- Theatre: Park Theatre
- First Preview: May 24, 2023
- Opening: May 30, 2023
- Playwright: Neil LaBute
- Director: Nicky Allpress
- Cast: Luke Newton, Amber Anderson
Adam, a geeky young student, drifts into an ever-changing romance with art major, Evelyn who encourages him to improve his appearance. As she instils in him a new found confidence, his best friend’s' engagement begins to crumble: so unleashing a drama that peels back the 'skin’ of two modern-day relationships.
- Theatre: Jermyn Street Theatre
- Opening: June 1, 2023
- Playwright: Miles Malleson
- Director: Jonathan Bank
- Cast: Laura Doddington, Guy Lewis, Dominic March, Keisha Atwell, Tony Timberlake
An insightful, intelligent and exceptionally intimate peek behind the closed doors of an open marriage. Stephen and Anne, blissfully happy for eight years, are committed to living up to their ideals. When Stephen, a writer who isn’t writing, begins to sink into a funk of unproductive moodiness, Anne encourages him to seek out a fresh spark. Can their marriage survive uncompromising generosity, sacrifice and love?
- Theatre: Dominion Theatre
- Opening: June 2, 2023
- Book: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey
- Lyrics: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey
- Music: Jim Jacobs, Warren Casey
- Director: Nikolai Foster
- Cast: Louise Redknapp, Jason DOnovan, Peter Andre, Dan Partridge, Olivia Moore, Jocasta Almgill, Solomon Davy, Callum Henderson, Katie Brace, Jake Reynolds, Ellie Kingdon, George Michaelides, Olivia Foster-Browne, Jayd'n Tyrone, Chloe Saunders, Katie Dunsden, Liam Mchugh, Darren Bennett, Rachel Stanley, Alicia Belgarde, D'Mia Lindsay-Walker, Luke Redmore, Samuel Routley, Darcey Simmons, Sario Solomon, Joshua Steel, Allana Taylor, Michael Anderson, Kirsty Ingram, Jordan Isaac, Carly Miles
Danny and Sandy fall for each other during a carefree summer fling. But when the school year begins, Danny is torn between his feelings for good-girl Sandy and his image with the T-Birds and the Pink Ladies.
- Theatre: Gielgud Theatre
- Opening: June 7, 2023
- Playwright: Arthur Miller
- Director: Lyndsey Turner
- Cast: Milly Alcock, Brian Gleeson, Caitlin FitzGerald, Ron Cook, Fisayo Akinade, Matthew Marsh, Christopher Birch, Lucy Brindle, Grace Farrell, Chyna-Rose Frederick, Miya James, Ebony Jonelle, Tama Phethean, Amy Snudden, Nia Towle, Samuel Townsend, David Ahmad, Zoë Aldrich, Stephanie Beattie, Raphael Bushay, Henry Everett, Nick Fletcher, Colin Haigh, Nadine Higgin, Gracie McGonigal, Alastair Parker, Joy Tan, Tilly Tremayne
Arthur Miller's tale of the Salem witch trials, in which a group of girls accuse upstanding women in the town of witchcraft to divert suspicion from their own activities, has been seen as an allegory for Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-Communist crusades of the 1950s.
- Theatre: Old Vic Theatre
- First Preview: May 20, 2023
- Opening: June 8, 2023
- Book: Danny Rubin
- Music and Lyrics: Tim Minchin
- Director: Matthew Warchus
- Cast: Andy Karl, Tanisha Spring, Jasmin Colangelo, Kelly Ewins, Kamilla Fernandes, Aimée Fisher, Jack Guest, Nick Hayes, Jacqueline Hughes, Ashlee Irish, Chris Jenkins, Andrew Langtree, Billy Nevers, Eve Norris, Mark Pearce, Ben Redfern, Durone Stokes, Alex Stoll, Jez Unwin, Annie Wensak, Matthew Whennell-Clark
Phil Connors is a cynical Pittsburgh TV weatherman who is sent to cover the annual Groundhog Day event in the isolated small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, when he finds himself caught in a time loop, forced to repeat the same day again and again…and again. As each day plays out exactly the same as before Phil becomes increasingly despondent, but is there a lesson to be learnt through his experiences, will he ever unlock the secret and break the cycle?
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
- Theatre: Southwark Playhouse
- First Preview: May 22, 2023
- Opening: June 8, 2023
- Book: Jethro Compton
- Music and Lyrics: Darren Clark
- Cast: Matthew Burns, Jonathan Charles, Oonagh Cox, Anna Fordham, Philippa Hogg, Damien James, Ann Marcuson, Molly Osborne, Jamie Parker, Jack Quarton, Benedict Salter, Tonny Shim
- Theatre: Royal Court Theatre
- First Preview: June 3, 2023
- Opening: June 9, 2023
- Playwright: Tom Fowler
- Director: Lucy Morrison
- Cast: Laura Checkley, Mary Malone, Amaka Okafor, Felix Scott, Nima Taleghani
Years and years ago, Hope disappeared. Now, she’s back. To find something she left behind. But in the People’s Republic of Koka Kola – a world of dwindling resources, corruption and corporate giants – what happens to Hope?
- Theatre: Park Theatre
- First Preview: June 7, 2023
- Opening: June 12, 2023
- Playwright: Andrew Rosendorf
- Director: Scott Hurran
- Cast: Joe Bolland, Tobie Donovan, Prince Kundai, Callum Mardy
A young gay American soldier, Kyle, returns from Afghanistan after being injured in an IED blast. Only a paper cut. Or that’s what he wants his friends, family, and a potential new love to believe. Paper Cut is a raw exploration of the physical and emotional toll of returning soldiers and how they navigate their way through another minefield - returning home.
ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF AN ANARCHIST
- Theatre: Theatre Royal Haymarket
- Opening: June 12, 2023
- Playwright: Dario Fo and Franca Rame
- Director: Daniel Raggett
- Cast: Daniel Rigby, Howard Ward, Jordan Metcalfe, Ruby Thomas, Shane David-Joseph, Tony Gardner
An Anarchist has fallen to his death from a police station window. But did he jump or was he thrown? As the police prepare for an inquiry into the incident, an unhinged showman known only as the Maniac is arrested and brought into the station. Seizing the opportunity to put on a show, he leads the police in an absurd recreation of their version of events, exposing the cover-ups, corruption and profound idiocy of an institution in free-fall.
WHEN WINSTON WENT TO WAR WITH THE WIRELESS
- Theatre: Donmar Warehouse
- First Preview: June 2, 2023
- Opening: June 13, 2023
- Playwright: Jack Thorne
- Director: Katy Rudd
- Cast: Stephen Campbell Moore, Adrian Scarborough
In May 1926 Britain grinds to a halt, as workers down tools for The General Strike. With the printing presses shut down, the only sources of news are the government’s The British Gazette, edited by Chancellor of the Exchequer Winston Churchill, and the independent, fledgling British Broadcasting Company, led by John Reith. What follows is a fierce battle for control of the news and who gets to define the truth.
- Theatre: Finborough Theatre
- Opening: June 13, 2023
- Playwright: Naomi Wallace and Marcus Rediker
- Director: Ron Daniels
- Cast: Mark Povinelli
2023. A Quaker meeting house on the Finborough Road or is it a theatre? Benjamin Lay – shepherd, sailor, prophet, and the British Empire’s first revolutionary abolitionist – returns from the grave almost 300 years after his death, as feisty and unpredictable as ever.
SCHOOL GIRLS: OR, THE AFRICAN MEAN GIRLS PLAY
- Theatre: Lyric Theatre Hammersmith
- First Preview: June 9, 2023
- Opening: June 15, 2023
- Playwright: Jocelyn Bioh
- Director: Monique Touko
- Cast: Heather Agyepong, Bola Akeju, Deborah Alli, Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, Jadesola Odunjo, Tara Tijani
As the reigning queen bee of Ghana’s most exclusive boarding school, Paulina has her sights on the 1986 Miss Universe pageant. But the arrival of a new transfer student from America changes the game.
ROBIN HOOD: THE LEGEND. RE-WRITTEN
- Theatre: Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Opening: June 17, 2023
- Book: Carl Grose
- Lyrics: Carl Grose
- Music: Carl Grose
- Director: Melly Still
- Cast: Nandi Bhebhe, Amena Alicia El-kindy, Dave Fishley, Stephanie Marion Fayerman, Samuel Gosrani, TJ Holmes, Paul Hunter, Katherine Manners, Shaun Yusuf McKee, Taya Ming, Marta Miranda, Alex Mugnaioni, Simon Oskarsson, Ellen Robertson, Dumile Lindiwe Sibanda, Ira Mandela Siobhan, Elexi Walker
Think you know the story of Robin Hood? Think again. Prepare for a thrilling new take on the classic tale, set in a desperate, divided kingdom where only the truly cunning can outwit the sheriff’s terrifying wrath. Promising humour, heart and a forest full of secrets, expect the arrows to fly in a bold new direction as trickery and truth collide with fiery results.
- Theatre: Menier Chocolate Factory
- First Preview: June 10, 2023
- Opening: June 19, 2023
- Book: Christopher Hampton
- Music: George Fenton
- Lyrics: Don Black
- Director: Trevor Nunn
- Cast: Edward Baker-Duly, Simon Bailey, Natalie Dunne, Derek Griffiths, Jonathan Andrew Hume, Rachel Izen, Gary Milner, Harry Morrison, Sam Underwood, Alan Vicary, Chanice Alexander-Burnett, Craig Bartley, Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong, Leah Harris, Aly Merali, Tom Sterling, Samantha Thomas, Tim Walton
Based on Graham Greene’s story, published as a novella and made into a film, The Third Man is set in post-war Vienna as Holly Martins arrives at the invitation of his friend and hero, Harry Lime, only to discover that Harry has been killed in a car accident.
- Theatre: Theatre Royal Bath
- First Preview: June 10, 2023
- Opening: June 20, 2023
- Book: Paul Blake, Kirsten Guenther
- Music and Lyrics: Cole Porter
- Director: Jeremy Sams
- Cast: Michael D. Xavier, Rebecca Collingwood
A beautiful princess is on yet another annual, busy but extremely strict tour of Europe. Striving for a little semblance of freedom like normal girls her age, she slips away instead of attending yet another a diplomatic ball. Meanwhile, a disgruntled American journalist sent to cover the royal family's tour across Europe finds the scoop of his career when he happens upon the princess sleeping on a park bench. Not recognizing her, he takes her home to rest. The next day, news of the princess' escape breaks, and he realizes who the girl really was. Now determined to be the first to find and interview her, he joins the scramble. However, when he does find her, he recognizes a kindred spirit within, and whilst both trying to elude the agents, the paparazzi and the police, they embark on an exciting spree around Rome, and fall in love in the process.
- Theatre: National Theatre (Olivier)
- First Preview: June 13, 2023
- Opening: June 20, 2023
- Playwright: James Graham
- Director: Rupert Goold
- Cast: Joseph Fiennes, Nick Barclay, Josh Barrow, Tashinga Bepete, Gunnar Cauthery, Will Close, Crystal Condie, Will Fletcher, Sean Gilder, Darragh Hand, Will Harrison-Wallace, Miranda Heath, John Hodgkinson, Adam Hugill, Albert Magashi, Kel Matsena, Gina McKee, Abdul Sessay, Lewis Shepherd, Paul Thornley, Tony Turner, Ryan Whittle
The country that gave the world football has since delivered a painful pattern of loss. Why can’t England’s men win at their own game? With the worst track record for penalties in the world, Gareth Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt to take team and country back to the promised land.
- Theatre: Shaftesbury Theatre
- First Preview: May 12, 2023
- Opening: June 22, 2023
- Book: Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell
- Music and Lyrics: Wayne Kirkpatrick and Karey Kirkpatrick
- Director: Jerry Zaks
- Cast: Gabriel Hick, Carla Dixon Hernandez, Cameron Blakely, Marcus Collins, Ian Talbot, Joshua Dever, Samuel Wilson-Freeman, Maria Garrett, Kiera Haynes, Adam Lyons, Lisa Mathieson, Ellie Mitchell, Matt Overfield, Tom Scanlon, Vicki Lee Taylor Rebecca Donnelly, Amy Everett, Paulo Teixeira
After losing custody in a messy divorce, Daniel Hillard creates the kindly alter ego of Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire in a desperate attempt to stay in their lives. A hilarious and heartfelt story about holding onto your loved ones against all odds, Mrs. Doubtfire is the musical comedy we need right now — one that proves we’re better together.
- Theatre: Bush Theatre
- Opening: June 23, 2023
- Playwright: AJ Yi
- Director: Emily Ling Williams
- Cast: TBA
Jonathan is a buttoned-up classical pianist, and he’s pretty sure his life will look just like his father’s: a good job, a family, and firmly settled in Hong Kong. Chloe is about to start university in England, and she’s ready to be the Asian Elle Woods. Empowered by the music of BTS, M.I.A and Beyonce (of course), she has big plans to make her mark. Through months of sharing messages, music reccs and late-night confessions, they both get swept up in the promise of how someone unexpected can change your world. What they don’t realize is that the world around them is about to change forever.
- Theatre: Barbican Theatre
- First Preview: June 17, 2023
- Opening: June 28, 2023
- Book, Music, and Lyrics: Michael R. Jackson
- Director: Stephen Brackett
- Cast: Kyle Ramar Freeman, Jason Pennycooke, Sharlene Hector, Danny Bailey, Eddie Elliott, Tendai Humphrey Sitima
Usher is a black, queer writer, working a day job he hates while writing his original musical: a piece about a black, queer writer, working a day job he hates while writing his original musical. Michael R. Jackson’s blistering, momentous musical follows a young artist at war with a host of demons — not least of which, the punishing thoughts in his own head — in an attempt to capture and understand his own strange loop.
- Theatre: Hampstead Theatre
- First Preview: June 28, 2023
- Opening: June 30, 2023
- Playwright: Simon Stephens, Mark Eitzel
- Director: Kirk Jameson
- Cast: Will Young
One crisp winter day in New York, Willem receives a phone call – it’s time to go home. Home to Amsterdam – to estranged family and forgotten relationships. As he reflects on his life, unwilling to face the future, he finds himself reaching out to the brother he lost.
THE TEMPEST RE-IMAGINED FOR EVERYONE AGED SIX AND OVER
- Theatre: Regent's Park Open Air
- First Preview: June 30, 2023
- Opening: July 7, 2023
- Playwright: William Shakespeare, adapted by Jennifer Tang
- Director: Jennifer Tang
- Cast: TBA
When the sorcerer Prospero conjures up a storm to shipwreck his enemies, he sets the scene for an enchanting tale of spells, monsters, revenge and romance. In this 75-minute show, The Tempest re-imagined for everyone aged six and over brings Shakespeare's text thrillingly to life for younger audiences.
- Theatre: Garrick Theatre
- Opening: July 7, 2024
- Playwright: Simon Nye
- Director: Sean Foley
- Cast: Al Murray, Mel Giedroyc, Carrie Hope Fletcher, Neil Morrissey, Joe Thomas, Tanvi Virmani
A riotous new comedy based on the most unbelievable royal caper in British history. Charismatic and unpredictable Colonel Blood is planning the greatest heist of all time: stealing the Crown Jewels in plain sight. With a gang of misfits by his side, what could possibly go wrong? But Charles II can’t afford a royal scandal, and no King likes people handling their Crown Jewels…
- Theatre: Harold Pinter Theatre
- First Preview: June 29, 2023
- Opening: July 11, 2023
- Playwright: Stephen Brown
- Director: Tom Morris
- Cast: Mark Rylance
In Vienna, a city of artistic and scientific revolution, thousands of women are still dying in childbirth each and every year. Only Dr Semmelweis can see the invisible killer at work, but to stop it, he must convince his colleagues to admit culpability and approve change.
- Theatre: Royal Court Theatre
- First Preview: July 6, 2023
- Opening: July 12, 2023
- Playwright: Michael Wynne
- Director: Vicky Featherstone
- Cast: TBA
Doreen and her two grown up daughters sit at the table – eating fish and chips, distracted by their phones. Upstairs, 17–year-old Megyn has locked herself in her grandmother’s bedroom and refuses to come out. And no one is entirely sure why…
- Theatre: Park Theatre
- First Preview: July 7, 2023
- Opening: July 13, 2023
- Playwright: Andrew Stein
- Director: Hersh Ellis
- Cast: Nathaniel Curtis
Does anyone know what would make them truly happy? Tech entrepreneur Nick thinks he has the answer. After tremendous Silicon Valley success and a big exit, Nick presents his three best friends with his next big idea: an algorithm that is more complex than the human brain and promises to guide them through big life decisions better and more effectively than they can guide themselves. In an era where every aspect of human life has been documented with data and disrupted by technology, do computers know us better than we know ourselves? And even if they do, should we listen?
- Theatre: Sheffield Theatres
- First Preview: July 8, 2023
- Opening: July 13, 2023
- Book: Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg
- Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg
- Lyrics: Richard Maltby, Jr., Alain Boublil
- Director: Robert Hastie and Anthony Lau
- Cast: Joanna Ampil
Set in 1975 during the final days of the of the Vietnam War, Miss Saigon is an epic love story about the relationship between Chris, an American GI and Kim, a young Vietnamese woman. They are separated when the country falls, until she returns to his life years later, in this musical inspired by the opera Madame Butterfly.
GRENFELL: IN THE WORDS OF SURVIVORS
- Theatre: National Theatre (Dorfman)
- First Preview: July 13, 2023
- Opening: July 20, 2023
- Playwright: Gillian Slovo
- Director: Phyllida Lloyd, Anthony Simpson-Pike
- Cast: Joseph Alessi, Jackie Clune, Houda Echouafni, Mona Goodwin, Keaton Guimarães-Tolley, Ash Hunter, Pearl Mackie, Rachid Sabitri, Michael Shaeffer, Nahel Tzegai
A powerful new verbatim play from the testimony of residents at the heart of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Six years on, interviews conducted with a group of survivors and bereaved reveal the impact of the multiple failures that led to a national disaster, asking: how do we stop this ever happening again?
- Theatre: Royal Court Theatre
- First Preview: July 20, 2023
- Opening: July 26, 2023
- Playwright: Rabiah Hussain
- Director: Nimmo Ismail
- Cast: TBA
In the Downing Street Press Office an emergency meeting has been called. The Prime Minister has been ad-libbing on live tv (again) and his words are going viral. There are accusations of Islamophobia, and demands for an apology; but as the team debates what to do next, it’s already too late. His words have found their way to dinner parties, bus journeys and newspaper columns across the nation – and not everyone is angry.
- Theatre: Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
- Opening: July 29, 2023
- Book: Harvey Fierstein
- Lyrics: Jerry Herman
- Music: Jerry Herman
- Director: Timothy Sheader
- Cast: TBA
Jerry Herman's musical, based on the French play of the same name, is the story of a flamboyant gay couple who must pretend to be straight for one night — with one of the men in drag — to dupe the conservative political family of their son's fiancee.
- Theatre: Gillian Lynne Theatre
- First Preview: June 24, 2023
- Opening: July 3, 2023
- Book: Ken Ludwig
- Music: George Gershwin
- Lyrics: Ira Gershwin
- Director: Susan Stroman
- Cast: Charlie Stemp, Carly Anderson, Tom Edden, Natalie Kassanga, Matthew Craig, Duncan Smith, Marilyn Cutts, Sam Harrison, Rina Fatania, Jack Wilcox, Kayleigh Thadani, Kate Parr, Lila Anderson, Harriet Sammuel-Gray, Imogen Bowtell, Laura Hills, Ella Valentine, Tara Yasmin, Marc Akinfolarin, Lucas Koch, Philip Bertioli, Jason Battersby, Ashley-Jordon Packer, Nicholas Duncan, Nathan Elwick, Liam Wrate, Joshua Nkemdilim, Nell Martin, Bradley Trevethan, Bethan Downing, Ryan Jupp, Jinny Gould, George Bray
A banker with a yen for show business is sent to foreclose on a property that turns out to be a theatre. After falling in love with the local postmistress, he decides to put on a show to save the theatre, in this musical featuring classic Gershwin songs and a Ken Ludwig libretto inspired by the 1930 musical Girl Crazy.
- Theatre: National Theatre (Lyttelton)
- First Preview: August 1, 2023
- Opening: August 9, 2023
- Playwright: Lucy Prebble
- Director: Jamie Lloyd
- Cast: Paapa Essiedu, Taylor Russell
Hearts racing. Minds reeling. Knees buckling. Connie and Tristan have palpable chemistry—or is it a side effect of a new antidepressant? They are volunteers in a clinical trial, but their sudden and illicit romance forces the supervising doctors to face off over the ethical consequences of their work. THE EFFECT takes on our pill-popping culture with humor and scintillating drama.
- Theatre: Park Theatre
- First Preview: August 10, 2023
- Opening: August 15, 2023
- Playwright: Makoto Shinkai
- Director: Alexandra Rutter
- Cast: TBA
Rainy season. Tokyo. Akizuki is skipping class; Yukino should be at work. When a student and an older woman seeking solace in a Japanese garden meet by chance, their mutual feelings of alienation draw them together. But a truth is about to be uncovered. The friendship that could save them might also ruin them…
- Theatre: Donmar Warehouse
- First Preview: August 12, 2023
- Opening: TBA
- Book and Lyrics: Brian Yorkey
- Music: Tom Kitt
- Director: Michael Longhurst
- Cast: Caissie Levy, Trevor Dion Nicholas
The 2009 Tony Award®-winning pop/rock musical and winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama lifts the veil on family loss and the individual responses to crisis and endurance, while pushing the boundaries of contemporary musical theater.
- Theatre: Charing Cross Theatre
- Opening: September 4, 2022
- Book: Michael Kunze (English Adaptation by Christopher Hampton)
- Music: Sylvester Levar
- Lyrics: Michael Kunze (English Lyrics by Christopher Hamption)
- Director: Alejandro Bonatto
- Cast: TBA
In this musical adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novel, Maxim De Winter brings his new wife to his estate at Manderlay, where she meets the sinister housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who constantly compares her unfavorably to the previous Mrs. De Winter, Rebecca.
- Theatre: Bush Theatre
- Opening: September 7, 2023
- Playwright: Tyrell Williams
- Director: Daniel Bailey
- Cast: Francis Lovehall, Emeka Sesay, Kedar Williams-Stirling
Red Pitch. South London. Three lifelong friends Omz, Bilal and Joey are playing football. Like they always have. Living out dreams of football stardom. Beyond their football pitch, local shops are closing, old flats are being demolished as new flats shoot up, some residents struggle to stay while others rush to leave. When a small football pitch has been a home from home, a place you’ve laughed, fought and forged friendships, what happens when it’s under threat?
- Theatre: National Theatre (Olivier)
- First Preview: September 8, 2023
- Opening: September 14, 2023
- Playwright: Anupama Chandrasekhar
- Director: Indhu Rubasingham
- Cast: Hiran Abeysekera, Paul Bazely
Nathuram Godse: journalist, patriot, murderer. The Father and the Assassin is a gripping new play that traces Godse’s life over 30 years during India's fight for independence: from devout follower of Mahatma Gandhi, through to his radicalisation and their tragic final encounter.
MIKE BIRBIGLIA: THE OLD MAN AND THE POOL
- Theatre: Wyndham's Theatre
- First Preview: September 12, 2023
- Opening: September 15, 2023
- Playwright: Mike Birbiglia
- Director: Seth Barrish
- Cast: Mke Birbiglia
On the heels of his award-winning Broadway show The New One, comedian and storyteller Mike Birbiglia returns with a tale of life, death, and a highly chlorinated YMCA pool. With his unique form of comedic storytelling, Birbiglia chronicles a coming-of-middle-age story that asks the big questions: Why are we here? What’s next? And what happens when the items at the doctor’s office that you thought were decorative become quite useful?
STEPHEN SONDHEIM'S OLD FRIENDS
- Theatre: Gielgud Theatre
- Opening: September 16, 2023
- Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
- Director: Matthew Bourne and Julia McKenzie
- Conceived by Cameron Mackintosh
- Cast: Bernadette Peters, Lea Salonga, Christine Allado, Janie Dee, Bonnie Langford, Jeremy Seacomb, Beatrice Penny-Touré, Joanna Riding, Jac Yarrow
A tribute concert to late musical theatre trailblazer Stephen Sondheim.
IT'S HEADED STRAIGHT TOWARDS US
- Theatre: Park Theatre
- First Preview: September 13, 2023
- Opening: September 19, 2023
- Playwright: Adrian Edmonson, Nigel Planer
- Director: Rachel Kavanaugh
- Cast: Rufus Hound, Samuel West
Two actors, stuck in a trailer on the side of a volcano, in Iceland. The glacier is melting, the volcano is active. Bitter rivalries emerge between fussy ‘bit part’ actor Hugh Delavois and fading Hollywood bad boy Gary Savage, going back to their time at college together, as the film they are meant to be working on collapses around them and the trailer they are in begins to slip. An avalanche wipes out the only escape road and the only bridge to safety subsides into the ravine
- Theatre: Menier Chocolate Factory
- First Preview: September 18, 2023
- Opening: September 27, 2023
- Book: Ben Elton
- Music and Lyrics: Various
- Director: Ben Elton
- Cast: TBA
The story of a skinny kid from Neasden who became the most famous teenager on the planet and the ‘face of the 1960’s may seem like the stuff of fairy tales, but there is tragedy as well as triumph in this intimate portrayal of a true 20th century icon.
- Theatre: Theatre Royal Bath
- Opening: October 12, 2023
- Playwright: Oliver Cotton
- Director: Trevor Nunn
- Cast: Brian Cox
Spring 1747. Potsdam, Prussia. Johann Sebastian Bach reluctantly visits the court of Frederick II, Europe’s most ambitious and dangerous leader. The two men could hardly be more different. As the Age of Enlightenment dawns, they stand in opposite camps. Bach is deeply religious, Frederick is an atheist. Bach loathes war, Frederick revels in it. Bach studies scripture, Frederick reads military history. Frederick remains in awe of Bach’s genius however and has mischievously prepared a musical conundrum that he hopes will baffle the composer and amuse his court. The explosive events of the following days could not have been predicted by either man.
- Theatre: Bush Theatre
- Opening: October 14, 2023
- Playwright: Anoushka Lucas
- Director: Jess Edwards
- Cast: Anoushka Lucas
A piano came through the sky and landed in Lylah’s council flat, just for her. As she pours over the keys and sound floods into all the rooms, Lylah falls in love. At school, Lylah can’t ask questions – she’s got to be good, good, good or else she’ll lose her scholarship. At home she can’t ask questions; her cousins say she talks weird, and her parents are distracted. So she asks her piano: Where did you come from? Why are you here? And their shared history tumbles into the light.
- Theatre: Hope Mill Theatre
- First Preview: October 21, 2023
- Opening: October 26, 2023
- Book: Douglas Carter Beane
- Music and Lyrics: Lewis Flinn
- Director: Douglas Carter Beane
- Cast: TBA
Set in 90s New York, To Wong Foo The Musical tells the story of 3 Drag Queens, Vida, Noxeema and Chichi, who embark on a trip across America to attend the Drag Queen of the Year Finals in Hollywood. When their car breaks down in Middle America, their lives, as well as those in the town, are turned upside down, in this joyous, heartfelt and high camp musical extravaganza!
- Theatre: Wyndham's Theatre
- First Preview: October 21, 2023
- Opening: October 31, 2023
- Playwright: William Shakespeare
- Director: Kenneth Branagh
- Cast: Kenneth Branagh
Perhaps Shakespeare's greatest tragedy, King Lear is the story of an aging king, who, in demanding a show of devotion from his three daughters, leaves his kingdom divided, his family destroyed, the faithful banished and the hateful left to wreak inhuman havoc in the realm.
- Theatre: Park Theatre
- First Preview: October 27, 2023
- Opening: November 1, 2023
- Playwright: Jonathan Maitland
- Director: Michael Fentiman
- Cast: TBA
On the 20th of November 1995 the BBC broadcast an interview between Princess Diana and Martin Bashir. It was watched by hundreds of millions worldwide. But now, it is said, the interview has no legitimacy. Is it right that the way it came about has overshadowed what it was meant to be?
FEELING AFRAID AS IF SOMETHING TERRIBLE IS GOING TO HAPPEN
- Theatre: Bush Theatre
- Opening: November 10, 2023
- Playwright: Samuel Barnett
- Director: Matthew Xia
- Cast: TBA
After years of swiping, a permanently single, professionally neurotic stand-up finally meets Mr Right – and then does everything wrong. Strap in for a delightfully dark journey through self-awareness and self-sabotage as he decides whether love is worth the price of a killer punchline.
- Theatre: Dominion Theatre
- Opening: November 15, 2023
- Book: Bob Martin and Thomas Meehan
- Music: Matthew Sklar
- Lyrics: Chad Beguelin
- Director: Philip Wm. McKinley
- Cast: TBA
Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa’s permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh realities that his father is on the naughty list and his half-brother doesn’t even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.
- Theatre: Barbican Theatre
- Opening: November 21, 2023
- Playwright: Tom Morton-Smith
- Director: Phelim McDermott
- Cast: TBA
Exploring the magical fantasy world of childhood and the transformative power of imagination, My Neighbour Totoro follows one extraordinary summer in the lives of sisters Satsuki and Mei as they are swept up in exciting adventures with their new neighbours – transported to a long-forgotten realm of spirits, sprites, and natural wonder.
- Theatre: National Theatre (Olivier)
- First Preview: November 7, 2023
- Opening: November 21, 2023
- Book: Lucy Kirkwood
- Lyrics: Lucy Kirkwood, Dave Malloy
- Music: Dave Malloy
- Director: Lyndsey Turner
- Cast: Julie Armstrong, Chrissie Bhima, Zoe Birkett, Daniiele Coombe, Molly-May Gardiner, Tiffany Graves, Katherine Kingsley, Tania Mathurin, Jacob Maynard, Laura Medforth, Ben Redfern, Daniel Rigby
- Theatre: Lyric Theatre
- Opening: November 23, 2023
- Playwright: Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields
- Cast: Mischief
Co-written by Mischief company members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields, Peter Pan Goes Wrong is a highly physical comedy packed with finely-tuned and inspired slapstick, delivered with split-second timing and ambitious daring. The play sees the ‘Cornley Drama Society’ back on stage battling technical hitches, flying mishaps and cast disputes as they attempt to present J.M Barrie’s much-loved tale. But will they ever make it to Neverland?
- Theatre: Rose Theatre
- Opening: December 1, 2023
- Playwright: J.M. Barrie, Adapted by Evan Placey
- Director: Lucy Morrell
- Cast: TBA
Chasing his runaway shadow, a mischievous young boy crash lands through an open window and meets a headstrong young girl not yet ready to face growing up. With a sprinkle of fairy dust, they take flight on a whirlwind festive voyage over pirate ships, through mermaid lagoons and into the heart of Neverland.
- Theatre: Menier Chocolate Factory
- First Preview: November 25, 2023
- Opening: December 4, 2023
- Book: John Weidman
- Music and Lyrics: Stephen Sondheim
- Director: Matthew White
- Cast: TBA
A stunning exploration of tradition and transformation based on historical events. In 1853, after 200 years of stability, Japan faces an American expedition determined to open the “floating kingdom” to trade. The isolationist island’s reckoning with the unwelcome western influence is brilliantly illuminated through a kaleidoscope of stories about sailors, samurai, “someone in a tree” and two friends who choose radically different paths. This innovative epic of East meets West is one of Sondheim’s most ambitious and rarely produced musicals.
- Theatre: Donmar Warehouse
- First Preview: December 8, 2023
- Opening: December 15, 2023
- Playwright: William Shakespeare
- Director: Max Webster
- Cast: David Tennant, Cush Jumbo
A spellbinding story of love and murder, the renewing power of nature, and of the internal struggles of a damaged man as he tries to control his destiny. This bracingly fresh production of the Scottish play places us inside the mind of Macbeth, asking are we ever really responsible for our actions?
- Theatre: Dominion Theatre
- Opening: January 20, 2024
- Book and Lyrics: Oscar Hammerstein II
- Music: Richard Rodgers
- Director: Bartlett Sher
- Cast: Helen George, Darren Lee
Welsh schoolteacher Anna Leonowens travels from England to Siam to serve as governess to the king's many children. Their clash of wills and the lessons they learn from each other are examined in this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, based on Leonowens's account of her experiences.
- Theatre: Royal Court Theatre
- First Preview: January 16, 2024
- Opening: January 22, 2024
- Playwright: Lucas Hnath
- Director: Les Waters
- Cast: Deirdre O'Connell
Dana was a chaplain of a psych ward where she met a charismatic patient, an ex-convict searching for redemption. A harrowing true story, Dana was held captive with her life in this man’s hands — trapped in a series of Florida motels, disoriented and terrified — for five months. Told in Dana's own words and reconstructed for the stage by her son Lucas Hnath, this innovative work shatters the boundaries of the art form and our understanding of good and evil.
- Theatre: Lyric Theatre (Shaftesbury)
- First Preview: February 10, 2024
- Opening: February 21, 2024
- Book, Music, and Lyrics: Anaïs Mitchell
- Director: Rachel Chavkin
- Cast: TBA
Hadestown follows two intertwining love stories—that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone—as it invites audiences on an epic journey to the underworld and back.
- Theatre: Dominion Theatre
- Opening: March 15, 2024
- Book: Cheri and Bill Steinkellner, Douglas Carter Beane
- Music: Alan Menken
- Lyrics: Glenn Slater
- Director: Bill Buckhurst
- Cast: Beverley Knight (March 15 - June 8), Alexandra Burke (June 10 - August 31)
What’s the best place to hide a disco diva who just witnessed a mob hit? In a convent, of course! Delores Van Cartier takes cover and dons a habit, but she can’t quite live up to the rigid expectations of Mother Superior. When she brings her disco talent to the convent choir, the word “sister” takes on new meaning as the public, the press – and the mob – take notice.
- Theatre: Prince Edward Theatre
- First Preview: March 6, 2024
- Opening: March 27, 2024
- Book: Lynn Nottage
- Music and Lyrics: Various
- Director: Christopher Wheeldon
- Cast: Myles Frost
He is one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Now, Michael Jackson’s unique and unparalleled artistry has finally arrived on Broadway in a brand-new musical. Centered around the making of his 1992 Dangerous World Tour, and created by Tony Award(R)-winning Director/Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, MJ goes beyond the singular moves and signature sound of the star, offering a rare look at the creative mind and collaborative spirit that catapulted Jackson into legendary status. Turn it up, Broadway — MJ is here
- Theatre: Wyndham's Theatre
- First Preview: March 19, 2024
- Opening: April 2, 2024
- Playwright: Eugene O'Neill
- Director: Jeremy Herrin
- Cast: Brian Cox, Patricia Clarkson, Alex Lawther, Daryl McCormack, Louisa Harland
The Tyrone family — the miserly actor father, the grasping mother addicted to morphine, the alcoholic older son and the tubercular younger son — come to grips with their twisted love for one another in Eugene O'Neill's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play.
- Theatre: Theatre Royal Plymouth
- Opening: May 11, 2024
- Adaptation: Lindsey Ferrentino, Drew McOnie
- Director: Drew McOnie
- Cast: TBA
In 1920s Hollywood the business of making dreams come true is in full swing. Silent movie icon George Valentin has long been the darling of the silver screen when he falls for aspiring actress Peppy Miller. But while her star is about to rise, his might soon flicker out: amidst all the glamour, laughter and romance, the silent movie industry is on the brink of a revolution. With the Talkies on their way, George must either find his voice in a brave new world or lose everything he holds dear to a bygone era.
