This week we’re diving into three captivating productions that explore everything from love and infidelity to personal recovery and thrilling reimaginings of classic films. We review Anna Karenina at Chichester Festival Theatre, The Fifth Step in the West End, and Emma Rice’s fresh take on Hitchcock’s North by Northwest.

Anna Karenina at Chichester Festival Theatre

Anna Karenina returns to the stage in a witty and sensual version of Tolstoy’s masterpiece, directed by Phillip Breen. Set across the vast panorama of 19th-century Russia, this production brings the story of Anna’s destructive love affair with Count Vronsky to life, as well as the heart-wrenching struggles of Levin and Kitty. With Natalie Dormer making her Chichester debut as Anna and David Oakes as Levin, this fresh take blends period dress with a contemporary tone, offering a surprising and unforgettable portrait of infidelity, passion, and the search for fulfilment.

The Fifth Step in the West End

In The Fifth Step, Jack Lowden reprises his role as Luka in this provocative and entertaining new play by David Ireland. Following a successful run in Edinburgh, the production has moved to the West End, where Luka and James, played by Martin Freeman, navigate their sobriety journeys together. As they bond over black coffee, their fragile friendship is tested as secrets and confessions threaten their recovery. Directed intimately in-the-round by Finn den Hertog, this subversively funny play explores addiction, trust, and the complexities of healing.

North by Northwest by Emma Rice

North by Northwest takes Alfred Hitchcock’s iconic thriller and turns it on its head in a riotously funny reimagining by Emma Rice. With a minimal cast of six shape-shifting performers and a fabulous ‘50s soundtrack, this production brings glamour, romance, and suspense to the stage in a dazzling way. As Roger Thornhill, the reluctant hero, is thrown into a Cold War conspiracy, the play offers a hilarious, heartfelt, and thrilling ride with unexpected twists and a liberal sprinkling of tender truths.

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