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Caught between the flood of new openings that come with September and the imminent arrival of pre-Christmas blockbuster season, October is a slightly random but very enjoyable looking month in the London theatre calendar this year.
A cheeky take on Hamlet and a rare revival for Troilus and Cressida make it a good month for fans of weird Shakespeare, but there’s really a little something for everyone, from the one mega-celebrity opening in the form of the Susan Sarandon-starring Mary Page Marlowe, to a welcome opportunity for London to see hyped transfers for gorgeous mini folk musical Ohio and sprawling Polish avant-garde epic Rohtko.
The best new London theatre openings in October 2025
1. The Unbelievers
Playwright Nick Payne has been a stranger to the theatre of late, with the Constellations writer having drifted into screenwriting, notably his A24 film We Live in Time. But there’s every reason to be very excited about his return, as a lot of other great people seem to be excited too. War Horse and Curious Incident director Marianne Elliott will make her Royal Court debut to direct The Unbelievers, which stars the reliably awesome Nicola Walker as a grieving mother experiencing every moment since her son disappeared simultaneously. Hard to know what the hell that means, but Payne did pull off a multiversal romcom in Constellations, so if anyone can do this, he can.
Royal Court Theatre, Oct 10-Nov 28. Buy tickets here.
2. Mary Page Marlowe
Hands down the starriest show of the month, Mary Page Marlowe is a play by US playwright and actor Tracy Letts which had a relatively low-key life in the States that here debuts in a stonking great production at the Old Vic starring not only Andrea Riseborough, but in her UK stage debut Susan Sarandon. Both will play the title character at different stages in her life, in a play that aims to tell an entire life story in snapshots.
Old Vic, now until Nov 1. Buy tickets here.
3. The Line of Beauty
Since leaving the Donmar Warehouse, director Michael Grandage has exclusively traded in big West End and Broadway shows, most notably the Frozen musical. But for the very special occasion of the first stage adaptation of Alan Hollinghurst’s Booker-winning novel of queerness and privilege in Thatcherite Britain, Grandage will do the honours at the dinky Almeida, in a production with a fine cast that includes Charles Edwards, Francesca Amewudah-Rivers and newcomer Jasper Talbot (pictured) as protagonist Nick, a middle-class gay guy who becomes a permanent resident at the home of his hugely wealthy university friend. It’s mostly sold out, but keep an eye open for a fresh ticket release.
Almeida Theatre, Oct 21-Nov 29.
4. The Maids
It’s been nearly a decade since the last big London revival of Jean Genet’s surrealist class satire The Maids (by Jamie Lloyd no less). So this is a good time for a fresh revival, and the Donmar’s new production has a fine cast, with the wonderful Lydia Wilson leading it as Madame, and Yerin Ha and Phia Saban as the two maids who obsessively roleplay her murder. The really interesting thing about this production, however, is the presence of Australian director Kip Wiliams. This is his first original UK production, but we had a transfer of his high tech, tongue in cheek, one-woman Dorian Gray last year, and his Dracula will follow next year with Cynthia Erivo starring. Will The Maids be similarly technologically out there? We’ll find out soon!
Donmar Warehouse, Oct 13-Nov 29.
5. Rohtko
Łukasz Twarkowski is one of the hottest names in European theatre right now, having made his name with a series of gargantuan stage works that blur the line between theatre and cinema. And you can tell what a big deal he is because despite the enormous financial and logistical barriers, the shows are actually starting to come over here, albeit for markedly limited runs. Earlier this year we had his satirical sci-fi opus The Employees. Now here comes Rohtko, a sprawling, four-hour, multilingual epic that drills into the story of the wealthy American couple who bought a Rothko for $8.3m that turned out to be fake.
Barbican Centre, Oct 2-5.
6. Hamlet
Shakespeare’s masterpiece is normally a massive deal for a theatre to stage. But while that’s of course mostly true for this National Theatre production from new deputy Robert Hastie – the first NT Hamlet since Rory Kinnear in 2010 – it’s also the case that opening in the slightly smaller Lyttelton Theatre just one week after new NT boss Indhu Rubasingham formally started her reign with Bacchae in the larger Olivier Theatre takes the heat off it a little. With Hiran Abeysekera as the doomed Danish prince, the publicity material to date suggests an impish modern version that’s not so serious. Nonetheless: it’s the National Theatre doing the greatest play ever written – of course it’s a big deal.
National Theatre, Lyttelton, now until Nov 22. Buy tickets here.
7. Bog Witch
Performance artist Bryony Kimmings was a joyous fixture of the London stage in the ’10s, with a string of high concept, highly accessible shows that hilariously detailed everything from her attempt to make a work of theatre while smashed, to her efforts to transform herself into a positive role model pop star for her young niece (the two works were not connected). Now she’s back with her first solo work since the pandemic. Her biggest show to date, Bog Witch will explore what she’s been doing since – which is, apparently, getting into environmentalism and living off grid in the middle of nowhere. Expect it to be weird, funny, fun and – even if you’d never heard of her before – just like catching up with an old pal.
Soho Theatre Walthamstow, Oct 9-25.
8. Ohio
The Young Vic’s current main-house production of Joe Orton’s Entertaining Mr Sloane is a so-so note for Nadia Fall’s tenure at the iconic theatre to kick off. Fortunately, though, she’d already prepared a backup. Reopening the theatre”s neglected Maria studio, the first show it’ll play host to is this searingly intense autobiographical folk-rock meditation on the nature of deafness by married US duo The Bengsons. It was a sell out smash at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe and deserves to do the same again at the Vic.
Young Vic, Maria, Sep 30-Oct 24.
9. Wendy & Peter Pan
Ella Hickson’s feminist-leaning reworking of JM Barrie’s Peter Pan has been a big Christmas hit for the RSC twice. That was 10 years ago, though, and despite other productions up and down the country it’s never made it to London in any form. Until now! Wendy & Peter Pan finally makes it to the Barbican a little short of Christmas, but in time for half-term. And it’ll do so with a very good cast, notably Toby Stephens taking on his first stage role in yonks to play Captain Hook.
Barbican Centre, Oct 21-Nov 22. Buy tickets here.
10. Troilus and Cressida
One of Shakespeare’s nuttiest deep cuts, Troilus and Cressida is basically a straight up dramatisation of the Iliad combined with a fairly small subplot about the doomed love between the titular Trojan couple (who Shakespeare made up). It has a weirdly comic tone, is complicated to stage, and indeed it hasn’t been staged in London for over a decade. Which makes it all the more thrilling when anybody attempts it: the very accomplished Owen Horsley will direct, with an excellent cast including Samantha Spiro, Lucy McCormick and Jodie McNee.
Shakespeare’s Globe, now until Oct 26. Buy tickets here.
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