What’s onstage at the National Theatre this social season?

David Oyelowo makes his highly anticipated return to the British National Theatre stage as he stars as the eponymous character in Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, the classic Roman play which explores, in the words of The Standard, “the double-edged danger of populism”. The multi-media show is hugely detailed and textured. Oyelowo is also described by The Standard as having a “rare fluency” in Shakespearean performance. The direction by Lyndsey Turner is set with a museum-like structure which is clearly displaying its material, as well as the representation of social inequalities and imperfections. The opening night is said to have provoked a beautifully poignant yet serious emotional reaction from audiences.

As a young south Asian woman, it is great to see new contemporary, diverse plays and voices covering current relatable themes peppered into narratives, including NHS waiting times and the broken UK health-system.

Meera Syal plays the King Lear inspired character of Queenie in A Tupperware of Ashes; a show which not only puts South Asian representation on stage, but navigates family drama, the diagnosis of and living through Alzheimer’s, and how family dynamics peak and trough as the matriarch of the family loses her power. Queenie is a Michelin star chef who has migrated from Calcutta to England; as a young south Asian woman, it is great to see new contemporary, diverse plays and voices covering current relatable themes peppered into narratives, including NHS waiting times and the broken UK health-system. Syal’s Lear-inspired character develops from a matriarch to embodying a shrunken version of herself, with the strong supporting cast enduring notable dynamic reactions to her descent into grief. This elevates the emotional beats surrounding the Shakespearean-inspired narrative, allowing the show to exude vibrance and energy through its culturally rich production.

Emma D’Arcy stars in The Other Place, an Antigone retelling, transposed into the present-day context. D’Arcy’s character, renamed Annie, returns to her family home to defy her uncle Chris’s wishes of scattering her late father’s ashes. In this reimaging Annie’s rashness, defiance and deviance is interpreted as illogical and a form of mental illness; unlike in Antigone, Annie is explicitly unwell. The production follows the thematic path of a woman driven over the edge by the loss of a close family member. The play uses intensity, smart gags and complicates the classic tale of Antigone through Chris and Annie’s relationship to one another. Whilst the set has been described as mundane, the kitchen-focused set becomes gothic and dark through the lighting and thematic trajectory of the narrative.

It looks to celebrate the integrity of traditional texts while injecting themes of vibrance, contemporary nuance, and drama.

Finally, a star-studded cast take on The Importance of Being Earnest. Ncuti Gatwa, Sharon Clarke and Hugh Skinner partake in what the National Theatre describes as a “joyful and flamboyant reimagining” of the classic Oscar Wilde play. This excitingly diverse, vibrant farce looks to be a treat of a comedy born out of boredom. The National Theatre is once again breathing new and unfamiliar life into classical texts which many audiences will already be aware of.

This new season of The National Theatre’s production programme looks to be excitingly memorable, celebrating diversity and bringing in new audiences. It looks to celebrate the integrity of traditional texts while injecting themes of vibrance, contemporary nuance, and drama.