.jpg)

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*Photo credit: Aidan Turner and Jenna Coleman (Photos by Manuel Harlan)*

See Aidan Turner and Jenna Coleman in 'Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons', photos released 

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Genre: Play

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Josie Rourke directs [Aidan Turner](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/aidan-turner) and Jenna Coleman star in Sam Steiner’s debut play at the Harold Pinter Theatre. 

The *Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons* play is an unconventional story. At the start, audiences meet a lawyer named Bernadette and a musician named Oliver. If falling in love at a pet cemetery wasn’t strange enough, the pair are then restricted by a Quietude Bill — a new law states every person can speak a maximum of 140 words a day. 

Bernadette and Oliver continue to converse, even if they don’t always open their mouths. They use sign language, morse codes, charades, eye contact and play the drums to tell one another how they feel. Sometimes, the silent moments do all the talking though. Join Bernadette and Oliver in the 80-minute play. 

*Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons* premiered at Warwick Arts Centre in 2015. Sam Steiner picked up a Judges Commendation at the 2015 National Student Drama Festival for his debut play. After performances in Edinburgh and at Latitude Festival, the *Lemons* London play now features a starry cast.

### Who is in *Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons*?

*The Sandman* and *Doctor Who* actress Jenna Coleman plays Bernadette, joined by *Poldark* star Aidan Turner as Oliver. Josie Rourke directs the two A-listers in *Lemons* London performances in early 2023.

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons - LON - London Theatre

Book theatre tickets for Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons in London. Aidan Turner (Poldark) and Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) star in Sam Steiner’s debut play.

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Tickets | London Theatre

The average human is expected to speak more than 123 million words in their life. But what happens when there are no more words to say? Jenna Coleman and Aidan Turner star in the dystopian play where non-verbal communication is more important than ever. See *Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons* at the Harold Pinter Theatre today.

There are countless ways to communicate. You could tweet your thoughts, post a photo on Instagram, write a Facebook status, and film a TikTok in a few minutes. But in *Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons*, the two people find themselves in a linguistically-limited world. 

As a result, the pair find themselves talking about odd topics in unconventional ways. They rely on eye contact and looks to discuss everything from dead cats to activism. Sometimes, it’s in the silent moments where the Lemons play speaks volumes.

Josie Rourke helms the *Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons* London play. The Academy Award-nominated director worked on the *Mary Queen of Scots* film starring Margot Robbie and Saiorse Ronan.

## What to Watch For: 

- Jenna Coleman will play Bernadette in the *Lemons* play. Coleman’s television credits include *Doctor Who, The Serpent*, and *The Sandman*. In 2019, she starred in Arthur Miller’s *All My Sons* at the Old Vic. 
- *Poldark* actor Aidan Turner will play Oliver. The Irish actor made his West End debut in *The Lieutenant of Inishmore*, taking home a Stage Debut Award for his performance.
- The *Lemons* play started out at Warwick Arts Centre in 2015, and won three awards at the National Student Drama Festival. Marianne Elliott, Simon Russell Beale, and Lucy Prebble have also taken part in the festival.

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons - LON - TodayTix

Get the best prices on theatre tickets for Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons on TodayTix. Jenna Coleman & Aidan Turner star in this zesty romantic comedy.

Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Tickets | London | TodayTix

When we talk to one another, what are we really trying to say? The slipperiness and complexity of language gets a rigorous workout in Sam Steiner’s 2015 play [*Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/26891-lemons-lemons-lemons-lemons-lemons), an Edinburgh Fringe hit-turned-buzzy new West End production, featuring the starry casting of [Jenna Coleman](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatre-news/news/see-doctor-who-actors-in-the-west-end) (*Doctor Who*) and [Aidan Turner](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/stars-on-stage/aidan-turner) (*Poldark*). They play a couple grappling with a dystopian new law, the Quietude Act, which commands that no one speak more than 140 words a day.

That number riffs on Twitter’s original character count, but here such rules travel far beyond social media. There’s no point questioning the viability of such a hush law (how on earth would it be calculated or enforced?); best just to accept it. Steiner is far more interested in the effect it might have on our ability to communicate or to maintain a relationship. 

In fact, working-class lawyer Bernadette and privileged musician Oliver have multiple issues bubbling away under the surface already, ranging from her jealousy of his wealthy ex Julie, who he still sees on protest marches, to his sneering about her more corporate job. The new language restriction simply highlights existing fault-lines. 

If one of them stores up fewer words to spend on the other in the evening, does that mean they care less? Both constantly push conflicts away with a “Talk about this later”, not just because they’re out of words, but because they don’t want to face their problems. And it makes them, and us, more aware of telling linguistic tropes – like how Bernadette uses “really” as a qualifier when she’s trying too hard, as in “I *really* love it” when talking about Oliver’s music.

Steiner plays this for comedy, too. When the restrictions first come in, the pair try to get around them by using Morse code and intense eye contact: the former is a non-starter, the latter far too serial killer. Sometimes, life is hard to control – “I spent 40 words ordering a smoothie,” bemoans Bernadette. And blurted-out confessions in their last five minutes of freedom are instantly regretted, such as Bernadette’s choice of word for their sex life: “bored”.

This busy piece has more than 100 scene fragments, jumping back and forth in time from their macabre meet-cute at a cat’s funeral through to the law being enacted and its aftermath. Coleman and Turner brilliantly switch tack at lightning speed, one minute goofily awkward around one another, the next deepening what feels like an authentically lived-in relationship. Bernadette is fixated on creating a new couple language, unburdened by past affairs, to make “I love you” just theirs. It adds a potent personal element to the outlandish premise.

However, Steiner’s play – a two-hander that mixes romcom with a high-concept hypothesis – inevitably invites comparisons with Nick Payne’s recently revived *[Constellations](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/reviews/constellations-vaudeville-theatre-anna-maxwell-martin-chris-odowd-russell-tovey-omari-douglas)*. Steiner’s doesn’t marry form, concept and characterisation in nearly such a seamless, sophisticated way, nor does it have the same level of pathos or existential exploration. Instead it creaks under the pressure to sustain the drama through the full runtime (around 85 minutes), and feels too slight for this Rolls-Royce West End treatment. 

And yet, time has been extremely kind to it in other ways. Recent events make many of its ideas feel not just interesting in the abstract, but alarmingly urgent. The government in the world of the play is intent on silencing protestors and censoring free speech, while making an exception from the hush law for Parliament – one rule for us and one for them.

The strained intimacy of Bernadette and Oliver’s new life recalls all those relationships which were tested by lockdown, and which either grew much stronger or tore apart. And Bernadette’s blasé dismissal of the proposed law, followed by her slow-dawning horror when it’s voted in, put me right back in that nightmarish moment of disbelief when the Brexit Referendum result was announced.

But, whatever you choose to read into it, *Lemons* only works if you buy the chemistry between its two characters – and Coleman and Turner are a powerfully charismatic double act. Her Bernadette is whip-smart but defensive, using a chipper brightness to mask resentments. Turner creates an effective contrast with his looser, brashly charming but sometimes childish Oliver, who negs her when he’s feeling insecure. Sometimes their jagged pieces fit perfectly together; sometimes they just wound each other.

Director Josie Rourke makes excellent use of different lighting cues (courtesy of Aideen Malone) to help us keep track of the time jumps and to visualise the central idea, with shoots of light of various sizes representing the number of words used. Conversely, Robert Jones’s looming curved backdrop, featuring domestic objects, is oddly literal.

In fact, in this oh-so-talkative play, it’s the physicality which is most striking (superb work from movement director Annie-Lunnette Deakin-Foster), along with moments when the duo break into song. It’s a compelling argument for art as a means of expression – for when words just aren’t enough.

*Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons is at the Harold Pinter Theatre through 18 March. Book Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons tickets on London Theatre.*

[![LT - CTA - 250](//images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/1t6HRGmhlYl70k6PmR0mOZ/3caac861bc1d4233cd7844652c925623/LT-CTA-250.png)](https://ticket.londontheatre.co.uk/booking/calendar?product_id=26891&content_product_id=26891&venue_id=134)

*Photo credit: Jenna Coleman and Aidan Turner in Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons (Photo by Johan Persson)*

'Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons' review – Jenna Coleman and Aidan Turner are a charismatic double act

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Aidan Turner was born in the Irish town Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, in 1983. After finishing secondary school, he applied for a place at the Gaiety School of Acting in the Irish capital, having become interested in performing while working at a cinema.

After graduating from Gaiety, Turner appeared in many productions at Ireland’s national theatre, the Abbey Theatre. These included *A Cry From Heaven*, and a production of Sean O'Casey’s *The Plough and the Stars* in 2005, which transferred to London’s [Barbican Centre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/barbican). The majority of Turner’s stage work has been in Ireland, at venues with as the Gate Theatre, Olympia Theatre and Project Arts Centre.

Following his initial stage roles, Turner turned to screen work, and was cast as vampire John Mitchell in BBC Three’s supernatural drama *Being Human*, alongside [Russell Tovey](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/actor-profile/russell-tovey). The show was a cult-hit and ran for two years. It was this role that led to the actor being cast in Peter Jackson’s *The Hobbit* trilogy in 2012, playing the dwarf Kíli, and saw him nominate for the Empire Award for Best Male Newcomer for *The Desolation of Smaug*.

Turner’s most recognisable role to date is playing mine owner Ross Poldark in the BBC adaptation of the Winston Graham novel, *Poldark*. He has received the National Television Award for Impact during his time in the role, as well as being nominated for Best Drama Performance in 2016.

Aidan Turner made his West End debut in 2018, starring in Martin McDonagh's [*The Lieutenant of Inishmore*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/11285-the-lieutenant-of-inishmore) at the [Noel Coward Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/theatres/noel-coward-theatre). Turner played Mad Padraic, a member of IRA splinter group INLA. 

Aidan Turner - LON

Aidan Turner was born in the Irish town Clondalkin, a suburb of Dublin, in 1983. After finishing secondary school, he applied for a place at the Gaiety School of Acting in the Irish capital, having become interested in performing while working at a cinema.

Aidan Turner - Stars on Stage | London Theatre

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Ages 16+ (recommended). Includes themes of an adult and sensitive nature.

The Hills of California - LON [36247]

The Hills of California

Blackpool, 1976. The driest summer in 200 years. The beaches are packed. The hotels are heaving.

The Harold Pinter Theatre opened on 15 Oct. 1881 as a comic opera house. Its name on opening was the Royal Comedy Theatre, though its ‘Royal’ epithet was dropped in 1884.

The Comedy Theatre helped establish the New Watergate Club in 1956, a society which helped overturn the stage censorship enforced by the Lord Chamberlain’s Office. The formation of the Club meant that the plays banned by the Government could be performed at this venue as it was now being run as a private club rather than a commercial entity. Notable plays in this category include Arthur Miller’s *A View from the Bridge* and Tennessee Williams’ *Cat On A Hot Tin Roof*. The censorship was finally overturned in 1968. 

Harold Pinter's works were often performed here: *The Homecoming*, *The Caretaker*, *Moonlight*, *No-Man’s Land* and *The Hothouse* all enjoyed successful runs, and Pinter directed a production of *The Old Masters* here in 2004. After his death, it was thought fitting to bestow the honour of naming a theatre after him, and the name was officially changed on 13 Oct. 2011 to the Harold Pinter Theatre. The Ambassador Theatre Group own the Harold Pinter Theatre.

## Harold Pinter Theatre Seating Information

The auditorium has four levels – Stalls, Dress Circle, Royal Circle and Balcony. The top three levels are a horseshoe shape around the stalls.

The Stalls is a single block of seats, and offers good sightlines. Some seats are impaired by supportive pillars and the overhang of the Dress Circle.

The Dress Circle doesn’t offer a great raking in the seating, but the view is not affected by the overhang of the Royal Circle. 

The Royal Circle seats curve towards the stage more noticeably than the Dress Circle.

The Balcony feels very high in this theatre.

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Harold Pinter Theatre

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The acclaimed actors will star in the West End premiere of Sam Steiner’s play at the Harold Pinter Theatre in spring 2023. 

See Aidan Turner and Jenna Coleman in 'Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons', photos released

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