BEST QUEER THEATRE THIS LGBT+ HISTORY MONTH
London’s Top LGBTQIA+ Shows this February 2024
There is nowhere greater to celebrate LGBT+ History Month than the theatre. And no capital does it better than London town.
We have rounded up our best queer theatre this LGBT+ history month, from brilliantly daft and Goopy, Gwyneth Paltrow-inspired musicals to moving coming out stories, record-breaking, Olivier Award-winning juggernauts and futuristic shows set around Donna Summer anthems.
There is something for everybody to surprise, move, open conversations and make you laugh like an old drain.
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Gwyneth Goes Skiing,
“We wish you well” as you pack your jade eggs and head to the brilliantly daft, Gwyneth Goes Skiing musical, which has been such a Goopy hit, they’ve announced extended dates. It tells the true story of the consciously-uncoupling actress colliding with a retired optometrist from Utah. Seven years later in 2023, they went to court. And Awkward Productions has transformed Pleasance Theatre into Deer Valley for a camp and ridiculous retelling of the meme-inducing story, where you are the jury. It features original music by Leland (RuPaul’s Drag Race) and stars Linus Karp as Gwyneth, and Joseph Martin as Terry Sanderson.
The Pleasance Theatre, Carpenters Mews, North Road, London N7 9EF. Tickets from £18pp. 30 January - 16 February
Cabaret
Winning a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards, this intimate new production of Cabaret is London's hottest ticket.
In a time when the world is changing forever, there is one place where everyone can be free. Welcome to the Kit Kat Club, London. Come hear the music play. Featuring some of the stage's biggest musical hits from Mein Herr and Maybe This Time to Money, the current, star-spangled cast includes Jake Shears as the Emcee and Self Esteem icon, Rebecca Lucy Taylor as Sally Bowles.
Playhouse Theatre, Northumberland Ave, London WC2N 5DE. Tickets from £30pp. Until 28 September 2024.
FutureQueer
Running throughout LGBTQ+ history month, FutureQueer is a subversive look at an imagined queer future, all set around the iconic Donna Summer queer anthem, I Feel Love. Alexis Gregory’s show is part theatre, stand-up comedy, DIY queer lecture, pop-culture commentary, and meditation on disco music as a metaphor for queer survival. It appeals to cross-generational audiences, with a show that is funny, hard-hitting, provocative and camp AF.
King’s Head Theatre, 115 Upper St, London N1 1QN. 4 February - 2 March. Tickets from £10pp
HEART
Following critical acclaim at Edinburgh Fringe and New York, Jade Anouka and Grace Savage bring hit production HEART to London. The piece lyrically explores Jade’s own experiences, as she’s unexpectedly confronted with a failed relationship, and struggles to navigate an entirely new identity and life. Battling for self-acceptance and self-love, HEART is a story told by a proud black LGBTQ+ women, but goes beyond Anouka’s identity to present - above everything else – a universal tale exploring the human experience.
Brixton House, 385 Coldharbour Ln, London SW9 8GL. 23 January - 3 February. Tickets from £12pp.
Cowboys and Lesbians
Nina and Noa are 17 and wasting their youth on flashcards and fantasies about their teachers. They’ve never been to a party, they’ve never been kissed, and they’re never going to admit that they fancy each other. This modern-day love story, takes Hollywood’s typical first love clichés and delves into the harmful effect of heteronormativity and queer tragedising in mainstream movies, TV and theatre.
Park Theatre, 13 Clifton Terrace, Finsbury Park, London N4 3JP. 21 February - 9 March. Tickets from £15pp
Turning the Screw
Sharing a fascinating and nuanced exploration of the life of classical composer, Benjamin Britten, Turning the Screw examines the role of power, what it can mean to be vulnerable and saying no to a cultural figure of the time. Set during the pink panic in the 1950’s, this gripping production explores Britten’s homosexuality in a time when it would have been deemed illegal, whilst he was composing The Turn of the Screw.
Kings Head Theatre, 115 Upper St, London N1 1QN. 14 February - 10 March. Tickets from £10
