Cinderella

Although the regular churn of writers and directors means the Lyric Hammersmith panto can be a pretty mercurial affair, it’s probably taken the title of London’s best musical in recent years, wresting it away from the Hackney Empire’s less edgy offering. We don’t know a huge amount about 2026’s Cinderella yet other than the creatives, but they’re pretty interesting: it’s being written by Joel Horwood, whose recent CV revolves around big, bold adaptations, notably this year’s Sherlock Holmes and the recent West End hit The Ocean at the End of the Lane. And it’s directed by Robin Belfield, who has a mercurial CV that leans towards younger audiences. They’re both Lyric panto newcomers, but hopefully they stay true to its smart pop cultural humour and fearlessness about the odd political jibe.