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? Duncan Sheik’s droll electro-pop stage versionof Bret Easton Ellis’s cult 1991 novel returns to close out Rupert Goold’s tenure at the Almeida, this time starring Arty Froushan as psychotic yuppie Patrick Bateman.
Where is it? Almeida Theatre.
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. And in 2026 it returns, in a twentieth anniversay British revival that will gather the original Broadway puppets and creative team for what’s being billed as a strictly limited revival run.
Where is it? Shaftesbury Theatre.
What is it? This long-gestating musical version of ‘Back to the Future’ is so desperate to please that the producers would doubtless offer a free trip back in time with every ticket purchase if the laws of physics allowed.
Where is it? Adelphi Theatre
This new musical from songwriter Finn Anderson and director Tania Azevedo interweaves original songs and centuries-old traditional Scottish, Irish, and Appalachian standards as it tells the story of a queer New York woman who finds herself pulled into the lives of three centuries of her female ancestors. Frances McNamee, Rebecca Trehearn and Kirsty Findlay lead the cast.
What is it? This is an intriguing one: new American musicals are a fairly common sight at Southwark Playhouse. But not many of them come helmed by Broadway heavyweight Michael Greif, the man responsible for the original productions of Rent, Next to Normal and Dear Evan Hanson. The musical in question is Beautiful Little Fool, by Hannah Corneau and Mona Mansour, which concerns tempestuous Jazz Age literary titans Zelda and F Scott Fitzgerald, as seen through the eyes of their daughter Scottie.
Where is it? Southwark Playhouse Borough.
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. For those unfamiliar, Burton’s 1988 film concerns a couple who die and awaken in the afterlife, only to discover that a ghastly new family has occupied their dream home. They summon the batshit mental ‘bio-exorcist’ Betelgeuse to drive the interlopers away, with catastrophic results.
Where is it? Prince Edward 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? It’s finally happened: human civilization has finally lasted long enough that there is a second British production of Cats. Audaciously bagged by the Open Air Theatre as its big 2026 summer musical, but embarking on a UK tour thereafter, it’ll be directed and chroegraphed by OAT boss Drew McOnie. He’s a slick, commercial director with something of a dance focus, but he’s unlikely to do a Jamie Lloyd-style deconstruction of it, but any new take will probably feel inherently radical purely by dint of trying something different in any way.
Where is it? Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
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.
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