The Best London Theatre To Book Now
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33 minutes ago
All the upcoming plays to add to your watch-list
It’s been a stellar start to the 26/27 theatre season, with the likes of Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup and Josh Dylan teaming up for a five star production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Tilda Swinton reprising her Weimar-era production of Man to Man at the Royal Court, and Keira Knightley in her first on-stage role in 15 years in The Lives Of Others. These star-studded lineups aren’t getting any less sparkly, either. Theatres across London are getting ready for even more literary adaptations, classic reprises, and world premieres to land in front of audiences in the coming months, from Michael Sheen as Mozart rival Salieri in Amadeus to Matt Smith as an alien impersonating a human professor in the new adaptation of Matt Haig’s The Humans. Tickets are already selling fast, so book early to avoid missing out.
Eurotrash
Based on the 2025 International Booker longlist-nominated book by Christian Kracht, this adaptation by Colin Teevan stars Ben Whishaw and Kathryn Hunter as a filthy rich and bickering mother-son duo who road-trip across Switzerland in a guilt-driven attempt to rid themselves of their dubiously-attained millions.
When? 13 November 2026 – 9 January 2027
Where? Young Vic, 66 The Cut, London SE1 8LZ
Book: youngvic.org
The Afronauts
In 1964, an unlikely player entered the space race: Zambia. The Afronauts, written by Ryan Calais Cameron and co-directed by Cameron and Monique Touko, follows a group of young misfits being trained by their schoolteacher in hopes of becoming Zambia’s first astronauts.
When? 14 November – 19 December 2026
Where? Royal Court Theatre, 50-51 Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS
Book: royalcourttheatre.com
Jumpers
Since Tom Stoppard’s death at the end of 2025, we’ve been blessed with a string of the late playwright’s productions at theatres across London. Up next is Jumpers at the Hampstead Theatre: Stoppard’s 1972 comedy of murder, marriage and metaphysics, set in an alternative reality in which some British astronauts have landed on the Moon and ‘Radical Liberals’ have taken over the British government. Keep an eye out for tickets to go on sale for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead at the National Theatre next autumn, too.
When? 25 November 2026 – 23 January 2027
Where? Hampstead Theatre, Eton Ave, London NW3 3EU
Book: hampsteadtheatre.com
August: Osage County
Pulitzer and Tony award-winning August: Osage County by Tracy Letts is returning to the London stage after 17 years, with a cast led by Lesley Manville and Anna Maxwell Martin. Referred to as the ‘first great American play of the 21st century’, the plot follows a dysfunctional family returning to their Oklahoma home after a family crisis, where resentments erupt and chaos ensues.
When? 18 January – 10 April 2027
Where? Noël Coward Theatre, 85-88 St Martin’s Ln, London WC2N 4AU
Book: delfontmackintosh.co.uk
Julie
The Old Vic has announced its rather star-studded programme for 2027, opened by a Damian Lewis-led Henry V from 26 January until 27 March – but we’re particularly excited about Julie, an adaptation of Swedish playwright August Strindberg’s 1888 play Miss Julie. Starring Millie Alcock as a 21-year-old kicking back against her societal confines, this dark, twisty and psychologically challenging production describes itself as a ‘thriller of lust and ruin’.
When? 10 April – 29 May 2027
Where? Old Vic, 103 The Cut, London SE1 8NB
Book: oldvictheatre.com
Suddenly Last Summer
Harriet Walter and Emma Corrin lead the charge in this rarely performed Tennessee Williams classic about an elderly widowed socialite whose son died in mysterious circumstances – who essentially bribes a doctor into performing a lobotomy on her unwell niece. Expect truth serum, scandal and descents into madness.
When? 19 February – 24 April 2027
Where? The Olivier, National Theatre, London SE1 9PX
Book: nationaltheatre.org.uk
The History Boys
In light of the government’s cuts to arts and humanities education, the revival of Alan Bennett’s seminal play The History Boys comes at no better time. Set in a boys grammar school in Sheffield, a group of young men navigate sex, politics, and the art of growing up under the unorthodox teachings of one particularly history professor.
When? 10 April – 24 July 2027
Where? Theatre Royal Haymarket, London SW1Y 4HT
Book: trh.co.uk
Amadeus
The story of prolific classical music composer Amadeus Mozart never seems to stay away for too long. The outrageous stories of the eccentric artiste’s personal and professional life – particularly his rivalry with fellow composer Salieri – have been alluring for audiences for generations, from the 1984 film with F Murray Abraham to the 2025 miniseries with Will Sharpe and Paul Bettany. This production sees Calum Scott Howells and Michael Sheen take on Mozart and Salieri respectively, for an opera-filled spectacle of obsession, jealousy, desire, and spectacular falls from grace.
When? 17 April – 7 August 2027
Where? Noël Coward Theatre, 85-88 St Martin’s Ln, London WC2N 4AU
Book: delfontmackintosh.co.uk
The Briar Patch
While many of 2027’s big hitters are old-age revivals of the classics, the Royal Court is bringing a new script into the mix: The Briar Patch, written by Ciara Elizabeth Smith and directed by playwright (not Talking Heads frontman) David Byrne, is led by Juliet Stephenson and follows a woman grappling with her life after losing trust in people closest to her.
When? 14 May – 26 June 2027
Where? Royal Court Theatre, 50-51 Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS
Book: royalcourttheatre.com
The Humans
It may be a year away, but given that the Jessie Buckley-led Afterbirth scheduled for 2028 at The Royal Court has already sold out, this might be one to book in advance. Matt Smith leads this new adaptation of The Humans, a play based on the best-selling 2013 book of the same name by Matt Haig. In it, an extra-terrestrial is sent to earth to prevent a mathematical discovery-related disaster, and ends up observing some less-than-positive home truths about the human race.
When? 30 October 2027 – 29 January 2028
Where? Theatre Royal Haymarket, London SW1Y 4HT
Book: trh.co.uk
West Side Story
One more for good measure: after much anticipation, it’s been confirmed that the Broadway production of West Side Story will be coming to the National Theatre in November 2027. First performed in Washington DC in 1957, before multiple Broadway and West End runs, and two films in 1961 and 2021, the musical is a Romeo and Juliet adaptation set in 50s New York, about forbidden love and fatal revenge.
When? 5 November 2027 – 12 February 2028
Where? The Olivier, National Theatre, London SE1 9PX
Book: nationaltheatre.org.uk
