Dr Who Actors in the West End This Autumn
- therevueuk
- Sep 9, 2024
- 3 min read
Whilst we wait patiently for the latest season of Doctor Who to be released next year, many of the current and former cast members of the BBC's hit tv show are busy appearing across the West End this autumn.
Here's a selection of Doctor Who actors around London's West End over the coming months:
Peter Davison (5th Doctor) - Kiss Me Kate, The Barbican Centre
Peter Davison stars as General Harrison Howell in Bartlett Sher's latest production of Kiss Me Kate at the Barbican this summer.
Cole Porter's classic musical Kiss Me Kate is a love story about a couple who just can't stand each other. In the setting of a touring production of The Taming of the Shrew, Kiss Me Kate features some of Broadway's most iconic numbers such as Another Openin' Another Show, Too Darn Hot, and Tom, Dick, or Harry.
Having previously appeared in musicals such as Legally Blonde, Gypsy, Spamalot, and Chicago, Kiss Me Kate marks Davison's triumphant return to the West End in almost a decade. Closing soon, tickets can be purchased here.
David Tennant (10th and 14th Doctor) - Macbeth, Harold Pinter Theatre
Certainly no stranger to Shakespeare, returning Doctor Who star David Tennant will be reprising his role as the Scottish King in Macbeth this October.
Macbeth is Shakespeare's classing tale of greed, murder, and deception. Having recently been performed at London's Donmar Warehouse, this production uses provided headphones to "immerse the audience in every whisper, cry and thought."
Tennant returns to the titular role with Cush Jumbo as Lady Macbeth. Tickets are available here.
Jodie Whittaker (13th Doctor) - The Duchess, Trafalgar Theatre
Jodie Whittaker stars as The Duchess in this contemporary production of John Webster's The Duchess of Malfi.
Recently widowed and in search for a new lease of life, the Duchess (Whittaker) defies her family’s wishes by remarrying beneath her class. However, when her brothers, driven by insurmountable greed and rage, discover her second marriage they unleash a series of cruel and devastating punishments against her that repress her power. But will their vicious atrocities come back to haunt them?
As the first female actor to portray the regenerating Doctor, Whittaker is no stranger to flipping the script and The Duchess sees her doing this again in Zinnie Harris’ acclaimed production.
The Duchess opens on 5th October, and tickets can be found here.
Ncuti Gatwa (15th Doctor) - The Importance of Being Earnest, National Theatre
Joined by previous Doctor Who actor, and Olivier-Winning star of stage and screen, Sharon D Clarke, Ncuti Gatwa leads The Importance of Being Earnest at London's National Theatre this November.
Current incarnation of The Doctor, The Importance of Being Earnest marks Gatwa's debut at the National Theatre. This new production, directed by Macbeth director Max Webster, remounts Oscar Wilde's classic farce in which bachelors Algernon and Jack create alter egos in a hilariously confusing attempt to woo women whom will only wed men by the name of Ernest.
Opening in late November, The Importance of Being Earnest plays at the Lyttelton Theatre at London's National Theatre. Tickets can be purchased direct with the venue.
Catherine Tate (Donna) and Freema Agyeman (Martha) - White Rabbit Red Rabbit, @sohoplace
It's not just Doctors that are treading the boards this year, but two of Doctor Who's companions are also appearing in front of live audiences with Tate and Agyeman each taking a night of White Rabbit Red Rabbit @sohoplace.
White Rabbit Red Rabbit is an experimentally "theatrical adventure embracing comedy and tragedy". Every night a new actor will take to the stage, with no director and 0 preparation. Having never seen the script before, they will take it from an envelope for the first time on stage, and live theatre will be created.
Tate will be performing on 17th October, with Agyeman performing on the 18th. Tickets can be purchased direct with the theatre.
John Simm (The Master) - A Christmas Carol, Old Vic
Whilst autumn will certainly have ended before John Simm takes the stage, this Doctor Who villian will be stepping back into his miserly ways to portray Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol this holiday season.
Based on Charles Dickens' classic novel, this festive treat has become a staple at the Southbank's Old Vic this Christmas. As Scrooge is visited by three ghosts he is forced to look back at his past choices to reevaluate the future of his life.
A Christmas Carol opens in December with tickets available soon.
