On stage in April
Photo of Enua Ellams: Oliver Holms
Shows on stage this month include;
* Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, Jocelyn Bioh’splay about life in a bustling Harlem braiding salon where neighbourhood women come to have their greatest hairstyle dreams come true, all in the hands of a lively group of West African immigrant braiders, from £10, LyricHammersmith, Lyric Square, King Street, W6 0QL until 25 April. Info: Lyric
Tuesday 7 April
* State of the Nation An Evening with Akala, the award-winning hop hop artist and best-selling author, historian and social entrepreneur unpacks the forces that shape modern Britiah culture and politics, 7pm, from £32, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre SE1 8XX. Info: An Evening with Akala
from Tuesday 7 April
* The Boy At The Back Of The Class, joyful play about new-boy Ahmet, who never talks or smiles and doesn’t like sweets. After learning that Ahmet has fled his war-torn country, his classmates have ‘The Greatest Idea in the World’ – a magnificent plan to reunite Ahmet with his family, from £16, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, SE1 8XX, until 11 April. Info: Southbank Centre
from Tuesday 14 April
* Green Wild Elderflower, a woman from Warsaw sets out on an adventurous journey in search of freedom and her dreams - a musical that explores migration, identity and belonging that reflects the experiences of many Poles who have built lives in the UK and are now returning to Poland in growing numbers, £25-£17, Riverside, Studio 3, 101 Queen Caroline Street, W6 9BN, until 19 April. Info: Studio 3
* Second Trimester, trans performance artist Krishna Istha and his mother,Geetha Shankar, confront pregnancy, loss, gender, and the weight of inherited memories in a cinematic, Bollywood-inspired epic family saga, £28-£9.50, Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill SW11 5TN, until 25 April. Info: Battersea Centre
+ 17 April, Bring Your Folks, South Asians and their guardians
+ 22 April, Bring Your Folks, queer folks and their guardians
from Wednesday 15 April
* Between the River and the Sea, Yousef was raised as a Christian-Arab-Palestinian-Israeli kid in Haifa, and is now raising two Jewish-Arab-Austrian kids in Berlin. Only he’s facing a custody battle, so things are getting complicated... A story about family, fear, and imagining a future beyond borders, £15-£30, Royal Court, Sloane Square, SW1W 8SAS until 9 May. Info: Royal Court
from Tuesday 21 April
* Jeezus!, Catholic guilt collides with unrepentant queerness in this sinful, heart-pounding mix of live music, dark humour, and Latin heat from award-winning migrant-led company Alpaqa,£13-£19,£3 unemployed, pay what you can Saturdays, New Diorama, 15-16 Triton Street, Regent's Place, NW1 3BF until 9 May. Info: New Diorama
Saturday 25 April
* Wozzack - Wretches Like Us, Berg’s devastating opera in a semi-staged production with film by director Ilya Shagalov, reframing the story through the modern lens of migrant labour and social precarity, 7.30pm, part of Multitudes 2026, the Southbank Centre’s multi-arts festival, powered by orchestral music, 7.30pm,Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre SE1 8XX
Sunday 26 April
* An Evening With an Immigrant, poet and playwright Inua Ellams in a new version of his autobiographical show + Laura Mvula, Fuel & Chineke! Orchestra; part of Multitudes 2026, the Southbank Centre’s multi-arts festival, powered by orchestral music,7.30pm, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre SE1 8XX. Info: Southbank Centre
from Wednesday 29 April
* The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, based on an international best-selling book, and a Netflix film by Chiwetel Ejiofor, this musical tells the true story of 13-year-old William Kamkwamba who dreams of saving his Malawian village—but no one believes he can, from £25 @SohoPlace, 4 Soho Place, W1D 3BG until 18 July. Info: @SohoPlace