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Yet another 2027 London theatre season has been announced, and it’s a good ’un: the Royal Court’s latest. Theatre boss David Byrne is no longer the new kid on the block at the UK’s home of new writing, and his fourth year in charge continues his ‘something for everyone’, balancing act style of programming that mixes new writers and experimental work with big celebrity names and a major US transfer.
It kicks off with the transfer of the 2025 winner of the Tony Award for best Broadway play: Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ Purpose (Jan 16-Feb 27). Directed by the great Phylicia Rashad for Chicago’s legendary Steppenwolf Theatre Company, it’s an epic family drama – complete with Jacobs-Jenkins’ trademark provocative twists – about three generations of a privileged Black family who find themselves snowed in together, with explosive consequences. Like this year’s John Proctor is the Villain, it’s the original production; unlike John Proctor, we’re getting virtually the entire original US cast – four of them Tony nominated for their roles – which is obviously very exciting.
Continuing with the bigger Downstairs theatre first, next up is The Apology (Mar 19-Apr 24), a remarkable sounding world premiere of a play written by V (aka Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues). It’s a fictionalised apology from Ensler’s dead father (played by Tobias Menzies) to her for the abuse she suffered at his hands. But the very exciting thing is that it’s a production from the legendary theatre company Complicité, directed by their visionary artistic director Simon McBurney.
Byrne himself will make his Downstairs debut as director with Ciara Elizabeth Smyth’s new domestic thriller The Briar Patch (May 14-Jun 26 2027), which stars the great Juliet Stevenson as Dara, a woman losing the thread just as a scandal rocks her community.
The 2027 season is in fact just the first half of the year – whereas all of the Court’s 2026 programming was announced at once, today’s announcement is leaving the autumn season until later. The exception is the first show of 2028. Nina Segal’s Afterbirth (Jan 15-Feb 26 2028), a ‘funny, furious and unflinching story about the disorienting reality of life after birth’. Fair enough, but the reason for its delay is surely to accommodate the schedule of its big name star Jessie Buckley. Although her name does add a little star power to the 2027 announcement, presumably the main reason Afterbirth is being announced today is simply because it’s now locked in (because of Buckley’s schedule) whereas the rest of the 2027 programme probably hasn’t been decided yet.
That’s it for Downstairs, but we also have six months of the smaller Upstairs theatre programme. We’re Going to Kill Billy (Feb 18-Mar 27 2027) by first-time writer Alex Medland follows four teenage girls who decide to stop the environmentally destructive building of a local marina by kidnapping the billionaire developer’s grandson. War Face (Apr 22-May 1 2027) is an intriguing project by Georgie Dettmer that will see serving and retired soldiers – including from the nearby Royal Hospital Chelsea – reflect upon how service shaped their lives. The show will be performed by a mixed company of actors and veterans. Finally, Benjamin Kuffuor’s Working Men (Jun 4-Jul 10 2027) is a new play about the cost of living crisis that follows one very dramatic day on a council estate.
That’s it for now, but expect the second half of the Court’s 2027 programme to be announced in around six months.
The entire season – including Afterbirth – will go on general sale at noon on Nov 4.
The Lyric Hammersmith has announced its entire 2027 season.
The best new London theatre shows to book for in 2026 and 2027.
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