JUNE TO AUGUST at Greenwich Theatre

Greenwich Theatre is following its acclaimed in-house production of a Harold Pinter double bill with a work by another giant of contemporary drama - Philip Ridley’s gritty two-hander Vincent River.

Ridley, who exploded on to the theatrical scene in 1991 with The Pitchfork Disney, has since won global plaudits not just as a playwright but also as an artist, novelist, lyricist and film-maker. And to say his work is uncompromising is an understatement.

Vincent River tells of a life-changing meeting between a mother grieving over the homophobic murder of her son and a young man desperate to find out more about the victim.  

The production reunites Pinter director James Haddrell with one of its stars, Kerrie Taylor, and also features newcomer Brandon Kimaryo (above with Kerrie). It promises to be a highlight of Greenwich’s summer season.

Before that, you can see a work in progress from TAKDAJA called Three Billion Letters which uses the DNA of its four performers as a starting point for creating a new show. This intriguing-sounding evening is on 6 June.

Five days later, the ever-reliable and always amusing Pantaloons will be affectionately sending up Jane Austen in their riotous romcom Emma.

And the following day, Hurly Burly bring us You Are The Sun, an opera for babies and their adults about the magic of nature.

Singer Christine Bovill makes a welcome return to Greenwich on the 14th with a show that follows the musical timeline from the legendary Edith Piaf to contemporary pop.

And on the 15th Where Is Mrs Christie? is an On A Role production about the never-explained 11 days in 1926 when the First Lady of crime-writing went missing.

John Peel’s Shed on the 17th is a beautiful paean to radio and records written and performed by John Osbourne who once won a box of 150 of the cult DJ’s records in a BBC competition.

A Night At The Oscars on the 18th takes us back to Hollywood’s golden age as Musical Mayhem students recreate the songs and dances that made Tinseltown the showbiz capital of the world.

Storytelling and poetry are at the heart of the Gutter Street show The Red Road Response on the 19th before the theatre’s main stage is given over to Vincent River, which runs from 23 June through to 15 July.

Non-binary neurodiverse standup Cerys Bradley will be previewing her Edinburgh show Not Overthinking Things on 20 July.

Then Haddrell and his team are planning a school holidays version of the classic fairytale Cinderella which will feature a brilliant cast of actor-musicians, a flock of ultra-talented birds and, of course, a wicked stepmother.

Further details and ticket info at https://greenwichtheatre.org.uk/whats-on/