Few cities embrace outdoor theatre quite like London in summer, when audiences can swap velvet auditoriums for open skies, fresh air, picnic hampers and performances staged in some of the capital’s most beautiful surroundings.
One such enchanting outdoor experience unfolds within the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, where the Australian Shakespeare Company’s Theatre on Kew program transforms the UNESCO-listed World Heritage Site into a living stage each summer. This year’s daytime programme includes The Wind in the Willows (from 18 Jul), Kenneth Grahame’s much-loved riverside adventure, brought to
life beside a lake, with music and interactive moments designed to delight younger audiences.As the sun sets, performances pivot to Twelfth Night (from 25 Jul), Shakespeare’s riotous tale of mistaken identity, romance and revelry. Tickets include entry to the gardens, making it a no-brainer to turn a performance into a full afternoon wandering around the spectacular grounds.
If one Shakespearean comedy beneath the stars isn’t enough, the Globe Theatre on Bankside has two more waiting in the wings. Much Ado About Nothing and a flamenco-inspired Love’s Labour’s Lost (from 17 Jul) take over the world-famous theatre, where you can sit in the wooden galeries or stand in the yard to experience Shakespeare much as Londoners would have done four centuries ago.
Finally, Shakespeare continues his rather busy summer schedule at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, set within one of London’s Royal
Parks. Established in 1932 and seating more than 1,300 people, it remains one of the city’s most atmospheric outdoor venues, where performances continue whatever the weather (so dress accordingly). This is perhaps the ultimate setting for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (to 18 Jul), where Shakespeare’s fairy-filled woodland comes alive among the park’s trees. And for those who prefer their outdoor theatre with a little more song and dance, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats brings a very difterent kind of moonlit magic to the park later this month (from 25 Jul).
Whatever you choose to see, don’t forget to look around you, as birdsong, shifting weather and perfectly timed sunsets all add to the experience.
SAM ROGG
