Alright, there is one comedy in this selection—but otherwise, prepare yourselves for catharsis. Catharsis is when the audience empathizes deeply with the characters, and this state, as the ancient philosophers believed, purifies and ennobles the viewer—or at least emotionally. Whether the theory of catharsis still works, you’ll be able to test at London’s February theatrical performances (by the way, comedies can do this too!).

Three Sisters
Globe

Maiden Lane (Park Street), Southwark

Chekhov’s Three Sisters at the Globe is a play about how people push time forward, hoping to find happiness, while time relentlessly rolls… backward. The new translation for director Caroline Steinbeis’ production was done by Rory Mullarkey.

It feels as though even the candles here burn backward (the atmosphere in the play isn’t so much “warm and cozy” as “candlelit and intimate”). This combination of homely coziness—shawls, skirts, live music—with an unbearably hopeless tone of helplessness. These beautiful people endlessly talk and talk, love and love, and, like an idling motor, waste the energy of their souls on nothing.

Is it possible to hope for happiness in the future if you do nothing today and just keep waiting and waiting, believing? And will active waiting, striving for action, only ruin everything?

“Irina, I didn’t have coffee today. Could you tell someone to make me some?” will say Tuzenbach, heading toward certain death—could this world have treated him any other way? Subtle family dynamics, sisters, brothers, love, jealousy—and the unsteady light of the candles, in which any impulse will either drown or, conversely, gather strength and ignite.

Oedipus
Old Vic

103 The Cut, SE1 8NB

Suddenly, Oedipus has become an unexpectedly popular play this season. Not long ago, we saw Oedipus with Mark Strong and Lesley Manville—a very modern version with elections, suits and ties, politics, vote counts, and desperate love. And now a new production of Sophocles’ play has appeared, directed by Hofesh Shechter and Matthew Warchus, with a dramaturgical adaptation by Ella Hickson.

This time, the tragedy stars Rami Malek, who seems destined to play desperate and tragic characters, and the incredible beauty Indira Varma—regal, ageless, and timeless. Interestingly, the production at the Old Vic is also entirely timeless—it seems to float in space and time, tragic and beautiful, like a seed encapsulated in a cosmic sphere. Plant it in any soil, in any era, and it will grow.

This feeling is further enhanced by the Greek Chorus of the tragedy. Stripped of its voice and text, it is gifted movement instead, and dance often speaks more clearly and transparently than words.

1984
Omnibus Theatre

1 Clapham Common North Side, SW4 0QW

A stage adaptation of Orwell’s classic dystopia, performed in English by Russian-speaking actors. It will make you feel pain, discomfort, and unease. You’ll flinch at the unpleasantly familiar intonations of certain phrases, suddenly spoken in Russian.

1984 is a terrifying novel, and a play based on it, performed by actors in a tiny hall, is in some ways even scarier. Yes, it’s a test of endurance. But wait, didn’t we mention catharsis, the idea of purification through empathy for the suffering of the characters?

A Streetcar Named Desire
Noel Coward Theatre

85-88 St. Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4AU

February will bring the triumphant return of A Streetcar Named Desire to the West End, with Paul Mescal in the role of Stanley Kowalski.

Tennessee Williams’ most famous play wasn’t named that way by accident. When the playwright moved to New Orleans, a streetcar named Desire actually operated in the city, named after Desire Street. Thus, a city landmark helped the playwright give the world one of its most significant plays, which earned Williams the Pulitzer Prize.

The first production, where Stanley was played by Marlon Brando, was enthusiastically received by both audiences and critics. Shortly after, a film adaptation followed, where Brando reprised his role as the handsome, hardworking, and monstrous rapist, and Vivien Leigh played Blanche, his victim.

This harrowing play, full of violence, despair, and primal passion, always leaves the audience reflecting—and, of course, horrified. In Rebecca Frecknail’s production, Stella is played by Patsy Ferran, a unique actress with an almost elfin face, making A Streetcar Named Desire even more haunting. Leigh portrayed a beautiful, eccentric, nervous dreamer, but Ferran’s Stella is something entirely different. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s terrifying, but important.

Unicorn
Garrick Theatre

2 Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0HH

Playwright Mike Bartlett wrote Unicorn last year and handed it to director James Macdonald for staging at the Garrick Theatre.

This is the story of a well-to-do couple, Polly (played by Nicola Walker) and Nick (Stephen Mangan), who have everything one could dream of: children, a home—a perfect life. But it seems they are unbearably bored. Enter “the spark” in their lives. The spark’s name is Kate (Erin Doherty).

A charming farce, a situational comedy with sharp themes and unexpected turns in dialogue.

Note: This is strictly for adults—don’t even think about bringing children to Unicorn. Yes, it’s a comedy. Funny, provocative, smart, and incredibly tender. But for heaven’s sake, leave your moral principles at the door. Don’t worry—they’ll still fit you after the performance, because Unicorn is ultimately about real love, trust, and partnership.

The Score
Theatre Royal Haymarket

Haymarket, SW1Y 4HT

A grand spectacle—emphasis on “grand.” Director Trevor Nunn has staged Oliver Cotton’s new play The Score, starring Brian Cox as Johann Sebastian Bach. Nicole Ansari-Cox, the actor’s wife, plays Anna Bach, the composer’s wife.

The premiere was held at the Royal Theatre in Bath, and now the production has finally moved to London. Historically accurate costumes—wigs, vests, bonnets, dresses, and shawls—combine with meticulously designed sets to create a perfectly constructed world. At the center of it all reigns Cox as Bach, the great composer, contrasted with Frederick II.

The two are polar opposites in this world: light and darkness, Christian and atheist, pacifist (yes, even before the term existed) and war enthusiast, composer and manipulator of others’ fates. Their face-to-face confrontation happens almost at the very end—what will happen? Who will triumph in this verbal duel?

Remarkably, this 18th-century historical anecdote feels strikingly relevant today. Frederick, a patron of the arts and founder of the Royal Opera, was also a monster—an invader, murderer, and aggressor. What did Bach feel, summoned to this peculiar duel? Whose side will the audience take?

Richard II
Bridge Theatre

3 Potters Flds Pk, SE1 2SG

Another return of a successful production. This Shakespearean chronicle tells the tragic story of the fall of King Richard II, deposed and killed by his cousin, Henry IV Bolingbroke. Apologies for the spoiler, but we all know the sad fate of the weak and pompous Richard, who couldn’t hold onto power with his royal hands.

In Shakespeare’s time, this part of the chronicle was called a tragedy, and the audience was initially meant to dislike the arrogant king, who was deeply entrenched in his illusions about his divine right to rule. But then, suddenly, they would begin to empathize wholeheartedly with Richard, cast into prison and sentenced to death.

The current production, directed by Nicholas Hytner, resonates emotionally with the classic Shakespearean interpretation. This is, of course, largely thanks to the casting of Jonathan Bailey in the title role. The star of Bridgerton and Wicked, Bailey’s charisma and remarkable acting talent almost instantly endear him to the audience.

He began his career as an eight-year-old boy playing Gavroche, has performed Shakespeare, and has starred in contemporary comedies (including works by Mike Bartlett). His Richard is a marvelous and deeply sincere performance, where years of professionalism are seamlessly blended with the theatrical magic of true inspiration.