WHAT'S ON at THE LION AND UNICORN
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It Never Rains
17 - 21 September
When Sarah’s husband of forty years dies on holiday, instead of conforming to expectations and grieving, she wants to embrace her newfound freedoms. She does not want, or expect, to share her home with her daughter and then granddaughter. She thought it was the right thing to do, to share, to be transparent, to get it off her chest after so long of keeping quiet, that’s what you’re encouraged to do aren’t you? So why did it go so horribly wrong and can it ever be repaired?
Three generations. Countless secrets. One world in crisis. It Never Rains is a tender, unflinching piece of new writing. As rising tides threaten their family home, three women are forced to confront buried histories, fragile bonds, and the legacy they’ll leave behind.
Blending evocative storytelling, sharp humour, and haunting imagery, It Never Rains navigates the intersections of family, memory, and climate change. This intimate, intergenerational tale asks: what do we hold on to when the world around us is slipping away?
A Funny Thing Happened
28 September
A Funny Thing Happened…
A night of bold, brilliant new comedy for the stage.
Join us for an evening of original short plays, monologues, and sketches, all written to make you laugh, cringe, or quietly nod in painful recognition. From awkward first dates and dodgy landlords to disastrous job interviews and chaotic family dinners, this is a celebration of the funny side of everyday life.
All pieces are ten minutes or less, performed by a cast of brilliant actors, and chosen for their sharp writing, strong characters, and comic edge. Whether it’s dry wit, dark humour, or full-blown farce, this night is about smart, story-driven comedy that knows exactly where to hit.
Just new writing with guts, heart, and bite.
Come for the laughs. Stay for the chaos.
1816: The Year Without A Summer
30 September - 4 October
Trapped indoors by torrential rain, legendary writers Byron, Percy and Mary Shelley and their friends, Polidori and Claire search for inspiration by the gloomy Lake Geneva. Driven by a culmination of boredom and desire for escapism, they undertake the challenge of creating the best ghost story. Weeks of writer's block is overcome, as writing begins in a fervour.
But things fall apart the longer they are stuck together, with tensions slowly beginning to fester. Tormented by their drive and isolation, the group finally splinters, leaving each character to reflect on the heavy cost of their creative ambitions. Polidori’s diary is brought to life in the 1816: The Year Without A Summer musical.
It’s Byron and Shelley, as you've never seen them before in this Friends meets Frankenstein comedy-drama musical, brought to you by the same company that launched SIX: ‘1816’ is the ultimate origin story of the first modern vampire novel and Frankenstein, where a group of five Romantics get trapped for a summer they'd rather forget in their storm-swept villa by Lake Geneva...
The Time Machine
5 and 6 October
Proforca Theatre Company present "The Time Machine" - A Project from The Side Hustle for the Lion & Unicorn Theatre.
Our next new writing showcase brings you a brilliant suite of new pieces of writing at all stages of the construction process and is a fantastic opportunity to see writers, performers, directors and creatives of all kinds showcasing brand new work over two incredible nights of theatre.
Our Side Hustles are fun, busy, warm and generous evenings where the best emerging talent in London shares its new work with you, and is the perfect chance to see some incredible brand new work at the genesis of its new adventure.
Goodnight, Grace Channing
8 - 12 Oct
3:56am.
It’s late. Very late… And Grace Channing can’t sleep.
When a mysterious visitor appears in Grace’s room at night – claiming to be ‘The Sandman’, Grace is understandably concerned. What's more concerning is that the visitor seems just as shocked as Grace is. Though as the two of them talk – and the night passes by - they realise that, for the first time in a long time… Someone truly sees them.
Written by Ciarán Cross & Gee Cusk: ‘Goodnight, Grace Channing’ is an offbeat, Fantasy-Comedy about the complexities of loneliness, isolation and human connection. Combining live music, spoken word and poetry; with the heart-warming story of two invisible souls trying to feel seen.
“A show that belongs to the people who feel they don’t belong.”
– Audience Review
We'll burn that bridge when we get to it: and I guess that's now
14 - 18 Oct
"We’ll burn that bridge when we get to it: and I guess that’s now” is about the end of everything, metaphorically. Or literally. Or both. At the end of their time together, and time itself, Tophe asks El to join him in throwing every last piece of the universe into a bonfire. El agrees – knowing this is the final chance for the two of them to work through their turbulent history.
Not in the mood for quiche anymore
21 - 25 Oct
Becks wants a boyfriend. She meets her dream man on-line, yet the discovery of his criminal conviction rather complicates the matter. But just how bad can it be...?
Becks can’t believe it when she thinks she’s found her ideal partner to break her cycle of singledom, only there’s one small issue – his criminal record. After their first date she’s hooked, but as he reels her in, a question mark looms over who he really is. The closer Becks gets, the more she’s at risk of being caught in his net.
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