Lyn Gardner's Weekly Picks
Posted on
The unlikely collaboration between **Andrew Lloyd Webber** and **TS Eliot** became one of the West End’s most enduring (and much loved) shows. Now *[Cats](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/musical/cats-tickets)* is back in a brand-new iteration at that musical theatre powerhouse which is Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. So, it’s time to reacquaint yourself with Grizabella, Skimbleshanks, the railway cat, Old Deuteronomy and more in this new staging by **Drew McOnie**. The first week of performances is sold out, but you have seven further weeks to catch these cats on a hot tin roof in the glorious setting of Regent’s Park.
For something rather more meditative, head to @sohoplace, a theatre which has genuinely proved its value as a newcomer in the West End where [*Tao of Glass*](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/musical/tao-of-glass-tickets) arrives. Avant-garde composer **Philip Glass** and director **Phelim McDermott** (the man also behind the hit production of *My Neighbour Totoro*) have forged a brilliant collaboration over the years with work seen across the world, and this piece offers both concert and theatre as it brings together musicians and puppeteers to present a story inspired by Taoist wisdom.
**Oscar Wilde**’s work is very much back in fashion with recent hit revivals of *The Importance of Being Earnest* and *An Ideal Husband*. But what about the man himself who became the toast of London but lost everything and ended up in jail when convicted of gross indecency? First performed at the Gate in Dublin back in 1960, this revival of [*The Importance of Being Oscar*](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/the-importance-of-being-oscar-tickets)—briefly seen at Jermyn Street last year—boasts a compelling performance from **Alastair Whatley**, extracts from famous works, an abundance of wit, and also a deep delve into the complexities of a man and an artist who shone brightly but fell to earth.
Looking ahead, the in-form Kiln is a theatre well worth the trip to Kilburn, and its recently announced new season promises well. Autumn kicks off with [*Table 17*](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/table-17-tickets), the Off-Broadway hit about a couple who broke up but reunite for dinner. Later in the year it boasts the first London revival of **Natasha Gordon**’s warming family drama *[Nine Night](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/nine-night-tickets)*, and next year sees the UK premiere of [*Berlin*](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/berlin-tickets), **Joanna Murray-Smith**'s contemporary thriller about what we remember and forget, which is directed by **Lucy Bailey**, whose production of *Witness for the Prosecution* has been such a hit at County Hall.