Punchdrunk is back with their retelling of the fall of Troy in The Burnt City, it’s big news but everyone’s talking about that already.

Let me instead draw your attention to some fantastic-looking short-run shows that are launching in April in London and Coventry. But careful, blink and you’ll miss them!

April Picks

The Great Middlemarch Mystery

Part-immersive theatre experience and part-mystery game, The Great Middlemarch Mystery invites Coventry audiences to step into George Eliot's Middlemarch with a modern twist.

Follow the interwoven hopes, dreams, disappointments and scandals of the Midlands townsfolk and help them unearth a terrible secret at its heart by gathering clues as the drama unfolds.

No experience will be the same as the audience chooses which locations to go to throughout Coventry’s city centre.

The Great Middlemarch Mystery is on 7 to 10 April and starts at Draper’s Hall in Coventry, tickets are £10

The British Resistance Museum

Museums about major historical events are commonplace. Museums of alternate history are rare. This family-friendly show will tell the alternate history of the British resistance to Nazi occupation during World War Two by giving the audience a tour of the museum dedicated to the British resistance – with a supernatural twist.

The British Resistance Museum is on 8 - 14 April at CRYPT in Bethnal Green, London, early bird tickets are currently available for £16

Circus in a Bottle

Discover one man’s struggle to make meaning of his circus past through the power of augmented reality. It’s also the first show in Parabolic Theatre’s new venue, CRYPT in Bethnal Green.

Circus in a Bottle is running 29 March to 3 April with tickets from £6.50

Last Chance

The shows closing this month:

Secret Cinema & Fever’s Bridgerton Ball - Final chance to don your gown and get your swoon on in your attempt to be crowned diamond of the evening. The gates will be open until 16 April in Wembley, London

Viper Squad - The fun and fast-paced show pays loving homage to the bombast and bluster of 80s action classics. If you haven’t seen it, you should. It’s running until 1 May in Waterloo, London

Bob Marley One Love Experience - Curated in part by the Marley family, this exhibition is a celebration of the legend, running until 18 April at the Saatchi Gallery

Looking for more immersive show ideas? Check out our picks for 2022 or check the latest posts on the blog