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Best new theatre shows: London, August 2023

By Holly O'Mahony on 31/7/2023

From the long-awaited arrival of a Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical to, er, more musicals and the return of a Lucy Prebble masterpiece (not Enron, sorry!), we round up August's biggest theatre hits.

The Effect, National Theatre

A decade after it ran at the National's intimate Dorfman Theatre, ever-thrilling director Jamie Lloyd (The Seagull, Cyrano de Bergerac) devises a fresh take on Lucy Prebble's play The Effect for the venue's larger Lyttelton stage.

WHEN

01 Aug 2023 – 07 Oct 2023, 7:30 PM – 10:00 PM

WHERE

National Theatre
South Bank, London, SE1 9PX

A Mirror, Almeida Theatre

'This play is a lie', reads the poster for Sam Holcroft's new show. Audiences are invited to attend a play disguised as a wedding (for which the dress code is 'smart casual', naturally) in a work that looks to interrogate censorship, authorship and free speech. Jeremy Herrin (People, Places and Things) directs the world premiere, which stars Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting), Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education) and Micheal Ward (Top Boy).

WHEN

15 August - 23 September

WHERE

Almeida Theatre, Almeida Street, London N1 1TA

Macbeth, Shakespeare's Globe

Director Abigail Graham (The Merchant of Venice) takes on the Bard's sorcery-fuelled tragedy of greed for power at any cost in this new production for the Globe's summer season.

WHEN

1 August - 28 October

WHERE

Shakespeare's Globe, Cardinal Cap Alley, London SE1 9JF

Next to Normal, Donmar Warehouse

It's been a long wait for British musical theatre fans, but Brian Yorkey and Tim Kitt's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical Next to Normal is finally coming to London. The Donmar's own Michael Longhurst directs the production, which stars seasoned pro Caissie Levy (Elsa in the original Frozen cast on Broadway) as the focal Diana Goodman, a wife and mother living with bipolar disorder, who's haunted by her past.

WHEN

14 August - 7 October

WHERE

Donmar Warehouse, 41 Earlham Street, London WC2H 9LX

La Cage aux Folles, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

Olivier and Tony-winning musical La Cage aux Folles hasn't been seen on the London stage since 2008, yet its themes of gay representation in the face of adversity are sadly as relevant as ever. Hats off to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre boss Timothy Sheader (Carousel) for spotting the potential for the 1980s hit to enjoy another outing this summer.

WHEN

19 Jul 2023 – 16 Sep 2023, 7:45 PM – 10:15 PM

WHERE

Open Air Theatre, Regent's Park
Inner Cir, Westminster, London, NW1 4NU

As You Like It, Shakespeare's Globe

If Abigail Graham's fresh take on Macbeth is casting a long, bloodied shadow over Shakespeare's Globe this summer, here with some light relief is director Ellen McDougall's colourful take on the Bard's court-to-forest romp, As You Like It.

WHEN

18 August - 29 October

WHERE

Shakespeare's Globe, Cardinal Cap Alley, London SE1 9JF

The Way Old Friends Do, Criterion Theatre

Ian Hallard's comedy about an ABBA tribute band in drag might sound more camp than Christmas, but it comes to the stage swaddled in serious prestige: Mark Gatiss (Doctor Who, The Unfriend) directs, while the cast of stage and screen regulars comprises Donna Berlin (Doctors), Sara Crowe (Olivier Award for Private Lives), Andrew Horton (Jupiter’s Legacy), Rose Shalloo (Malory Towers) and Anton Tweedale (The Mousetrap). The show comes to the West End following a test run at the Park Theatre earlier this year.

WHEN

17 August - 9 September

WHERE

Criterion Theatre, 218-223 Piccadilly, St. James's, London W1J 9HR

The Spongebob Musical, Southbank Centre

It’s one of the most hyped kids shows of the year and it’s swimming into London’s Southbank Centre: The SpongeBob Musical brings to life Stephen Hillenburg’s cheeky TV series about the misadventures of a talking sea sponge who lives in an underwater pineapple. The cast is a hoot too: Ru-Paul’s Drag Race star Divina De Campo is playing Plankton; with the role of Squidward being alternated between Pop Idol winner Gareth Gates and Celebs Go Dating’s Tom Read Wilson. A chance for your kids to see one of their favourite characters up close.

WHEN

26 July - 27 August

WHERE

Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XX

A Guide to Kids' Week 2023: Half Price Theatre for Tickets for Families

A guide to Kids Week 2023: half-price theatre tickets for families

Looking to treat the kids to a West End show this summer? Children go free to a whole bunch of them every August with the Kids Week promotion. Any under-17 accompanied by a paying adult gets a free ticket, and two additional children can attend half price. From stalwarts such as Wicked and The Lion King, via Disney magic in Frozen, to toddler fun with Tales from Acorn Wood and The Tiger Who Came to Tea, there's something for all ages. Make the most of the bargain and spark their love for theatre this summer.

WHEN

01 Aug 2023 – 31 Aug 2023, 12:00 AM

WHERE

Various Locations

Best new theatre shows: London, August 2023

From the long-awaited arrival of a Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway musical to, er, more musicals and the return of a Lucy Prebble masterpiece (not Enron, sorry!), we round up August's biggest theatre hits.

The Effect, National Theatre

A Mirror, Almeida Theatre

Macbeth, Shakespeare's Globe

Next to Normal, Donmar Warehouse

La Cage aux Folles, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

As You Like It, Shakespeare's Globe

The Way Old Friends Do, Criterion Theatre

The Spongebob Musical, Southbank Centre

A guide to Kids Week 2023: half-price theatre tickets for families

theatre

west end

off west end

august 2023

Private Lives, Ambassadors Theatre review ★★★★★

London Theatre Guide: best plays on now in London, 2023

The Motive and the Cue, Noel Coward Theatre

Kristin Scott Thomas and Lily James in Lyonesse, Harold Pinter Theatre

Indira Varma and Ralph Fiennes in Macbeth, Dock X

A guide to Kids Week 2023: half-price theatre tickets for families