Plays

Based on Britain’s best-loved picture book by Judith Kerr, the Olivier Award nominated smash hit show The Tiger Who Came to Tea returns to the West End for Christmas.

It’s been seven years since Ballet Preljocaj performed their Snow White at Sadler’s Wells. Continuing his exploration of fairytales, the daring contemporary choreographer Angelin Preljocaj turns his attention to a traditional Chinese tale.

Matthew Warchus' big-hearted, smash hit production of Charles Dickens' immortal classic returns to The Old Vic, joyously adapted for the stage by Jack Thorne (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child).

The multi-award winning La Clique returns to the West End, a decade on from winning the Best Entertainment Olivier Award for its season at the Leicester Square Hippodrome. Born at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2004, this original and trailblazing Spiegeltent cabaret show has gone on to tour the globe to international acclaim and now returns to the beautiful Leicester Square Spiegeltent with a magnificent collection of extraordinary new artists and unmissable favourites.

"The funniest farce ever written." Evening Standard

Michael Frayn’s iconic backstage comedy Noises Off transfers to the West End, following a triumphant sell-out season at the Lyric Hammersmith.

With technical brilliance and split-second timing, it takes us behind the scenes with a company of actors in a hilarious and heartfelt tribute to the unpredictability of life in the theatre. Hailed as one of the funniest plays of all time, the Olivier Award-winning Noises Off originally premiered at the Lyric Hammersmith in 1982 and instantly became a timeless British comedy.

In an exuberant new production by Jeremy Herrin (All My Sons, Wolf Hall,This House), Noises Off arrives at the Garrick Theatre for a strictly limited run, for fans to enjoy and new audiences to discover.

Rosalind is banished, and with her best friend Celia by her side, she journeys into exile. But not before catching the eye of love-struck Orlando, who is also forced from The Court into the dappled Forest of Arden. 

‘Ask yourself this. What is it that drew you to this event?  If it's to discover what scares you then the answer to that is easy…’

There’s something dark lurking in the theatre. Enter a nightmarish world, full of thrilling twists and turns, where all your deepest fears and disturbing thoughts are imagined live on stage. A fully sensory and electrifying encounter, Ghost Stories is the ultimate twisted love-letter to horror and an edge-of-your-seat theatrical experience like no other. Be it phantoms, poltergeists or simply a ‘bump in the night’, let’s play a game with fear.

After exhilarating audiences across the world with record breaking, sell-out productions and a smash hit film, Andy Nyman and Jeremy Dyson’s worldwide cult phenomenon Ghost Stories is back to haunt the West End- and it’s more spine-tingling and fantastically terrifying than ever

Step through the wardrobe this winter into the magical kingdom of Narnia for the most mystical of adventures in a faraway land. Join Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter as they wave goodbye to wartime Britain and say hello to a talking Faun, an unforgettable Lion and the coldest, cruellest White Witch.

In this radical take on Shakespeare’s fierce and energetic comedy of gender, Baptista Minola is seeking to marry off her two sons, the sweet-tempered Bianco and the rebellious Katherine. Cue an explosive courtship and a keenly witty portrayal of hierarchy and control.

Over 100 dancers and musicians bring Nutcracker to life with exquisite dancing, beautiful sets and Tchaikovsky’s popular score played live.

On a sparkling Christmas Eve in a frost-dusted Edwardian London, Clara and her enchanted Nutcracker doll discover a magical world, where she battles with the Mouse King and meets a handsome stranger. As the air grows colder, Clara and her valiant Nutcracker take a hot air balloon ride across London to the glistening Land of Snow where her adventure really begins.

From the sound of the orchestra tuning up, to the final bows and cheers, a trip to see the English National Ballet at the London Coliseum is an unforgettable Christmas treat.

Travel to a faraway land for the adventures of a dashing pirate, Conrad, and his feisty girlfriend Medora. Will they outfox villainous schemers and find happiness on the high seas?

English National Ballet’s Le Corsaire is “hugely enjoyable entertainment” (The Daily Telegraph). Expect a swashbuckling romp, full of thrilling dancing by an extraordinary cast of performers, with gorgeous decors and costumes created by Hollywood’s Bob Ringwood, all set to a romantic score played live by English National Ballet Philharmonic.

English National Ballet is the only UK company to perform this classic story ballet. Their extravagant production, staged by Anna-Marie Holmes, has enthralled audiences and received rave reviews worldwide, including Paris and Tokyo. It returns to the London Coliseum following glorious performances in 2016.

South African choreographer Dada Masilo is not afraid of reinventing a classic.

Her Swan Lake, which opened Sadler’s Wells Sampled in 2014, placed her male Odile in pointe shoes.

For Giselle, Masilo places the definitive Romantic heroine in South Africa.

Deserted by her lover, Giselle, danced by Masilo herself, is guided by a Sangoma, a traditional healer, in a trailblazing feminist take on the classical ballet.

Following a sold out run at the Young Vic theatre, the smash hit, critically acclaimed production of Death of a Salesman transfers to the Piccadilly Theatre for 10 weeks only.
"I don't say he's a great man…but he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall in his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must finally be paid to such a person."

Olivier Award 2016 winners The Showstoppers are back in the West End transforming audience suggestions into all-singing, all-dancing shows with unpredictable and hilarious results.

Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist and two-time Olivier Award-winner Russell Maliphant has long been fascinated by the human body.

Experience all the thrills and daredevil entertainment of a turn-of-the-century circus when CIRCUS 1903 returns to the Southbank Centre this Christmas with new acts for 2019 including the Brazilian Wheel of Death.

Sensational puppetry from the award-winning team behind War Horse puts elephants back in the ring as never seen before, alongside a huge cast of the most unique, jaw-dropping and dangerous acts from all four corners of the globe. From strong men to contortionists, acrobats to musicians, knife throwers, high wire and much more, CIRCUS 1903 will amaze, captivate, and transport audiences of all ages to the mesmerising Golden Age of circus.

Following a critically-acclaimed, sell-out run, the smash-hit play by Kevin Elyo, writer of the landmark drama My Night With Reg, returns to Trafalgar Studios 2 in January for a strictly limited four week season.

Tony and Greg seem to have love all figured out. They’re in a committed relationship but with room for a little more on the side whenever it takes their fancy. The only rule? Never sleep with the same man twice.

When drop-dead gorgeous Robert walks into their lives, the fragile foundations of their sexual contract are thrown into jeopardy.

Funny, fresh and packed with razor-sharp wit, Coming Clean questions the nature of fidelity and the limits of love.

It’s the show you’ve all been asking for – and it’s brought to you by the people behind the worldwide smash hit, Faulty Towers The Dining Experience.

This fully immersive show transports audiences to The Nags Head to meet the pride of Peckham in a night of wheeling, dealing and eating. 

Join us every Saturday night for a huge line up of the best comedy talent on offer. London Comedy Allstars is your one-stop shop for the biggest laughs, the best location and your new favourite night out. Southbank will be non-stop LOLs.

Here at The Showstoppers’ Kids Show we take your ideas and turn them into marvellous, musical interactive adventures.

You decide where the story is set, who we meet and where we go. Harry Potter on the moon? Done! Peppa Pig and the Gruffalo meet dinosaurs inside a dolls house? No worries!

VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR GROWN UPS!: Children (and ONLY children!) are in charge in – no cheating please! Kids get to decide who our heroes are and what happens next in every story. All they need to do is shout out their ideas and The Showstoppers will bring them to life, right there on the spot. They can even join in!

If your children could create their very own dream musical show, where would they start? A magical castle under the sea? A spooky graveyard? And who would the characters be? A super hero? A crocodile? A fairy? From their imaginations straight onto the stage – we’ll bring their ideas to life.

In a small Nigerian town Ben, Obembe and their two older brothers slip away to fish at a forbidden river. Unnoticed and carefree they continue until the prophecy of a madman changes the course of their lives forever.

Based on the Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel by one of Africa's major new voices, New Perspectives’ critically acclaimed award-winning production of Chigozie Obioma’s powerful allegory of brotherhood, vengeance and fate adapted by Gbolahan Obisesan arrives in the West End for the first time.

ZooNation’s smash-hit sensation Some Like It Hip Hop thrilled audiences and critics when it opened in 2011, prompting five-star reviews and standing ovations with its infectious “wit, heart and magnificent energy” (The Independent).

Message In A Bottle is the spectacular new dance-theatre show from triple Olivier Award nominee, Kate Prince to the iconic hits of 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist Sting including Roxanne, Every Breath You Take, Walking on the Moon, Fields of Gold, Englishman In New York and Shape of My Heart.

A village alive with joyous celebrations is suddenly under siege. Everything changes forever. Determined and daring, three parted siblings step out on their own extraordinary adventures. With a mix of exhilarating dance styles, dazzling footwork and breathtaking athleticism set to the music of Sting, Message In A Bottle tells a vital and uplifting story of humanity and hope.

Message In A Bottle is the latest masterpiece from the ground-breaking creator behind Some Like it Hip Hop, Into The Hoods, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie (choreography) and SYLVIA, and features the astonishing talents of dance storytelling powerhouse, ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company.

Go and get two bicycle-wheels.’

‘There are no more bicycle-wheels.’

‘What have you done with your bicycle?’

‘I never had a bicycle.’

Nothing stirs outside. In a bare room, Hamm, an old, blind tyrant, is locked in a stalemate with his servant Clov. Interrupted only by the nostalgic musings of Hamm’s ancient, dustbin-dwelling parents, this bleakly funny double act cling stubbornly to their routine of casual savagery and mutual dependence.

Richard Jones (The Hairy Ape, Into the Woods) directs Beckett’s macabre comedy in which hope and cruelty are the last things to die.

Endgame will be presented in a double bill with Samuel Beckett’s rarely seen short play Rough for Theatre II, performed by members of the company.

A shocking assassination in the heart of London. In a bizarre mix of high-stakes global politics and radioactive villainy, a man pays with his life.

At this time of global crises and a looming new Cold War, A Very Expensive Poison sends us careering through the shadowy world of international espionage from Moscow to Mayfair.

John Crowley (Brooklyn, The Goldfinch) directs Lucy Prebble’s (The Effect, ENRON) reimagining of Luke Harding’s jaw-dropping exposé of the events behind the notorious death of Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko.

The Girl who Fell is a poignant and darkly funny play about loss, guilt and Snapchat from the “provocative and entertaining” Sarah Rutherford (Telegraph), former Writer in Residence at Park Theatre and writer of sell-out hit Adult Supervision.

Enter a world of wonder at the home of pantomime, as the magical Goldilocks and the Three Bears come to the West End for Christmas! Following last year’s sold-out production of Snow White, for five weeks only the iconic London Palladium will be transformed into a sensational circus, where everything is possible and anything could (and will) happen.

This festive extravaganza is packed with riotous comedy routines, extraordinary special effects, hair-raising stunts, international circus acts and an all-star cast including Paul O’Grady who rejoins Palladium favourites Julian Clary, Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers and Gary Wilmot alongside Matt Baker (The One Show).

Joining the cast will also be a series of speciality acts including internationally renowned illusionist Phil Hitchcock, The Skating Medini (Asia and Dylan Medini) – a dynamic high-speed roller-skating act from one of Italy’s oldest circus families, Sascha Williams – ‘Rola Bola’, from the Belli Family Circus in Germany and Europe’s youngest stunt rider Peter Pavlov and the ‘Globe of Speed’.

Dame Betty Barnum and her daughter Goldilocks’ circus is under threat from an evil rival circus owner and, with the help of their madcap circus friends, they’re battling to rescue their Big Top from ruin. Will they succeed? All seems lost, until three brilliant bears join the gang…

Roll up, roll up to see panto join the circus, and be swept away by a London Palladium spectacular that’s just right at the home of pantomime!
 

The war has ended. Antigone, daughter of Oedipus, learns her brothers are dead.

Forced onto opposing sides, they have killed each other in battle.

When Creon, King of Thebes, grants the honour of a burial to one but not the other, Antigone and her sister must choose where their loyalties lie.

This epic tale of humanity versus leadership centres on a young woman with the courage to defend her beliefs – whatever the cost.

On a space station orbiting Solaris, three scientists have made contact with a new planet.

Sent from earth to investigate reports of abnormal activity on-board, Kris Kelvin arrives to find one crew member dead and two who are seeing things that cannot be explained.

When her dead lover appears to her, it seems she too has fallen victim to the mystery of this strange planet. Should she return to reality, or is this her chance to turn back time?

Have the crew been studying Solaris – or has it been studying them?

This psychological thriller asks who we are when we’re forced to confront our deepest fears.

Peppa Pig is excited to be going on a special day out with George, Mummy Pig and Daddy Pig - it’s going to be her best day ever!

Get ready for a road-trip full of fun adventures. From castles to caves, dragons to dinosaurs and ice-creams to muddy puddles – there is something for all of the family and their friends to enjoy, including Miss Rabbit, Mr Bull, Suzy Sheep, Gerald Giraffe and more!

An ordinary man. A remarkable journey.

Peter Gynt has always set his heart on being special, on being a unique individual, on being unlike anyone else. When he steals the bride from a local wedding, he sets off on a lifetime journey which will take him to Florida, to Egypt, to a mountain of trolls, and finally, only when death approaches, back to his home in Scotland.

In this radical new version, David Hare kidnaps Ibsen’s most famous hero and runs away with him into the 21st century. James McArdle takes the title role in this epic story of transformation, following his acclaimed performances in Platonov and Angels in America. He is reunited with David Hare and Jonathan Kent, the partnership behind the triumphant Young Chekhov at Chichester Festival Theatre and the National Theatre.

1981, South London. Thatcher’s Britain.
 
Jab. Double jab, cross. Jab, hook to body.
 
Leon and Troy are best mates trying to figure out their place in the world amid mounting unemployment and simmering racial tensions. After finding solace in Charlie’s gym, they start forging their path into the ruthless world of professional boxing.
 
Roy Williams’ bruising play examines what it was like to be a young black man in 1980s Britain and asks, how can you fight a system that’s desperate to see you fail?
 

Best remembered for playing Mr Banks in Disney's classic film Mary Poppins, David Tomlinson was renowned for playing the classic English gent, forthright, proper, and a loveable fool. His meeting with Walt Disney came to encapsulate his incredible life full of adventure and heartbreak.

The man who portrayed one of cinema's most famous patriarchs was defined by his relationship with his own father - a remote eccentric, who was hiding an extraordinary tragicomic secret.

THE LIFE I LEAD sees Miles Jupp, one of Britain's leading comics and actors (Mock the Week, The News Quiz, Rev, The Durrells) bring David Tomlinson's remarkable story to life.

A richly comic and moving tale of fathers and sons across the generations, THE LIFE I LEAD fills in the blanks behind a very well-known face.

After a critically acclaimed national and international tour, Carlos Acosta’s eclectic Cuban company bring a second programme of ballet and contemporary works to Sadler’s Wells.

In a thrilling collaboration, dancers of Birmingham Royal Ballet and Ballet Black appear on stage together in a mixed bill featuring Cathy Marston’s National Dance Award-winning The Suit, Twyla Tharp’s sizzling tribute to Old Blue Eyes, Nina Sinatra Songs and a new work from Jack Lister, commissioned as part of Ballet Now.

True to its 19th century origins and the original steps of Marius Petipa, David Bintley and Galina Samsova’s production of Giselle is the perfect opportunity to see one of the most exquisite examples of this classical ballet in its traditional form. 

Started in 2010 by French choreographer Boris Charmatz, theatre director Emmanuel Demarcy Mota and Fondation d’entreprise Hermès, Danse Élargie takes place over a gruelling two-day marathon at the acclaimed Théâtre de la Ville.

Open to all disciplines, and with just two restrictions, the bi-annual contest is a competition like no other. To enter, the work must include at least three performers and come in at under ten minutes.

When a novice nun is compromised by a corrupt official who offers to save her brother from execution in return for sex, she has no idea where to turn for help.

Game-changer in the world of tap, Michelle Dorrance had dedicated herself to exploring the capabilities of America’s original dance form. In an exhilarating diverse triple bill, her company proves just what tap can do.

ZooNation’s smash-hit sensation Some Like It Hip Hop thrilled audiences and critics when it opened in 2011, prompting five-star reviews and standing ovations with its infectious “wit, heart and magnificent energy” (The Independent).

Scouring the globe each year for the next generation of contemporary dance talent, Rambert2 selects its dancers for both their technical virtuosity and their raw energy.

Born in Israel and now based in France, the double Bessie Award-winning choreographer Emanuel Gat initially trained as a conductor before shifting his attention to dance.

Jordan Belfort. Stock-market millionaire at 26. Federal convict at 36. By day, he made thousands of dollars a minute. By night, he spent it as fast as he could.

From the Olivier Award winning producers of The Great Gatsby, London’s longest running immersive theatre production, The Wolf of Wall Street is a ground-breaking show charting the remarkable life of the now infamous New York stockbroker.

Directed by Alexander Wright (The Great Gatsby, Orpheus & Eurydice) and Designed by Ciaran Bagnall (Othello, RSC), The Wolf of Wall Street places the audience front and centre of this heart-racing story. Experience Jordan’s climb to power and craving for excess as the action unfolds around you in an extraordinary new performance space spread across four floors in Central London.

Immerse yourself in the world of Jordan Belfort. Become a Master of the Universe with the brokers who broke Wall Street - or sign up to help the FBI take down some of the most notorious criminal entrepreneurs of our time. Either you are with him or you are against him.

Toby Stephens (Oslo, Lost in Space) and Claire Skinner (Outnumbered) make their long-awaited returns to the West End stage in Peter Nichols' (Privates on Parade, Passion Play) frank and moving masterpiece A Day in the Death of Joe Egg.

This thrilling new play from Laura Wade, the winner of this year's Olivier Award for Best New Comedy (Home I'm Darling), is making its London premiere at the Menier Chocolate Factory after a sell-out season at the Chichester Festival Theatre last year.

What happens when the writer loses the plot?

Emma Watson is nineteen and new in town. She’s been cut off by her rich aunt and dumped back in the family home. Emma and her sisters must marry, fast. If not, they face poverty, spinsterhood, or worse: an eternity with their boorish brother and his awful wife.

“One minute we had customers, the next minute there was no-one.”

In a lost village, blurred by redrawn borders, hidden under a crumb on the map, Bear Ridge Stores still stands.

After a hundred years, the family butchers and grocers – a place for odds and ends, contraband goods, and the last petrol pump for 30 miles – is now silent.

But owners John Daniel and Noni are not leaving.

We all want to meet people from history. The trouble is everyone is dead!

So BARMY BRITAIN is back with a brand-new show full of crazy new characters and rude new rulers from Britain’s barmy past!

Will you conquered by King William? Will you sink or swim with King Henry I? Will Thomas Becket get the chop? Go house hunting with King Henry VIII! Are you scared to scale the Tudor scaffold? Join the gorgeous Georgians as they take over England! Break into Buckingham Palace and hide from the Queen! Watch out for the witch of World War Two!

Britain’s favourite history show is back in the West End with a brand-new production!

It’s history with the nasty bits left in!

Following its critically acclaimed premiere in 2018, this coming of age story inspired by Dizzee Rascal’s seminal album, returns for a limited run before going on tour.

In a strict Mormon household somewhere in the seam between East London and Essex, a girl is given Dizzee Rascal’s ground-breaking grime album Boy in da Corner by her best friend SS Vyper.

Precisely 57 minutes and 21 seconds later, her life begins to change – from feeling muted by dyslexia to spitting the power of her words; from being conflicted about her sexuality to finding the freedom to explore; from feeling alone to being given the greatest gift by her closest friend.

Step into a technicolour world where music, dance and spoken word collide, and discover how grime allowed Debris Stevenson to redefine herself.

”In this country, you go as far as they let you.”

Friday night and someone’s having a party. It seems like a laugh, but not everyone’s having fun.