There are some big ones on the way
London is one of the theatre capitals of the world, hosting everything from blockbuster musicals on the West End to Shakespearean classics at The Globe. London is home to cultural icons like the Barbican and the National Theatre, which regularly stage world-class productions, and there’s always something new and experimental running at the city’s smaller theatres, not to mention at immersive theatre company Punchdrunk’s Woolwich home.
This guide features the best theatre shows currently playing in London, plus all of the shows still to come in 2025 so you can also plan ahead. There’s plenty to look forward to, with a fair few big A-listers set to tread the boards and some iconic musicals opening this year.
Oedipus
Sophocles’ original play is an exploration of fate and free will through the figure of King Oedipus. In trying to save Thebes from a plague by discovering who murdered the previous king Laius, Oedipus discovers that he has unwittingly fulfilled a prophecy that predicted he would murder his father and marry his mother, queen Jocasta. The Old Vic is staging Ella Hickson’s adaptation of the play, which is co-directed by Matthew Warchus and Hofesh Shechter, and stars Oscar winner Rami Malek and Oliver Award winner Indira Varma in the leading roles.
Until Sat 29th March 2025
103 The Cut, London SE1 8NB
oldvictheatre.com
Midnight Cowboy
Bryony Lavery (writer of the Tony-nominated play Frozen) has adapted Midnight Cowboy, the novel by James Leo Herlihy (which was also tuned into an Oscar-winning film starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman) into a new musical, with a soundtrack by three-time Ivor Novello Award-winning composer Francis “Eg” White. Nick Winston will be directing the production, which follows Joe Buck and Rico ‘Ratso’ Rizzo as they discover just what it takes to make it big in New York City.
Fri 4th April – Sat 17th May 2025
Southwark Playhouse Elephant, 1 Dante Place, London, SE11 4RX
southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
Much Ado About Nothing
Following Sigourney Weaver’s turn in The Tempest, Jamie Lloyd is directing more A-listers in another Shakespeare classic – this time it’s Tom Hiddleston (as Benedick) and Hayley Atwell (as Beatrice) in Much Ado About Nothing, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Until Sat 5th April 2025
Catherine St, London WC2B 5JF
thejamielloydcompany.com
The Seagull
Thomas Ostermeier, who was last on directing duties at The Barbican in 2014, is returning to the theatre in 2025 to helm a production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull, a tale of vanity, power and sacrifices made for art. Cate Blanchett will be starring as celebrated and dominating actress Arkadina, with Kodi Smit-McPhee playing her playwright son Konstantin and Tom Burke as her lover Trigorin, who becomes the object of affection for aspiring actress Nina, played by Emma Corrin.
Until Sat 5th April 2025
Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
barbican.org.uk
The Great Gatsby
It’s been a smash on Broadway and in 2025 producer Chunsoo Shin will be bringing his musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby to the London Coliseum. One of the most popular novels of all time, The Great Gatsby tells the story of mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, who throws opulent parties at his Long Island mansion, but who, instead of joining in with the revelry, longs for his old flame Daisy Buchanan.
Thurs 11th April – Sunday 7th September 2025
London Coliseum, St Martin’s Ln, London WC2N 4ES
londongatsby.com
Photo credit: Original Broadway Cast (c) Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman
Elektra
Academy Award winner Brie Larson is making her West End debut in 2025 in Elektra, the UK premiere of poet Anne Carson’s translation of the Sophokles play. It tells the story of Elektra, consumed by grief following her father’s assassination, who involves her brother Orestes in her need for vengeance. The production, running at the Duke of York’s Theatre, is being directed by Daniel Fish, who helmed the recent award-winning revival of Oklahoma!, with Stockard Channing, Marième Diouf, Greg Hicks and Patrick Vaill also in the cast.
Until Sat 12th April 2025
St Martin’s Lane, London, WC2N 4BG
elektraplay.com
Backstroke
Anna Mackmin’s new play Backstroke is getting its world premiere at the Donmar Warehouse, with the writer also directing. Celia Imrie and Tamsin Greig are playing mother and daughter Beth and Bo, who are forced to face up to the complexities of their pasts after Beth is hospitalised following a stroke.
Until Sat 12th April 2025
41 Earlham Street, London WC2H 9LX
donmarwarehouse.com
My Master Builder
Ewan McGregor is returning to the theatre for the first time in 17 years to star in My Master Builder, a play by Lila Raicek that takes inspiration from the classic Ibsen play. Michael Grandage is directing the production, with McGregor starring as architect Henry Solness, whose imminent 4th July party in the Hamptons, thrown by his wife Elena (played by Kate Fleetwood), gets interrupted by the arrival of Mathilde (played by Elizabeth Debicki), a former student of his with whom he shared an intimate connection.
Thurs 17th April – Sat 12th July 2025
Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0DA
mymasterbuilderplay.com
Here We Are
The National Theatre is staging the UK premiere of Stephen Sondheim’s final musical Here We Are following a sold-out run in NYC in 2023. Directed by Joe Mantello, the production will star Chumisa Dornford-May, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Richard Fleeshman, Harry Hadden-Paton, Cameron Johnson, Jane Krakowski, Martha Plimpton, Paulo Szot, Tracie Bennett, Denis O’Hare and Rory Kinnear. The show follows Leo and Marianne Brink, who’ve found the ideal place to take their friends, but despite the great reviews and impeccable service, a series of strange events interrupt their meal.
Weds 23rd April – Sat 28th June 2025
Upper Ground, London SE1 9PX
nationaltheatre.org.uk
Giant
After a sold-out run at the Royal Court Theatre, Mark Rosenblatt’s Giant is transferring to the Harold Pinter Theatre for a 14-week run in the spring. Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the play is set in a single afternoon at Roald Dahl’s home in 1983, just as The Witches is about to be released, where the author is in the midst of a scandal thanks to his recent antisemitic outbursts. John Lithgow is reprising his role as Dahl, alongside Elliot Levey as Tom Maschler, in a production that explores the difference between opinion and rhetoric and examines the complicated reality behind the literary icon.
Sat 26th April – Sat 2nd August 2025
Panton St, London SW1Y 4DN
gianttheplay.com
The Score
Brian Cox is back on the West End stage in 2025, playing Johann Sebastian Bach in Oliver Cotton’s play The Score. His wife Nicole Ansari-Cox is also starring in the production, directed by Trevor Nunn, which is set in the spring of 1417 in Prussia, when Bach visits the court of Frederick II, Europe’s most dangerous leader and a man who couldn’t be more different to the legendary composer.
Until Sat 26th April 2025
Theatre Royal Haymarket, Haymarket, London SW1Y 4HT
trh.co.uk
Unicorn
The world premiere of Mike Bartlett’s Unicorn is playing at the Garrick Theatre in the spring, starring Nicola Walker (as Polly), Stephen Mangan (as Nick) and Erin Doherty (as Kate), with James Macdonald on directing duties. The funny and provocative play centres around married couple Polly and Nick, who have it all, including two children and successful careers, but there’s something unforseen coming to add some sparkle to their lives.
Until Sat 26th April 2025
Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0HH
unicorntheplay.co.uk
Kyoto
After a world premiere in Stratford-upon-Avon, the RSC’s production of Kyoto is transferring to @sohoplace. The political thriller is set during the historic 1997 Kyoto climate summit amidst the tense negotiations that led to the world’s first legally bindings emissions targets. Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin are directing, with many of the original cast, including Tony award-nominated Stephen Kunken (playing American oil lobbyist Don Pearlman), returning for the London run.
Until Sat 3rd May 2025
4 Soho Place, London, W1D 3BG
sohoplace.org
The Deep Blue Sea
Following a sell-out run in Bath last year, director Lindsay Posner’s production of Terence Rattigan’s The Deep Blue Sea, a drama about the destructive power of love, is transferring to the West End. Original cast members Tamsin Greig, Nicholas Farrell and Finabr Lynch will be joined by Hadley Fraser and Selina Cadell for the run at Theatre Royal Haymarket.
Weds 7th May – Sat 21st June 2025
Haymarket, London SW1Y 4HT
trh.co.uk
The Glass Menagerie
For the final show in its current space, The Yard Theatre in Hackney Wick is staging the Tennessee Williams classic The Glass Menagerie, a memory play that follows Southern belle Amanda Wingfield, who lives with her children Tom and Laura in a precarious space between past and present. Directed by Founder and Artistic Director Jay Miller, the production includes Sharon Small as Amanda Wingfield, Tom Varey as Tom Wingfield, and Eva Morgan and Jad Sayegh (as Laura Wingfield and Jim O’Connor respectively) in their porfessional stage debuts.
Until Sat 10th May 2025
The Yard Theatre, Unit 2a Queen’s Yard, London E9 5EN
theyardtheatre.co.uk
Richard II
Nicholas Hytner is set to direct Jonathan Bailey (who’s won a legion of fans thanks to his role in Bridgerton, and will win many more as Fiyero in the Wicked film adaptation) in a new production of Richard II at the Bridge Theatre. In Shakespeare’s play, Richard II is a charismatic man but a terrible king whose divine right to rule is being confronted by Henry Bolingbroke. Royce Pierreson, Christopher Osikanlu Colquhoun, Olivia Popica, Amanda Root, Phoenix Di Sebastiani, Clive Wood, and Michael Simkins are also amongst the cast.
Until Sat 10th May 2025
3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG
bridgetheatre.co.uk
The Fifth Step
Following a premiere at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2024, David Ireland’s play The Fifth Step is transferring to London for a run @sohoplace. Slow Horses star Jack Lowden is reprising his role as Luka in the drama, which tackles topics like addiction, masculinity and faith, with Martin Freeman starring opposite as James, who, after many years in Alcoholics Anonymous, agrees to become Luka’s sponsor. As the pair build a friendship, it becomes clear that both Luka and James have secrets in their past that could threaten both of their recoveries.
Sat 10th May – Sat 26th July 2025
4 Soho Pl, Charing Cross Rd, London W1D 3BG
sohoplace.org
Shucked
The 2025 season will be Drew McOnie’s inaugural season as Artistic Director of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and he’s put together quite the programme. It’ll open with the UK premiere of musical comedy Shucked, following its run on Broadway and tour of the US. As Maizy and Beau are about to get married, the corn in their small community starts to die and the town needs answers – but who will dare venture beyond its borders?
Sat 10th May – Sat 14th June 2025
Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4NU
openairtheatre.com
Stereophonic
Stereophonic, the most Tony Award-nominated show ever, is heading to the West End following a twice-extended Broadway run. Playing at the Duke of York’s Theatre from May, the show follows an Anglo-American rock band in 1976 as they try to record a breakthrough album while navigating tense personal relationships – essentially it’s a fictionalised account of the making of Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. It’s written by David Adjmi, with music by Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, and original cast members Andrew R. Butler, Eli Gelb and Chris Stack will be reprising their roles.
Opens May 2025
St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4BG
stereophonicplay.co.uk
Just For One Day
Following a run at The Old Vic at the beginning of 2024, Just For One Day, the musical that tells the story behind both Band Aid and Live Aid is transferring to the West End. Back in 1985, the now legendary gig saw timeless musicians take to the stage to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief. Two Live Aid concerts took place on the same day, one in London and one in Philadelphia, making a total of $127 million combined and going down in music history. The story of how this came to be (as well as the precursor to Live Aid, Band Aid) is being retold through a new Live Aid musical, Just For One Day. The production is written by best-selling author John O’Farrell (Mrs Doubtfire, Something Rotten) and directed by Luke Sheppard (& Juliet, The Little Big Things) and features the songs of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, The Who, U2, Queen, The Police, Elton John, Paul McCartney, The Pretenders, The Cars, Status Quo, Paul Weller, Sade, The Boomtown Rats, Bryan Adams, Diana Ross, Ultravox and more.
Opens Thurs 15th May 2025
210 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8DP
theliveaidmusical.com
Fiddler on the Roof
After a sold-out run last summer at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Fiddler on the Roof is transferring to the Barbican for an eight-week season before it goes on out a UK tour. The iconic musical, in which Jewish milkman Teyve is challenged by his five daughters and is learning to live in a changing world, features songs like ‘If I Were A Rich Man’, ‘Tradition’, ‘Matchmaker’ and ‘Sunrise, Sunset’
Sat 24th May – Sat 19th July 2025
Barbican Theatre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
barbican.org.uk
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the immersive production that was a massive hit for the Bridge Theatre back in 2019, is coming back to the theatre this summer. Nicholas Hytner will be directing the production, with JJ Feild as Oberon/Theseus, Susannah Fielding as Titania/Hippolyta, Emmanuel Akwafo as Bottom and David Moorst returning as Puck/Philostrate.
Sat 31st May – Sat 23rd August 2025
3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG
bridgetheatre.co.uk
The Devil Wears Prada
We’re not always fans of movies being turned into musicals – especially movies that have no real music connection to them at all – but there are a few cases where we’ll make an exception, like when Elton John is doing the score and the movie is The Devil Wears Prada. Yes the fashion classic (based on former PA to Anna Wintour Lauren Weisberger’s book) starring Anne Hathaway as wannabe journo Andy Sachs and Meryl Streep as Runway magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly, is on the stage in the West End. The show, which stars Vanessa Williams as the fearsome editor, also features music by Elton John, lyrics by American musician Shania Taub and a script by Kate Wetherhead, and is being directed and choreographed by the Tony Award-winning Jerry Mitchell.
Until Sat 31st May 2025
268-269 Tottenham Ct Rd, London W1T 7AQ
devilwearspradamusical.com
Mean Girls
Get in, loser, we’re going to the theatre because Mean Girls has landed on the West End. Tina Fey has turned her iconic movie into a musical and it’s playing at the Savoy Theatre. All the characters you know and love from the film, including The Plastics, aka Regina, Gretchen and Karen, and Janis and Damian, are all there, and the story hasn’t changed either – home-schooled Cady Heron arrives at North Shore High and tries to survive – but now there’s added original songs to enjoy.
Until Sun 8th June 2025
Savoy Theatre, The Strand, London, WC2R 0ET
meangirlsmusical.com
Retrograde
Following his smash-hit For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, Ryan Calais Cameron’s Retrograde has also transferred to the West End after a run at the Kiln Theatre. Ivanno Jeremiah is reprising his role as Hollywood icon Sidney Poitier, who is about to sign a career-defining contract that could make him a star, but will he sacrifice his principles to further his career? Amit Sharma is directing the production, with Stanley Townsend starring as Mr Parks and Oliver Johnstone as writer Bobby.
Until Sat 14th June 2025
Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Ave, London W1D 7EZ
nimaxtheatres.com
Evita
Not content with putting on star-studded productions of Shakespearean classics, Jamie Lloyd is also taking on one of the most iconic musicals ever in 2025 by directing Evita at the London Palladium, with Rachel Zegler starring as Eva Perón in her West End debut. Lloyd has got form with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s show, having staged it at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre back in 2019, so we’re expecting big things from the West End production, which tells the story of Eva Perón, who rose to become the most powerful woman in Latin America and a symbol of hope for Argentines.
Sat 14th June – Sat 6th September 2025
8 Argyll St, London W1F 7TF
evitathemusical.com
This Bitter Earth
Grammy, Emmy and Tony Award winner Billy Porter is making his UK directorial debut with This Bitter Earth at Soho Theatre this summer. The play, by Harrison David Rivers, tells the story of young black man Jesse, who meets young white man Neil at the Million Hoodie March in 2012. The pair begin dating and over the years have to negotiate the course of their relationship against a backdrop of political and social turmoil. Omari Douglas will be starring as Jesse, opposite Alexander Lincoln as Neil.
Weds 18th June – Sat 26th July 2025
Soho Theatre, 21 Dean Street, London, W1D 3NE
thisbitterearthplay.com
Noughts & Crosses
Dominic Cooke’s adaptation of Malorie Blackman’s beloved novel Noughts & Crosses, directed by Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre’s Associate Artistic Director Tinuke Craig will be hitting the outdoor stage in the summer.
Sat 28th June – Sat 26th July 2025
Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4NU
openairtheatre.com
Good Night, Oscar
Will & Grace star Sean Hayes is reprising his Tony Award-winning role as Oscar Levant in Good Night, Oscar, which is transferring from Broadway to the Barbican this summer. The play, by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright, follows actor, concert pianist and subversive wit Oscar Levant, who is the favourite guest of late-night talk show host Jack Paar. Famous for his one-liners, including “There’s a fine line between genius and insanity; I have erased this line”, Oscar appears live on Paar’s show in 1958 in an episode that America won’t soon forget.
Thurs 31st July – Sun 21st September 2025
Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
barbican.org.uk
Brigadoon
The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre season is finishing with Rona Munro’s adaptation of Lerner & Loewe’s Brigadoon, with Drew McOnie helming the production. It’s the first time the show, where downed WWII fighter pilots Tommy and Jeff meet sisters Fiona and Jean in the dreamlike village of Brigadoon in the Scottish Highlands, has been revived in London for 35 years.
Sat 2nd August – Sat 20th September 2025
Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4NU
openairtheatre.com
The Producers
After a staging at the Menier Chocolate Factory at the beginning of the year, the revival of Mel Brooks’ iconic musical by director Patrick Marber is transferring to the Garrick Theatre in the summer. The main cast of Marc Antolin, Trevor Ashley, Raj Ghatak, Andy Nyman, Harry Morrison and Joanna Woodward are all returning for the West End transfer of the show that tells the story of two theatre producers who try and get rich by overselling interests in a musical that’s designed to fail, but in fact becomes a surprise hit.
Sat 30th August 2025 – Sat 21st February 2026
2 Charing Cross Rd, London, WC2H 0HH
thegarricktheatre.co.uk
Stranger Things
Missing Stranger Things? You can now get your fix as a prequel to the TV show is taking over the West End. Stranger Things: The First Shadow, being staged at the Phoenix Theatre, takes place in 1959 rather than Hawkins of the 80s, so that means there’ll be no Eleven, Mike and co, but there will be a young Jim Hopper and a young Bob Newby, who are just living their regular lives when new student Henry Creel arrives. That last name should ring a bell because that’s who goes on to become the season four baddie Vecna. OOOOOHHHHH. The stage show is written by Kate Trefry, based on an idea created by her, The Duffer Brothers (who made the TV show) and Jack Thorne (who did Harry Potter & The Cursed Child), with Stephen Daldry directing.
Until Sun 7th September 2025
Phoenix Theatre, Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0JP
strangerthingsonstage.com
Clueless
As if! 30 years after the film was released, a musical version of Clueless will be hitting the West End. Original director Amy Heckerling has written the book and KT Tunstall is doing the music, so you’ll be able to see Beverly Hills student Cher Horowitz make over her friend Tai (including all those iconic outfits) and learn a few lessons about love along the way, with all-new songs.
Until Sat 27th September 2025
Trafalgar Theatre, 14 Whitehall. London, SW1A 2DY
trafalgartheatre.com
Oliver!
Cameron Mackintosh and Matthew Bourne, who first worked together on a revival of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! back in 1994, are teaming up to bring the musical to the London stage once again. Now Bourne is on directing as well as choreographing duties, leading a cast that includes Simon Lipkin as Fagin, Shanay Holmes as Nancy, Aaron Sidwell as Bill Sikes, Billy Jenkins as the Artful Dodger and Philip Franks as Mr Brownlow. The musical, adapted from the Dickens novel, tells the story of orphan Oliver Twist as he escapes the workhouse and gets taken in by Fagin and his gang of pickpockets, and features all the classic songs like ‘Food Glorious Food, ‘Consider Yourself’, and ‘I’d Do Anything’.
Until Sun 28th September 2025
Gielguld Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6AR
oliverthemusical.com
The Hunger Games
Irish playwright and five-time Tony nominee Conor McPherson is adapting the work – both Suzanne Collins’ 2008 novel and the Jennifer Lawrence movie – which is set in the dystopian world of Panem, where Katniss Everdeen must fight to the death in an annual televised competition for the stage. Collins is endorsing the play, which is being directed by Matthew Dunster (of 2:22 A Ghost Story fame). The show will be opening in October at the brand new Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, which has been purpose built to host the world premiere of this show. May the odds be ever in your favour.
Opens Mon 20th October 2025
Wood Wharf, London, E14
thehungergamesonstage.com
Dirty Dancing
A new purpose-built theatre is coming to London and Dirty Dancing is going to be its first production. Adam Kenwright and Karl Sydow are bringing the 620-seat Capital Theatre to Westfield London, a state-of-the-art venue where every guest will be no more than nine rows rom the performance stage area. Following two West End runs, the Dirty Dancing musical will be the first show to run at Capital Theatre, featuring all the famous choreography (including that lift) and hit songs that you’ve come to know and love.
Thurs 23rd October 2025 – Sun 1st March 2026
Ariel Way, London, W12 7SL
dirtydancingonstage.co.uk
Into The Woods
Director Jordan Fein and designer Tom Scutt are bringing Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s Into The Woods to the Bridge Theatre this December. The musical, which combines four Grimms’ fairytales in a story of a baker and his wife who are trying to reverse a curse of childlessness cast on them by a witch, hasn’t been staged in London since 2016 so this will be a show not to miss.
Tues 2nd December 2025 – Sat 18th April 2026
3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG
bridgetheatre.co.uk
Titanique
After taking NYC by storm, Titanique has docked in the West End. This musical tells the story of Jack, Rose and the sinking boat in a whole new way – through the medium of Céline Dion’s back catalogue. Songs like ‘My Heart Will Go On’, ‘All by Myself’ and ‘To Love You More’, a full live band, and a boat-load of camp, what more could you want?
Until Sun 4th January 2026
218-223 Piccadilly London, London, W1J 9HR
titaniquemusical.com
Hadestown
After a sell-out run at the National Theatre in 2018, the Tony Award and Grammy Award-winning musical Hadestown is back in London, this time at the Lyric Theatre. Written by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown takes you on a journey to the underworld, telling the love stories of Orpheus and Eurydice and King Hades and Persephone through American folk music and New Orleans-inspired jazz.
Until Sun 15th February 2026
29 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7ES
hadestown.com
My Neighbour Totoro
Adapted for the stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Tom Morton-Smith and original composer Joe Hisaishi, My Neighbour Totoro sold out its world premiere run at the Barbican in the autumn of 2022 and picked up a slew of awards along the way. It proved to be so popular that the show returned for another 18-week season at the end of 2023, and now it’s back for a third go, playing at the Gillian Lynne Theatre until 2026. Hayao Miyazaki’s film tells the coming-of-age story of sisters Satsuki and Mei, who move to the countryside to be closer to their hospitalised mother, where they discover a world full of magical creatures and spirits. It’s known for its enchanting animal characters, including the Catbus (a twelve-legged cat that’s also a bus) and the eponymous Totoro (who looks like a giant rabbit), who are brought to life through incredible puppetry and groundbreaking production.
Until Sun 29th March 2026
Gillian Lynne Theatre,166 Drury Lane, London, WC2B 5PW
lwtheatres.co.uk
Long-Running Shows That Are Still Worth a Watch
Starlight Express
Get your skates on because Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express, which ran in the West End from 1984 to 2002, has rolled back into the capital. And this time, the musical, which famously features performers on roller skates, is runing in the purpose-built Starlight Auditorium at Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre. Starlight Express tells the story of child’s train set Rusty, who magically comes to life and wants to become the fastest engine in the world to impress first-class car Pearl. The new production, which being directed by Luke Sheppard (who also took the reins for &Juliet), choreography from Ashley Nottingham and has Arlene Phillips returning as creative dramaturg, features the same music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics from Richard Stilgoe but with a big new plot twist. Fans of the original will have something new to look forward to but the classic songs, including ‘AC/DC’, ‘Light at the End of the Tunnel’, ‘Make Up My Heart’ and ‘Starlight Express’ will also be present and correct.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
It’s spectacular spectacular news for musicals fans, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is on the West End. Alex Timbers’ stage adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film follows the original story – penniless writer Christian falls in love with courtesan Satine but the pair have to hide their relationship so nightclub owner Harold Zidler can secure funds for the venue’s transformation from The Duke, who wants Satine for himself. All the iconic songs like ‘Come What May’ and ‘Lady Marmalade’ are in there too along with a whole load of new additions, including hits from Whitney, The Rolling Stones, Beyonce, Adele and Lady Gaga, so there’ll be even more songs to can-can along to.
Cabaret
Wilkommen, bienvenue, welcome! Cabaret, one of the most iconic musicals of all time, is back in the West End. This immersive production has taken over the Playhouse Theatre and turned it into the Kit Kat Club so prepare to lose yourself in the world of Weimar Berlin.
The Lion King
You’ve seen the movie, now see The Lion King on stage and watch Simba grow from young cub to king of the pridelands with Timon and Pumba by his side. The award-winning show features all the classic songs, including ‘Can You Feel The Love Tonight?’, ‘Hakuna Matata’ and ‘Circle of Life’, with all the animals of Pride Rock brought to life with incredible puppetry, costumes and special effects.
Back to the Future
Great Scott, a Back to the Future musical has come to the West End! And the actual creators of the film trilogy – Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale – are behind it. All the regulars like Doc, Marty, Biff, George and Lorraine are making a return but this time they’re belting out the tunes. Obvs the absolute classics like ‘The Power of Love’ and ‘Johnny B. Goode’ will be involved, but as it’s a musical there’ll be some new songs to learn and sing your heart out to as well. Get into your DeLorean and roll up to the Adelphi Theatre.
SIX the Musical
Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s smash-hit Six The Musical, which is a modern retelling of Henry VIII’s wives complete with pop-inspired soundtrack, is back on stage at the Vaudeville Theatre.
Hamilton
Hip-hop meets history in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s epic musical about the US Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, an Caribbean immigrant who fights in the War of Independence and becomes the country’s first Treasury Secretary. Even if you think you don’t care about American history, you’ll find yourself rapping about the 1776 the Declaration of Independence and Aaron Burr for weeks afterwards.
Mrs Doubtfire the Musical
The screen’s favourite housekeeper and babysitter is staying in the West End as Mrs. Doubtfire the Musical is on at the Shaftesbury Theatre until 2025. Based on the hit and much-loved film, this musical adaptation comes from the same award-winning team – made up of John O’Farrell, Karey Kirkpatrick and Wayne Kirkpatrick – behind Broadway’s Something Rotten!
The Book of Mormon
If you like your musicals to be wildly politically incorrect and funny as hell, The Book of Mormon is the one for you. Created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the minds that brought you South Park, the show follows two Mormon missionaries on their journey to convert Ugandan natives to their religion. The lyrics may inappropriate, bordering on offensive, but the songs are bloody catchy and you won’t be able to stop laughing.
Wicked
The award-winning Wicked, London’s 14th longest running show, is based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel ‘Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West’, which is set in the land of Oz way before Dorothy and the gang got there in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The show tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two sorcery students at Shiz University, who eventually become Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West.
Mamma Mia!
25 years on stage and two record-breaking films and we’ve still got Mamma Mia fever. The musical, which tells the tale of a mother, a daughter and three fathers set on Greek island to a soundtrack of ABBA’s greatest hits, has been seen by almost 70 million people worldwide since it premiered in 1999 and it’s still going strong at the Novello Theatre.