Charles Dance, 78, is making his first stage appearance in nearly 20 years in August Strindberg’s Creditor, updated for the present day by Howard Brenton, at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond. He stars opposite Geraldine James, 75, and Nicholas Farrell, 70, reuniting the Jewel In The Crown alumni for the first time on stage since ITV’s 1984 miniseries. The production reframes Strindberg’s 1888 drama as a geriatric love triangle, with Dance’s Gustaf gaslighting his supposed friend Adolf and insinuating his wife Tekla’s fidelity as a way to unsettle them both.

The drama’s texture blends Brenton’s wit with a contemporary gloss, and Tom Littler’s production emphasizes the mood and moral fog that permeates Strindberg’s satire. Adolf (Farrell) is drawn into a web of suspicion as Tekla (James) is presented as both seductress and enigma, while Gustaf’s motives remain opaque. The reveal about Gustaf’s real identity provokes more puzzlement than shock, though Dance’s tall, suave presence dominates the room, his stare a cold, blinking instrument that unsettles his quarry. The cast’s advanced ages—Dance at 78, James at 75, Farrell at 70—have drawn some notice for a play originally imagined for younger performers, a choice some critics say tempers the erotic charge Strindberg imagined.

The production, staged by Tom Littler with Louie Whitemore’s cool Swedish woodwork design and neutral costumes, runs at the Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond through October 11 and is sold out. For those seeking a stark, unnerving take on a late-19th-century classic, Creditor offers mood and manipulation over heat and passion.

In the West End, Mel Brooks’ The Producers continues to draw audiences at the Garrick Theatre after moving from the Menier, with Andy Nyman as Max Bialystock, Marc Antolin as Leo Bloom, Joanna Woodward as Ulla and Harry Morrison as Franz Liebkind. Trevor Ashley plays Roger De Bris in a production celebrated for its bravura scale and its willingness to lean into the show’s infamous satire. Bookings extend into 2026 as the show remains a high-spirited crowd-pleaser, with critics noting that its blend of raunchy humor, show-stopping numbers and theatrical audacity still lands with impact.

Meanwhile, Haywire at the Barn Theatre in Cirencester takes a meta turn on the nation’s favorite radio serial, The Archers. Tim Stimpson’s drama stages a nostalgic homage to the early days of the program, with a cast of actors who switch in and out of roles as if inside a live sound studio. The piece relies on inventive Foley work—think a bowl of yogurt turned into a lamb birth—and a show-within-a-show conceit that sometimes confuses more than it clarifies. The verdict hinges on affection for the radio classic: it’s clever, but some may find its pace and structure better heard than seen. Haywire runs at the Barn Theatre through October 11.

Together, these productions reflect a culture-and-entertainment scene that leans into revisiting beloved formats, daring meta-narratives and high-concept staging. They showcase a London-area theatre ecosystem that blends prestige drama with comic bravura and affectionate nostalgia, inviting audiences to reexperience familiar stories through updated lenses.