Opera, Dance and Ballet in London

English National Ballet's production of The Nutcracker has been enchanting audiences in London since 1950, and this year is no exception. Featuring over 100 dancers and musicians, watch as the classic fairytale bursts to life in the grand setting of the London Coliseum.

Back for its 28th year, this enchanting stage adaptation of the beloved picture book by Raymond Briggs returns to the London stage with the heartwarming story of the friendship between a young boy and the snowman he wishes to life. Full of valuable lessons about friendship and imagination, packed with unforgettable songs like the beloved ‘Walking in the Air', this is the perfect holiday musical for children and adults alike.

Kasper Holten's beautiful production brings to life Mozart's darkest opera in a story of debauchery and desire, full of passion, murder, twists, and cutting emotional tension. Inspired by the legend of the notorious Spanish libertine of fiction, Don Juan, this thrilling opera follows the seductions and conquests of the remorseless Don Giovanni, retold by an all-star cast.

Damiano Michieletto brings Bizet’s electrifying, sensual opera about jealousy, obsession and desire to life, conducted by Sesto Quatrini. The fiercely independent Carmen, one of opera’s most memorable heroines, seduces the respectable Don José, but soon finds herself the victim of his jealousy and possessiveness when her affections start to wander. The second-most performed opera in The Royal Opera’s repertoire, Carmen has remained immensely popular over the years for its heady combination of passion, sensuality and violence.

Based on the beloved 2001 film starring Reese Witherspoon, Legally Blonde is the story of Elle Woods, a bubbly blonde fashionista who decides to enrol at Harvard Law School in an attempt to win back her boyfriend, only to find that she's more talented than she or anyone else around her ever expected. Amber Davies reprises her role as Elle Woods in this feel-good musical adaptation that captures all the heart and humour of the rom-com we know and love, with a soundtrack filled with catchy songs.

Kenneth MacMillan’s devastating and powerful 1974 ballet comes to life onstage, set to Jules Massenet’s score. In the seedy underbelly of 18th century Paris, Manon finds herself torn between the steadfast love of Des Grieux and the temptations of wealth and luxury. MacMillan’s work has enchanted and awed audiences with its nuanced understanding of human psychology, and now it’s your chance to experience this timeless, devastating story of hedonism and desire.

Equal parts fairy tale, farce, and moral allegory, The Magic Flute is arguably Mozart's most popular opera. This thrilling, visually stunning, and epic tale takes the classic story of a prince on a quest to rescue a princess and packs it with deep philosophical themes and marvellous, powerful music that will resonate deeply with you.

This Olivier Award-winning production returns for a 30th anniversary celebration at Sadler's Wells with Matthew Bourne's epic interpretation of Cinderella that reimagines the classic fairytale as a war-time romance. Cinderella falls in love with an RAF pilot during the Blitz in London, and what follows is a touching and thrilling story that pays tribute to the spirit of London during the war. With gorgeous set and costume designs and a powerful score that incorporates the sounds of wartorn London, it's a thrillingly immersive production that has enchanted audiences since it premiered thirty years ago.

Handel’s clever, thrilling, and magical opera comes to life with this Olivier Award-winning production by Richard Jones, which returns with many of the original cast. On a magical island, the enchantress Alcina transforms her lovers into animals, but her latest victim’s wife Bradamante embarks on a deadly quest to rescue him, leading to a battle of wits between the two women. With its strong female heroine, dazzling plot twists and firecracker arias, Handel’s Alcina has become a favourite for opera lovers.

La Traviata is one of the most influential and most performed operas in the world, and Peter Konwitschny's Olivier Award nominated production brings a bold, minimalist take on this classic piece. Witness the heartbreaking love story of Violetta and Alfredo, torn apart by family and duty, forced into an inevitable sacrifice. Startlingly modern and relatable, this production is driven by the characters' emotional truths, set to a score that includes some of Verdi's most recognisable melodies.

Ancient Rome comes to the beautiful candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse as Julius Caesar kicks off Shakespeare's Globe's winter season. Joe Hill-Gibbins (Ghosts, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse) returns to direct Shakespeare's brutal and timely tale of friendship, betrayal and political violence, staged for the first time ever in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. In this classic Roman tragedy, the ambitious dictator Caesar's growing power causes his allies to turn against him in a murderous plot, but public opinion quickly turns against them, giving way to bloody civil war.

Ballet lovers and newcomers alike won't want to miss the UK debut of this breath-taking staging of Tchaikovsky's most famous ballet by Chile's acclaimed Ballet de Santiago, coming to the London Coliseum for one week only. Led by the internationally celebrated César Morales, this talented company brings to life the timeless story of a girl cursed to transform into a swan and the prince who's determined to save her with his love. Filled with gorgeous sets, stunning costumes, and jaw-dropping choreography, it's a stunning and passionate take on one of the greatest works in the classical ballet repertoire.

The team behind the 2025 production of Three Sisters, Caroline Steinbeis and Rory Mullarkey reunite as director and translator for Chekhov's timeless story of ambition and desire, inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet. In this outstanding piece of Russian drama, the lives of four individuals intersect on a rural estate when Konstantin Treplev, a brooding young experimental playwright, falls deeply in love with a local ingenue named Nina, who finds herself drawn to Konstantin's mother Arkadina's lover Boris. What follows is a thrilling psychological drama.

Olivier-nominated director Jaz Woodcock-Stewart (Paradise Now!, Bush Theatre) makes her Globe directorial debut with Shakespeare's rarely performed masterpiece. This is one of Shakespeare's least performed plays but remains a fascinating exploration of the harsh realities of power and politics, in which King John takes the throne after the death of his beloved brother and finds his rule challenged on all sides. 

The London Palladium's beloved festive tradition returns this Christmas with a brand-new panto retelling of Cinderella: the magical rags to riches fairytale that we all know and love, told with several cheeky, delightful twists. This fabulous, funny, and outrageous retelling stars Julian Clary as the Fairy Godfather, alongside iconic comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders reuniting onstage as the ugly stepsisters. Get ready for a one-of-a-kind festive treat with this sassy panto, filled with spectacular costumes, dazzling special effects, and lots of laughter.

Gluck's rarely performed opera, Iphigénie en Tauride, makes its ENO debut in a new staging by Olivier award-winning director Lyndsey Turner. Siblings Iphigenie and Oreste are separated by the bloody legacy of their parents, Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. What does fate have in store for these doomed siblings? Find out in this heartbreaking story of a family divided by fate and united by hope, a powerful take on a classic Greek myth, told through a thrilling score and a talented cast of performers.

This hilarious pairing of two operettas tell a delightfully chaotic and joyfully absurd story about love and marriage. In The Zoo, a pair of young lovers get engaged, and then in Trial by Fury, we see them going head to head in a courtroom. Filled with wit, romance, and unexpected twists, these rarely performed works come together in tandem to show a rare glimpse at Sullivan's early works. Lovers of Gilbert & Sullivan and newcomers alike will be instantly charmed by the humour, satire, and irresistible sound of this witty double act.

A comic opera in two acts composed by British-Russian Elena Langer, this exuberant black farce is based on Nikolai Erdman's twice-banned 1928 play The Suicide, in which a man's suicide is due to be broadcasted life on television - but what happens when he changes his mind? Darkly funny and clever, it is a satire about our fixation on fame, and the shameless exploitation for profit, entertainment and voyeurism of other people's misery, all which feel deeply relevant to our modern world.

This mixed programme features Jerome Robbins's Dances at a Gathering and Kenneth MacMillan's Song of the Earth. Experience the music of masters like Chopin and Mahler through parallel performances, each packed with stunning choreography, exploring the profundity of human connection and community, and the transience of life and death, with two performances that present starkly contrasting but equally exquisite visions of humanity.

Director Philipp Stölzl makes his Royal Opera debut with this playfully surreal new production of Verdi's gripping, passionate opera based on a real historical royal assassination. Consumed by desire for his best friend's wife, King Gustavo is warned of his impending death by a fortune teller. Experience a tangled web of passion and treachery, prophecy and politics told through a visually stunning and emotionally resonant opera. 

Roald Dahl's beloved children's book comes to life on the stage in this dazzling new production starring musical theatre icon and beloved British entertainer Michael Ball as the eccentric, enigmatic Willy Wonka. Young Charlie Bucket wins a golden ticket to visit Wonka's magical chocolate factory and embarks on the adventure of a lifetime into a world where inventions defy imagination and every room holds a delicious surprise. Featuring much-loved songs from the 1971 film adaptation, this musical will be a joy for anyone who grew up with the book and wants to introduce their young ones to Dahl's story.

From the great and influential composer Kaija Saariaho comes a powerful but rarely staged opera, Adriana Mater, a harrowing exploration of war, redemption, and motherhood. Left pregnant after an assault by a soldier, Adriana struggles to raise her son to resist the temptations of revenge and break the cycle of violence. In this collaboration between Artistic Director Annilese Miskimmon and Music Director Designate André de Ridder, inspired by war correspondent Amin Maalouf's experiences, witness a moving story that feels urgently relevant to our times.

Adapted from Lars von Trier's multi-award-winning 1996 film of the same name, Missy Mazzoli's Breaking the Waves follows a married couple navigating a strange new reality in the wake of the husband's debilitating accident. This hauntingly beautiful story, packed with psychological depth, explores the nature of love and a test of faith, set to a hypnotic and utterly unique score from one of the most influential composers of the modern age.

John Caird's award-winning stage adaptation of the beloved Studio Ghibli film returns to the stage in 2028. Join Chihiro on an adventure into the spirit world, filled with unforgettable, larger-than-life characters, like the terrifying Yubaba and the eerie No-Face, in this whimsical tale from the great storyteller Hayao Miyazaki. Jaw-dropping puppets bring the colourful spirits of Spirited Away to life, while a live orchestra plays Joe Hisaishi's iconic score from the original film. Don't miss your chance to see this one-of-a-kind story when it returns to London.

In this bold, clever new play by one of the UK's leading playwrights, Timberlake Wertenbaker, humanity is called to the negotiating table by the animals demanding an end to exploitation and ecological destruction. Bringing together politics, wit, philosophy and mischief in an audacious experiment about stepping into someone else's shoes, this is an urgent, timely, and unflinching response to the crisis facing our planet, told in a delightfully creative way.

From the award-winning and visionary New York artist Taylor Mac, accompanied by the Philharmonia Orchestra, comes a breath-taking journey through the soul of America, a concert experience that reimagines history as a dazzling, deeply personal musical experience, spanning 240 years of American history. Part orchestral concert, part performance art, this provocative, celebratory show is filled with extraordinary costumes and irreverent humour, and challenges audiences to reconsider whose stories are told and how we listen to them.