Lyn Gardner’s Weekly Picks
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It’s a quietish week post-Easter, but Tuesday sees a return of [*My Uncle is Not Pablo Escobar*](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/my-uncle-is-not-pablo-escobar-tickets) at [Brixton House](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/venue/brixton-house-theatre-london) after a sellout run in 2023. This zippy thriller is a heist comedy drama, inspired by the 2012 HSBC money laundering scandal when the bank was fined over a billion for profiting from money laundering profits from Mexican drug gangs. It’s a smart piece of writing which-woman employs wit and humour to subvert Western stereotypes about being South American in the UK, particularly if you’re a woman.
*[Myra’s Story](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/myras-story-tickets)* returns briefly to [Trafalgar Theatre](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/venue/trafalgar-theatre-london) next Sunday, a one woman show which has had huge success touring the country telling the story of a middle-aged homeless woman. The success of the show is a blistering solo performance from **Fiona Hewitt-Twamley**, who plays 16 characters as she tells the story of a woman whose life is blighted by tragedy and who loses herself in alcohol. Performances will benefit homeless charities.
Wars rage in both Europe and the Middle East, so this new staging of Greek Tragedy, *[Iphigenia](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/iphigenia-tickets)* ([Arcola](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/venue/arcola-theatre-london)), should have real clout. Iphigenia was the daughter who Agamemnon sacrificed to ensure he and his Greek army had a fair wind to take him to Troy to fight the Trojans. British-Iranian actor **Mithra Malek** plays the doomed Iphigenia in a production directed by Sedar Bilis, which weaves the ancient tale with contemporary interviews with mothers who have lost their children to war.
Also well worth checking out are the final performances for the [Donmar](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/venue/donmar-warehouse-london)’s [*Evening All Afternoon*](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/evening-all-afternoon-tickets), **Anna Ziegler**’s delicate exploration of memory and loss which comes blessed with two finely calibrated performances from **Anastasia Hille** and **Erin Kellyman**.
Looking ahead, **Stephen Managan**, **Ardal O’Hanlon**, **Sarah Hadland** and **Janie Dee** are the stars of [*The Truth*](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/play/the-truth-tickets), a witty and sophisticated comedy about the deceptions we practise upon ourselves from French playwright **Florian Zeller**. He brought a beady-eyed precision to *The Father and the Mother*. Director **Lindsay Posner** first directed this show-- which comes with shades of *Pinter’s Betrayal*-- at the [Menier](https://www.londontheatredirect.com/venue/menier-chocolate-factory-london) a decade ago. This recast version has Mangan playing Michael, who has been having an affair with his best friend’s wife, Alice. It’s a play which asks whether honesty really is a virtue and whether relationships can survive the telling of hard truths.