Top Off-West End theatre to see in London in July
Find out the best shows to see in London in July 2022.
Plenty of visitors head to London’s West End theatres in the summer months. The sun is shining, the warm weather is here, and there's live music and entertainment taking place on every street corner.
Want to escape the crowds but still feel the London summer buzz? Head to an Off-West End theatre. While they may not be in central London, there’s theatrical treasures waiting to be found. And with theatre tickets starting from £10, you can enjoy an evening at the theatre for less than the price of a cocktail!
London’s Off-West End theatres showcase long-awaited revivals and exciting productions all month long. Join the glitziest convent in town at Sister Act, or take a trip down under with a musical classic at South Pacific. There's new productions taking place on our shores too, like the historical Tom, Dick & Harry, or go back millions of years even further back in time at Yeast Nation.
Discover even more Off-West End theatre in the summer months and beyond with Off-West End Theatre Week. Book tickets to hidden Off-West End gems from just £10, but you'll want to be quick as Off-West End Theatre Week runs to 10 July. Find out more about Off-West End Theatre Week.
The Southbury Child
It can only takes one passing comment to change your perspective on something. For David Higland, a local vicar with a loyal group of parishoners, he finds himself on the receiving end of community vitriol. When he takes a hard line against a dying person who wants Disney balloons at a family funeral, he’s immediately ostracised. He begins a long battle to win his community back, but will he lose his position in the town? Or can he regain everyone's trust? Alex Jennings stars as David Highland in the London premiere of The Southbury Child, playing at the Bridge Theatre this summer.
Bridge Theatre, from 1 July.
Book The Southbury Child tickets on London Theatre.
Yummy Iconic
The Underbelly Festival continues in London this summer. If you’re looking for an evening cabaret that stands out from all the other London July offerings, then check out Yummy’s latest show. The Australian cabaret group return with Iconic, a new show celebrating Australian icons and those that have come before them. Get ready for comedy, costumes, and plenty of jokes fired at you every second. Find out more about the Underbelly Festival in London in summer 2022.
Underbelly Festival Cavendish Square, from 5 July.
Book Yummy Iconic tickets on London Theatre.
101 Dalmatians
Don’t mess with Cruella de Vil. The fashion-obsessed woman is busy creating her pièce de résistance — a fur coat made of dalmatians fur. She’s stealing as many dalmatians as she can get her hands on, but she can’t hold them all. Follow Pongo, Perdi and the other dogs in the litter as they save themselves and all their fellow puppies.
Based on Dodie Smith's novel, see the world premiere of the 101 Dalmatians musical at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Sadly, there won't be 101 real life dalmatians on stage, but there'll be exquisite puppetry from Toby Olié. Find out more about puppet shows in London.
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, from 12 July.
Book 101 Dalmatians tickets on London Theatre.
Secret Cinema: Dirty Dancing
Have you ever wished you could be in a film? Now you can! Discover the joy of Secret Cinema at their Dirty Dancing film experience this July. Mingle at Kellerman’s for a few hours before watching Dirty Dancing on screen. Get practicing your “I’ve Had the Time of My Life” lift in advance. Find out more about Secret Cinema in London.
Secret Cinema, from 13 July.
Book Secret Cinema: Dirty Dancing tickets on London Theatre.
Closer
Patrick Marber’s Olivier Award-winning play became a Hollywood sensation in the early 2000s. The 2004 Closer film starred Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, and Clive Owen. Now, Closer is actually closer to home, as the play returns to London in July 2022. The steamy play follows four strangers who all find one another, fall in love, and fade away from each other’s memories. You may not risk it all for something you want, but you won’t want to risk avoiding Closer in London.
Lyric Hammersmith, from 15 July.
Book Closer tickets on London Theatre.
Sister Act
After two long years of waiting, it’s finally time to raise our voices. Sister Act welcomes audiences to church in summer 2022. Beverley Knight plays Deloris Van Cartier, a lounge singer who joins a convent as part of a witness protection programme. Deloris doesn’t fit in at first, but by the end, she’s encouraging her fellow sisters to be fabulous, baby! The all-star cast includes Keala Settle, Jennifer Saunders, Lesley Joseph, Lizzie Bea, and Clive Rowe.
Eventim Apollo, from 19 July.
Book Sister Act tickets on London Theatre.
Yeast Nation
Sometimes, musicals are based on books, or a film can get the musical touch. But a musical about yeast? Well it’s time to rise out of your seat and head to Southwark Playhouse. Join the probiotics — all named Jan — as they try to ensure their survival over millions of years.
Urinetown creators, Greg Kotis and Mark Hollman, worked on Yeast Nation. Plus with The Toxic Avenger' Benji Sperring directing the London premiere, this production is set to be a wacky hit.
Southwark Playhouse, from 22 July.
Book Yeast Nation tickets on London Theatre.
Tom, Dick & Harry
Plan a great escape to the theatre this July to see Tom, Dick & Harry. Learn more about the brave prisoners who defied the odds to escape three tunnels that World War Two prisoners and find freedom. The Tom, Dick & Harry play utilises once top-secret information classified in war archives, plus Alexandra Palace was once home to a prisoner of war camp. All of this makes Tom, Dick & Harry the ideal play to see in London this summer.
Alexandra Palace, from 26 July.
Book Tom, Dick & Harry tickets on London Theatre.
South Pacific
Following acclaimed performances in 2021, Chichester Festival Theatre’s South Pacific heads to London this summer. The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical follows Nellie, an American woman stationed halfway across the world and falls in love with a local plantation owner. Gina Beck and Julian Ovenden lead South Pacific in London. Watch The South Pacific cast perform at West End Live.
Sadler’s Wells, from 27 July.
Book South Pacific tickets on London Theatre.
Patriots
- The fall of the Soviet Union. There’s winners and losers in a new Russia, but who will finally be able to rule supreme? It may surprise you that it's not always the person in charge who holds the key. Sometimes it’s those who strongly influence a leader. Tom Hollander plays billionaire businessman Boris Berezovsky — a key figure in Vladimir Putin's rule — in Peter Morgan’s play, Patriots, at the Almeida Theatre.
Almeida Theatre, from 2 July.
Chasing Hares
It's easy to keep quiet. But it’s harder to break your silence share your true story. In Chasing Hares, a factory worker is offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to write a play. He could write a heartfelt, happy story, but that doesn't feel right for his surroundings. Should he address Indian factory conditions and child exploitation head on? Watch the Chasing Hares premiere at the Young Vic this summer.
Young Vic, from 16 July.
Photo credit: South Pacific cast (Photo by Johan Persson)
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