15 Exciting New Shows in London in 2026 - 2027

Brand new musical adaptation of David Nicholls’ novel One Day comes to London this winter. The show follows Dexter and Emma, two students at Edinburgh University who spend a night together in 1988, on St. Swithin's Day, after their graduation. Working-class optimist Emma dreams of a life in the arts, while privileged Dexter just wants to have fun. As the years unfold, the pair’s lives turn out differently to how they hoped, and intersect in unexpected ways. One Day is romantic, funny and heartwrenching - secure your tickets today.

This darkly hilarious play returns to London for a strictly limited run this November. Part stand up comedy, part one-man show, Feeling Afraid… follows a neurotic stand up comedian on a journey through sex, love and anxiety, as he uses humour as a coping mechanism. When the comic meets a kind, charming American it seems to good to be true - and there is a catch. The American has a condition that means if he laughs, he dies. Can the comic change for the better, or is delivering a killer punchline too good to resist?

This brand new play from Olivier-nominated playwright Ryan Calais Cameron (For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, Retrograde) reimagines a little-known chapter of African history, telling the story of how Zambia entered the 1964 space race opposite the US and USSR. Based on astonishing true events, The Afronauts tells the story of a plucky schoolteacher who dared to shoot for the stars when the world told him to keep his dreams small. Dont miss it - blast off to the Royal Coiurt and secure your tickets today.

This major revival of Caryl Churchill’s acclaimed drama comes to the National Theatre for a strictly limited run this winter season. The play follows a family living in colonial Africa during the Victorian Era, as each of them struggles to fit into their strict societal roles. The action then jumps to 1970s London, but only a few years have passed for the characters, who must find out who they are when faced with Freedom and the lingering effects of Empire. A gender-bending, genre-defying masterpiece, Cloud 9 stars Ghosts' Charlotte Ritchie and is directed by five-time Olivier winner Dominic Cooke.

Academy Award and Olivier nominee and Pride and Prejudice star Keira Knightley returns to the stage in a new adaptation of thrilling drama The Lives of Others. Adapted from the Academy Award-winning film of the same name by Olivier winner and Tony nominee Robert Icke (Oedipus, Romeo and Juliet) Knightley leads the cast of this explosive drama, which explores the tangled relationships between people during a covert surveillance project in 1980s East Berlin. Joining Knightley are Luke Thompson (Bridgerton) and Stephen Dillane (Game of Thrones). 

Celebrated playwright Timberlake Wertenbaker’s (Our Country’s Good) brand new play makes its world premiere this winter in the unique, candlelit atmosphere of the Sam Wanamaker playhouse. Humanity is invited to the negotiating table by a group of animals who demand an explanation, and an end, to ecological destruction. Unsettling, funny, and vitally important The Animal’s Come to the Table is unmissable - book today.

Set during the miners’ strikes in the 1980s, a young lad from a North East mining town goes against the masculine ideals to pursue his dreams of becoming a ballet dancer in this Tony and Olivier-winning musical. Adapted by writer Lee Hall (The Pitman Painters) and director Stephen Daldry (The Crown) from their critically acclaimed film, the uplifting musical features a score by Elton John with songs including “Electricity” and “Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher.” So go on, Billy! Book your tickets today.

Richard the Lionheart is dead - and his brother John must ascend to the throne. But the beloved monarch has big shoes to fill, and when France disputes John's legitimacy as heir, war breaks out across the nation. Pushed to the brink, John will stop at nothing to prove himself as a ruler, and remain in control of the crown… This explosive political drama is one of Shakespeare’s lesser-performed history plays, and is staged in the unique candlelit atmosphere of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe. Don't miss your chance to catch this rare gem - secure your tickets today.

Golden Globe winner Emma Corrin (The Crown) and Olivier Winner Harriet Walter (Mary Stuart) lead this major revival of one of Tennessee Williams’ lesser-performed masterworks. After wealthy poet, Sebastian, dies while vacationing with his cousin Catharine, the circumstances surrounding his death are shrouded in mystery when Sebastian's mother sends Catharine to a mental institution. With her memories suppressed and her account challenged, a young doctor must decide which version of events rings true. Michael Grandage directs, returning to the National for the first time in over a decade.

This sensational new production returns to London in 2027, following a sell-out run at the Royal Court. John Proctor is the Villain, a bitingly funny new play about female friendship and #MeToo. When a 2018 highschool english honours class in rural Georgia start studying The Crucible, it brings up questions about agency, toxic masculinity, and who truly gets to be the hero in the stories we tell. Book today for the West End transfer of this witty and powerful new play by Kimberly Belflower.

This thrilling musical, adapted from the cult classic manga, returns to the Barbican following a sold-out premiere in 2026. When high school student Light stumbles across an otherworldly notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in its pages, he decides to use the power for good, ridding the world of evildoers. But the lines between hero and villain soon blur, and when Light meets L, an oddball detective determined to track down the killer and bring him to justice, a tense game of cat and mouse ensues.

Good Omens, Nye and The Traitors star Michael Sheen leads the cast of this huge new revival of Amadeus, opposite BAFTA Cymru winner and It’s A Sin’s Callum Howells. Peter Schaffer’s Tony-winning historical drama centres the conflict between rival composers Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri in 1820s Vienna. Sheen plays Salieri, making him the first actor to play both lead roles, as he tackled the part of Mozart in the late 90s. Ambition, envy and obsession collide in this psychologically intense, explosive drama, receiving its first major revival in over a decade.

Oh my god, you guys! Legally Blonde is back in London! This effervescent musical, based on the hit 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon, returns to the West End for a strictly limited run following a smash hit UK tour. Strictly Come Dancing star Amber Davies takes the lead as Elle Woods, a sorority girl with a passion for all things pink who takes up a place at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend - and must smash the assumptions of the academics who label her just a dumb blonde.

Olivier-winner Michael Ball leads this huge revival of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory the Musical. Based on the beloved children’s book by Roald Dahl, the musical follows Charlie Bucket, a child living in poverty, whose fortune seems to change when he wins an exclusive ticket to tour the Wonka Chocolate Factory. But, when the tour begins, things soon go awry… Fresh from a run at Leicester Curve, and with music and lyrics from the Tony-winning team behind Hairspray, this revival promises to be utterly delicious!

Green Wing’s Steven Mangan, Father Ted’s Ardal O’Hanlon, Miranda’s Sarah Hadland and Olivier winner Janie Dee star in this new revival of Academy Award-winning French dramatist Florian Zeller’s hilarious, experimental play. Two married couples are intertwined in an affair - or are they? As truth and lies become exposed, each characters perspective is presented in this innovative comedy-drama. Will the foursome ever discover what the real truth is? Translated by Tony winner Christopher Hampton (Sunset Boulevard), The Truth returns to the Theatre Royal Haymarket by popular demand, following a smash hit run in 2026.