Hello! I'm Andrzej, the theatre editor of Time Out London, and me and my freelancers review a heck of a lot of theatre. This page is an attempt to distil the shows that are on right now into something like a best of the best based upon our actual reviews, as opposed to my predictions, which determine our longer range what to book for list.
It isn’t a scientific process, and you’ll definitely see shows that got four stars above ones that got five – this is generally because the five star show is probably going to be on for years to come (hello, Hamilton) and I'm trying to draw your attention to one that’s only running for a couple more weeks. Or sometimes, we just like to shake things up a bit. It’s also deliberately light on the longer-running West End hits simply because I don’t think you need to know what I think about Les Mis before you book it (it’s fine!).
So please enjoy the best shows in London, as recommended by us, having actually seen them.
What is it: Super-director Jamie Lloyd ropes in rising starlet Rachel Zegler for a souped-up revival of his 2019 take on Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece.
Where is it? London Palladium.
Why go? Zegler is simply sensational and if the production is so full tilt as to be a little incoherent, its much talked about balcony scene is a masterclass.
What is it? Mark Rosenblatt’s wildly acclaimed debut play about Roald Dahl’s antisemitic behviour in the early ’80s makes the leap from Royal Court to West End.
Where is it? Harold Pinter Theatre.
Why go? Because it’s a brilliant play that wades right into the thorny hinterland between revulsion at Israel’s military actions and out and out Jew hatred, and because we get to see the brilliant John Lithgow doing his not inconsiderable, Olivier-winning ‘thing’ as Dahl.
What is it? Transferring from the Open Air Theatre after an acclaimed run last summer, rising star US director Jordan Fein’s take on the classic shtetl-set musical transfers to the Barbican ahead of a UK tour.
Where is it? Barbican Centre.
How much is it? £25-£165.
Why go? Fein masterfully balances the musical’s two sides – the stand-up-style humour and the dark forshadowing of the Holocaust – by playing it as a sort of absurdist clown show. US star Adam Dannheisser is excellent as a restrained, dignifiede take on milkman protagonist Teyve.
What is it? Oh come on you know what Hamilton is.
Where is it? Victoria Palace Theatre.
Why go? Well if you don’t know what Hamilton is, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s virtuosic hip-hop inflected account of the life and times of relatively obscure US Founding Father Alexander Hamilton is pretty much the biggest musical of our times. And it remains sensational an exhilarating celebration of multiculturalism that’s also a witty but broadlyt accurate romp through US history.
What is it? The RSC’s lavish stage adaptation of the Studio Ghibli classic is back for its third London run, and first time out in the West End.
Where is it? Gillian Lynne Theatre.
Why go? It’s a lovely – albeit very faithful – retelling of the beloved film, but it’s the spectacular puppet incarnations of furry forest spirit Totoro and whatever the hell the Catbus is that will really blow your mind.
What is it? Michael Shannon and Ruth Wilson star in Rebecca Frecknall’s revival of Eugene O’Neill’s final play.
Where is it? Almeida Theatre.
Why go? Frecknall handles it brilliantly: she knows how to let the humour ebb away, how to let the anguish build. Even when O’Neill’s text sags, the production holds it up with fine-wrought acting or slowly circling lights or heartrending stage pictures, like Shannon doubled over in agony while Wilson holds him tightly to her. Frecknall turns the tilth on a half-buried play, and digs up something extraordinary.
What is it? Having slowly worked its way up to the West End from humble fringe origins, the now expanded Benjamin Button relocates F Scott Fitzgerald’s short story about a man who ages backwards to rural Cornwall.
Where is it? @sohoplace.
Why go? One of the quirkier and more unusual musicals to enter Theatreland in recent years, Jethro Compton’s sea shanty-driven musical is eccentric, lovable and in the end deeply, deeply moving.
What is it? The longest-running musical of all time needs no introduction whatsoever (but if you really need to know it’s an all-singing adaptation of Victor Hugo’s seminal novel about the Paris Uprising of 1832).
Where is it? Sondheim Theatre.
Why go? Although the current West End iteration is a ‘new’ version that was ushered in in 2019 – and indeed there have been judicous updates throughout its long life – Les Mis is popular for the reason it’s always been popular: soaring songs, stirring story, memorable characters and a commitment to keeping it stocked with world class singing talent.
What is it? Andrew Lloyd Webber’s magnum opus is still going strong in the West End after almost 40 years.
Where is it? His Majesty’s Theatre.
Why go? To this day it looks utterly ravishing, with jaw dropping sets and impressive special effects. The plot – about a brooding psychopath who stalks a Parisian opera house – is wildly problematic, but it’s just extremely impressive theatre, with some deliciously bombastic songs, and as with Les Mis, the dedication to keeping first rate performers has kept it fresh decades after other shows have gone off the boil.
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