Life is a cabaret: The Sarah McGuinness Story is at the Etcetera

THE Sarah McGuinness Story turns the lens on the documentary-maker and musician in a cabaret telling her life story. Through the music of David Bowie, Kate Bush, Kurt Weill and Sondheim, as well as her own songs, the show explores Sarah’s complicated relationship with her Irish roots, her family’s dysfunction, and her international success. 9pm (8pm Suns) until December 5. etceteratheatrecamden.com/

• GrimFest returns to the Old Red Lion for a month of thrills and chills (until Oct 31). In Ghost Stories of an Antiquary, set in London during the Blitz, four strangers swap ghost stories as they shelter from the bombs. They delve into tales of witchcraft, occult rituals, hauntings, and all things supernatural. 8.30pm, October 11-12. oldredliontheatre.co.uk/

• Circus troupe Kook Ensemble’s show Filibuster involves tricks, clowning and audience participation. Set in the late 1910s, juggler Tom Gaskin plays Bertie, who turns his back on the world and leaves his home for a derelict cottage in the woods, where he finds increasingly absurd ways to distract himself from his loneliness. 7.30pm, October 18. jacksonslane.org.uk/

• Interweaving the lives of young Londoners, Jonathan Brown’s Knife on The Table explores ambition, poverty and identity and what draws people towards violent crime. 7.30pm until October 26. thecockpit.org.uk/

• Based on Jean Poiret’s play, French Toast is a comedy of sexual politics. Set in 1977, Simon Monk is planning a musical adaptation of Phaedra. Jacqueline Brémont, French theatre diva, is keen to offer her expertise and financial backing. But she can’t sing or dance, and Simon has no intention of casting her. Until October 26. riversidestudios.co.uk/

• In Maybe I Should Stop, Aaron, an unemployed entertainer, has stolen his dad’s ashes and hidden them in a tub of chocolates. As he journeys toward St Ives to scatter them, we discover the reasons behind his theft. Written and performed by Oscar Brudenall-Jones, this dark comedy explores grief in a post-pandemic world. 7.30, October 22-26. thelionandunicorntheatre.com/

• Robbie wants nothing more than to live with his sister Cel. She aspires to go to university and find the kind of love her mother never had. Lin Coghlan’s Flock follows these siblings though the complexities of growing up in care and navigating early adulthood. 6.45pm, until November 2. sohotheatre.com/

• Part of Camden People’s Theatre’s 30th anniversary season, Zakiyyah Deen’s debut play scrutinises how intersectionality and British politics contribute to the lived experiences of black women’s maternal health. Why A Black Woman Will Never Be Prime Minister fuses satire, spoken word, and narrative. 7pm, October 22-November 7. cptheatre.co.uk

• This month is the 25th anniversary of The Lion King at the Lyceum. The show uses spectacular masks, puppets and costumes to tell the story of Simba’s adventures, as he struggles with the responsibilities of adulthood and becoming king. thelionking.co.uk/