Author: FairyPoweredProductions

York Theatre Royal – until 23 May 2026

5*****

The Psychic at York Theatre Royal is an engrossing and atmospheric psychological thriller that proves Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman still know exactly how to get under an audience’s skin. While audiences expecting the outright terror of Ghost Stories may find this production a little less frightening, that is not a criticism. Instead, The Psychic leans far more heavily into suspense, manipulation, and psychological unease – and as someone who loves a good psychological thriller, I found it utterly absorbing.

Set within an unsettling world where appearances constantly shift and certainty feels impossible, the play slowly draws the audience into its web. Dyson and Nyman’s writing is sharp and intelligent, balancing dark humour with creeping tension. Rather than relying on jump scares, the production builds an oppressive atmosphere that leaves you questioning every character and every revelation. There are still moments that genuinely make you jump, but the real strength lies in the lingering sense of unease that follows throughout the evening.

The cast are excellent throughout. Eileen Walsh delivers a compelling performance as Sheila Gold, grounding the production emotionally while gradually revealing the layers beneath her character. Megan Placto is equally impressive, in her first professional role, as Tara, bringing warmth and vulnerability that make the unfolding events feel increasingly personal and disturbing.

Frances Barber truly comes into her own in the second half as Rosa. While initially understated, Barber’s commanding stage presence becomes impossible to ignore as the play gathers momentum. She brings both menace and complexity to the role, helping to drive the tension to its gripping conclusion.

Technically, the production is outstanding. Rae Smith’s scenic design deserves enormous praise, creating a set that feels both intimate and deeply claustrophobic. The design works brilliantly with the play’s themes of illusion and uncertainty, constantly making the audience feel slightly off balance. Zoe Spurr’s lighting design is superbly judged, shifting subtly between realism and nightmare without ever becoming overblown, while Nick Manning’s sound design adds another layer of discomfort and suspense. Together, these elements create an immersive atmosphere that keeps the audience on edge throughout.

Proving there is more to him than Sooty, Richard Cadell acts as Showman Consultant along with William Hussey. With Chris Fisher acting as Illusion Designer. Both Cadell and Fisher are members of the Magic Circle and author Hussey grew up in a travelling fairground family.

Ultimately, The Psychic may not be as relentlessly terrifying as Ghost Stories, but it does not need to be. The final act rewards the patience, delivering twists and revelations that are both satisfying and unsettling. This is a more mature and psychologically driven piece of theatre, one that trusts its audience to sit with ambiguity and tension rather than simply startling them. For fans of intelligent thrillers, strong performances, and beautifully crafted atmosphere, it is absolutely worth seeing.

Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester – until Saturday 16th May 2026

Reviewed by Sally Lumley

4****

Illusion, grief, and belief collide in Magic, a compelling new play written by and starring David Haig, premiering at Chichester Festival Theatre as part of Festival 2026.

Telling the fascinating true story of the friendship, and very public falling out, between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Harry Houdini, this production explores the tension between faith and fact. In the shadow of the first world war, where spiritualism offered hope after huge numbers of fatalities, Conan Doyle, struggling with personal grief, is a firm believer in the ability to communicate with the dead. Houdini meanwhile, mourning his mother, longs for it to be true. However, when doubt creeps in Houdini sets out to uncover the truth, no matter the cost to their friendship.

It’s a gripping premise, and one that feels very relevant. In a modern world where we constantly question what’s real and what’s fake, Magic cleverly holds up a mirror to our own uncertainties. The script is thought provoking, weaving ideas about belief and truth through an engaging and emotionally driven plotline. It is fascinating to learn more about the lives of two very famous figures outside of the field for which they are most famous.

Hadley Fraser is dynamic as Houdini, bringing both charisma and sensitivity to the role, balancing showmanship with raw vulnerability. David Haig is the perfect counterpoint in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as a man full of conviction but tinged with an underlying desperation. The internal conflict that is shown in both men is genuinely moving. Jenna Augen as Bess Houdini and Claire Price as Jean Conan Doyle shine in their roles as women supporting their husbands in their obsessions, while struggling with their own beliefs.

This production is unsettling at times. The séance sequences, with Jade Williams as sinister medium Mina Crandon, are genuinely chilling, with lighting and sound used to great effect to ramp up the tension in the theatre. However, moments of vaudeville and theatrical magic bring welcome moments of lightness and fun. The immersive seating, placing audience members among the action, is inspired, further blurring the lines between what is real and what is spectacle.

Magic is a thought-provoking and thoroughly engaging night at the theatre. With strong performances, clever staging, and themes that left me thinking long after the play ended, this is a production that will leave audiences questioning what they believe and whether they really want to know the truth after all.

Curve Theatre Leicester – until 9th May 2026

Reviewed by Amarjeet Singh

3***

Mean Girls lands at Curve with a great deal of confidence, buoyed by the popularity of the 2004 film and the prestige of its creative team. The story follows Cady Heron, a teenage outsider trying to navigate the social maze of an American high school after growing up in Kenya. Her attempt to find friends and blend in quickly draws her into the orbit of ‘The Plastics’, a glossy but merciless clique where popularity is power and cruelty is currency.

Tina Fey’s book largely sticks to familiar territory, keen not to alienate fans of the film. Many of the most quoted lines are here and greeted warmly by the audience. While this brings a sense of recognition, it can also feel forced. Some moments play more like laughter cues than story beats. The show rarely pauses long enough to let its themes develop. The result is lively but oddly thin, skating across ideas of identity and belonging without fully exploring them, leaving a lack of depth in the characters and their journeys.

Structurally, the show struggles. The first act bustles with colour but does little to build emotional investment, while the second swings hard towards sincerity and loses momentum as a result. Musically, Jeff Richmond and Nell Benjamin lean into high-energy pop. The score is relentlessly upbeat and delivered with impressive force but lacks variety. Too many songs feel interchangeable and shoehorned in for laughs, rather than pushing the story forward or revealing something new about the characters. The humour itself follows a similar pattern: sporadically sharp, but often broad and out of place. When the jokes hit, they sparkle; when they don’t, they linger awkwardly.

Where the production truly shines is in performance. The cast embrace the material with commitment, dynamism and vocal assurance. Emily Lane brings clarity and warmth to Cady, while Vivian Panka’s Regina George is commanding and coolly controlled. Faye Tozer is brilliant in her multiple roles, shifting effortlessly between characters. Georgie Buckland and Max Gill are real standouts as Janis and Damian; their chemistry and comedic timing are a joy.

Visually and vocally, this Mean Girls is slick and polished, but it feels underwhelming. Characters often lean toward caricature where complexity would be more rewarding. Mean Girls delivers spirit, talent and recognisable fun. What it lacks is the bite and cultural sting that gave the original movie its staying power. Glossy and crowd-pleasing, this production plays to the masses but misses the mark. It’s perfectly pleasant, but unlikely to linger long after the final curtain.

Jack Studio Theatre – until 16 May 2026

Reviewed by Claire Roderick

3***

Emeka Agada’s new play has immense potential but in its present form feels slightly overstuffed leading to a less impactful experience than the subject matter deserves.

Set in the 1990s USA, the play opens with a raid and the arrest of Dr Oko (Agada) – something he appears to be prepared for. Whilst on death row awaiting execution for his political crimes, Oko is visited by a former student, Asante (Kenneth Butler). Asante is now a journalist and he says he wants to make a record Oko’s revolutionary life and teachings.

The play is mostly static, taking place in an interview room in the prison with the protagonists sitting opposite each other and leaving their chairs for flashbacks or asides. Director Nathaniel Brimmer-Beller ensures the audience never get comfortable with Rey Wong’s unsettling lighting design.

Oko’s recollection of Asante as a “difficult” student is a hook into the ensuing debate between the characters about systemic racism, capitalism and revolution.

Agada ‘s Oko is charming but razor sharp, with unbending and unrepentant convictions but it is not until you see him in flashbacks giving speeches that you see his true charismatic power outweighing his flaws. Asante’s memories of his student activism have been dulled by his responsibilities to his young family, but Oko sees him as a final chance to carry out his final act of revolution.

A camera records the visuals of the encounters but Oko thinks he can speak freely. The dialogue, although covering so many crucial points, feels like a college tutorial at times and when jeopardy is introduced as the authorities use Asante to try to discover Oko’s plans it is a welcome relief. It also draws a stark contrast between what each man is willing to sacrifice for the cause.

The actors give passionate performances, but there are so many issues thrown about in the dialogue that they are never really given the opportunity to sink their teeth into anything, leaving important scenes – even the climatic drug overdose – underwhelming.

There’s no denying the fervour of Agada’s writing, but The Last Black Messiah needs a more focussed and streamlined approach in order to entertain as well as educate.

CAMERON MACKINTOSH ANNOUNCES 

ANNA ZAVELSON

AS CHRISTINE DAAÉ

IN

ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER’S

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

AT HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE FROM MONDAY 18 MAY 2026

Cameron Mackintosh is delighted to announce that Anna Zavelson will play the role of Christine Daaé in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s PHANTOM OF THE OPERA at His Majesty’s Theatre for 11 weeks only, from Monday 18 May 2026 until Saturday 1 August 2026.

Anna Zavelson played Christine Daaé in Masquerade, the immersive adaptation of Phantom of the Opera in New York. Other theatre credits include her Broadway debut as Younger Allie in The Notebook (Gerald Schoenfield Theatre), Chinese Republicans (Laura Pels Theatre Off-Broadway) and Light in the Piazza (New York City Center).

Anna will perform alongside Dean Chisnall as The Phantom, Ashley Gilmour as Raoul, Joanna Ampil as Carlotta Giudicelli, Martin Ball as Monsieur Firmin, Adam Linstead as Monsieur André, Helen Hobson asMadame Giry, Bradyn Debysingh as Ubaldo Piangi and Millie Lyon as Meg Giry. At certain performances the role of Christine Daaé will be played by Colleen Rose Curran.

The cast is completed by George Arvidson, Michael Baxter, Embla Bishop, David Burilin, Polly Clarke, Leonard Cook, Hywel Dowsell, Connor Ewing, Florence Fowler, James Gant, Emily George, Melanie Gowie, Molly Hall, Eilish Harmon-Beglan, Will Hawksworth, Matt Hayden, Nicholas Hepher, Mandy Kwan,Verity Marlow, Tim Morgan, Inguna Morozova, Skye November, Taylor Pardell, Johnny Randall, Zoë Soleil Vallée, Rachel Spurrell, Jasmine Wallis, Victoria Ward and Ralph Watts.

Experience the thrill of the West End’s most haunting love story, as Phantom of the Opera enters its 40th year, marking four extraordinary decades at His Majesty’s Theatre.

Cameron Mackintosh’s production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera is widely considered one of the world’s most beautiful and spectacular musicals. Since 1986, Phantom of the Opera has become a global phenomenon, with productions playing to 160 million people in 217 cities, 52 territories and in 23 languages. Lloyd Webber’s celebrated romantic and soaring score includes The Music of the Night, All I Ask of You, Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again, Masquerade and the iconic title song.

Phantom of the Opera tells the haunting story of Christine Daaé, a young soprano whose extraordinary voice enchants a mysterious masked figure known as The Phantom. A brilliant yet tormented musical genius, The Phantom dwells in the depths of the Paris Opera House, casting fear over all who inhabit it.

Drawn to Christine’s sensational talent, The Phantom becomes her mentor, believing she alone can truly bring his music to life, and as he guides her from the shadows, he falls deeply and dangerously in love. When Christine is reunited with her childhood sweetheart, Raoul, now the young patron of the Opera House, she has to wrestle with the unpredictable nature of a powerful love triangle. The Phantom’s obsession with his new star sets off a dramatic turn of events where devotion, jealousy and passions collide.

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA – Produced by Cameron Mackintosh, Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lyrics by Charles Hart, and Additional Lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. Book by Richard Stilgoe and Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the novel ‘Le Fantôme de l’Opera’ by Gaston Leroux, with Orchestrations by David Cullen and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Musical Supervision is by Simon Lee. The Production Design is by Maria Björnson and the Set Design is adapted by Matt Kinley with Associate Costume Design by Jill Parker, Lighting is by Andrew Bridge with Associate Lighting Design by Warren Letton, Sound is by Mick Potter. The Musical Staging and Choreography is by Gillian Lynne, recreated and adapted by Chrissie Cartwright. Originally Directed by Harold Prince, this production is Directed by Seth Sklar-Heyn.

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA is a Cameron Mackintosh and LW Entertainment production.

Anna Zavelson is appearing with the support of Equity UK, incorporating the Variety Artistes’ Federation, pursuant to an exchange program between American Equity and Equity UK.

West End leading actress 

Natalie Kassanga Satine in Moulin Rouge the Musical
Irene Roth in Crazy For You
Deena Jones in Dreamgirls
Diana Ross in Motown the Musical
Original West End cast of Dear Evan Hansencompletes the cast of 

THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT

THE JONATHAN LARSON PROJECT
Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson

The celebrated New York tribute featuring previously unheard songs
from the legendary composer of Rent
Conceived by Jennifer Ashley Tepper
Directed by John SimpkinsSouthwark Playhouse Borough
Thursday 9 July – Saturday 22 August, 2026 for 6 weeks only!

This new production commemorates 30 years since Larson’s death
on the very eve of his greatest success

Please note – only single press seats are available
West End leading actress Natalie Kassanga completes the cast of The Jonathan Larson Project, an electrifying celebration of the ground breaking composer behind Rent and tick, tick… BOOM! which will make its highly anticipated European premiere at Southwark Playhouse Borough from Thursday 9 July to Saturday 22 August 2026.

Following a critically acclaimed Off Broadway run, The Jonathan Larson Project is being reimagined for London by original Off Broadway director John Simpkins.

Natalie has starred in many leading musicals in both the West End and on tour, including playing Satine in Moulin Rouge the Musical, Irene Roth in Crazy For You, Deena Jones in Dreamgirls, Diana Ross in Motown the Musical and she was in the original West End cast of Dear Evan Hansen.

She joins the previously announced Max Harwood (breakout star as Jamie New in the film Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), Marcus Collins (original West End cast of Kinky Boots), Michael Mather (Fiyero on the international tour of Wicked) and Imelda Warren-Green (Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder in the West End), plus Georgie Butler and Edward Flynn Haddon, who were chosen over 600 performers in an open search led by Emmy-nominated casting director Rob Kelly, to make their professional debuts as covers.

The Jonathan Larson Project is a show about a young man following his heart in New York City trying to change the world. The show offers a rare and exhilarating window into Larson’s creative world, featuring previously unheard songs from the late composer’s archives. They illuminate the artistry, activism, and restless imagination of one of musical theatre’s most influential voices.

The 2026 London production holds special significance, marking 30 years since Jonathan Larson’s death in January 1996 from an aortic dissection just one day before Rent’s first performance in New York.

This exciting UK cast of West End stars will bring Larson’s early, experimental, and never-heard work to life with bold theatricality and contemporary resonance.

The Jonathan Larson Project recently captivated critics and audiences alike, leading to a 16-week Off Broadway season at the Orpheum Theatre.

Creative team:
Director John Simpkins
Casting: Rob Kelly
Producers: Thomas Hopkins  SAMS Entertainment
Co-Producer: Cason Cane
Executive Producer: Julie Larson

Jonathan Larson – Composer
Jonathan Larson (1960–1996) transformed the American musical with Rent. Despite his tragic death before opening night, Rent went on to enjoy critical and commercial success, and transferred to Broadway, becoming the 12th longest-running Broadway production. Larson posthumously received three Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Rent was also adapted into a 2005 film. Tick, Tick… Boom! received an Off-Broadway production in 2001, and was also adapted into a 2021 film, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and starring Andrew Garfield (in an Academy Award nominated performance) as Larson. Larson’s work continues to inspire new generations of artists and audiences around the world. The Jonathan Larson Project invites theatre lovers to discover the breadth of his talent beyond his most famous works.

John Simpkins – Director
John has directed New York productions of the three-time Drama Desk nominated Bloodsong of Love (Joe Iconis) at Ars Nova; Things to Ruin (which he co-conceived and directed) at Second Stage, Zipper Factory, Ars Nova; The Plant That Ate Dirty Socks at the Lortel Theatre; The Black Suits at SPF/ Public Theatre; The Bus (James Lantz) at 59E59; and ReWrite at Urban Stages. Additional world premieres include Joe Iconis’ Love in Hate Nation (Two River Theater) and The Black Suits (Center Theatre Group/ Kirk Douglas Theatre), Jacques Lamarre’s Raging Skillet (Theaterworks Hartford), and Andrea Daly/ Jeff Bienstock’s Legendale (Fredericia Teater in Denmark).

Thomas Hopkins Productions (THP) – Producer
Thomas Hopkins Productions (THP) was founded in 2019 by award-winning theatre, film, television, and radio producer Thomas Hopkins. Since its inception, THP has worked on over 150 live theatrical productions and numerous productions created and filmed specifically for platforms such as Sky, BBC, Amazon Prime, BroadwayHD, Broadway On Demand, and the educational platform Digital Theatre Plus. THP is recognised as an industry leader, specialising in transatlantic partnerships and supporting productions through its full-service organisation.

THP’s recent productions include; the critically acclaimed UK tour of The Talented Mr. Ripley and on Broadway; Robert Icke’s Oedipus, new musical Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York),  Liberation and seven-time Tony®-nominated John Proctor is the Villain. In London, THP produced This Bitter Earth, directed by Grammy Award, Emmy, and three-time Tony Award®-winning Billy Porter, at Soho Theatre in London’s West End; as well as the highly regarded Rose, starring Dame Maureen Lipman at the
Ambassadors Theatre.

THP is passionate about creating new theatrical experiences and productions. Among THP’s current slate of development, some of the highlights include a new version of Boy George’s autobiographical musical Taboo, with plans to open in 2027; a new family musical by Olivier Award-winning composer Vikki Stone, based on the iconic BAFTA-winning BBC TV show Maid Marian and Her Merry Men by Sir Tony Robinson.

In 2026, THP are also producing the 20th anniversary tour of the hit comedy Glorious! starring Wendi Peters, along with the major UK revival of Alan Menken and Howard Ashman’s hit musical Little Shop of Horrors, directed by Tony®-nominated Carrie-Anne Ingrouille.
www.thproductions.co.uk

SAMS Entertainment- Producer

SAMS Entertainment, founded by Tony Award–winning producers Sam Houlihan and Sam Biondolillo, is a New York–based producing company dedicated to theatre that is both artistically vibrant and accessible. The company is guided by the belief that producing should be collaborative, transparent, and rooted in trust-opening doors for new voices while supporting work that resonates with contemporary audiences.

On Broadway, the Sams have produced award‑winning productions including Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, the acclaimed revival of Merrily We Roll Along, Gutenberg! The Musical!, and Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen. Off‑Broadway, their credits include DATA at the Lucille Lortel Theatre and Prince Faggot at Studio Seaview. Beyond Broadway, SAMS’ producing work spans the United Kingdom, where credits include the UK tour of The Talented Mr. Ripley, the UK tour of Glorious!, The Frogs at Southwark Playhouse, and Little Shop of Horrors at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester and in Liverpool.

In addition to producing, SAMS Entertainment offers comprehensive management and consulting services. The company partners with artists and creative teams from the earliest stages of development through performance, providing structure and support that encourages both artistic freedom and financial clarity. Their model invites collaborators and investors into the creative and commercial process itself, not solely the final result, fostering an environment of openness, shared purpose, and long‑term sustainability.

Driven by a belief in the transformative power of theatre, Sam Houlihan and Sam Biondolillo are committed to creating work that inspires, challenges, and endures-building theatre for today’s audiences and for generations to come.

Southwark Playhouse
Southwark Playhouse is a registered charity that delivers a year-round programme of entertaining and enriching work. Southwark Playhouse operates two separate venues ‘Southwark Playhouse Borough’ and its newest theatre ‘Southwark Playhouse Elephant’ which opened in January 2023. Southwark Playhouse has always prided itself in telling stories and inspiring the next generation of storytellers and theatre makers, where support for the community has been rooted at the core of the organisation.

Website: southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
BlueSky: @swkplay.bsky.social
Facebook: SouthwarkPlayhouse
Instagram: @swkplay
TikTok: swkplay
YouTube: southwarkplayhouse

LISTINGS INFO

Thomas Hopkins  SAMS Entertainment
&
Julie Larson
proudly present

The Jonathan Larson Project
Music and Lyrics by Jonathan Larson

Conceived by Jennifer Ashley Tepper

By arrangement with
Music Theatre International

Directed by John Simpkins

Southwark Playhouse Borough
77-85 Newington Causeway
London SE1 6BD

Thursday 9 July – Saturday 22 August, 2026

7pm Monday  Saturday
2.30pm Matinee Tuesday & Saturday

How To Get There: The nearest stations are
Borough and Elephant & Castle

Tickets are available from: www.jonathanlarson.co.uk

Instagram: @jonathanlarsonproject

Ticket Prices: £10 – £35
Age Guidance: 12+
Running time:90 mins (no interval)

FURTHER CASTING, DATES AND ONSALE ANNOUNCED FOR

2026 SHOWS AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE

• BAFTA Award-winning actor Anne-Marie Duff to join the world premiere of Some Woman – an exciting new play from celebrated British playwright Helen Edmundson, directed by Blanche McIntyre.
• Rebecca Humphries, Eloka Ivo, Tom Mothersdale, Charlotte Ritchie, Ellen Robertson, Stuart Thompson and Sam Troughton are cast in multi-award-winning playwright Caryl Churchill’s landmark play Cloud 9,directed by Dominic Cooke.
• Dates and on sale for Benedict Andrews’ new play Electra/Persona featuring two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss and Ella Lily Hyland.  
• For a limited, one-week run in September, famed Portuguese playwright and director Tiago Rodrigues will make his National Theatre debut by bringing his compelling play Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fasciststo the National Theatre for its UK premiere.
• Dorfman dates confirmed for a brand-new production of Jim Cartwright’sThe Rise and Fall of Little Voice, starring Francesca Mills and directed by Robert Hastie.
• Tickets for Electra/Persona, Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists, Some Woman, Cloud 9 and The Rise and Fall of Little Voice will be on general sale from 12 noon BST on Thursday 21 May 2026.

2026 at the National Theatre – new shows on sale

Lyttelton theatre

Electra/Persona
19 August – 10 October 2026

Lyttelton theatre

In August,director and adapter Benedict Andrews (A Streetcar Named Desire) makes his National Theatre debut with the world premiere of Electra/Persona. Fusing ancient myth with Ingmar Bergman’s Persona in a powerful exploration of identity and the fragile line between who we are and who we play.

Benedict Andrews has assembled a stellar cast that includes Academy Award-winner Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)and Nina Hoss (Tár) and rising talent Ella Lily Hyland (Black Doves).

Which role undid you in the end?  

Electra. A daughter consumed by grief and rage, clinging to the idea of justice as her world comes apart.

Persona. During a performance of Electra, an actress suddenly falls silent. What follows is a rupture: two women drawn into an intense, unsettling encounter where speech breaks down and the boundaries between self and role give way.

Joining Benedict is set designer Magda Willi, costume designer Merle Hensel, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, lighting designer Jon Clark, video designer Ash J Woodward,casting by Alastair Coomer CDG, associate director Danica Selem, music associate Deanna H. Choi and staff director Oliver Hurst.

Tickets on sale from midday on Thursday 21 May 2026, nationaltheatre.org.uk

Cloud 9
2 November 2026 – 13 January 2027

Lyttelton theatre

This autumn, multi-award-winning playwright Caryl Churchill (Top Girls) returns to the National Theatre for the first time since 2019 with her landmark play Cloud 9, which continues to challenge how we think about gender, power and the legacies of empire. Dominic Cooke (The Normal Heart) reunites with Churchill to direct a bold new production that brings fresh urgency to this daring and satirical classic.

Principal casting announced includes Rebecca Humphries, Eloka Ivo, Tom Mothersdale, Charlotte Ritchie, Ellen Robertson, Stuart Thompson and Sam Troughton.

In Victorian Africa, where Clive is a colonial administrator and patriarch, his wife, son and servant struggle to be what’s expected of them.

When the family turn up a hundred years later in 70s London, what can they make of themselves in a world where empire lingers and freedom calls?

Dominic Cooke is joined by set designer Miriam Buether, costume designer Samuel Wyer, lighting designer Jessica Hung Han Yun, sound designer Donato Wharton, casting by Naomi Downham, dialect coach Penny Dyer, voice coach Shereen Ibrahim and staff director Max Harrison.

Further casting to be announced.

Tickets on sale from midday on Thursday 21 May 2026, nationaltheatre.org.uk

Dorfman theatre

Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists
19  – 26 September 2026

Dorfman theatre

For a limited, one-week run in September, famed Portuguese playwright and director Tiago Rodrigues (Director of Festival d’Avignon) will make his National Theatre debut by bringing his compelling play Catarina and the Beauty of Killing Fascists to the National Theatre for its UK premiere. This confronting, politically charged production will be performed in its native Portuguese with English surtitles. 

The cast includes Isabel Abreu, Romeu Costa, António Fonseca, Beatriz Maia, Marco Mendonça, António Afonso Parra, Carolina Passos Sousa and João Vicente.

South Portugal, 2028. Catarina is about to kill her first fascist.

It is a rite of passage, steeped in tradition and family lore. A day of celebration, of beauty and death.

But when Catarina refuses to kill the hostage, her decision drives a wedge between the family. As ghosts of the past arise, unresolved questions emerge – what is the price of democracy? Is there room for violence in the fight for a better world?

Writer and director Tiago Rodrigues is joined in the creative team by artistic collaborator Magda Bizarro, set designer F.Ribeiro, lighting designer Nuno Meira, lighting adaptation for National Theatre Rui Monteiro, costume designer José António Tenente, composer and sound designer Pedro Costa, choir conductor and vocal arranger João Henriques, voiceover artists Cláudio de Castro, Nadezhda Bocharova, Pedro Moldão, Paula Mora, choreographers Sofia Dias and Vítor Roriz, technical weapons advisor David Chan Cordeiro, English translation by Daniel Hahn, surtitles by Patrícia Pimentel.

Production Teatro Nacional D. Maria II (Lisboa)

Executive production Festival d’Avignon

Co-production Wiener Festwochen, Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione (Modena), Théâtre de la Cité – CDN Toulouse Occitanie & Théâtre Garonne Scène européenne Toulouse, Festival d’Automne à Paris & Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Teatro di Roma – Teatro Nazionale, Comédie de Caen, Théâtre de Liège, Maison de la Culture d’Amiens, BIT Teatergarasjen (Bergen), Le Trident – Scène nationale de Cherbourg-en-Cotentin, Teatre Lliure (Barcelona), Centro Cultural Vila Flor (Guimarães), O Espaço do Tempo (Montemor-o-Novo).

Tickets on sale from midday on Thursday 21 May 2026, nationaltheatre.org.uk

Some Woman

7 October – 21 November 2026

Dorfman theatre

Later this year, the Dorfman will host the world premiere of Some Woman – a provocative new play from celebrated British playwright Helen Edmundson (Small Island), her first since Queen Anne in 2015. 

Blanche McIntyre (Tartuffe) returns to the National Theatre to direct BAFTA-winning actor Anne Marie-Duff (Bad Sisters) who will play central character Julie Robson.

‘I don’t want to be this woman’

Julie Robson is used to being overlooked. At work, at home, everywhere in between.

But when an encounter on a station platform goes wrong and all eyes are suddenly on Julie, something shifts within her and she feels compelled to make a stand.

What happens when an ordinary woman pits herself against the forces that shape the world? What happens when she refuses to be quiet?

Director Blanche McIntyre is joined by set and costume designer Robert Jones and casting by Martin Poile CDG.

Further casting to be announced.

Tickets on sale from midday on Thursday 21 May 2026, nationaltheatre.org.uk

The Rise and Fall of Little Voice

2 December 2026 – 23 January 2027

This winter in the Dorfman, a new production of Jim Cartwright’s modern classic The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, will reunite Francesca Mills as Little Voice and director Robert Hastie following Hamlet in the Lyttelton last year. A joyful, tender and bittersweet celebration of music, ambition and the courage it takes to be heard with iconic music from the likes of Judy Garland, Shirley Bassey and more.

Alone in the sanctuary of her small bedroom, Little Voice fills the air with pitch‑perfect renditions of her deceased dad’s prized record collection of the great divas, from Judy Garland to Billie Holiday.

But when her mother Mari’s latest fling, local wheeler dealer Ray, hears her sing he’s certain he’s struck gold. Will Little Voice be pushed into a spotlight she never asked for?

Director Robert Hastie is joined in the artistic team by set and costume designer Janet Bird, lighting designer Paul Pyant, sound designer Mike Walker, composer and music director David Shrubsole, voice coach Shereen Ibrahim and casting by Alastair Coomer CDG.

The production is due to tour directly following a mainstage run. Further details to be announced.

Further casting to be announced.

Tickets on sale from midday on Thursday 21 May 2026, nationaltheatre.org.uk

2026 at the National Theatre – shows currently on sale

Olivier theatre

War Horse
16 May – 30 July 2026

Olivier theatre

The National Theatre’s global smash-hit production War Horse returns to its original home nearly two decades after its debut and following a recent acclaimed tour of the UK and Ireland. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel, adapted by Nick Stafford and originally directed by Marianne Elliott and Tom Morris, War Horse has become the most successful play in the history of the National Theatre, winning more than 25 major awards including the Tony Award for ‘Best Play’ and has been seen by over 8.8 million people worldwide.

War Horse tells the remarkable story of a young boy called Albert and his horse Joey, set against the backdrop of the First World War. It is a timeless story of love, courage and friendship, brought to life by astonishing life-sized horses from Handspring Puppet Company and a stirring musical score. War Horse has inspired a generation of theatre-makers since its premiere in 2007.

The full cast of 35 includes: Anita Adam Gabay (Emilie / Joey as a Foal), Rianna Ash (Joey / Topthorn head), Eloise Beaumont-Wood (Joey as a Foal), Stephen Beckett (Ted Narracott/Strauss), Ike Bennett (David Taylor / Thomas Bone), Jo Castleton (Rose Narracott), Owen Dagnall (Geordie / Alternate Albert Narracott), Alexandra Donnachie (Joey / Topthorn head), Felicity Donnelly (Joey / Topthorn hind), Sam Goodchild (Joey / Topthorn hind), Danny Hendrix (Veterinary Officer Martin), Jasmin Hinds (Matron Callaghan), Linford Johnson (Sergeant Fine), Andrew Keay (Joey / Topthorn hind), Nicholas Khan (Arthur Narracott / Brandt), Manuel Klein (Friedrich / Priest), Michael Larcombe (Joey / Topthorn hind), Matthew Lawrence (Joey / Topthorn head), Madeleine Leslay (Paulette / Sarah Carter), Wade Lewin (Joey / Topthorn head), Jack Lord (Klausen / Allan), Damian Lynch (Thunder / Carter), Lewis McBean (Joey / Topthorn heart), Chris Milford (Joey / Topthorn heart), Corey Montague-Sholay (Billy Narracott / Klebb), Jordan Paris (Joey as a Foal), Anne-Marie Piazza (Nell Allan / Schnabel), Daniel Rock (Captain Stewart / Ludwig), Simon Stanhope (Manfred), Tom Sturgess (Albert Narracott), Sally Swanson (The Singer), Lucy Thorburn (Jenny Bone / Annie Gilbert), Chris Williams (Captain Nicholls / Dr Schewyk), Niko Wirachman (Joey / Topthorn heart) and Rafe Young (Joey / Topthorn heart).

At the outbreak of the First World War, young Albert’s beloved horse Joey is sold to the cavalry and shipped to France. Too young to enlist, Albert refuses to forget him, embarking on an extraordinary journey from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of wartime France – determined to bring Joey home.

This tour revival of War Horse has been  created by director Tom Morris with revival director Katie Henry, drawings, set and costume designer Rae Smith, puppet designer Adrian Kohler for Handspring Puppet Company, lighting designer Rob Casey, director of movement and horse choreography Toby Sedgwick, puppetry director Matthew Forbes, animation and projection design by 59 Studio.Music is by Adrian Sutton with songmaker John Tams, sound designer Christopher Shutt and music director Dom Coyote. Casting is by Jill Green CDG with Paul Benzing as fight director, Patricia Ojehonmon as wellbeing consultant, Rebecca Daltry as dialect coach and Cathleen McCarron and Shereen Ibrahim as voice coaches.

Completing the team are, Anna Marshall as associate director, William Fricker as associate set designer, Johanna Coe as associate costume designer, Tom Turner as associate lighting designer, Lewis Howard as associate puppetry director, Matthew Gough as music associate, Rob Bettle for Sound Quiet Time as associate sound designer, Emma Laxton as associate sound designer and Olivia Laydon and Tom Shiels as casting associates.

Tickets on sale now, nationaltheatre.org.uk

The Story

27 August – 24 October 2026

In autumn 2026, the Olivier theatre will host the British premiere of The Story, by leading American playwright Tracey Scott Wilson (The Americans). Focusing on an ambitious black reporter who defies her editor to pursue an incendiary lead, choosing to go to any length to get ‘the story’, BAFTA Award-winner Letitia Wright (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) will make her National Theatre debut in this examination of racial politics and journalistic ethics. Gripping and adrenaline-fuelled, this seminal newsroom thriller is directed by Clint Dyer (Death of England).

Casting includes Antonia Bernath as Jessica Dunn, Josh Goulding as Tim Dunn, Aliyah Odoffin as Latisha, Wilf Scolding as Jeff, Jay Simpson as Detective, Unique Spencer as Adrienne, Ashley Thomas as Neil, Lorraine Toussaint as Pat and Letitia Wright as Yvonne. They are joined by Tee Arnold, Donna Augustin, Reanna Bleu, Katie Buchholz and Linseigh Green in the ensemble.

When a white teacher is killed in a black neighbourhood, four journalists race to get the headline – at any cost. But when shocking new evidence pulls them into the dark heart of the

case, they are each forced to confront what they’re prepared to risk to tell their version of the truth.

Joining Director Clint Dyer in the artistic team will be set designer Anna Fleischle,costume designer Natalie Pryce,lighting designer Paul Anderson,sound designer Benjamin Grant, movement director Lucie Pankhurst, co-video designers Gino Ricardo Green and Tal Yarden, intimacy director Ingrid Mackinnon, casting directors Alastair Coomer CDG and Martin Poile CDG, dialect coach Hazel Holder, voice coach Cathleen McCarron and staff director Emily Aboud.

Further casting to be announced.

Tickets on sale now, nationaltheatre.org.uk

The Jungle Book

13 November 2026 – 6 February 2027

Olivier theatre

This festive season, the National Theatre will stage Anupama Chandrasekhar’s (The Father and the Assassin) new play, a theatrical retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s beloved family tale The Jungle Book, directed by Indhu Rubasingham. With innovative puppetry by Lume: Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, this thrilling new adaptation will bring the jungle roaring to life on the Olivier stage.

Initial casting announced today includes Hiran Abeysekera as Mowgli. Hiran is joined by Sarah Amankwah, Kazeem Tosin Amore, Darcy Braimoh, Sebastian Charles, Laura Cubitt, Fred Davis, Ayesha Dharker, Ali Goldsmith, Valentine Hanson, Romina Hytten, Tony Jayawardena, Avye Leventis, Shaun Yusuf McKee, Kel Matsena, Sifiso Mazibuko, Jordan Metcalfe and Sharita Oomeer.

In the mangroves of the Sundarbans, wolves howl, birds soar and tigers roar. At the heart of this wild and vibrant kingdom, an unlikely child is growing up… Mowgli.

Danger stalks the shadows, and threats lie hidden beneath every rock. To protect his family, his friends and the only home he has ever known, this young hero must first discover who he really is and where he truly belongs.

Directed by Indhu Rubasingham with set and costume design by Rajha Shakiry, puppetry by Lume: Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell, movement director Finn Caldwell, composer Fernando Velázquez, lighting designer Oliver Fenwick, sound designer Benjamin Grant, casting directors Bryony Jarvis-Taylor CDG and Martin Poile CDG, voice coach Cathleen McCarron, associate director John Young,  associate set designer Ruth Hall, associate puppetry director Scarlet Wilderink and associate puppetry designer Caroline Bowman

Further casting to be announced.

Tickets on sale now, nationaltheatre.org.uk

Lyttelton theatre

Les Liaisons Dangereuses

Until 6 June 2026

Lyttelton theatre

Broadcast globally in cinemas via National Theatre Live from 25 June 2026

Returning to the National Theatre after nine years, Marianne Elliott (Angels in America) will direct a major revival of Les Liaisons Dangereusesin the Lyttelton theatre in spring 2026. Christopher Hampton’s(The Father) acclaimed adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’ epistolary novel will have its first staging at the National Theatre with a stellar cast that includes Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Gabrielle Drake (Time and the Conways), Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread) and Aidan Turner (Rivals).

They are joined by Ishmail Aaron, Sharif Afifi, Curtis Angus, Charlotte Avery, Nandi Bhebhe, Lucia Chocarro, Liz Ewing, Ali Goldsmith, Darragh Hand, Georges Hann,Spike King, Dianté Lodge, Katie Lusby, Amy Macken, Aisha Naamani, Bryony Pennington, Cat Simmons and Hannah van der Westhuysen.

The pen is mightier than the sword.

Among the glittering salons of the super-rich, patriarchy equals power, reputation is everything – and for women, one misstep can mean ruin.

Marquise de Merteuil, master in the art of survival, wields her influence with intelligence and control. Alongside the magnetic Vicomte de Valmont, they turn seduction into strategy and weaponise desire. But when their alliance collapses into rivalry, the battle between them threatens to destroy everyone in their path.

Director Marianne Elliott is joined in the artistic team by set designer Rosanna Vize, costume designer Natalie Roar, choreographer Tom Jackson Greaves, composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman, lighting designer James Farncombe, sound designer Ian Dickinson forAutograph, intimacy director Ingrid Mackinnon, fight director Sam Lyon-Behan, casting directors Alastair Coomer CDG and Naomi Downham, voice and dialect coach Hazel Holder, associate director Mumba Dodwell and associate wigs, hair and make-up designer Adele Brandman.

Tickets now on sale, nationaltheatre.org.uk

The Misanthrope

16 June – 1 August 2026

Lyttelton theatre

Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh (Killing Eve) will make her exciting National Theatre debut in a new adaptation of Molière’s The Misanthrope from Martin Crimp (Cyrano de Bergerac), written in contemporary verse. Directed by Indhu Rubasingham, this biting adaptation will interrogate 21st-century private relationships and public debate, with Molière’s infamous character – the misanthropic Alceste – here reimagined as Alice.

Cast includes Paul Chahidi as John, Abigail Cruttenden as Claire, Imogen Elliott as Esmée, Rina Fatania as Indira, Freddie MacBruce as Allen, Tom Mison as Stefan, Sandra Oh as Alice and Jemima Rooper as Elaine.  Young performers include Arthur Blanc and Teddy Holton-Frances as Benjamin and Francesca Fullilove and Poppy Townsend White as Madeleine.

The understudy cast completing the company includes Niamh James as understudy Esmée/Allen, Amira Matthews as understudy Claire/Indira/Elaine, Scott Sparrow as understudy Stefan, John Vernon as understudy John and Gabby Wong as understudy Alice.

Alice, a brilliant novelist, despises the hollow contemporary mantras of kindness and respect. But the bolder she becomes in speaking out, the more colleagues avoid her, and the more her personal relationships begin to fracture. As she challenges fashionable ideas and lends her voice to causes others are afraid to touch, she faces intense criticism and backlash. Alice will soon learn the price she must pay as an artist and as a woman for daring to speak her mind.

Joining Indhu Rubasingham in the artistic team are set and costume designer Robert Jones, lighting designer Tim Lutkin, composer Anna Meredith, sound designer Alexander Caplen, movement director Lucy Hind, casting Alastair Coomer CDG and Martin Poile CDG,voice coach Jeannette Nelson, associate director Gitika Buttoo and associate set and costume designer Ethan Cheek.

Tickets now on sale, nationaltheatre.org.uk

Dorfman theatre

Pride  

11 June – 12 September 2026

After receiving an overwhelming response from audiences during a sold-out preview run at Cardiff’s Sherman Theatre, producers P&P Productions, with the National Theatre in association with Pathé, Calamity Films and David Binder Productions, bring the world premiere of the new musical Pride to the Dorfman theatre this summer. Based on the award-winning film which reunites director Matthew Warchus (Matilda The Musical) and writer Stephen Beresford (The Last of the Haussmans), this incredible true story is set during the 1984 miners’ strike, when a group of friends formed Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) before helping a small village in south Wales.

Full casting includes Samuel Barnett as Jonathan, Lewis Cornay as Bromley, Matthew Durkan as Mike, Gillian Elisa as Gwen, Robin Hayward as Martin, Chris Jenkins as Gethin, Darren Lawrence as Cliff, Jhon Lumsden as Mark, Kirsty Malpass as Hefina, Sarah Pugh as Siân, Jordan Shaw as Reggie, Courtney Stapleton as Steph, Caroline Sheen as Maureen, Mared Williams as Margaret and Matthew Woodyatt as Dai. 

They are joined by an ensemble that includes Daniel Forrester, Madeleine Morgan, Catherine Morris, Helen Siveter and Graham Vick.

Funny, fierce and filed with joy, Pride is set to an original score by Christopher Nightingale (A Christmas Carol), Josh Cohen (Sylvia) and DJ Walde (Sylvia), with songs inspired by protest anthems, pop, rock, disco and the Welsh choral tradition. 

Summer, 1984. With miners on strike across the country, 24-year-old activist Mark Ashton tries to rally a group of friends into supporting the beleaguered strikers. The newly formed Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) quickly finds itself entwined with a small pit village in south Wales.  

What follows is the remarkable true story of two threatened communities joining forces – and discovering they have more in common than they ever imagined.  

Pride has a book and lyrics by Stephen Beresford, music by Christopher Nightingale, Josh Cohen and DJ Walde, developed and directed by Matthew Warchus. The artistic team is completed by set and costume designer Bunny Christie, choreographer Lizzi Gee, orchestrations Christopher Nightingale and Tom Kelly, music supervision Tom Kelly, additional orchestrations Josh Cohen and DJ Walde, lighting designer Hugh Vanstone, sound designer Bobby Aitken, music director Jo Cichonska, hair, wig & make-up design Campbell Young Associates, casting director David Grindrod CDG, dialect coach Nick Trumble, voice coach Charlie Hughes D’Aeth, associate director Jamie Manton, associate set designer Verity Sadler, associate choreographer Ashley Andrews, associate lighting designer Luca Panetta, associate sound designer Jonas Roebuck, associate music director Natalie Pound and staff director Jennifer Lane Baker.

Tickets now on sale, nationaltheatre.org.uk

2026: Beyond the National Theatre

Hadestown (West End)

West End’s Lyric Theatre

The multi award-winning musical sensation Hadestown continues to perform at the Lyric Theatre eight years after its sold-out engagement at the National Theatre in 2018.  Now in its third year in the West End, the show is currently booking through to 27 June 2027.

A joyful combination of folk, jazz and blues, Hadestown intertwines two ancient Greek mythic love stories – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone – taking audiences on an unforgettable journey to the underworld and back. Come and see how the world could be.

Hadestown features music, lyrics, and book by acclaimed Grammy®-winning singer-songwriter and BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winner Anaïs Mitchell, who originatedHadestown as anindie theatre project and acclaimed album.  Mitchell then transformed the show into a genre-defying new musical alongside artistic collaborator and Tony® Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin, whose theatre credits include Mission Drift (National Theatre) and American Clock (The Old Vic).

The West End cast ofHadestown includes Rachel Adedeji as Persephone, Bethany Antonia as Eurydice, Marley Fenton as Orpheus, Alastair Parker as Hades, and Clive Rowe as Hermes.  The company is completed by Melanie Bright, Spike Maxwell and Lauran Rae as the Fates; Femi Akinfolarin, Michelle Andrews, Gabriela Benedetti, Ollie Bingham and Sebastian Lim-Seet as the Workers, with Juan Jackson, Oisín Nolan-Power, Lindo Shinda, Jasmine Triadi and Milly Willows as Swings.

Hadestown is produced in London by Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, Tom Kirdahy and the National Theatre in association with JAS Theatricals.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit uk.hadestown.com

Inter Alia

Until 20 June 2026 – West End’s Wyndham’s Theatre

10 November 2026 until 21 February 2027 (Opening performance 1 December 2026) – Broadway’s The Music Box Theatre.

TheNational Theatre’s sold-out production of Inter Alia, is currently running in the West End at the Wyndham’s Theatre until 20 June 2026, in a co-production with Playful Productions.

Following its West End run, this autumn the National Theatre with Sue Wagner, John Johnson, No Guarantees Productions, P3 Productions and Playful Productions will transfer Inter Alia to Broadway’s Music Box Theatre for a strictly limited season, from 10 November 2026 until 21 February 2027, with the Opening performance on 1 December 2026.

Golden Globe®, Emmy Award® and Olivier Award-winning and BAFTA, Academy Award-nominee Rosamund Pike, will reprise her riveting performance as Jessica Parks, as she makes her Broadway debut.  Pike recently won ‘Best Actress in a Play’ at the 2026 Olivier Awards for her acclaimed performance.

Created by the duo behind the West End and Broadway hit Prima Facie, BAFTA-Award-winning director Justin Martin and Olivier Award-winning writer Suzie Miller, bring you this ‘swaggering epic’ (Independent) that is valiant, sharp and deeply human. Inter Alia premiered at the National Theatre’s Lyttelton theatre from 10 July to 13 September 2025, garnering critical and box office acclaim. It has been broadcast via National Theatre Live to cinemas worldwide and has already been seen by over 450,000 people around the globe.

inter alia /ˌɪntər ˈeɪliə,ˈaliə/

adverb                                                                                     

among other things.

Jessica Parks is a maverick London Crown Court Judge; sharp, compassionate, and determined to change a system she knows isn’t always just. But her career exists inter alia (‘among other things’) as she balances motherhood, friendship and the elusive notion of ‘having it all’

So, when an unthinkable event rocks her finely tuned life, can she hold her family together – or will everything fall apart?

The creative team for Inter Alia includes Miriam Buether as set and costume designer, Natasha Chivers as lighting designer, Ben and Max Ringham as sound designers, Willie Williams for Treatment Studios as video designer, Erin LeCount & James Jacob PKA Jakwob as composers, Lucy Hind as movement and intimacy director, Nick Pinchbeck as music supervisor. Casting in the UK is by Alastair Coomer CDG and Naomi Downham, dialect coach William Conacher, voice coach Shereen Ibrahim and in the US by Jim Carnahan CSA.

Tickets for Inter Alia in the West End are on sale via interaliaplay.com

Tickets for Inter Alia on Broadway are on sale via interaliabroadway.com. Further casting and information for Inter Alia on Broadway will be announced soon.

Hamlet (New York)

Until 17 May 

Harvey Theater, Brooklyn Academy of Music

Kicking off an ongoing partnership between BAM and London’s National Theatre, director Robert Hastie (Operation Mincemeat) brings his witty, fearlessly contemporary take on Hamlet across the Atlantic for a four-week run. Since its first staging at BAM in 1861, Hamlet has returned more than a dozen times, helmed by luminaries like Ingmar Bergman, Peter Brook and Thomas Ostermeier. Now, Hastie’s fresh new production marks yet another groundbreaking entry into BAM’s legacy of daring Hamlets.

The production features previously announced Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera as Hamlet, joined by Maureen Beattie as First Player, Joe Bolland as Guildenstern, Matthew Cottle as Polonius, Tim Dewberry as Marcellus / Captain, Ayesha Dharker as Gertrude, Ryan Ellsworth as Ghost / Player King / First Gravedigger, Tom Glenister as Laertes, Mary Higgins as Osric / Voltemand, Liz Jadav as Nurse / Priest, Kiren Kebaili-Dwyer as Fortinbras, Hari Mackinnon as Rosencrantz, Francesca Mills as Ophelia, Sophia Papadopoulos as Cornelius/English Ambassador / Second Gravedigger, Alistair Petrie as Claudius, Seb Slade as Francisco / Reynaldo, Noel White as Bernardo and Tessa Wong  as Horatio.

Robert Hastie is joined in the artistic team by set and costume designer Ben Stones, lighting designer Jessica Hung Han Yun, sound designer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite, composer Richard Taylor, movement director Ira Mandela Siobhan, fight director Kate Waters, casting directors Alastair Coomer CDG and Martin Poile CDG and associate director Georgie Staight.  

Tickets on sale now, bam.org

Connections Festival (The Lowry) and New Views Festival (National Theatre)

Connections Festival, 25-29 June 2026, the Lowry in Salford

New Views Festival, 2-3 July 2026, National Theatre

Platforming the voices and talent of young people nationwide this summer, the National Theatre’s Connections Festival takes place at the Lowry in Salford for the first time. From 25 – 29 June, eight youth theatre groups from across the UK will perform their versions of new plays written especially for young people. Tickets are on sale via the Lowry on 22 May.

The New Views Festival also returns to the National Theatre from 2-3 July, showcasing six original plays written by young people through the NT’s nationwide playwriting programme.

Free tickets will be available to book via the NT website from 19 May.

Bacchae schools tour

Following Indhu Rubasingham’sproduction in the Olivier theatre in autumn 2025, in 2026 Bacchae will go on to tour secondary schools and colleges around the country in an adapted version by writer Nima Taleghani (Heartstopper). Directed by Hannah Hauer-King (The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs), this new era of school touring forms part of the National Theatre’s ambition to reach and impact every schoolchild in the UK before they leave school. 

Further information to be announced.

REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNION ONE
ANNOUNCES

DOVES
JOINING FOR LIVE MUSIC WEEK

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in partnership with Communion ONE today announces Doves will perform on Friday 25 September as part of the Live Music Week running from 22 September – 27 September 2026. They join the previously announced Echo & The Bunnymen who are openingthe week,with further artists to be announced. A curated concert series celebrating the finest talent of today — from legendary icons to rising stars — set against the breathtaking backdrop of Regent’s Park. 

Inspiration is seldom elusive and motivation rarely fades for Doves as the boundary-clearing alchemists of yearning, scenic alternative sound return with their sixth studio album, 25 years after they arrived with their Mercury Award-nominated debut. Tested yet undiminished, the three members’ artistic impulses quietly raged on following 2020’s third No.1 album success of The Universal Want, getting to work almost immediately afterwards. Five years on, a baton passes to Constellations For The Lonely, ten new tracks of enkindled, future-facing, meticulous manipulation of mood.

Tickets for Doves go on sale for Members’ priority booking at 10am on Wednesday 6 May with general on sale at 10am on Friday 8 May.

Tickets for Echo & The Bunnymen are on sale now.

Visit openairtheatre.com for more information.  

BOX OFFICE INFORMATION

Box Office 0333 400 3562* | openairtheatre.com                              

Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London, NW1 4NU

* Lines open Monday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm. A £2.50 per transaction booking fee applies. 0333 numbers are charged at the same rate as calls to 01 and 02 numbers as regulated by Ofcom. Please check with your provider for further details.

Visit openairtheatre.com for latest ticket prices, concessions and discounts.

#OAT2026

ABOUT REGENT’S PARK OPEN AIR THEATRE

Established in 1932, the multi-award-winning Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre is one of the largest theatres in London (at a capacity of 1,304). Passionate about producing popular, enriching and unexpected theatre that provides a lens into the here and now, the scale and ambition of our productions together with our magical outdoor setting, makes us unique in the capital’s cultural landscape. In 2025 we welcomed just under 177,000 people to our 20-week summer season.

Drew McOnie assumed the role of Artistic Director in January 2024, and James Pidgeon was appointed Executive Director in 2021.

Over the last fifteen years, our productions have won ten Olivier Awards, ten WhatsOnStage Awards, and four Evening Standard Awards. We were named London Theatre of the Year in 2017 by The Stage, and received the Highly Commended Award for London Theatre of the Year in 2021. Our productions have toured the UK, and have transferred to both the West End and the United States. Our 2016 revival of Jesus Christ Superstar has just finished tours of the UK, North America and Australia, and will visit Manila, Taipei, Singapore and New Zealand from May. Our Olivier Award-winning revival of Fiddler on the Roof transferred to the Barbican Centre in May 2025 ahead of a major tour of the UK & Ireland and is due to tour Australia from July this year.

As a registered charity that receives no regular public subsidy, we rely entirely on earned income and charitable contributions. Nevertheless, we have over 46,000 tickets at £25 or under available across the whole of 2026’s summer season, and we regularly work with a range of local charities. Each year, on average, we subsidise tickets for 6,000 school pupils.

Food and drink plays a significant role in the Open Air Theatre experience, with our in-house bars and restaurants including Covered Dining (certified as a Sustainably Run Restaurant), The Grill and The Pizza Oven. We also have our own picnic lawn and the West End’s longest bar!

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre has become one of the most independently sustainable and financially successful producing theatres in the country, and we’re proud to embark on the next stage of our vision with ever-increasing artistic ambition and entrepreneurial spirit.

openairtheatre.com

Facebook: RegentsParkOpenAirTheatre

Instagram: @RegentsParkOAT

TikTok: @regentsparkoat

ABOUT COMMUNION ONE

Communion ONE promote some of the biggest and most exciting artists from around the globe, from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Noah Kahan, Sam Fender, Olivia Dean and Lewis Capaldi, to Phoebe Bridgers, Mitski, TEMS, The War and Drugs and Laufey. Creating incredible shows in grassroots venues up to arenas, stadiums and outdoor spaces across the UK.

2026 SEASON AT A GLANCE

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

SHERLOCK HOLMES

Until Saturday 6 June 2026

Access Performances:

BSL Interpreted: Thurs 4 June, 7.45pm

Captioned: Fri 5 June, 7.45pm

Audio Described: Sat 6 June, 2pm

Age Recommendation: 12+

Tickets from: £15

OPEN AIR THEATRE SUNDAY EVENT: FAMILY DAY
Sunday 24 May 2026

Age recommendation: All ages welcome

Day Entry Tickets: Adults £18, Children £15

OPEN AIR THEATRE SUNDAY EVENT: JAMES ACASTER

Sunday 31 May 2026

Age recommendation: 14+

Tickets: £30

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

A LIFE IN FOUR SEASONS

Thursday 11 – Sunday 14 June 2026

Age Recommendation: 8+

Tickets from: £15

A Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM

Saturday 20 June – Saturday 18 July 2026

Access Performances:

BSL Interpreted: Sat 11 July, 12.30pm & Thurs 16 July, 7.45pm

Captioned: Fri 17 July, 7.45pm

Audio Described: Sat 18 July, 12.30pm

Age Recommendation: 10+

Tickets from: £15

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

with Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals presents

CATS

Saturday 25 July – Saturday 19 September 2026

Access Performances:

Relaxed: Thurs 27 August, 2pm

BSL Interpreted: Tue 1 September, 7.45pm

Captioned: Fri 4 September, 7.45pm        

Audio Described: Sat 5 September, 2pm

Age Recommendation: 5+

Tickets from: £15

A Unicorn Theatre and Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production

ANANSI THE SPIDER

Saturday 15 August – Sunday 6 September 2026

Age recommendation: 4+

Tickets from: £15

OPEN AIR THEATRE SUNDAY EVENT: TIM KEY: LOGANBERRY

Sunday 6 September 2026

Age recommendation: 14+

Tickets: £30

OPEN AIR THEATRE LIVE MUSIC WEEK: ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN

Tuesday 22 September 2026, 7pm

Tickets: £55 – 65

OPEN AIR THEATRE LIVE MUSIC WEEK: DOVES

Friday 25 September 2026, 7pm

Tickets: £55 – 65

BEYOND THE PARK

Roald Dahl Story Company present

The family musical based on Roald Dahl’s
THE ENORMOUS CROCODILE

UK Tour                                                             Until  26 July 2026

Lyric Hammersmith, London                        28 July – 22 August 2026

Originally produced by Roald Dahl Story Company, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Leeds Playhouse

enormouscrocodilemusical.com

David Ian for Crossroads Live and Work Light Productions present

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
Solaire Theatre, Manila                                Until 24 May 2026

National Theatre, Taipei                               18 – 21 June 2026

Marina Bay Sands, Singapore                     17 August – 13 September 2026

The Civic, Aukland                                          21 October – 15 November 2026

St James Theatre, Wellington                      18 – 28 November 2026

Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch              2 – 6 December 2026

Further tour dates to be added.

tour.jesuschristsuperstar.com

Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals presents

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
London Palladium                                          20 June – 5 September 2026
london.jesuschristsuperstar.com

Trafalgar Theatre Productions, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre and Brian & Dayna Lee presents

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF

Theatre Royal Sydney                                   31 July – 6 September 2026
QPAC Glasshouse Theatre, Brisbane         9 – 25 October 2026

Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne            31 October – 27 December 2026

Further dates and venues to be announced.

fiddlerontherooftour.com

Michael Harrison for Lloyd Webber Harrison Musicals presents

The Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of

CATS

Theatre Royal Plymouth                               6 – 17 October 2026

Hull New Theatre                                           20 – 24 October 2026

Birmingham Hippodrome                            27 October – 7 November 2026

Palace Theatre Manchester                        10 – 21 November 2026

Bristol Hippodrome                                       24 – 28 November 2026

Venue Cymru Llandudno                             1 – 5 December 2026

Theatre Royal Glasgow                                 8 – 27 December 2026

Nottingham, Royal Concert Hall                 6 – 16 January 2027

Canterbury, Marlowe Theatre                  19 – 23 January

Sunderland, Empire Theatre                       26 – 30 January 2027

Aberdeen, His Majesty‘s Theatre               9 – 13 February 2027

Theatre Royal Norwich                                 16 – 27 February 2027

Grand Opera House Belfast                         2 – 13 March 2027

Oxford, New Theatre                                     23 – 27 March 2027

Mayflower Southampton                             30 March – 10 April 2027

Edinburgh, Playhouse Theatre                    20 – 24 April 2027

Bradford, Alhambra Theatre                        27 April – 1 May 2027

Liverpool, Empire Theatre                            5 – 15 May 2027

Woking, New Victoria Theatre                    18 – 22 May 2027

Wales Millennium Centre Cardiff               25 – 29 May 2027

Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes Theatre     1 – 5 June 2027

Newcastle, Theatre Royal                             8 – 19 June 2027 

catsthemusical.com

Tower Theatre – until 9th May 2026

Reviewed by Jackie Thornton

3***

Jerusalem was hailed as the greatest play of our times and lavished with awards when Jez Butterworth first brought it to audiences in 2009. But has it stood the test of time? Director Jonathan Reed’s interpretation is faithful to the original and Rob Hebblethwaite and Sophie Clark’s detailed set coupled with the costume design of Kate Els certainly transports us to a recent, pre-Brexit history. Our story takes place by a crummy caravan in the middle of a Wiltshire forest on St George’s Day, from where our protagonist Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron is on the verge of being evicted. Giles Fouhy strikes the right balance of hero and villain as local legend Rooster, who claims to be Romany, alludes to a past life as a dare devil but who also likes to spin a tall tale. His account of meeting a giant at Stone Henge is mesmerising.

Jerusalem is not an easy play to engage with, perhaps even more so if like me you’re not English. It chooses to present an image of a spoiled England and suggests through William Blake’s poem that its green and pleasant land has been besmirched. Through complex metaphors, Butterworth introduces to a range of outcasts designed to assist us in diagnosing where English society has gone wrong. There’s a learned professor, played with a spacey detachment by Richard Tinworth, as he rattles off verses and myths, much to the apathy of the youth who just want to party. This rich seam of humour never quite makes its mark. There are many funny moments though, not least Rooster’s physical humour as he downs a raw egg or Tim Waghorn’s Ginger as he talks to a coconut he’s won at the fair. Liam Stewart displays strong comic bones as clueless Davey, who can’t see the point of other countries, and despite their marginalised roles, Lulu Freeman as Tanya and Catherine Reid as Pea make an excellent duo as the dim-witted, ditzy young women who’s only goal is to get wasted and get laid.

Morgan Buckley’s Lee is another lost soul, representing the one character who has seen a way out but is now too scared to go. Martin Shaw’s depressed, drug guzzling pub landlord Wesley, replete in Morris dancing gear, represents what the future may hold if this next generation don’t buck up their ideas. There’s also a menacing performance from Ben Mulhearn as Troy, determined to punish Rooster for drawing his daughter Phaedra, the runaway May Queen played by Amy Bloomfield and a vision of innocence in a cloak of pale green gauzy wings lit up by fairy lights, into his web. Bloomfield does great work in combining teenage awkwardness with graceful beauty, reminding us how fleeting youth is. Finally Fiona Makia as Fawcett, the no nonsense council officer charged with evicting Rooser, and Emily Carmichael’s Dawn, the beleaguered mother of Rooster’s child, may not occupy the stage for long but their presence is deeply felt and it would have been nice to see more of them. Indeed, it’s perhaps the treatment of female characters, along with the dated references that are yet to feel nostalgic, that makes this play feel out of touch with today’s audiences.

Strong performances, good comic touches and a wonderful set but it’s a long three hours.

JOY TO THE WORLD

MISCHIEF’S FESTIVE FIASCO RETURNS

TO THE WEST END

By Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields

Directed by Matt DiCarlo

AT WYNDHAM’S THEATRE IN LONDON’S WEST END FROM

18 DECEMBER 2026 – 23 JANUARY 2027

ON TOUR IN THE UK FROM 27 OCTOBER 2026 – 27 FEBRUARY 2027

MAKES NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE AT

THE AHMANSON THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES FROM

12 DECEMBER 2026 – 10 JANUARY 2027

PLAYS AUSTRALIA FROM 1-29 DECEMBER 2026

www.ChristmasCarolGoesWrong.com

Mischief, the multi-award winning company behind The Play That Goes Wrong, Peter Pan Goes Wrong and The Comedy About Spies, today announced that its hilarious festive fiasco, Christmas Carol Goes Wrong will return to the West End for a limited run at Wyndham’s Theatre, a Delfont Mackintosh Theatre, from Friday 18 December 2026 to Saturday 23 January 2027.

As well as a second West End run, Christmas Carol Goes Wrong will be taking its festive fun around the UK and the globe.  Its second UK tour begins at the Churchill Theatre in Bromley on 27 October 2026 and continues to bring Christmas cheer around the country until 27 February 2027.

Its North American premiere, produced by Kenny Wax, Stage Presence and Kevin McCollum, will be at the Ahmanson Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles with performances beginning on 12 December 2026 and running until 10 January 2027.

The show will play in Australia from 1 – 29 December, with venues yet to be announced.  Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is brought to Australia by GMG Productions & Stoddart Entertainment Group, following on the success of their recent tour of The Play That Goes Wrong.

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong sees The Cornley Amateur Drama Society bring tidings of chaos and joy as they tackle Charles Dickens’ classic, A Christmas Carol.  The Cornley crew battle miscommunication, delays to their set, actors missing in action and a growing feud over who will play the lead.  It’s a disastrous take on the much loved classic Christmas story of Ebenezer Scrooge and a festive slice of pure escapism.

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong played to sell-out houses, when it premiered at the Apollo Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue last year.  It is written by original Mischief Members Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields and the production is directed by Matt DiCarlo, who also helmed the award-winning The Comedy About Spies which is set to have its second West End run this summer at London’s Adelphi Theatre.

Joining Henry, Jonathan, Henry and Matt on the creative team are:  Libby Todd (set designer), Roberto Surace (costume designer), David Howe (lighting designer) and Alexandra Faye Braithwaite (sound designer and composer).  The cast are yet to be announced.

A 15 minute documentary about the making of Christmas Carol Goes Wrong will be released on YouTube.  Subscribe to @mischiefcomedy YouTube now.

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong in the West End is produced by Kenny Wax and Stage Presence. And presented globally in arrangement with Mischief Worldwide Ltd.