Alastair Whatley in The Importance of Being Oscar [Marc Brenner]

DRAWING influence from Laurie Anderson’s music, Container makes use of overlapping choral narratives, live music and polyphonic sound to explore alternative treatments of text, voice and storytelling. Part concert, part poetry reading, the show explores the violence and tenderness of living through catastrophe. 7.30pm, to April 12. newdiorama.com/

• By day, machine operator Prab struggles to make ends meet to support his family, by night he writes stories for his baby daughter Amba. When a famous actress commissions him to write a play, Prab seizes the chance to expose the injustice and exploitation in the factory. Set between the UK and West Bengal, Sonali Bhattacharyya’s Chasing Hares explores the power of storytelling in the struggle for a fairer world. 7.30pm, to April 12. towertheatre.org.uk/

• A simple bedtime story swirls into a surreal tale of four flawed souls stuck in purgatory in this irreverent new musical by German pop-rock star Tobias Künzel and screenwriter Mark Underwood. Featuring a live four-piece rock band and puppetry, Death on the Throne takes us through the absurdity of bureaucracy, the search for meaning and the hope that even the most flawed among us can find redemption. Tue-Sun, until April 13. upstairsatthegatehouse.com/

• Oscar Wilde fell in love with eccentric socialites, travelled to America with nothing to declare except his genius, and found worldwide success as a playwright. Micheál Mac Liammóir’s one-man show, The Importance of Being Oscar, (starring Alastair Whatley) explores how fame, glamour, and romance led Oscar to become an imprisoned outcast and includes excerpts from his best-loved works including The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Ballad of Reading of Gaol. Mon-Sat, 7.30pm (3pm matinees) to April 19. jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/

• Overwhelm tells the story of three young men at a crossroads – Jake has barely left the flat in months. Miles is moving on with his life. And Riley may be sinking below rock bottom. Jake is determined to pull Riley out of the mire, but how can he help someone else when he can’t even help himself? Working Progress Collective’s newest project explores male loneliness, the dangers of online radicalisation, and addiction. 7.30pm April 8-12. thelionandunicorntheatre.com/

• Naomi Denny’s All The Happy Things is a dark comedy about the powerful bond shared by siblings. Dealing with the complexities of grief, Sienna sees her dead sister everywhere she goes. As Emily’s presence becomes overwhelming, the line between happiness and delusion is blurred. How do you let go of someone when you imagined they’d be there forever? 6.45pm April 8-26. sohotheatre.com/