The best Christmas theatre in London: 2020

Dick Whittington, National Theatre

'Panto season is cancelled!' intimated Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden back in August. But 'Oh no it isn't!'. Well, not at the National Theatre, anyway. The venue has transformed its Olivier Theatre – the largest of its three spaces – into an in-the-round structure to offer its first-ever panto, a production of Dick Whittington landing just in time for Christmas.

Good availability from Wednesday 6 January

A Christmas Carol, Bridge Theatre review ★★★★★

While festivities are somewhat diminished in the lead-up to Christmas this year, there’s seasonal cheer to be found at the Bridge Theatre, where Charles Dickens’ ultimate Christmas story has been revived in the hands of artistic director Nicholas Hytner and a three-strong starry cast.

Nine Lessons and Carols, Almeida Theatre review ★★★★★

The Almeida has reopened with Nine Lessons and Carols, playwright Chris Bush and director Rebecca Frecknall's deft reflection on 2020, devised in the second lockdown with a six-strong cast of talented performers.

The Gruffalo's Child, Alexandra Palace

If you and the kiddos are craving the live theatre experience, head to Alexandra Palace this December for Tall Stories' production of The Gruffalo's Child, the bestselling picture book from Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. At just under an hour (with no interval), it's the perfect intro to theatre for your toddler.

Good availability

The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, Greenwich Theatre

Audiences are invited back inside Greenwich Theatre this Christmas to see director James Haddrell’s production of Russ Tunney’s The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, itself an adaptation of Joan Aiken’s 1962 beloved children’s novel. Suitable for little ones aged six and up, the play tells the story of two cousins, Bonnie and Sylvia who, with the help of their friend Simon the Gooseboy, must fend off fierce wolves and defeat their cruel governess Miss Slighcarp (Anthony Spargo). The production replaces the theatre’s annual pantomime which has been postponed because of the virus.

Good availability

Pantoland at The Palladium

Fulfilling all your panto needs this Christmas is Pantoland at The Palladium. The production is fronted by comedian Julian Clary and musical theatre darling Elaine Paige, and features a special guest performance by Beverley Knight.

Limited availability

The Dumb Waiter, Hampstead Theatre review ★★★★★

The 60th anniversary of Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter, a play about two hitmen waiting to carry out their next job, is being marked with a new production at the Hampstead Theatre – the same venue (albeit in a different, more built-up location) at which the play premiered in 1960.

Living Newspaper, Royal Court

The Royal Court is making an inspired comeback this November with Living Newspaper, a project drawing on the US’s Federal Theatre Project which aimed to mobilise artists during the Great Depression. This living, breathing, visual and audible newspaper can be pored over by audience members either live at the theatre or from the comfort of their homes. There will be six weekly editions in total, each edited by a collective of writers and staged in spaces around the Royal Court building by a team of actors, designers, technicians and other theatre professionals. As well as headlines, features and columns, look forward to cartoons, a dating column, pictures from around the world and a much-needed dose of satire.

Good availability. Tickets here

Adam Kay: 'This is Going to Hurt' and 'Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas', Palace Theatre

Junior doctor-turned-writer and comedian Adam Kay returns to the West End with This is Going to Hurt and to premiere the stage version of his second book Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas.

Limited availability

Les Misérables – The Staged Concert, Sondheim Theatre

Do you hear the people sing? You will do if you’re lucky enough to nab a seat for the six-week run of Les Misérables –The Staged Concert this winter. Celebrating the 35th anniversary of the musical running at its Shaftesbury Avenue home, the production features a starry cast including Michael Ball as Javert, Alfie Boe as Jean Valjean, Carrie Hope Fletcher as Fantine and Matt Lucas as Thénardier. John Owen-Jones will also join the cast for select performances to reprise the role of Jean Valjean. The staged concert will be performed to a reduced audience of 750 from December until February 2021.

Good availability

Vox Motus, Flight, Bridge Theatre

The story of two Afghan refugee brothers comes to life through an immersive diorama in Flight, an award-winning theatre installation that's already been seen on both sides of the Atlantic, but now reaches London for the first time, co-presented by The Barbican and the Bridge Theatre.

Good availability

Petrichor, Theatre Royal Stratford East

This new virtual reality ‘theatre experience’ by Manchester’s award-winning ThickSkin company hopes to provide a safe solution to bringing live audiences back inside venues this winter, in the Covid-secure fashion. Delivered on individual headsets and to a socially distanced audience, the two-hander uses 360° live action and animation to immerse the audience in the world of the story. Petrichor is set in a parallel universe, and theatre, cinema, gaming and virtual reality to explore escape and connection.

The show is touring locations from Glasgow to Manchester before coming to London in December. It can also be watched remotely via a smartphone or tablet.

Sold out, call box office for returns

Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Apollo Theatre

Teen drag queen musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie is a young, fun and fresh celebration of being a little bit different. Based on a true story told in 2011 in the BBC documentary Jamie: A Drag Queen at 16, it follows a teenager who doesn't fit in. Jamie is openly gay – and adept at dealing with the school bully's homophobic taunts. But when your career options are, apparently, limited to prison guard or forklift truck operator, how do you reveal a preference for high heels, short skirts and glitter?

Good availability

Six: The Musical, Lyric Theatre

'Divorced, beheaded, died'… we all know how the marital history of Henry VIII goes. But the six wives are fed up of being ‘just one word in a stupid rhyme’. In Six: The Musical, they take to the stage to tell their own stories, through the medium of majestic pop songs. A socially distanced revival of the phenomenally successful musical is showing at the West End's Lyric Theatre this winter.

Good availability

The Play That Goes Wrong, Duchess Theatre

You are cordially invited to join the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society as they put on a 1920s murder mystery. Yet, as the title promises, The Play That Goes Wrong captures a cast of bungling thespians as their dramatic plans descend into disaster. Mischief Theatre Company's farcical tale of theatrical disaster is another to have been given the green light to continue delighting on the West End stage.

Good availability

The Show Must Go On! Live Concert, Palace Theatre

It's helped keep theatre live online during lockdown, and now The Show Must Go On! is hosting a charity concert featuring performances from some of the West End’s best-loved musicals. Among the confirmed titles offering up snippets are: & Juliet, Come From Away, Dear Evan Hansen, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Wicked and Mamma Mia!.

Limited availability