Learn about Emma Thompson's stage work ahead of 'Nanny McPhee'

The Oscar-winning actress and screenwriter, who is turning Nanny McPhee into a stage musical, has previously starred in Me and My Girl and Sweeney Todd.

Summary

• The stage musical of Nanny McPhee premieres in London in summer 2027
• Emma Thompson is writing the book and original lyrics
• Her past theatre work includes Sweeney Todd and Me and My Girl

The eagerly awaited stage musical adaptation of the beloved Nanny McPhee is finally on its way! The show is having its world premiere in London in summer 2027 and features a book and original lyrics by the hit movies’ star and screenwriter, the Oscar-winning Emma Thompson.

The show sees the much-needed arrival of the mysterious and rather formidable Nanny McPhee to the chaotic Brown household, consisting of a well-meaning widowed father and seven naughty young children. Nanny McPhee gradually restores order, while imparting lessons to both adults and children.

Although Thompson is best known for her extensive screen work, she’s no stranger to the stage either. Get to know her theatre credits ahead of Nanny McPhee.

Check back for Nanny McPhee tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Emma Thompson on screen

Thompson’s numerous film credits (as an actress and screenwriter) include The Remains of the Day, Sense and Sensibility, Love Actually, Howards End, the Harry Potter series, Saving Mr Banks, Cruella, Matilda the Musical, and the two Nanny McPhee films.

Her TV projects include Look Back in Anger, Wit, Angels in America, Years and Years, and Down Cemetery Road.

Emma Thompson on stage

Not the Nine O’Clock News

Thompson made her stage debut in the UK tour of this satirical sketch comedy show in 1982. A huge hit on TV, starring Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Pamela Stephenson, and Griff Rhys Jones, it briefly became a theatre production as well and Thompson joined the cast.

Beyond the Footlights

Thompson was a member of the legendary Cambridge Footlights comedy club while at university, alongside Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, and she even co-directed the troupe’s first ever all-female show. She was a writer and performer for this revue, which came to the West End.

Short Vehicle

After doing several productions with the Footlights, Thompson took her first solo show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1983. She was well reviewed for her ability to switch between different characters in numerous sketches, an indication of her range as an actress.

Me and My Girl

Thompson starred in her first West End musical in 1984 alongside Robert Lindsay: the hugely popular cockney romp Me and My Girl, with breakout songs like “The Lambeth Walk”. This very successful revival had a long run and won two Olivier Awards, including one for Musical of the Year.

Look Back in Anger

Thompson next starred in John Osborne’s pioneering realist play about the working-class Jimmy Porter and his strained marriage to the upper-middle-class Alison. Thompson played Alison opposite her then-husband Kenneth Branagh, to great acclaim, and the production – directed by Judi Dench – was adapted for TV.

King Lear / A Midsummer Night’s Dream

In 1990 Thompson appeared in two of Branagh’s Renaissance Theatre Company Shakespeare productions. In King Lear she played the Fool and was lauded for her highly physical, stooped, eccentric portrayal. Additionally, she played the lovelorn Helena in Branagh’s Dream, which also won praise. The shows toured internationally and Lear also had a run in the West End.

Sweeney Todd

After a long absence from the stage, Thompson returned in 2014 to star as Mrs Lovett in Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Victorian penny dreadful musical. She first made her New York debut with the show, at Lincoln Center, and then brought the production to the London Coliseum the following year. Both times her co-star was opera great Bryn Terfel. Critics praised Thompson’s impeccable black-comic timing and her impressive musical assurance.

Whodunnit Unrehearsed 2

Thompson’s most recent stage appearance was in 2022, when she was one of the guest celebrity performers in this deliberately unrehearsed murder mystery – a fundraiser for London’s Park Theatre. Thompson played the inspector trying to solve a convoluted crime aboard a luxury cruise ship while the cast gleefully added new complications at every turn.

Nanny McPhee

Thompson is making a welcome return to theatre in summer 2027 – but this time as a writer rather than a performer. She will supply the book and co-write the lyrics (with the show’s composer, singer-songwriter Gary Clark) for the keenly anticipated stage musical version of family favourite Nanny McPhee.

Thompson said: “I’ve lived with Nanny McPhee for so long that to see her finally tread the boards is supremely exciting. Theatre feels like her natural home – magic, music, mischief and a good dollop of danger can all happen right in front of you.”

The production is directed by Katy Rudd (Ballet Shoes, The Ocean at the End of the Lane), with choreography by Ellen Kane (Paddington The Musical) and set and costume design by the Tony and Olivier-wining Rob Howell (Matilda the Musical). It promises to be one of the theatre highlights of 2027.

Check back for Nanny McPhee tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Main photo credit: Emma Thompson (Photo by Nick Haddow). Inset: Nanny McPhee artwork, Emma Thompson and Bryn Terfel in Sweeney Todd (Photos courtesy of the production, by Alastair Muir)