Based on the 1952 film that starred Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly, Oscar-winning screenwriter Eric Roth’s (Forrest Gump, Dune) stage adaptation of the classic western is told in real time and is set to be one of the most gripping shows of the year. Originally presented as an allegory of Hollywood’s blacklist, this new version speaks powerfully to present-day society,

The cast is led by Tony and Emmy winner Billy Crudup (The Morning Show, The Coast of Utopia) and Olivier winner Denise Gough (Andor, People, Places & Things. Themes of courage versus cowardice, justice versus peace, and duty versus desire are as timeless as ever.

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The late Tom Stoppard is currently represented with Indian Ink at Hampstead Theatre and in the new year, Arcadia, which is considered by many to be his finest work, receives a major new production by Carrie Cracknell (The Deep Blue Sea, Julie). Arcadia features a young mathematics prodigy and her tutor living in 1809, which is overlaid with a modern-day narrative.

The production stars Seamus Dillane (Anna Karenina, The Invention of Love) as Septimus Hodge and Isis Hainsworth (Measure for Measure, The House of Bernarda Alba) as Thomasina Coverly. This multilayered work represents Stoppard at his wittiest and most enchanting, and it’s also considered a science fiction masterpiece.

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First performed to great acclaim at Chichester Festival Theatre in summer 2025, the musical adaptation of Rachel Joyce’s bestselling novel features a book by Joyce herself and a score from indie musician Passenger. The show tells the story of the titular Harold who sets off on foot from Devon to Northumberland on a mysterious mission involving an old friend.

Exploring themes of quiet heroism, the kindness of strangers, and the resilience of the human spirit, this joyous piece reminds us that it’s never too late to start again – the perfect message for the beginning of the year. Mark Addy (Game of Thrones, Hangmen) and Jenna Russell (Sunday in the Park with George, Hello, Dolly!) lead this beautiful walk into 2026.

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The central dilemma of Noël Coward’s early work The Rat Trap sounds remarkably modern: young married couple Sheila and Keld are both talented and fiercely ambitious writers. However, when Keld’s career takes off and Sheila’s stalls, their rivalry comes to a head. Can their marriage survive?

The show is produced by Troupe, whose two-part adaptation of The Forsyte Saga was a huge hit at the Park Theatre in 2024 and is now playing in Stratford upon Avon in a co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Expect plenty of barbed wit and brittle glamour from this Coward rarity.

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First introduced in 1980 in the BBC sitcom Yes, Minister, Jim Hacker is back for the very last time. Hacker ought to be enjoying a peaceful retirement at Hacker College, Oxford, when he experiences the ultimate insult: being cancelled by the college committee. Can the ever-devious Sir Humphrey Appleby sort things out?

Written by Jonathan Lynn, the co-creator of the original series, this final instalment promises to be a catastrophically funny send-off to a beloved comic franchise that has always held a mirror up to the times. Griff Rhys-Jones (Not the Nine O’Clock News, Oliver!) and Clive Francis (Poldark, A Christmas Carol) star as Hacker and Appleby respectively.

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Downton Abbey and Paddington star Hugh Bonneville returns to the West End as Oxford don and The Chronicles of Narnia author C.S. Lewis in William Nicholson’s poignant play Shadowlands. Rachel Kavanaugh’s production was first performed to considerable acclaim at Chichester Festival Theatre in 2019.

Bonneville plays opposite Maggie Siff (Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy) as Joy Davidman, an American writer and mother of two sons, who entered a companionate marriage with Lewis in the 1950s and shortly afterwards was diagnosed with incurable cancer. It’s a famous tearjerker with a quintessentially British stiff upper lip.

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Middlemarch author George Eliot (born Mary Ann Evans) is considered one of the greatest novelists of all time. It’s 1841, and her father is keen to marry her off. However, the fiercely intellectual and ambitious Mary Ann has other ideas, bringing her into conflict with the father she loves deeply.

Alexi Kaye Campbell’s (The Pride, Apologia) witty and topical new play questions how we can live alongside those we disagree with, placing centre stage the untold story of one of England’s greatest writers, in a poignant exploration of family ties and self-determination.

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Sister Rosetta Tharpe has been dubbed the “godmother of rock ‘n’ roll”, an extraordinary singer and guitarist, who influenced Elvis and Johnny Cash. However, her own story has flown under the radar. She is embodied by soul star and Olivier-winning actress Beverley Knight (Sylvia, Sister Act) in George Brant’s play with music, which was first seen on tour in 2025.

In the 1940s, Tharpe made the wholesome church singer Marie Knight her protegee and taught her how to swing. Ntombizodwa Ndlovu takes this role in her West End debut. It’s stirring story of sisterhood and musical revolutions.

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Arthur Miller’s 1994 play is set in Brooklyn in 1938. Sylvia Gellburg, a Jewish American housewife, is horrified about the escalating violence against Jewish communities in Europe and experiences paralysis of her legs. Her husband insists that she sees a psychiatrist and, in the process, her problems in her marriage can no longer be ignored.

Directed by Jordan Fein (Into the Woods), this is a powerful and all-too timely piece about the danger or turning a blind eye and passively hoping that evils will pass. The accomplished cast is led by Pearl Chanda (Hedda), Eli Gelb (Stereophonic), Alex Waldmann (Intimate Apparel), and Nancy Carroll (Hamlet).

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Having made her West End debut as Sally Bowles in Cabaret in 2024, Rebecca Lucy Taylor (Self Esteem) returns to the stage in the 50th anniversary revival of David Hare’s Swinging Sixties-set play Teeth ‘n’ Smiles. She plays Maggie, the lead singer of a failing rock band – a role originated by Helen Mirren.

This celebration of counterculture and the power of rock music raised the roof of the Royal Court in 1975 and retains a timeless resonance. Taylor is sure to be ideally cast as the possessor of a distinctive voice that won’t be silenced.

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Shakespeare is represented in the West End this season with a starry staging of his romantic tragedy. Sadie Sink (Stranger Things, John Proctor Is the Villain) and Noah Jupe (Hamnet, Lady in the Lake) make their West End debuts as the impulsive young lovers.

The production is directed by Robert Icke (Oedipus, Oresteia), who is celebrated for his gripping storytelling and fresh perspectives. Sink and Jupe are sure to make an electrifying pair.

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Kimberley Belflower’s response to Arthur Miller’s The Crucible makes its London premiere at the Royal Court. It is the same stage that saw The Crucible first presented to London audiences 70 years ago. It’s history coming full circle and, this time, the young women are in the spotlight.

Set in a high school in 2018 as the #MeToo movement is gaining momentum, the show deals with a group of teenagers and their responses to the classic play, which leads them to unlocking explosive secrets about their small town. The Broadway production was nominated for seven Tony awards.

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Following a UK tour, Nikolai Foster’s (A Chorus Line, The Wizard of Oz) production of Kinky Boots struts into the West End this spring. With a score by Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein, it’s a real underdog story in which a struggling shoe factory addresses an unexpected gap in the market – the manufacturing of high-heeled shoes for drag performers.

Beloved Strictly Come Dancing professional dancer Johannes Radebe steps into big-hearted drag queen Lola’s red stilettos. His charm and the show’s infectious energy will make you want to get your dancing shoes on!

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A millennial favourite, the Sesame Street-inspired musical Avenue Q moves back into the West End this spring 20 years after it was first seen here. With its fabulous puppets and outrageous songs, it’s sure to delight a whole new generation.

Many things in the world have changed since the show was first performed, but paying bills, forming friendships and relationships, and finding a purpose certainly haven’t. Find out why this is the show that beat Wicked to the Best Musical Tony back in 2004!

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Jocelyn Bioh’s 2023 Tony-winning comic play crosses the pond for the first time. Jaja’s African Hair Braiding Salon in Harlem is filled with talented West African immigrants who create masterpieces with their clients’ hair, and friendships and resentments inevitably emerge.

All the women in the salon have their hopes and dreams. The production reunites Bioh and director Monique Touko, following School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, also at the Lyric Hammersmith.

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Suzie Miller’s blistering drama transfers to the West End for a limited run starring Oscar nominee Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl). Pike plays Jessica Parks, a high-flying judge balancing motherhood, friendship and the elusive notion of ‘having it all’ when an unspeakable event threatens to ruin everything.

The production showcases Pike at her most mesmerising. LondonTheatre.co.uk’s review of the show at the National Theatre noted that it is a “scorching drama, merciless in its dissection of our broken system… This is a show that continues a vital conversation, and does so with empathy, care and burning conviction”.

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