Six theatre shows to see in London

A sparkling revival of the 1948 musical ‘Kiss Me, Kate’; surreal staging of ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ aims to address the play’s problems; Dominic West creates a tragic study in fragile masculinity in ‘A View from the Bridge’; ‘Wedding Band’ is a 1962 race drama that leaps back to life; ‘Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder!’ cheerfully sends up true-crime podcasting; 1980s agonies speak to today in James Graham’s adaptation of ‘Boys from the Blackstuff’

Kiss Me, Kate theatre review — a sparkling and subtly tweaked show at London’s Barbican
Cole Porter’s songs shine through this revival of the 1948 musical while its problems are cleverly addressed
The Taming of the Shrew theatre review — problematic play is given a contemporary twist
A surreal staging at Shakespeare’s Globe in London leans hard into the drama’s comedy — and its cruelty
Dominic West gives a superb performance in A View from the Bridge — review
The actor creates a tragic study in fragile masculinity in Arthur Miller’s classic drama at the London’s Theatre Royal Haymarket
Wedding Band theatre review — riveting 1962 race drama feels all too relevant
It may be six decades old, but Alice Childress’s play at the Lyric Hammersmith in London is unnervingly topical
Kathy & Stella Solve a Murder!, Ambassadors Theatre review — mischievous musical satirises true-crime mania
A cheerful send-up of podcasting, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe hit comes to London
Boys from the Blackstuff, National Theatre review — 1980s agonies speak sharply to today’s state of the nation
James Graham’s adaptation of Alan Bleasdale’s TV series about unemployed people in Liverpool is punchy and humane