A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain. Photo: Rebecca Need-Menear

THE Gate Theatre’s first production in its new space, 26 Crowndale, (hosted by Theatro Technis) is Sami Ibrahim’s acclaimed play A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain directed by Yasmin Hafesji. Elif shears sheep for a rich landowner. Every other waking hour she queues outside the palace, hoping that the King will let her live within the city walls. She comes from a faraway land and is searching for sanctuary. A poetic fable about an impenetrable immigration system that mirrors our own. To Nov 5. gatetheatre.co.uk

• A Single Man, adapted by Simon Reade from Christopher Isherwood’s book, is at Park Theatre until Nov 26. College professor George is grieving the death of his long-term partner Jim. As a middle-aged gay Englishman living in the Los Angeles suburbs in 1962, he is an outsider in every way. Haunted by his past and unable to move forward, one ordinary day turns into a day like no other… parktheatre.co.uk

• Part of the Bloomsbury Festival, India Harrison Peppe’s one-woman show, Branded, is about cancel-culture and what it means to market yourself as a feminist. It’s the middle of the night, social media influencer Eliza decides which posts to queue for her Instagram tomorrow. When someone asks why she has a bruise on her neck, Eliza’s world is thrown into flux. As the hours creep closer to the morning, Eliza must make a decision: whether to sustain a lie or re-brand. To Oct 22. Dr Williams’s Library, Gordon Square. bloomsburyfestival.org.uk

• Set in 1567, Rona Munro’s political thriller, Mary, is at Hampstead Theatre until Nov 26. James Melville, a charismatic and skilled diplomat is the loyal servant of Mary Stuart, the troubled Queen of Scots. It’s a time of political turmoil and he needs to decide who’s guilty, who’s innocent, and who’s too dangerous to accuse. Change is coming, but at what price? hampsteadtheatre.com

• Tammy Faye, a new musical from Elton John, Scissor Sisters’ Jake Shears and James Graham, is at the Almeida Theatre until Dec 3. From a studio in South Carolina, Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker revolutionised religion. Preaching to millions 24 hours a day, Tammy wants to put the fun back into faith. But a new wave of ministers believe God should be felt in homes, schools and in the law. almeida.co.uk

• To celebrate Halloween 2022, London’s most haunted pub theatre is hosting its first ever GRIMFEST. The Old Red Lion is hosting 13 diverse performance companies offering a wide variety of spooky and unsettling shows from psychological thrillers to creepy storytelling, killer cabaret to hilarious improvised horror. Until Nov 5. oldredliontheatre.co.uk