Theatre Royal Haymarket from 29 January

Any similarity between their titles isn’t the only reason fans of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ought to await this as their newest theatrical obsession. The celebrated novel has also been seen on screen and is now walking its way to London from its world-premiere production in Chichester with a score from Passenger and a central performance from Mark Addy, promising the kind of life-affirming storytelling audiences need right now.

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Noël Coward Theatre from 4 February

On the heels of Sarah Snook’s marathon performance in The Picture of Dorian Gray, the wickedly talented Cynthia Erivo makes a highly anticipated West End return in another Kip Williams stage creation, bringing the characters of Bram Stoker’s Dracula to life in a performance that will likely defy more than just gravity.

Aldwych Theatre from 5 February

While his furry onscreen friend is enjoying marmalade sandwiches some 500 yards away, Hugh Bonneville will be portraying Narnia creator C.S. Lewis in a play based on the true story of the author’s unexpected romance.

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@sohoplace from 28 February

Anyone who has seen her on stage will already know what a casting coup it is that the Queen of British Soul, Beverley Knight is playing the Godmother of rock ‘n’ roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. A rehearsal room preview last year hinted at this being one of her most compelling performances yet.

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Duke of York’s Theatre from 13 March

Rebecca Lucy Taylor, AKA Self Esteem, is set to make her biggest theatrical foray yet as she not only prepares to star in the 50th anniversary revival of this David Hare play, but also provides it with additional new music and lyrics. The show provided an early stage role for Dame Helen Mirren in the 1970s, and this combination of play and performer ought to prove just as incendiary.

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Bristol Hippodrome from 15 March

I’ll be turning my attention outside of London for what promises to be among the theatrical events of the year, a brand-new Disney musical premiering in the UK, the likes of which we haven’t seen since Mary Poppins first descended via umbrella. Disney creative veteran Casey Nicholaw will direct Oliver Tompsett and Samantha Barks, and while we don’t yet know whether its inevitable next step will be towards the West End or Broadway, tickets have already sold out in anticipation of the possibility this is, in fact, the greatest show.

Harold Pinter Theatre from 16 March

The answer to the question “what could possibly make me excited about seeing yet another Romeo and Juliet?” is the dual casting of screen stars Noah Jupe and Sadie Sink, whose staggering stage skills I’ve already witnessed in John Proctor Is the Villain on Broadway. The presence of visionary theatremaker Robert Icke at the helm makes this must-see theatre regardless of its frequency.

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London Coliseum from 17 March

This is a show that has merited a London stage return ever since it concluded its original West End run. The casting of Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe as Drag Queen Lola has already made this a sold-out hit on tour ahead of a limited run at the Coliseum. Here’s to hoping the role, and the show’s new home, fits like a high-heeled shoe.

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Wyndham’s Theatre from 19 March

The team behind theatrical mega-hit Prima Facie (writer Suzie Miller and director Justin Martin) reassemble, this time with Rosamund Pike centre stage, for another explosive reckoning that sees one woman’s courtroom career in collision with her family life. Olivier Awards undoubtedly beckon for this powerhouse play which left me uncharacteristically speechless when it debuted at the National Theatre in summer 2025.

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Shaftesbury Theatre from 20 March

The return of this outrageous musical comedy will play in a reduced capacity version of the Shaftesbury Theatre as it undergoes ongoing refurbishment. The production is being called a ‘revisal’, and though some of the more scandalous material — which won Robert Lopez (still the youngest EGOT recipient) his first Tony in 2004 — might be changed, the iconic original puppetry designs have been promised.

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Theatre Royal Haymarket from 24 April

Not just a great name for a drag queen, Grace Pervades stars Ralph Fiennes as Victorian stage star Sir Henry Irving alongside Miranda Raison as the renowned Ellen Terry. You might consider the pair the Tom Holland and Zendaya of their day, and this classy export from Theatre Royal Bath should prove charming.

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Ambassadors Theatre from 2 May

Among promising new playwrights, few stars are rising as determinedly as Ava Pickett’s, and 1536 was her hugely talked-about-hit last year at the Almeida, exploring the reaction to the death of Anne Boleyn through a timeless female lens. Whenever powerhouse producer Sonia Friedman brings the Islington venue’s work to the West End, a match has been made in heaven. Expect big things.

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Barbican Theatre from 19 May

Keeping up the trend of reviving shimmering, Cole Porter-scored classics, the Barbican will be hosting a ‘swellegant’ party with High Society, starring TV and stage stars Helen George and Felicity Kendal. This is an underappreciated gem of a show I’ve seen staged every which way but on a truly grand scale.

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Prince Edward Theatre from 20 May

After years of anticipation, the ghost with the most is finally set to haunt the West End. When I caught the show’s third Broadway iteration recently, I couldn’t help but imagine the array of talented West End stars who could take on these zany roles. Fans of the cult hit film and its recent sequel ought to be just as delighted as the musical theatre fans who have been demanding this transfer for years.

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London Palladium from 20 June

The staff at the London Palladium surely began readying themselves for a repeat of the hype surrounding last summer’s Evita when another Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre-originated revival of an Andrew Lloyd Webber / Tim Rice musical broke the venue’s advance sales records. Perhaps it’s the so-obvious-it’s perfect casting of Eurovision star Sam Ryder as Jesus that has audiences already scrambling to be among the congregation.

Bridge Theatre from 4 July

Whether you know him from The Princess Diaries 2 or as the latter-day captain of the USS Enterprise, it’s certainly an unexpected delight for Hollywood star Chris Pine to be making his London stage debut in a Chekhov play of all things. That his irrepressible charm might balance the play’s sorrow is an intriguing prospect.

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Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre from 25 July

While New York audiences will spend 2026 enjoying a revival of the feline musical recontextualised amidst ballroom culture, Brits can look forward to outdoor Cats - a London return which promises a revitalised interpretation, if only because it will feature the winning choreography of the venue’s artistic director, Drew McOnie. By the literal light of the Jellicle moon, no less.

Hampstead Theatre from 28 August

The Tony Award-winning musical is at long last making its UK premiere, and in a venue where its messy, edgy intimacy can truly be appreciated. The titular Kimberly is a remarkable role for a veteran actress, so speculation can now begin as to which theatrical Dame might be set to take this on…

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Artistic Director David Byrne recently revealed a stellar 70th anniversary season including the London transfer of the singularly impactful John Proctor Is the Villain (pictured on Broadway), as well as a sprinkling of star names with Tilda Swinton in Man To Man, and Gary Oldman in Krapp’s Last Tape. Per the venue’s ethos, there is also new writing, including The Afronauts, a play by Retrograde writer Ryan Calais Cameron, for which a future beyond the Court already seems likely.

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Highlights from one of London’s leading institutions include a Terrence Rattigan revival of Man and Boy, a Miranda Cromwell-directed gothic thriller in The Authenticator, and some of the year’s most seductive programming as Lesley Manville and Aidan Turner (pictured) enter the world of Les Liaisons Dangereuses under the expert direction of Marianne Elliott.

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A new production of Tom Stoppard’s masterpiece, Arcadia, is the first of the venue’s 2026 offerings, and poised to be an inadvertent tribute to the late playwright’s extraordinary career. Then, ahead of rumours of an eye-catching musical revival in the summer, Clint Dyer will direct Aaron Pierre and Giles Terera (pictured) in a bold new staging of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

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The jury is still out on whether The Illusionist, the first new Andrew Lloyd Webber-scored musical since Cinderella, will arrive before the end of the year. Meanwhile Todrick Hall’s Midnight may have earned a fully staged run off the back of its buzzy public workshop, as his last project Burlesque (pictured) continues to search for a new London home. From across the Atlantic, there is talk of transfers for award-winning musicals Maybe Happy Ending, The Outsiders, and Buena Vista Social Club, as well as the box-office record-breaking Good Night, and Good Luck starring George Clooney.