Maureen Lipman in Rose at Park 200

Moira Buffini’s hit-comedy Handbagged returns to the Kiln in a new production directed by Indhu Rubasingham. Buffini imagines what two powerful women, Margaret Thatcher and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, talked about behind closed palace doors. Sept 9-Oct 22. kilntheatre.com

• Martin Sherman’s Rose starring Maureen Lipman is at Park200 from Sept 13-Oct 15. This portrait of a feisty Jewish woman traces Rose’s story from the devastation of Nazi-occupied Europe to conquering the American dream. Rose’s life began in a tiny Ukrainian village, took her to Warsaw’s ghettos and a ship called The Exodus, and finally to the boardwalks of Atlantic City, the Arizona canyons and salsa-flavoured nights in Miami beach. parktheatre.co.uk

• Jumping across time, Tanya Barfield’s Bright Half Life follows the fortunes of Vicky and Erica, who meet, fall in love, start a family, and traverses the highs and lows of their relationship. Depicting queer love in the richest and most original of ways. King’s Head Theatre, until October 1. kingsheadtheatre.com

• As Trump ascends to power in 2016, the world flips on its head. Trump L’Oeil is a musical exploration of Trump’s presidency, focusing on the tradition of trompe l’oeil (optical illusion). Blending elements of cabaret, queer theatre, and circus, with a wide range of musical influences from rap to bubblegum pop, this show is a tongue-in-cheek retelling of the Trump years, and an attempt to understand how we move forward. Upstairs at the Gatehouse, until Oct 2. upstairsatthegatehouse.com

For A Palestinian, Camden People’s Theatre

• Bilal Hasna and Aaron Kilercioglu’s For A Palestinian is at Camden People’s Theatre from Sept 13-Oct 1. Bilal recounts the true story of Palestinian translator Wa’el Zuaiter. We follow Bilal through the orange groves of Jaffa, Rome’s piazzas, and the duty-free aisles of Luton Airport, as he explores what it means to be a Palestinian in the West. cptheatre.co.uk

• The Snail House, written and directed by Richard Eyre, is at Hampstead Theatre until Oct 15. Sir Neil Marriot had a “good pandemic”, becoming familiar to millions from his TV appearances as a government medical advisor. His service even earned him a knighthood, and he is now rewarding himself with a lavish birthday party in the hallowed surroundings of his son’s alma mater. But, amid the oak panelling, the champagne and the silver service, his family are at one another’s throats, and he thinks there’s something familiar – and unsettling – about one of the catering staff. hampsteadtheatre.com

• At the Hope Theatre for just two nights, Dominique Izabella Little plays four characters in this bold one-woman show which captures the lives of women caught up in the global multi-billion-dollar sex trafficking market. Sold By Mama explores survival, abuse, addiction, mental illness, trauma, love and motherhood. 7.45pm, Sept 11-12. thehopetheatre.com