This year’s hottest shows range from blockbuster musicals to buzzy debuts with Hollywood leads. Whether it’s Martin Freeman tackling addiction, Rosamund Pike making a long-awaited stage return, or Ncuti Gatwa as Christopher Marlowe, there’s something for every taste. Scroll on for our pick of the best productions to book before everyone else does. Plus, Pimm’s makes an excellent interval drink – just saying.
The Fifth Step, Soho Place
Jack Lowden (Slow Horse, Dunkirk) and Martin Freeman (Sherlock, The Responder, The Office) star in David Ireland’s new play about a pair of recovering alcoholics as one agrees to sponsor the other in AA’s 12-step programme. As they bond, the fragility of the friendship and their recovery becomes ever clearer. Book it.
The Crucible, The Globe
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible hits The Globe this summer – the first playwright to be staged at the open-air theatre dedicated to Shakespeare other than the Bard himself. The brilliant allegorical play about Salem’s witch trials remains, alas, as relevant now as it was when it was written in response to McCarthyism. Book it.
Fiddler on The Roof, The Barbican
This heartfelt revival of Bock & Stein’s enduring musical – first staged at the Open Air Theatre – follows a Jewish community grappling with change and tradition in a pre-revolutionary Russian village. Director Jordan Fein delivers a production both visually striking and emotionally rich, with Tom Scutt’s design drawing out the contrast between warmth and looming upheaval. It's a thoughtful, beautifully balanced take on a beloved classic. Book it.
London Road, National Theatre
Back on stage fourteen years after its groundbreaking debut, this unique verbatim musical by Alecky Blythe and Adam Cork delves into the aftermath of the Ipswich murders – told entirely through the real words of the local community. Nothing else sounds or feels like London Road. Both unsettling and moving, it uses choral music and naturalistic dialogue to tell a story of resilience and fear. A fitting centrepiece for Rufus Norris’s final season. Book it.
Hercules, Theatre Royal Drury Lane
The muscle-bound hero of Disney’s 1997 cult animation hits the West End in a musical reimagining of the ancient myth, with Luke Brady in the title role. More underdog than mainstream mouse, Hercules has always had a devoted fanbase – and this stage version, already a hit in Germany, brings plenty of heart and heroism to the London stage. Book it.
Inter Alia, The National Theatre
From the team behind Prima Facie, this brand-new drama stars Rosamund Pike as a high court judge whose fierce sense of justice is matched only by the chaos of her personal life. Pike’s first appearance at the National Theatre is major news – and with Susie Miller and Justin Martin at the helm, expect something sharp, smart and emotionally charged. Book it.
Brigadoon, Regent’s Park
Lerner & Loewe’s enchanting tale of a mythical Scottish village that appears once a century returns to the UK stage for the first time in over 30 years. With fresh dialogue from acclaimed playwright Rona Munro and dynamic direction by Drew McOnie, this reimagined classic might finally reconcile its gorgeous music with a more modern sensibility. Book it.
Born With Teeth, Wyndham’s Theatre
It’s 1591, and Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare are co-writing Henry VI – but their collaboration is charged with suspicion, politics, and an undeniable spark. Ncuti Gatwa and Edward Bluemel star in this tense, witty two-hander about rivalry and risk, directed by the RSC’s Daniel Evans. Intriguing, unconventional, and full of dramatic bite. Book it.
