The best theatre shows in London for 2026 not to miss

What is it? Ralph Fiennes has been beavering away busily over at Theatre Royal Bath this last year. Transferring from it, Fiennes and Miranda Raison will star as the great Victorian actors Henry Irving and Ellen Terry in Grace Pervades, the approximately millionth (well, thirty-second) play from the great David Hare (curiously it’ll run in the West End at the same time as a revival of his very early play Teeth ‘N’ Smiles). 

Where is it? Theatre Royal Haymarket.

How much is it? £30-£199.

Why book? It got great reviews in Bath and is by all accounts a fascinating drama about one of the great acting dynasties, driven by a typically powerhouse performance from Fiennes.

What is it? Ava Pickett’s superb debut play follows three young women who meet at the outskirts of an Essex village to discuss love, life and Anne Boleyn’s execution. A hit for the Almeida, it transfers to the West End in 2026.

Where is it? Ambassadors Theatre.

How much is it? £30-£150.

Why go? It’s a brilliant, bold debut play: original, funny and bleakly astute in its observations on the power dynamics between men and women that go considerably beyond the Early Modern Period. A well deserved hit from a writer really going places.

What is it? Young Bertold Brecht make his debut at the Globe as Elle While directs his 1939 anti-war classic Mother Courage and Her Children. Globe boss Michelle Terry will take on the eponymous role of war profiteer Mother Courage, whose children are gradually killed off by the conflicts she herself profits from. 

Where is it? Shakespeare’s Globe.

How much is it? £5-£85.

Why book? Terry remains one of the best actors of her generation, and the prospect of seeing Brecht’s epic drama done in this miost epic of spaces for the first time is a thrilling one.

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. It follows a couple who die and enlist the services of a mad ‘bio-exorcist’ to get rid of the odious new owners of their beloved home.

Where is it? Prince Edward Theatre.

How much is it? £20-£153.50.

Why book? Because you enjoyed the film and you like massive spectacular big budget Broadway shows of the sort we only get once every few years.

What is it? Gary Oldman designs, directs and (of course) stars in this production of Samuel Beckett’s high concept elegy for youthful ambition.

Where is it? Royal Court Theatre.

How much is it? £15-£74.50.

Why book? Beckett’s play about an old man listening back with mounting horror to the megalomaniacal tapes he recorded on previous birthdays is an all-time classic, and this production received great reviews when it debuted in York in 2025. Plus of course there’s the allure of seeing Oldman on stage again after an enormous 37-year absence.

What is it? In a grimly timely stage adaptation of a major Iranian work, Nadia Latif a stage adaptation of the Bafta-winning horror film. Under the Shadow is set in ’80s Tehran, at the height of the Iran-Iraq War, and follows a mother and her daughter who are haunted by a mysterious entity after they refuse to evacuate the city. Leila Farzad stars in the lead role of mother Shideh.

Where is it? Almeida Theatre.

How much is it? £15-£55.

Why go? Stage horror has been having a terrific run of late; this is a powerful and unsettling cult classic that deserves more attention.

What is it? Matthew Warchus directs Stephen Beresford’s adaptation of their own acclaimed 2014 film. Based on a true story and real characters, Pride tells the story of the solidarity the British LGBT community offered the striking miners in the ’80s, with the story revolving around young gay activist Mark Ashton, who brokered the unlikely alliance.

Where is it? National Theatre, Dorfman.

How much is it? £20-£65.

Why go? The film is a modern queer classic and it’s exciting that this musical comes from the team who made it, including Warchus, a very seasoned director of musials. A fine ensemble cast includes Samuel Barnett and Chris Jenkins. 

What is it? If you thought Jamie Lloyd’s hipster, prosthetics-free production of Edmund Rostand’s classic play had killed off the classic big-nosed take on Cyrano de Bergerac, you’d be very wrong. Simon Evans directs Adrian Lester and Susannah Fielding as they reprise their roles from the RSC’s acclaimed Stratford production.

Where is it? Noël Coward Theatre.

How much is it? £15-£195.

Why book? Glowing Stratford reviews and the star presence of Lester and Fielding should do you frankly. And the play – about witty but ugly Cyrano and his complicated relartionship with his love Roxane – is a stone cold classic

What is it? Hollywood star Sandra Oh is a very good get indeed for the National Theatre, as she takes on the title role in NT boss Indhu Rubasingham’s revival of Moliére’s timeless comedy The Misanthrope.

Where is it? National Theatre, Lyttelton.

How much is it? £20-£120.

Why book? It’ll be interesting to see what the veteran playwright Martin Crimp does with the tghird iteration of his his adaptation of The Misanthrope, which has had some very rude prrior incarnations. But of course the big news here is the chance to see Oh on the humble British stage. 

What is it? It’s a big glossy Frank Sinatra bio-musical, directed and choregraphed by Broadway big name Kathleen Marshall, and with a book by Broadway big name Joe DiPietro (best known for the smash hit Memphis). Brit actor Joel Harper-Jackson will play Frank.

Where is it? Aldwych Theatre.

How much is it? £35-£195.

Why book? Principally because you like Frank Sinatra. But this new show is a much bigger deal than those Ratpack concert musical things that have done the rounds before: it’s stacked with Broadway creative talent, and sounds like it’s going to tell a 'proper’ story, honing in on a piviotal concert on New Year’s Eve 1942 as a 27-year-old Frank tries to turn around a career – and personal life – that seems to be on the rocks.

What is it? Having only (co-)directed a single non-Punchdrunk show previously, Felix Barrett – boss of the legendary immersive theatre company – made a fine return to ‘straight’ theatre last year with the genuinely creepy Paranormal Activity. Now he’s back at it with another film adaptation, with Russell Tovey starring in Chloë Moss’s version of the Danish film Den Skyldige and its US remake The Guilty.

Where is it? Donmar Warehouse.

How much is it? £15-£72.

Why book? Starring Russell Tovey as a 999 operator who is plunged into an alarming web of danger after a cryptic call,m expect a gripping thriller enhanced by Barrett’s formiddable technical trickery.

What is it? For a novel about Edinburgh heroin addicts written in dense Scottish dialogue, Irvine Welch’s Trainspotting has proved to be a remarkably enduring cultural artefact: a book (with numerous sequels), a film, a cult stage play and now – 33 years on – a musical written by Welsh himself.

Where is it? Theatre Royal Haymarket.

How much is it? £15-£130.

Why go? It’s an unlikely adaptation but it does lean into the truth that Danny Boyle’s film is the most iconic and definitive form of the story. It’ll feature songs from the sountrack and is directed by Caroline Jay Ranger, who has made a very solid fist of directing the live versions of Fawlty Towers and Only Fools and Horses. Don’t expect any star names, but the lead role of semi-likeable casualty Renton (aka the Ewan McGregor role) goes to Scots actor Robbie Scott (pictured).

What is it? It’s finally happened: human civilization has finally lasted long enough that there is a second British production of Cats. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s blockbuster adaptation of TS Eliot’s whimsical book of feline kids’ poetry was the quintessential musical of the ’80s, and now it’s back in a new version directed and chreographed by OAT boss Drew McOnie.

Where is it? Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.

How much is it? £15-£91.50.

Why go? A lot of people of course just love Cats, one of the most successful musicals of all time. But there’s something thriling about this being an all-new take: it’s Cats, but not as we know it.

What is it? Clint Dyer helms a widescreen National Theatre UK premiere of Tracey Scott Wilson's 2003 play. Based on a series of real-life stories, it follows four journalists as they frantical scrabble to land the story of a white teacher murdered in a Black neighbourhood.

Where is it? National Theatre, Olivier.

How much is it? TBA. 

Why book? It’s an intriguing play that feels like it has much to say about the online era. But it’s alos got a top notch cast, headed by Letitia Wright of Black Panther fame.

What is it? A big coup for Hampstead Theatre here, as it bags the UK premiere of the wildly acclaimed US indie musical Kimberley Akimbo. Created by composer Jeanine Tesori and writer David Lindsay-Abaire, it follows a 16-year-old girl afflicted by a rare disease that makes her age four times faster than usual, meaning she has the appearance of an elderly woman while essentially being a teen.

Where is it? Hampstead Theatre.

How much is it? TBC.

Why book? It’s a fasincating premise but frankly the froth mouthed reviews from Broadway are more than enough for us. 

What is it? A revival for Stephen Unwin’s original UK production of Manfred Karge’s hallucinatory solo play about a widow who assumes her late husband’s job and identity in inter-war Germany had its UK premiere at Edinburgh Traverse Theatre in 1987 before transferring to the Court the following year. It provided a breakthrough for an androgynous young actor named Tilda Swinton – whp reprises her role here. 

Where is it? Royal Court Theatre.

How much is it? £15-£74.50.

Why book? It’s a good, weird play, but clearly the attraction is the chance to see huge cult star Tilda Swinton on a British stage for the first time since the ’80s.

What is it? The world premiere of a new musical based on Ridley Scott’s smash 1991 film about two women who snap one day and head out on a nihilistic road trip with a very famous denoument.

Where is it? Young Vic.

How much is it? £tbc.

Why book? Because it’s not just another throwaway scrren to stage adaptation. Written by the film’s screenwriter Callie Khouri and with songs by cryptic alt country icon Neko Case, we’re not expecting conventional showtunes. In heavyweight casting, Amy Lennox will play disillusioned housewife Thelma and Rachel Tucker her sardonic waitress friend Louise.

What is it? The Cherry Orchard is, of course, one of Chekhov’s great plays, and follows an ailng aristocratic family as they contemplate the end of their beloved country estate and the sale of its beloved orchard. It will be directed by Ian Rickson, who reunites with star Kristin Scott Thomas almost 20 years on from their excellent Three Sisters.

Where is it? Harold Pinter Theatre.

How much is it? £25-£165.

Why go? Expect something powerfully poignant from Rickson, who turned in a fine Uncle Vanya on the cusp of the pandemic. And it’s always a pleasure to see Scott Thomas back on stage: she’ll play big hearted but finanically irresponsible aristocract Lyubov Ranevskaya.

What is it? Swiss writer Christian Kracht’s autofiction novel about a mother and son (named Christian) who head out on a road-trip through the Alps in an effort to give away the family fortune (and escape a shameful legacy) is one of the buzziest book of recent times. Now it hits the stage.

Where is it? Young Vic.

How much is it? £tbc.

Why book? It’s a zeitgeisty book and great looking adaptation (by Irish writer Colin Teevan) that stars big names Ben Whishaw and Kathryn Turner star as the roadtripping duo.

What is it? Although the National Theatre will be running shows in all three theatres over the Christmas hols, The Jungle Book is emphatically its Big Christmas Show. A lavish family friendly adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s India-set story cycle, it’s adapted by Indian playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar (of the excellent The Father and the Assassin fame).

Where is it? National Theatre, Olivier.

How much is it? £25-£105.

Why book? The NT always pulls out the stops at Christmas and it’s worth stressing this is emphatically not a stage version of the beloved Disney film. Specifically, we know that the action is being relocated to the mangrove forests of the Sundarbans in the country’s east. And one would imagine Chandrasekhar’s spin will be distinctly postcolonial. But don’t imagine it’ll be radically different: it’ll focus on Mowgli the Man-Cub – played by NT stalwart Hiran Abeysekera – and feature spectacular puppet renderings of his various animal friends and enemies. 

What is it? Wicked lovers Ariana Grande and Jonathan Bailey star in Stephen Sondheim’s virtuosic 1984 classic inspired by the pointillist painter Georges Seurat's work A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte, which follows a fictionalised version of the artist plus – years later – his cynical great grandson. 

Where is it? Barbican Centre, in TBC dates summer 2027.

How much is it? TBC but tickets go on sale May 2026.

Why book? The musical is a classic but it’s the reunion of Grande and Bailey that’s going to sell this out essentially instantly. If you want to to, get on it as soon as booking opens.

What is it? Writer-director Simon Stone returns the Bridge to turns his hand to Chekhov’s potrtait of a washed up middle aged man looking back on his glory days.

Where is it? Bridge Theatre.

How much is it? £29.50-£195.

Why book? Stone is a thrillingly unpredictable director, albeit an acquired taste, but the big draw is naturally Hollywood star Chris Pine in his UK stage debut. Note that the production has been put back by an entire year, and will now run in the summer of 2027, as opposed to the originally planned 2026.