‘Bent’ author Martin Sherman’s play Onassis comes to the Novello Theatre this winter, starring Robert Lindsay in the lead role as Aristotle, the charismatic Greek shipping magnate.

Sherman’s play is based on the last years in the life of Onassis, including his complex connections and interwoven relationships with Jackie Kennedy, widow of President John F Kennedy, singer Maria Callas and his son Alexandros. 

The Prisoner of Second Avenue, set in the 1970’s, is a black comedy focusing on New York couple Mel (Jeff Goldblum) and Edna Edison (Mercedes Ruehl), and how they endure the trials and tribulations of city life. Mel soon finds life too much and suffers a nervous breakdown.

The Prisoner of Second Avenue originally premiered on Broadway in 1971, starring Peter Falk and Lee Grant, where it ran for two years and received a Tony Award nomination. It was subsequently made into a film in 1975, starring Jack Lemmon and Anne Bankcroft.

The Railway Children tells the unforgettable story of three siblings, Bobbie, Peter and Phyllis who go to live in the country. When boredom kicks in, the children become fascinated by the local railway and station, visiting almost daily, making friends with the porter named Perks. The children encounter many dramas along the way including the famous red petticoat scene where Phyllis tries to stop disaster.

Adapted for stage by Mike Kenny, the new production comes to life at Waterloo Station where the former Eurostar site has been transformed into a unique theatre space, with the audience seated either side of the railway track.

Mark Rylance, David Hyde Pierce and Joanna Lumley are to star in a new production of La Bête. The comedy is set in 17th-century France and revolves around the stuffy Elomire, the head of the royal court-sponsored theatre troupe. Elomire is displeased when the troupe’s patron, the Princess, wants to bring onboard the frivolous street entertainer Valere. Elomire protests heavily to appointing Valere, but the company is forced to perform one of Valere's plays, resulting in dramatic changes for the future of Elomire, Valere, and the company itself. Elomire and Valere are left fighting to win over the Princess.

Ghost Stories, billed as a “truly terrifying theatrical experience”, transfers to the Duke of York’s theatre after a successful run at the Lyric Hammersmith. The show is hosted by Andy Nyman (Derren Brown collaborator) who presents the audience with a petrifying lecture about the paranormal leading to numerous spooky stories of some of the subjects he has interviewed over the course of his career. Not for the faint hearted, Ghost Stories is a truly unique theatre experience.