London Theatre Guide: best plays on now in London, 2023
Wondering what theatre to book and what plays to see? From fringe to the West End: London's best theatre
BOOK AHEAD...
Play about a play: The Motive and the Cue, National Theatre
Sam Mendes directs Jack Thorne's new play The Motive and the Cue. The National Theatre production stars Johnny Flynn, Mark Gatiss and Tuppence Middleton. Read more.
The game's the thing: Dear England, National Theatre
Playwright James Graham turns his attention to football, exploring the struggles of the England men's team through their manager Gareth Southgate at the National. Read more.
Film favourite: Mrs Doubtfire, Shaftesbury Theatre
Fresh from Broadway (via Manchester), a new musical based on hit 1993 movie Mrs. Doubtfire comes to the West End's Shaftesbury Theatre. Read more.
SHOWING NOW....
Page to stage: A Little Life, Harold Pinter Theatre
James Norton heads the cast of Ivo van Hove’s A Little Life, running at the West End’s Harold Pinter Theatre in 2023. Read more.
People's choice: The Great British Bake Off Musical, Noël Coward Theatre ★★★★★
Reality TV's beloved baking show gets a West End makeover: The Great British Bake Off Musical is set to rise at the Noël Coward Theatre in 2023. Read more.
Immersive musical: Guys and Dolls, Bridge Theatre ★★★★★
The Bridge announces its first musical: an immersive production of Guys and Dolls, directed by Nicholas Hytner. Read more.
Second chance: A Streetcar Named Desire, Phoenix Theatre ★★★★★
Rebecca Frecknall's A Streetcar Named Desire transfers to the West End, taking its leads Patsy Ferran and Paul Mescal with it. Read more.
Inside out: The Winter's Tale, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
In a first for Shakespeare's Globe, director Sean Holmes presents a promenade The Winter’s Tale that moves between the theatre’s indoor and outdoor spaces. Read more.
Greek gore: Medea, @sohoplace ★★★★★
Sophie Okonedo and Ben Daniels are stunning in Dominic Cooke’s stripped-back and static take on the ancient Greek tragedy of Medea. Read more.
Towering success: Standing at the Sky's Edge, National Theatre ★★★★★
Playwright Chris Bush, with former Pulp and The Longpigs band member Richard Hawley, has written a vital musical about Sheffield's giant housing estate, Park Hill. Read more.
Cheryl on stage: 2:22 - A Ghost Story, Lyric Theatre ★★★★★
Cheryl makes her West End debut in 2:22 – A Ghost Story: a hair-raising, contemporary take on a classic dramatic genre, directed by Matthew Dunster. Read more.
Contemporary Greek tragedy: Phaedra, National Theatre ★★★★★
Writer-director Simon Stone (Yerma), with a top-notch cast led by Janet McTeer, transposes the Greek myth of Phaedra to contemporary Britain. Read more.
Her-story: Six: The Musical, Vaudeville Theatre ★★★★★
In this West End musical, the six wives of Henry VIII are queens of pop reclaiming their narrative. Read more.
Celebrating suffragettes: Sylvia, Old Vic Theatre ★★★★★
Kate Prince's suffragette musical Sylvia, starring Beverley Knight, is fully realised at the Old Vic. Read more.
Cowboys and farm girls: Oklahoma!, Wyndham's Theatre ★★★★★
Director Daniel Fish's Tony-winning revival of Oklahoma! transfers from the Young Vic to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre for 2023. Read more.
From TV's Steven Moffat: The Unfriend, Criterion Theatre ★★★★★
Trailed by rave reviews from its premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre, Steven Moffat's thriller about a British couple who befriend a questionable character on holiday, only for her to turn up on their doorstep, opens in the West End. Read more.
Back from Broadway: The Lehman Trilogy, Gillian Lynne Theatre ★★★★★
Sam Mendes's generation-spanning finance epic returns to London's West End following a Tony-winning run on Broadway. Read more.
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Gory tragedy: Titus Andronicus, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse
Shakespeare’s first and bloodiest tragedy Titus Andronicus in a new production by pioneering director Jude Christian at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. Read more.
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Read all about it: Newsies, Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre ★★★★★
Newsies, the Broadway hit musical based on the eponymous Disney film, has opened in London in a vibrant and polished new production. Read our review.
Courtroom classic: To Kill a Mockingbird, Gielgud Theatre ★★★★★
Aaron Sorkin's smash-hit stage adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird comes to the West End, with Rafe Spall starring as Atticus Finch. Read more.
Troy immersion: Punchdrunk's The Burnt City, Woolwich Works ★★★★★
Immersive theatre pioneers Punchdrunk return to London with The Burnt City, an immersive extravaganza based on the fall of Troy. Read more.
Star-powered revival: Cabaret, The Kit Kat Club at the Playhouse Theatre ★★★★★
Jessie Buckley and Eddie Redmayne star in director Rebecca Frecknall’s revival of Cabaret, staged inside an intimate reconstruction of the musical’s Kit Kat Club. Read more.
Spectacular, Spectacular: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Piccadilly Theatre ★★★★★
After impressing on Broadway, the stage musical of Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge brings spectacular spectacular theatre to London in autumn 2021. Read more.
Heart-melting: Frozen the Musical, Theatre Royal Drury Lane ★★★★★
Frozen glitters at the West End’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where a cast led by Samantha Barks and Stephanie McKeon bring to life the sisterhood-championing story. Read our review.
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Here we go again: Mamma Mia! The Party, O2 ★★★★★
Greek Island paradise and golden pop music come to life as Sweden's hit immersive Abba experience transports us to a taverna with feasting, singing and lots of dancing. Read our review.
Virtual reality: War of the Worlds, the immersive experience ★★★★★
Immersive theatre company dotdotdot return to London with a new experience based on The War of The Worlds. Don a VR headset and become a character in the story. Read our review.
Courtroom drama: Witness for the Prosecution, County Hall ★★★★★
Director Lucy Bailey takes over London Country Hall for an immersive, site-specific production of Agatha Christie's Witness for the Prosecution.
read our review
Exceeds expectation: Hamilton, Victoria Palace Theatre ★★★★★
The London transfer of Lin-Manuel Miranda's magnificent hip-hop music is every bit as brilliant as we had hoped. Make it your mission to get tickets.
Pure magic: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Palace Theatre ★★★★★
read our review
Delightful disaster: The Play That Goes Wrong, Duchess Theatre ★★★★★
Musicals don't come much funnier than this whipsmart satire by South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The story of two Mormons travelling about as far from Salt Lake City as you can get still shocks and delights.
