This is the greatest show! [*Come Alive!*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/37379-come-alive) has released new production pictures, providing a first look at the incredible circus spectacular, which combines songs from hit film *The Greatest Showman* with an original story. *Come Alive!* runs at the Empress Museum through 30 March 2025.

Take your seats in the 700-seat Big Top, to see some of the world's finest circus stars, including *Cirque du Soleil* performers, as well as West End...

Take a first look at 'Come Alive!', the circus show inspired by 'The Greatest Showman'

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Step into the world of *Come Alive!* at the Empress Museum, where the much-loved music of *The Greatest Showman* meets an original story.

The world premiere of Olivier winner Conor McPherson's new play *The Brightening Air* will open at the Old Vic in London in April 2025. The play marks his return to the theatre following *Girl from the North Country* in 2017, which transferred to the West End and Broadway.

*The Brightening Air*, which McPherson also directs, is set in 1980s Ireland and follows brother and sister Stephen and Billie, whose lives are upended by an "ex-clergyman uncle with an unscrupulous plan, a sister-in-law...

Conor McPherson's 'The Brightening Air' to have world premiere at London's Old Vic

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*The Brightening Air* marks McPherson's return to the Old Vic following *Girl from the North Country* in 2017, which later transferred to the West End and Broadway.


All aboard! The full cast has been set for the West End transfer of *[Titanique](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/40903-titanique)*, which opens at the [Criterion Theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/venues/criterion-theatre) on 9 December.

The cast includes Darren Bennett (*Singin’ in the Rain, Grease*) as Victor Garber / Luigi, Lauren Drew (*SIX UK Tour, Legally Blonde*) as Céline, Jordan Luke Gage (*Bonnie & Clyde, & Juliet*) as Cal, Stephen Guarino (*Eastsiders, Titanique* LA) as...

'Titanique' sets West End cast including Jordan Luke Gage, Layton Williams, and Lauren Drew

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*Titanique* combines Céline Dion's music with the Oscar-winning, blockbuster film *Titanic*, asking what really happened to Jack and Rose the night the Titanic sunk?

She’s brave, she’s clever, and sometimes she’s just a little bit naughty. Roald Dahl’s brainy heroine Matilda has been top of the class in the West End since 2011, starring in the beloved RSC stage musical version of the iconic children’s novel.

Winner of multiple Olivier and Tony Awards, this brilliant adaptation by Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly remains a family favourite – and for good reason. Its witty book and indelible score make this a fantastic watch for grown-ups as well as kids, so it’s...

Make a day out of ‘Matilda’ in London

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Add more exciting activities to your family's West End theatre trip, such as visits to a children's museum, the circus, and a Roald Dahl-themed afternoon tea.

Welcome to your complete guide to West End theatre! Whether you're at the beginning of planning your trip or you just want some more information on a booked show, our series of guides will help you to navigate your way through this exciting and vibrant city.

From advice on what to wear and where to sit, to restaurants, bars, pubs, and afternoon tea recommendations, look no further than LondonTheatre.co.uk.

So what are you waiting for? Dive in and learn more about what London's theatre scene...

Complete West End theatre guide: Shows, venues, and more

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Your hub for all things London theatre. Find recommendations, advice, and in-depth information about shows, restaurants, bars, and more in the West End.

Further casting has been announced for Duncan Macmillan and Thomas Ostermeier’s new version of Chekhov’s *The Seagull*, which opens at the Barbican Theatre in London from February 2025 for a six-week run.

Joining the previously announced Cate Blanchett as Arkadina and Tom Burke as Trigorin are Priyanga Burford (Polina), Emma Corrin (Nina), Zachary Hart (Medvedenko), Paul Higgins (Shamrayev), Tanya Reynolds (Masha), Kodi Smit-McPhee (Konstantin), and Jason Watkins (Sorin).

Directed by...

Emma Corrin, Tanya Reynolds, and more to join Cate Blanchett in 'The Seagull'

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Priyanga Burford (*An Enemy of the People*), Emma Corrin (*The Crown, Orlando*), and Olivier Award winner Tanya Reynolds (*A Mirror*) join the cast of Chekhov’s masterpiece.

Seeing a West End show during the Christmas period will add a festive flair to any trip to London. Throughout the Christmas season, many West End shows will add more performances, giving you even more opportunity to catch the shows you've missed out on all year. Or if you're looking to find an extra-special present for somebody this Christmas, why not take that special someone to a show on Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, New Year's Eve or New Year's Day. 

We've listed all the West End performances...

All the West End shows you can see at Christmas

West End

From *Guys & Dolls* to *Wicked* and *The Lion King*, this is your ultimate list of shows that will be playing in the West End during the Christmas period.

New lead casting has been announced for *[Hadestown](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/24465-hadestown-tickets)* in the West End, as the production extends its booking period through 28 September 2025.

Trevor Dion Nicholas, who recently starred in *Next to Normal* in the West End, will play Hades, while Rachel Tucker (*Sunset Boulevard, [Wicked](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/313-wicked-tickets), Come From Away*) will play Persephone. They will appear in the production until 9 February...

Rachel Tucker and Trevor Dion Nicholas join the cast of 'Hadestown' in London

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Trevor Dion Nicholas recently starred in *Next to Normal* in the West End, while Rachel Tucker is known for her performances in *Sunset Boulevard*, *Wicked*, and *Come From Away.* 

One for the road! [*The Choir of Man*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/23760-the-choir-of-man-tickets) has announced that its final performances at the Arts Theatre in the West End will be on 31 December, as the venue closes for planned redevelopment.

The show, which follows nine performers as they bring chart classics to life in a pub environment, opened in the West End in October 2021 and has welcomed over 280,000 audience members through its doors.

Future plans for the show in London...

'The Choir of Man' to close in West End as venue undergoes redevelopment

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*The Choir of Man* first opened at the Arts Theatre in the West End in October 2021 and has welcomed over 280,000 audience members through its doors.

The Royal Shakespeare Company and Good Chance's production of *Kyoto* will transfer to @sohoplace in the West End for a limited 16-week run next year. The show will open on 9 January, running until 3 May.

The political thriller, which was part of Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey’s inaugural programme as RSC Co-Artistic Directors, charts the negotiations leading up to the historic 1997 Kyoto climate summit, which brought about the world’s first legally binding emissions targets. [*Stranger Things:...

'Kyoto' to transfer to the West End's @sohoplace in 2025

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The political thriller charts the negotiations leading up to the historic 1997 Kyoto climate summit, which brought about the world’s first legally binding emissions targets. 

<img alt="" height="408" src="https://images.ctfassets.net/6pezt69ih962/6cezTC20Zq7fleguDtXOpA/3ffb7ddfb03bc5bd876d8236191e215e/PaulaVogel-800x1200.jpg" style="float:right" width="272" />Following critically-acclaimed performances on Broadway in 2017, <a href="/show/indecent">Indecent</a> will receive a London transfer later this year. Written by Paula Vogel and directed by Rebecca Taichman, <a href="/show/indecent">Indecent</a> will be performed at the <a href="/theatres/menier-chocolate-factory">Menier Chocolate Factory</a> from March 2020.<h2>Indecent at the Menier Chocolate Factory</h2>In a <a href="https://twitter.com/BazBam/status/1217943524055842816">tweet by Baz Bamigboye</a>,&nbsp;<a href="/show/indecent">Indecent</a> will make its London debut at the <a href="/theatres/menier-chocolate-factory">Menier Chocolate Factory</a>, as part of the new season at the theatre. Rebecca Taichman will direct the London production, having won a Tony Award for directing the Broadway production of Indecent in 2017.Indecent&nbsp;will run at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 13th March, with an opening night on 23rd March and a final performance on 9th May. The production will feature music by&nbsp;Lisa Gutkin &amp; Aaron Halva, set design by Riccardo Hernandez, costume design by Emily Rebholz, lighting by&nbsp;Christopher Akerlind and sound design by Matt Hubbs.&nbsp;Details on casting are to be announced.<h2>About Indecent</h2>Indecent is based on events surrounding Sholem Asch's 1923 Broadway play The God of Vengeance, which saw its cast risking everything to perform, with the company later arrested on the grounds of obscenity. Inspired by this, Paula Vogel's <a href="/show/indecent">Indecent</a> tells of how the company were indicted, focusing on the kiss between two women on a Broadway stage - the first time two females had kissed&nbsp;on a stage&nbsp;on the Great White Way.<h2>Pulitzer Prize-winning Paula Vogel's career</h2><a href="/show/indecent">Indecent</a> is written by the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Paula Vogel, who earned the aforementioned accolade in 1998 for her play How I Learned to Drive. Aside from her playwriting career, Vogel has taught at Brown and Yale universities, as well as being a playwright in residence at Yale Repertory Theatre.<h2>New productions at the Menier Chocolate Factory</h2>Upcoming productions at the off-West End venue include a revival of Alan Bennett's Habeas Corpus, directed by Patrick Marber. Habeas Corpus will begin performances from 15th May.<a href="/show/indecent">Indecent</a> is at the <a href="/theatres/menier-chocolate-factory">Menier Chocolate Factory</a> from 13th March.Photo credit: The Huntington (<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/huntingtontheatreco/6950247216/in/photolist-25njfo6-bAaQmy-Bnxxhv-EE67c1-88M3DE-7wHfz-874aLc-jJce8m-87ogxo-6zEJMX-6sQCPB-6stem8-U63UAb-6tdoZd-87UL4s-bAbb9N-6KyfGF-bAbaNC-6rLXbJ-6sebKB-6v53us-bAbaRQ-6uZSQV-87UWcs-6uZSvF-884tt4-6viPAR-ToFWdA-U63eN1-6vo26E-bP5NYM-U63now-87UZqb-U63eFh-6v53fA-6uZSyR-bP5PUg-6v53Bo-bP5P6n-6v3sHR-6uZSKt-bAbavG-bP5PMB-884tAc-bP5PfZ-bP5PuZ-bP5NUi-bP5PbH-bAbaBj">Flickr</a>) under <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">CC 2.0</a>

Paula Vogel's Indecent to receive London transfer at Menier Chocolate Factory

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Rather than being a play-in-a-play, *Indecent* dramatises the stories that surrounded a play’s opening over a century ago. Opinions have changed and viewpoints have shifted, but was Indecent an immoral take on society, or just ahead of its time. 

In 1906, Polish-Jewish playwright Sholem Asch began writing *The God of Vengeance*, a Jewish drama about a brothel owner who wanted to marry off his daughter. During the play, scenes of a sordid nature take place, which had early twentieth-century audiences up in arms. Could *The God of Vengeance* be a work of religious defamation? Even though the play had its critics, it was Broadway-bound, making its US premiere in 1923. But when a theatre owner was convicted, the future of *The God of Vengeance* and indeed what could be told on stage became a court matter. 

This is where the *Indecent* play steps in to continue the narrative. Debating whether *The God of Vengeance* is a piece of Jewish culture or traitorous libel, Paula Vogel’s drama tells the lives of those who risked their careers for the performing arts.

Rebecca Taichmann directs *Indecent* in London. Taichmann directed Indecent on Broadway, and won a Tony Award for her direction. A small klezmer band, playing traditional music of the Ashkenazi Jews, will play live music during Indecent. Original music in *Indecent* is by Lisa Gutkin and Aaron Halva. 

*Indecent* was on Broadway in 2017, and was subsequently nominated for three Tonys. In an Indecent review for New York Theatre Guide, Michael Hillyer said: “Proudly Jewish and self-consciously theatrical… Mss. Vogel and Taichman work their transporting magic in plain sight… Indecent is pretty much just three boards, two actors, and one magnificent, transcendent passion.”

It’s coincidental that a play about a play which was argued about could have been stopped in London. But that’s what happened to *Indecent*. *Indecent* in London was due to open at the Menier Chocolate Factory in March 2020. However it was forced to suspend performances for 18 months due to the pandemic. 

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Performers can risk their lives to star in a show. But what happens when the risk is equal both on and off-stage? In the early twentieth-century, conversations about Polish-Jewish playwright Sholem Asch’s *The God of Vengeance* were taking place everywhere you turned. Was Asch’s Yiddish drama celebrating Judaism? Or was it inherently anti-semitic? Discover what happened to those who appeared in *The God of Vengeance* in Paula Vogel’s *Indecent* at the Menier Chocolate Factory. 

*The God of Vengeance* tells the story of a Jewish brothel owner who commissions a Torah school while marrying off his daughter to a yeshiva student. On the surface, finding contention with the storyline may seem difficult. But with many scenes of a sexual nature, many called it an immoral representation of the Jewish faith. To combat this, provocative scenes were omitted in future productions, but this still wasn’t enough. When *The God of Vengeance* opened on Broadway, the play was considered to be in violation of New York law, with a theatre owner convicted. Eventually, the play’s future, and indeed Sholem Asch’s career, would be decided in court, but could it be considered Indecent? 

Over a century later, Paula Vogel’s *Indecent* shines a light on the Jewish drama through a contemporary lens. First staged at the Yale Repertory Theatre in 2015, Indecent eventually opened off-Broadway, and then found a Broadway home for four months. Unlike Sholem Asch though, this play’s storyline would put Vogel back on the Broadway map in a positive light. Even though Vogel had won a Pulitzer Prize for her play *How I Learned to Drive*, *Indecent* marked Vogel’s Broadway playwriting debut. The *Indecent* play is Vogel’s London debut too, which reopened the Menier Chocolate Factory. 

## What to Watch For
- Paula Vogel’s *Indecent* was originally scheduled for March 2020 at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Due to the pandemic, performances were suspended early in the run, but now Indecent gets its long-awaited return to London after 18 months. 
- Even though *The God of Vengeance* angered critics at the time, it’s now frequently revived as a piece of modern Yiddish theatre. Opinions can change!
- Rebecca Taichmann directs the *Indecent* London premiere. Taichmann received a Tony Award for directing *Indecent* on Broadway. In total, *Indecent* on Broadway was nominated for three Tonys. 


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Talk about a delayed thrill:&nbsp;Paula Vogel's lauded play <a href="/show/indecent">Indecent </a>was primed for its British debut at the <a href="/theatres/menier-chocolate-factory">Menier Chocolate Factory</a> back in March 2020, when the curtains came down across theatreland. So here it finally is, directed as in New York by Tony winner Rebecca Taichman but even more immediately powerful and moving than I remember from its Vineyard Theatre iteration. (The subsequent Broadway transfer won an additional Tony for Christopher Akerlind's lighting, which is no less virtuosic here.)And perhaps it's because context counts for a lot, but it's virtually impossible not to think of Vogel's panoramic portrait of the Jewish experience, and a culture at once enduring and (as seen in the play) under threat, without thinking of Indecent as the play Tom Stoppard might have written with Leopoldstadt. That larger-cast show, now back on the West End, has a similarly time-hurtling, wounding quality without the narrowing of focus that proves so invaluable here.&nbsp;Maybe, too, there's something about seeing this portrait of a play, Sholem Asch's Yiddish-language God of Vengeance, that travelled to Europe and back, generating controversy and a New York obscenity trial along the way, amidst our increasingly divisive and wary age. Whatever the reason, a work whose given refrain is "a blink in time" turns out to look very nearly timeless: the evening widens out beyond a recreation of a banner moment in Broadway history to forge all sorts of connections that ricochet well beyond Asch's text. And for all the bustle of Taichman's astonishingly alert production, abetted by a protean cast of seven who collectively play more than 40 roles, Indecent is never more affecting than when most still: at those moments, for instance, where we watch a queue of immigrants awaiting entry into America, only later on to bear witness to another, entirely different queue —&nbsp;this time of a people on their way to extinction.&nbsp;Among the cleverest of playwrights, Vogel and Taichman revel in language, which at times cascades down the back wall of Riccardo Hernandez's set, at the rear of which sit the cast expectantly as we make our entrance into a playhouse that couldn't be better suited to this particular work. Our guide to proceedings is also the only character gifted with an actual name: Lemml, aka Lou, a stage manager leading us through the fraught and labyrinthine trajectory of "a play that changed my life". We follow the fortunes of God of Vengeance from an intimate reading among a European enclave attuned to its more daring aspects: "It's the 20th century," we're told. "We're all attracted to both sexes." And in time the play, and its begetter, an impassioned Joseph Timms, have made it through Ellis Island to a downtown Manhattan in thrall during the early 1920s to the work of the young Eugene O'Neill —&nbsp;a part also taken by the charismatic Timms. (Vogel, like O'Neill, is the deserved winner of a Pulitzer Prize, in her case for a play, How I Learned To Drive, whose 1998 London premiere, with the late Helen McCrory has stayed with me to this day.)But even with edits, Asch's same-sex passages and theatrical candour prove too incendiary for Broadway: police arrive at the playhouse once the show moves uptown at which point we could as well be watching a precursor of the culture wars that have spiralled ever onwards into society today. Excerpts from Asch's heightened-seeming text feature throughout as God of Vengeance makes its way back across the Atlantic, this time to the Jewish ghetto in 1943 Poland and on to a defining rain scene in which the very world of theatre itself seems to be joining in lamentation for the abyss towards which history would lead (and did) so many theatrical practitioners, and their audience. A fleeting excerpt from Oklahoma! reminds us of the lasting contribution of Jewish writers to the American stage, by which point Peter Polycarpou has taken over as the ageing Asch and the onstage klezmer band has kept musical pace with emotional shifts that are adroitly managed throughout.The production finds new value in the word "ensemble" in what is possibly the best acted Menier staging since Patrick Marber's magnificent reclamation of Travesties five years ago. Every one of the cast deftly fields a dense play, with Molly Osborne and Alexandra Silber both in radiant form as the couple at often grievous odds with their surroundings. A thickly accented Lynch acts as the de facto Emcee in a part that contains a line worthy of Vogel's near-contemporary, Tony Kushner. "The world spins on," says Lemml with apparent matter-of-factness until such time, of course, as&nbsp;Indecent&nbsp;reminds us, that it doesn't.<a href="/show/indecent"></a><a href="/show/indecent">Indecent is at the Menier Chocolate Factory to 27 November. Book Indecent tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.</a>Photo credit: Indecent Cast (Photo by Johan Persson)

'Indecent' review - a radiant ensemble finds beauty in the quiet moments

Photo credit: Indecent Cast (Photo by Johan Persson)

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The Menier Chocolate Factory is a renowned theatre venue located in the heart of London, specifically nestled in the Southwark borough. The venue was established in 2004 and has since contributed significantly to the city's cultural scene. Housed in what was originally a chocolate factory, the venue carries immense historic appeal. The theatre's interior is uniquely styled, preserving certain elements of the original factory's architecture and imbuing the place with an unmatched retro vibe. The venue boasts of an intimate setting with its small yet charismatic studio theatre that often stages dramas and musicals and has a capacity of about 180 seats. In addition to the theatre, the venue comprises an upscale restaurant that serves delicious fare and an exquisite bar offering a curated selection of drinks. Often, the theatre plays host to a multitude of productions, both local and international, and has even pocketed awards for its outstanding delivery of art and culture. This quaint venue strikes a perfect balance between the industrial and the innovative, providing a stimulating aura for its patrons.

## Getting to the Menier Chocolate Factory
The theatre venue is easily reachable and well-connected to London’s public transport. It's about a 10-minute walk from Borough Market, London Bridge Station and the Shakespeare's Globe. Alternatively, one could use bus routes such as 344, 381 and RV1 that are near the venue.

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The Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre opened in 2004. It is located in a former 1870s chocolate factory and is made up of a theatre, a rehearsal space, as well as an on-site restaurant and bar. UK premieres at the Menier Chocolate Factory include *Tick, Tick... Boom!*, *The Color Purple* and *The Last Five Years*. Many musicals staged at the Menier Chocolate Factory transfer to the West End, including *Sunday in the Park with George* and *[Fiddler on the Roof](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/fiddler-on-the-roof)*. 

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Opened in 2004, the Menier Chocolate Factory Theatre is a versatile venue in an 1870s factory. Many of its musicals transfer to the West End.

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The award-winning Menier Chocolate Factory is a historic and intimate theatre venue in Southwark, London; easily reachable from Borough Market and London Bridge Station.

Paula Vogel's Indecent to receive London transfer at Menier Chocolate Factory

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