National Theatre announces ambitious 2027 season

Shehrazade Zafar-Arif 10 September, 2026, 10:25

The National Theatre has announced its 2027 programme of shows, which will star the likes of Emilia Clarke, Paul Mescal, Tracy Letts, and Emma Corrin, and includes a revival of West Side Story. Let's break down exactly what the new season will involve, from eight world premieres alongside reimaginings of modern classics.

Suddenly Last Summer at the Olivier Theatre

Tennessee Williams's rarely performed masterpiece is a haunting story about family, trauma, and truth, in which Violet Venable is determined to protect her late son Sebastian's reputation. Her niece Catharine has a different recollection of what happened the summer before, but when her memories are challenged, a young doctor must decide which version of events is real. Michael Grandage returns to the National Theatre after more than 15 years to direct Emma Corrin (The Crown) and Harriet Walter (The House of Bernarda Alba).

19 February to 24 April 2027

Mr Loverman at the Lyttelton Theatre

Based on the acclaimed novel by Bernardine Evaristo, this story of love, family, and choosing yourself spans six decades of life from Antigua to modern-day London. Dapper, charming Barrington Walker is a husband, father, grandfather, and a man of standing in his Hackney community, with one huge secret: for the last 60 years, he's been in a secret relationship with his best friend Morris. Paulette Randall MBE (Doctor Faustus) directs Danny Sapani as Barrington and Gary Beadle as Morris in Natasha Gordon’s (Nine Night) funny and tender adaptation.

25 February to 24 April 2027

Samira at the Dorfman Theatre

This new original play by Carmen Nasr is set in Damascus in 2011 during a wave of protests. Charismatic, radical and fiercely funny Samira shares an unfiltered account of the revolution while a group of London academics follow her story - and then she disappears. This thrilling and provocative play is directed by Emily Burns (Dear Octopus), with a cast including May Calamawy (Moon Knight), Joshua McGuire (Anatomy of a Scandal) and Sirine Saba (Phaedra).

4 February to 13 March

West Side Story at the Olivier Theatre

A major revival of the Broadway classic conceived by Jerome Robbins, with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story is perhaps one of the most anticipated shows in the line-up. A modern-day retelling of Romeo and Juliet set in the Upper West Side where a romance begins between two young lovers on opposite sides of a gang war, it will be codirected by Marianne Elliot and Miranda Cromwell, with Julio Monge reproducing and adapting Jerome Robbins' original choreography. Read our coverage on the West Side Story revival.

November 2027

Glorious Madness at the Dorfman Theatre

This new British musical by Iman Quereshi features the songs of the legendary artist Joan Armatrading, framed by an original love story. It's directed by Phyllida Lloyd, who brought the hit productions of Mamma Mia! and Tina – The Tina Turner Musical to life.

Spring 2027

Plenty at the Lyttelton Theatre

Emilia Clarke will make her National Theatre debut in this new production of the award-winning play by David Hare, staged ahead if his 80th birthday, which examines post-war disillusionment. Former National Theatre Director Richard Eyre directs.

Spring 2027

Major at the Olivier Theatre

This new play by James Graham (Dear England, The Standard of Living), directed by Jeremy Herrin, chronicles the rise of former British prime minister John Major, exploring the pivotal moment when he took over from Margaret Thatcher.

Spring/summer 2027

Ghostlight at the National Theatre

From the award-winning theatre company comes Punchdrunk, marking 50 years in the South Bank, comes a new immersive production directed by founder and Artistic Director of Punchdrunk Felix Barrett.

Summer/autumn 2027

Death of a Salesman at the Lyttelton Theatre

Rebecca Frecknall directs a new staging of Arthur Miller's Pulitzer and Tony Award winning play about travelling salesman Willy Loman in 1940s Brooklyn. The repertory company includes Paul Mescal, Monica Dohan, and Tracy Letts in his UK stage acting debut.

Summer/autumn 2027

A Whistle in the Dark at the Lyttelton Theatre

Alongside Death of a Salesman, Paul Mescal and the repertory company perform Tom Murphy's Irish masterpiece, directed by Caitríona McLaughlin, which follows the Carney family, a criminal gang of Irish immigrants living in Coventry.

Summer/autumn 2027

The Great Indaba at the Olivier Theatre

National Theatre Director Indhu Rubasingham directs this new play by Moira Buffini, which dramatises the extraordinary true story of how the 1998 Good Friday Agreement took place in South Africa.

Autumn 2027

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the Lyttelton Theatre

Deputy Artistic Director Robert Hastie directs a new production of Tom Stoppard's absurdist classic about what the bumbling duo Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were doing in the background of Hamlet. BAFTA-winning actor Mawaan Rizwan will play Rosencrantz, alongside SNL UK’s George Fouracres as Guildenstern.

Winter 2027

The Adeyemis – A Family Saga at the Dorfman Theatre

From Oladipo Agboluaje comes a new political family drama following the fortunes of a wealthy, but troubled clan through a turbulent period in Nigeria’s recent history. Lucian Msamati makes his National Theatre directing debut, with three-time Emmy winning actor Uzo Aduba also making her National Theatre debut.

Winter 2027

National Theatre Director Indhu Rubasingham introduced the new season as an eclectic range of works that explore the perspectives, cultures, and conflicts of the last century. She said, "Some of these stories are unfamiliar, some are rediscovered, and others are boldly reimagined for the times we are living in." It promises to be an exciting, ambitious, and thought-provoking season of theatre.