For many people, musical theatre basically is theatre, and certainly there are a hell of a lot of musicals running in London at any given time, from decades-long classics like Les Misérables and The Phantom of the Opera to short-run fringe obscurities, plus all manner of new shows launched every year hoping for long-running glory.
Here Time Out rounds up every West End musical currently running or coming soon, plus fringe and off-West End shows that we’ve reviewed – all presented in fabulous alphabetical order.
SEE ALSO: How to get cheap and last-minute theatre tickets in London.
What is it? Rupert Goold has always been partial to the odd musical, and for the first one of his tenure at the Old Vic he directs the biggest ever London production of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s revue-like show 1990 show, which offers a parade of America’s presidential assassins – failed and successful – and ponders what they say about the American psyche.
Where is it? Old Vic.
What is it? Avenue Q was a ’00s musical theatre phenomenon, a profane, puppet-driven mash up of Sesame Street and Rent. Centring on young puppet Princeton, it follows the misadventure of him and the assortment of humans and puppets he encounters as he moves into the titular run down New York suburb. Its return has lost some of that ’00s shock factor, but it’s still beautifully made.
Where is it? Shaftesbury Theatre.
What is it? Technically known as Beetlejuice The Musical. The Musical. The Musical, this massive scale Broadway adaptation of the classic Tim Burton comedy horror movie has been a big hit in the States and now it’s repeated the feat over here with a limited – but lengthy – West End run
Where is it? Prince Edward Theatre.
What is it? A titantic West End and global smash in the ’00s and ’10s, the stage musical version of Billy Elliot is conceivably a bigger hit than the well-liked 2000 Britflick that it’s based upon. Tracing the adventures of young Billy – a working class lad from Durham coming to grips with his love of ballet at the hight of the miners’ strike – the musical adaptation retains the film’s director (Stephen Daldry) and writer (Lee Hall) but adds flamboyant theatricality, added rage at Thatcher, and songs by Elton John. It returns for 2027, with a long-ish West End stint the centrepiece of a national tour.
Where is it? Adelphi Theatre.
What is it? South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s Broadway-munching musical is a somewhat improbably big-hearted affair that sails close to the wind at times but nonetheless pays note-perfect homage to the sounds and spirit of Broadway’s golden age.
Where is it? Prince of Wales Theatre.
What is it? Years after its original superstar leads Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley moved on, Rebecca Frecknall’s stylish take on the Kander & Ebb classic keeps going, thanks to Tom Scutt’s virtuosic delight and a steady stream of talking point leads.
Where is it? Playhouse Theatre.
What is it? The original, 2013 Sam Mendes-directed production of this musical adaptation of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was a huge success, running at the vast Theatre Royal Drury Lane for longer than The Producers or Frozen. It wasn’t super memorable, though, which is probably why we’re getting an all-new revival just ten years later. Directed by Nikolai Foster, it will star cuddly musical theatre legend Michael Ball in the lead role of capricious confectionary magnate Willy Wonka, whose presence pretty much guarantees this limited Coliseum run will be a hit.
Where is it? London Coliseum.
What is it? Death Note: The Musical is a remarkably faithful adaptation of Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata's classic mid-’00s Death Note manga, which concerns Light Yagami, a Tokyo high school student who (via a capricious death spirit) comes into possession of a book that kills anyone whose name is written in it. But maybe a little artistic licence could have opened its bleak morality up a little.
Where is it? Barbican Centre.
What is it? The Devil Wears Prada is an all-singing adaptation of the 2006 millennial classic about a mousy young journalism graduate who blunders into the job of PA to a tyrannical, Anna Wintour-alike fashion editor. The songs are by none other than Elton John. The director-choreographer is Broadway veteran Jerry Mitchell. There’s some serious talent involved. And yet being turned into a musical does… almost nothing for it.
Where is it? Dominion Theatre.
What is it? A lavish new stage adaptation of Disney’s 2017 smash film The Greatest Showman – yes that’s right, The Greatest Showman was a rare example of a live action musical that came to screen first and stage second. But now the inevitable has happened and – following a tryout in Bristol – London is where The Greatest Showman’s live incarnation will make its debut. Expect new songs – as well as the old classics – plus live circus.
Where is it? Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
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