The ultimate guide to Autumn theatre, London 2018

By Lucy Brooks on 14/9/2018

After the summer lull, we gear up for the busiest and best season for theatre. London theatres are packed with new openings and enticing drama this autumn. We've trawled through the listings to pick out the must-sees – whether you fancy dark comedy from superstar playwrights, celebrity casting, or insightful revivals. Take some time to book tickets now and then slide into the new season smug in the knowledge that there is great theatre ahead.

Antony and Cleopatra, National Theatre

Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo play Shakespeare's sensuous lovers in a large-scale revival of Shakespeare's potent history play.

WHEN

18 Sep 2018 – 19 Jan 2019, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM

WHERE

National Theatre
South Bank, London, SE1 9PX

Twelfth Night, Young Vic Theatre

Kwame Kwei-Armah kicks off his inaguaral season as head of the Young Vic with a bright, bold musical take on Shakespeare, which has already impressed in New York.

WHEN

02 Oct 2018 – 17 Nov 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

The Young Vic
66 The Cut , Waterloo, London, SE1 8LZ

The Wild Duck, Almeida Theatre

Visionary director Robert Icke returns to the Almeida after staggering productions of Hamlet, Oresteia and Mary Stuart to re-invent Ibsen's modernist tragedy.

WHEN

15 Oct 2018 – 01 Dec 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

Almeida Theatre
Almeida Street, Islington, London, N1 1TA

War Horse, National Theatre 2018 re-run

Eleven years after a dazzling National Theatre premiere, War Horse has won an astounding 25 awards, toured the world, and captivated crowds night after night. It returns to the National Theatre to thrill a new generation of theatre-goers.

WHEN

08 Nov 2018 – 05 Jan 2019, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

National Theatre
South Bank, London, SE1 9PX

Emma Rice Old Vic residency: Wise Children

Wise Children, Old Vic Theatre

Ever exuberant theatre-maker Emma Rice brings the theatricality of Angela Carter's Wise Children to life in a lively new show at the Old Vic.

WHEN

08 Oct 2018 – 10 Nov 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

The Old Vic
The Cut, London, SE1 8NB

David Trelfall and Rufus Hound in Don Quixote from the Original 2016 production at the Swan Theatre Photo by Helen Maybanks © RSC

Royal Shakespeare Company's Don Quixote, Garrick Theatre

The adventures of hapless hero, Don Quixote, will play out on the West End stage this autumn when the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production transfers to the Garrick Theatre.

WHEN

27 Oct 2018 – 02 Feb 2019, Matinées Wednesday and Saturday 2:00pm starting 10 November

WHERE

Garrick Theatre
2 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0HH

True West, Vaudeville Theatre

Sam Shepard's murky, macho story of two brothers at loggerheads gets a starry revival with Johnny Flynn and Kit Harington.

WHEN

23 Nov 2018 – 16 Feb 2019, 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

WHERE

Vaudeville Theatre
404 Strand, London, WC2R 0NH

Channing Tatum's Magic Mike Live in London

Goodbye chippendales, hello Magic Mike. London is in for some serious pecs appeal as a live stage adaptation of hit 2012 film Magic Mike brings bare torsos and steamy acrobatics to Leicester Square's Hippodrome Casino.

WHEN

10 Nov 2018 – 27 Oct 2019, Tuesday to Sunday 7:30pm and Thursday to Sunday 10pm

WHERE

Hippodrome Casino
Cranbourn St, Leicester Square, , London, WC2H 7JH

Measure for Measure, Donmar Warehouse

Donmar artistic director Josie Rourke goes beyond the Shakespearean tradition of gender switching to direct a bold #MeToo era version of Measure for Measure.

WHEN

28 Sep 2018 – 24 Nov 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

Donmar Warehouse
41 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, London, WC2H 9LX

Hadestown, National Theatre

Greek mythology meets American folk music and classic Orleans Jazz in genre-defying new musical Hadestown, which comes to London after making a splash in Canada.

WHEN

02 Nov 2018 – 26 Jan 2019, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

National Theatre
South Bank, London, SE1 9PX

White Teeth, Kiln Theatre

It's fitting that the re-opening of Kilburn's neighbourhood theatre includes a stage adaptation from a local writer with global literary credentials. Zadie Smith's breakthrough novel comes to the stage.

WHEN

26 Oct 2018 – 22 Dec 2018, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

Kiln Theatre
269 Kilburn High Road, London, NW6 7JR

Rosalie Craig, Bobbi: Company, London 2018. Photo by Dan Kennedy

Company, Gielgud Theatre

Stephen Sondheim and George Furth's Company – the 1970 show that set new records with 14 Tony nominations and a new standard for smart, insightful musical theatre – comes to London with a troupe of topnotch talents and a gender-swapped new interpretation for 2018.

WHEN

26 Sep 2018 – 22 Dec 2018, Monday - Saturday 7.30pm, Thursday and Saturday 2.30pm

WHERE

Gielgud Theatre
35 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 6AR

A Very Very Very Dark Matter, Bridge Theatre

Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards, The Lieutenant of Inishmore) brings his trademark dark comedy to this twisted fairytale about writer Hans Christian Anderson.

WHEN

12 Oct 2018 – 06 Jan 2019, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

Bridge Theatre
3 Potters Fields Park, London, SE1 2SG

The Height of the Storm, Wyndham's Theatre

Britain's love affair with Olivier-winning French playwright Florian Zeller continues as family drama The Height of the Storm embarks upon a national tour that begins at the Richmond Theatre and ends at the West End's Wyndham's Theatre.

WHEN

02 Oct 2018 – 01 Dec 2018, 7:45 PM – 9:45 PM

WHERE

Wyndham's Theatre
32 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0DA