Happy New Year!
2026 is already looking like it’s going to be a great year for theatre, both in the West End and on tour around the UK.
Here are some of the shows I am most looking forward to so far.
In the West End
CATS
A brand-new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s, CATS, will leap into the magical outdoor setting of Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in Summer 2026.
With music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, this production of CATS will run at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre from 25 July – 12 September 2026, directed and choreographed by Drew McOnie.
BEETLEJUICE
Get ready for the time of your afterlife with the supernaturally hilarious hit musical BEETLEJUICE! The spectacular Broadway sensation crosses over to the Prince Edward Theatre from May 2026 – for a limited haunting only.
Beetlejuice: The Musical -creeping over to London’s West End
AVENUE Q
Following the 18th anniversary concert (featuring the original cast) in 2024, it has been announced that Avenue Q will return to London, playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre from 20 March – 29 August 2026.
INTER ALIA
Inter Alia, the National Theatre’s recent ‘smash hit’, will transfer to the West End this Spring for a strictly limited season.
Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winner and BAFTA and Academy Award-nominee, Rosamund Pike, will reprise her critically acclaimed role with performances running at Wyndham’s Theatre from 19 March until 20 June 2026.
DRACULA
West End Wilma Award Winner, Cynthia Erivo will return to the West End stage for the first time in over ten years, to star in the one-actor, Sydney Theatre Company production of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, from 4 February – 31 May 2026 at the Noel Coward Theatre.
On Tour
Blood Brothers
International smash hit musical, Blood Brothers begins its Spring 2026 tour at Churchill Theatre, Bromley from Wednesday 14 January. It’s not new but I haven’t seen it since it closed in the West End so I am excited to see it again in 2026.
The Ballad Of Johnny & June
After sold-out seasons in New York and Canada, the new musical The Ballad of Johnny & June is heading to the UK and Ireland in 2026.
This highly anticipated production celebrates the legendary love story of Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash and will feature all their greatest hits — including I Walk the Line, Ring of Fire, Jackson, Hey Porter, and I’ve Been Everywhere.
Opening at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre on 2 March 2026, before touring more than 20 major venues across the UK and Ireland.
The Silence Of The Lambs
The Silence of the Lambs will make its world stage play premiere in 2026 and as a huge horror fan – I could not be more excited.
Acclaimed television writer and playwright Gina Gionfriddo (Law & Order (NBC), Rapture, Blister, Burn) brings Thomas Harris’ gripping literary masterpiece to the stage in a new modern adaptation directed by Nikolai Foster.
This electrifying new production will open at Leicester’s Curve theatre, where it plays from Saturday 01 August – Saturday 15 August 2026, ahead of a major UK and Ireland tour.
PRIME FACIE
Jodie Comer is to return to her acclaimed, Olivier and Tony Award winning performance in Suzie Miller’s multi award winning play, Prima Facie, which is set to tour the UK & Ireland from January 2026, beginning the tour in Richmond.
I never got to see this live on stage but I have seen the incredible National Theatre At Home filmed version which is stunning and so I can’t wait to see it in person.
What are you looking forward to seeing live on stage in 2026 – whether in the West End or on tour around the UK?
