Top 5 theatre shows to see this week (June 17-23)

Strange Fruit – Bush Theatre, London

Nancy Medina directs a revival of Caryl Phillips’ powerful 1981 debut play as part of the theatre’s Passing the Baton series celebrating the work of writers of colour. Rakie Ayola stars in the production that opens on June 17.

Rehearsals for Strange Fruit. Photos: Helen Murray

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Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet – Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff

Matthew Bourne’s new dance version of Shakespeare’s enduring tale of star-crossed lovers for New Adventures comes to Cardiff from June 18-22 as part of a 13-venue UK tour.

The Light in the Piazza – Royal Festival Hall, London

Grammy-winner Renée Fleming and Alex Jennings star in Daniel Evans’ London premiere production of Adam Guettel’s hit Broadway musical set in 1950s Florence. It opens on June 18.

Singer Renée Fleming: ‘Music is a form of social cohesion – a way of holding us together’

The Damned – Barbican Theatre, London

Ivo van Hove directs the renowned Comédie-Française for the first time in a production that once again sees him turning to Visconti for inspiration to tell the story of a family of German industrialists. It opens at the Barbican on June 19.

Photos: Jan Verswevyeld

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The Crucible – Pitlochry Festival Theatre

The year of Miller continues with a staging of his masterful allegory. Part of Elizabeth Newman’s inaugural summer season at the Perthshire theatre, it runs from June 20 alongside Blithe Spirit and Summer Holiday.

Pitlochry artistic director Elizabeth Newman: ‘Open every window and door – let everyone in’