Top 10 theatre shows to see in London this February

It's over. January is finally over. we may be entering the shortest month of the year, but that doesn't mean there's a lack ot top theatre to see in London this February. Here's our pick of the top shows coming up.

The Divide

This futuristic play by legendary British writer imagines a world where contact between men and women could prove fatal. Alan Ayckbourn's dystopian epic has undergone some changes since it debuted as a seven-hour, two-parter in Edinburgh last August. A few chops here, a few changes there, a revised version of the piece will run at The Old Vic. 

The Old Vic, 1st - 10th February. 

Long Day's Journey Into Night

Direct from a run in Bristol, Jeremy Irons and Leslie Manville star in Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize-winning play. Irons plays James Tyrone, an actor whose career is based on the success of one role in a play many years ago. Manville, an Oscar nominee for Phantom Thread alongside Daniel Day Lewis, plays his wife Mary, a morphine addict. The play is considered to be loosely autobiographical and was first performed years after O'Neill's death, as per his request, winning Tony for Best Play and the Pulitzer.   

Wyndham's Theatre, until 7th April 

Long Day's Journey Into Night Tickets are available now.

Dry Powder

Hayley Atwell stars in the UK premiere of Sarah Burgess' Dry Powder. The play is about the boss of a private equity firm who throws a huge engagement party - with elephants and everything - the same week his company is forced to make massive layoffs at a supermarket, sparking a PR catastrophe. Atwell, an Olivier Award-nominated actress for The Pride and A View from the Bridge, plays one of the firm's partners Jenny alongside Tom Riley and Aidan McArdle. 

Hampstead Theatre, until 3rd March

Gundog

Simon Longman got his big break at the Royal Court. He applied for its Young Writers programme at the very last opportunity he could, and was accepted into the group. From there, he went on to win the Channel 4 Playwriting Prize and now, he makes his Royal Court debut with Gundog in the Jerwood Upstairs. Gundog is about sisters Becky and Anna who are trying to keep their family together after the death of their mother, when an ominous stranger appears on the family farm. 

Royal Court, until 10th March

Girls and Boys

Staying with the Royal Court. actress Carey Mulligan returns to the theatre to star in the world premiere of Dennis Kelly's Girls and Boys. Lyndsey Turner directs the play, which is about an intense romantic relationship sparked by an off-chance encounter an an airport. Mulligan, who is known for her roles in The Great Gatsby, Drive and Suffragette, returns to the Royal Court stage after previous appearances in The Seagull and Forty Winks. 

Royal Court. 8th February to 17th March

Frozen

Doctor Foster star Surranne Jones plays the mother of a kidnapped 10-year-old girl in Bryony Lavery's play. She is joined by Jason Watkins (Being Human) and Nina Sosanya (W1A) as Jonathan Mundy directs a revival of this dark thriller at the Theatre Royal Haymarket.

Theatre Royal Haymarket, 9th February to 5th March

Frozen Tickets are available now.

Jubilee

Chris Goode adapts Derek Jarman's iconic 1978 film Jubilee for the stage at the Lyric Hammersmith. The play captures the punk scene of the seventies as faith in the establishment plummets, and anarchy is on the up. Toyah Willlcox, who starred in the original film, appears in this stage production which premiered at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester last year.

Lyric Hammersmith, 16th February to 10th March

The York Realist

Ben Batt stars in The York Realist, Peter Gill's play about a Yorkshire farmhand who withdraws from a production of York Mystery Plays. John, the production's assistant, attempts to convince George to return to the play. It was first performed in 2001 and was nominated for Best New Play at the Olivier Awards following a run at the Royal Court. Robert Hastie, artistic director at Sheffield Theatres, directs. 

Donmar Warehouse, 8th February to 24th March.

Pippin

An brand new production of this musical by Wicked writer Stephen Schwartz comes to the Southwark Playhouse this February. First seen at the Hope Mill Theatre, Jonathan O'Boyle's directs the musical which is about a young prince who embarks on a journey to find himself. It has a book by Roger O. Hirson, premiered on Broadway in 1972, and marks the third transfer of a Hope Mill production to the capital following the success of Hair and Yank. 

Southwark Playhouse, 23rd February to 24th March.

Harold and Maude

A very unlikely couple: Harold, an 18-year-old hearse driver obsessed with death, and Maude, a 79-year-old widow living life to the fullest. The pair hit it off at a funeral, and uncover a few truths about the other's life. Directed by Thom Southerland, the play stars Sheila Hancock and Bill Milner as the titular pair.

Charing Cross Theatre, 19th February to 31st March.

Harold and Maude Tickets are available now.