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The jewel in the crown of the National Theatre’s 2026 schedule is Electra/Persona – a mash up of the Ancient Greek tragedy of Electra with Ingmar Bergman’s classic 1966 thriller Persona, adapted and directed by Aussie hotshot Benedict Andrews.
That’s not the reason it’s such a big deal, though: it has a sensational cast headed by Tár co-stars Nina Hoss and Cate Blanchett. The presence of the latter means it’s all but guaranteed to sell out its two-month run immediately, so don’t miss out on your chance to buy tickets.
The show was announced some time ago, but we do finally have the full information about it: it’ll run August 19 to October 10, with public booking opening at noon on Thursday May 21.
Electra/Persona will also be going on sale to members the week before – although it won’t sell out on the pre-sale, membership will more or less guarantee you can get a ticket in an unhurried fashion (if you have an Amex card you should also get a couple of days’ advance sale access). Failing that, £10 Rush Tickets will be released every Friday throughout the run.
Electra/Persona is the biggest NT show to go on sale May 21, but not the only one. It’ll be joined by an eagerly anticipated revival of Caryl Churchill’s landmark Cloud No 9 (Nov 2 2026-Jan 13 2027), the first time the legendary avant-garde playwright’s breakthrough play has been staged in London in decades. There’s a one-week run for radical Portuguese play Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists (Sep 19-26) from renowned playwright and director Tiago Rodrigues. Anne-Marie Duff will star as an ordinary woman who takes a stand against the system in Helen Edmundson's new play Some Women (Oct 7-Nov 21). And classic play-with-songs The Rise and Fall of Little Voice will be revived and get a run over Christmas (Dec 2-Jan 23 2027).
All shows will go on general sale May 21.
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