One of the most anticipated Shakespeare shows of the year, Tom Morris’s new version of the tragedy of love, power, and jealousy boasts a starry cast led by David Harewood as Othello, Toby Jones as Iago, and Caitlin Fitzgerald as Desdemona. The production also features original music from PJ Harvey and promises to be an explosive interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s most powerful works.

Max Webster’s National Theatre production of Oscar Wilde’s beloved comedy transfers to the West End with a fabulous new cast including pop star and actor Olly Alexander as Algernon Moncrieff and Stephen Fry as Lady Bracknell (it won’t be the first time a gentleman has played the ultimate grande dame). LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer said: “Webster’s production isn’t just vibrant, joyous and triumphantly queer, it’s also a thoughtful reclamation of a play that has become far too cosy, matching Wilde’s subversive spirit in every bold creative choice.”

Ncuti Gatwa previously starred in The Importance of Being Earnest at the National and now he’s back on stage in a new project with the Royal Shakespeare Company. In Liz Duffy Adams’s dark comedy drama, Gatwa stars as Elizabethan playwright and hellraiser Christopher “Kit” Marlowe, fellow playwright and frenemy of one William Shakespeare. Imagine the sparks that would fly if they were locked together and forced to collaborate… Edward Bluemel (My Lady Jane) co-stars as the upstart crow Shakespeare.

Last Christmas, LondonTheatre.co.uk’s reviewer predicted that while “The Producers has found a very happy home at the Menier, this production is surely destined for the bright lights of the West End. After all, when you’ve got it, flaunt it.” Sure enough, Patrick Marber’s revival of the Mel Brooks favourite will shortly be arriving at the Garrick Theatre, with Andy Nyman, Marc Antolin, and Joanna Woodward reprising their highly praised performances as Max, Leo, and Ulla. Prepare yourself for an avalanche of bad taste!

Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl, Firebrand) makes her London theatre debut in Ibsen’s elegiac play about Ellida’s battle for autonomy in her marriage to Edward (Andrew Lincoln) when a mysterious stranger arrives. The production is adapted and directed by Simon Stone (Yerma), making his debut at the Bridge Theatre. This won’t be an Ibsen revival that plays things safe!

Following the Lady from the Sea, Stephen Sondheim’s dazzlingly subversive fairy-tale musical plays at the versatile Bridge Theatre, returning to London for the first time in a decade. Jordan Fein did such a wonderful job with Fiddler on the Roof and this ought to be just as fresh and innovative. We can’t wait to learn about casting (who is on your “I wish” list?).

Heartstopper and Agatha All Along star Joe Locke makes his West End debut in Samuel D Hunter’s (The Whale) play about two disenfranchised young men from rural America travelling west in search of a better life, embarking on a journey that echoes that of Lewis and Clark. Ruaridh Mollica and Sophie Melville co-star.

Conor McPherson’s modern classic about a group of misfits telling ghost stories in a pub on a windswept night never ceases to be a slow-burning thrill – and this revival is directed by the writer himself. Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees of Inisherin, Harry Potter) leads the cast in his West End debut.

From a classic Conor McPherson revival to his latest project: a stage adaption of Suzanne Collins’s beloved franchise The Hunger Games. It could hardly be more different in terms of scale and setting and ought to be one of the year’s most exciting spectacles, especially as it’s being staged a new state-of-the-art purpose-built venue in Canary Wharf (not the West End geographically, but not difficult to reach). Casting has recently been announced – may the Games begin!