Yahoo Finance The best London theatre opening in 2021 that you can book now, from Cinderella to Frozen the Musical
Wahoo! We’re jumping for joy, because London theatre is back in our lives.
The last year and a half have been full of drama, but not the kind we want. As the covid crisis swept the world, theatres shut their doors. Now, after a year and a half of closures and limited capacity audiences, restrictions will be eased as of July 19 and theatres can start to get back to full houses again.
That means that there are lots of wonderful shows that you can book tickets for right now. Here’s our guide to what’s coming up now that theatres have reopened (for returning West End shows, all the latest reopening dates can be found here).
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
It just isn’t summer without the chance to watch the course of love well and truly not running smooth. Shakespeare’s twisted romantic comedy is always best enjoyed in the open air, so we’re glad the Globe has reopened with a restaging of Sean Holmes’s 2019 production. If you need us we’ll be at the back, necking love potion and rooting for Helena. To October 30, Shakespeare’s Globe; shakespearesglobe.com
Amélie the Musical
J’adore! This charming musical version of the 2001 cult classic French film has arrived in the West End. After the year we’ve had, there’s nothing we can recommend more than booking to a show where a giant depressed goldfish sings ‘Amélie - pourquoi? Au revoir’. You’ll giggle yourself silly and feel Parisian chic at the same time. From May 20, Criterion Theatre; ameliethemusical.com
After Life
If you could bring only one memory from your life with you after you die, what would it be? That’s the premise of the Japanese film by Hirokazu Kore-eda that this play is adapted from. Written by Jack Thorne, it’s a gorgeous co-production with Headlong, directed by Jeremy Herrin and designed by Bunny Christie. To August 7, National Theatre; nationaltheatre.org.uk
Happy Days
In one of Samuel Beckett’s most affecting works, Winnie is trapped up to her waist in sand and acting as though she’s totally okay with it. Not the day at the seaside we’ve been dreaming of, we’ll admit. But this production is not to be missed: Winnie is played by Lisa Dwan, leading Beckett performer of her generation. To July 25, Riverside Studios; riversidestudios.co.uk
Under Milk Wood
‘To begin at the beginning…’ A new staging of Dylan Thomas’s masterpiece starring Michael Sheen is the epic return to the National Theatre’s Olivier stage that we’ve been dreaming of. Originally written as a radio drama, this ‘play for voices’ is an intimate study of the characters that populate a small Welsh community. To July 24, National Theatre; nationaltheatre.org.uk
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The Royal Court has reopened with Jasmine Lee-Jones’s award-winning debut play, which had a sold out run in 2019. It explores the friendship of two young women of colour alongside their lives online, and won Lee-Jones the Most Promising Playwright at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards the year that it opened. To July 27, Royal Court Theatre; royalcourttheatre.com
Hairspray
You genuinely *cannot* stop the beat, because this revival of Hairspray is finally on stage after being delayed for a year. It’s running at the London Coliseum this summer, with Michael Ball and Paul Merton in the cast.
To Sept 29, London Coliseum; hairspraythemusical.co.uk
Cinderella
She was going to the ball, then she wasn’t, then Andrew Lloyd Webber nearly got arrested, then Boris Johnson got involved. It was all more stressful than trying to escape your toxic family via the simple, fail-safe method of getting a prince to fancy you. But hurrah! This modern reinvention of the classic fairytale, reworked by Lloyd Webber and Promising Young Woman writer Emerald Fennell, is now open in the West End, with Carrie Hope Fletcher in the lead role. A new musical from the Lord is occasion enough in a normal year, but after 2020, it’s monumental. Booking until February 2022, Gillian Lynne Theatre; andrewlloydwebberscinderella.com
The Comeback
Comedy duo The Pin kept us laughing all of last year with their Zoom sketches - and, briefly, in the West End with their first play. The show only managed a few performances in December before having to close due to London being placed into tighter Covid restrictions, but it’s back this summer for a three-week run.
To July 25, Noel Coward Theatre; thecomebackcomedy.co.uk
Anna X
Emma Corrin, AKA the queen of our hearts, made winter lockdown just about bearable with her star-making performance as a young Princess Diana in The Crown. Now she’s making her West End debut opposite Industry star Nabhaan Rizwan in this Anna Delvey-inspired play by Joseph Charlton, which is part of Sonia Friedman’s Re:Emerge season of new writers. Set in the fancy pants world of the social elites in London and New York, it explores the dark way that the digital age lets us be anyone we want to be (if we can be bothered to keep updating our Instagram accounts, that is). To August 4, Harold Pinter Theatre
The Two Character Play
Being able to see two really excellent stage actors going at a niche Tennessee Williams play feels like a privilege after a theatre-less year. Zubin Varla and Kate O’Flynn are doing just that at Hampstead Theatre, in a production directed by Sam Yates. July 17 - Aug 28, Hampstead Theatre; hampsteadtheatre.com
Oleanna
Did David Mamet predict cancel culture? His 1992 play about a tenure-chasing professor who is accused of sexual harassment by a student feels deeply prescient. If you fancy immersing yourself in a challenging piece of writing, which embraces the messiness of abuse of power and consent, don’t miss this upcoming revival. Warning: you might argue about it all the way home. July 21 - Oct 23, Arts Theatre
Anything Goes
Reviving a musical set on an ocean liner in 2021 is a great idea, because it’s probably the only way you’ll get anywhere close to being on one. This star-studded production of Cole Porter and PG Wodehouse’s jaunt on the SS American will star Sutton Foster, Robert Lindsay, Felicity Kendal and Gary Wilmot. Oh, jazz hands and shiny costumes, we’ve missed you. July 23 - Oct 17, Barbican; barbican.org.uk
Carousel
The Open Air Theatre is one of the most gorgeous theatres in London (as long as it doesn’t rain), so we can’t wait to be back there for its big summer musical. Open Air artistic director Timothy Sheader will stage a revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein classic Carousel, choreographed by Drew McOnie. July 30 - Sept 18, Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre; openairtheatre.com
Singin’ in the Rain
A guaranteed crowd-pleaser, this stage adaptation of the Gene Kelly classic has already been a hit at Chichester. The perfect evening of splishy splashy soaring summer escapism. July 30 - Sept 5, Sadler’s Wells; sadlerswells.com
Paradise
Poet and performer Kae Tempest has written an epic new version of the Greek myth of Philoctetes, about a war hero left behind on an island. Directed by Ian Rickson, it features an all-female cast with Lesley Sharp playing Philoctetes, and will be the first production performed at full capacity in the National Theatre’s gorgeous Olivier auditorium. We’re expecting goosebumps. Aug 4 - Sept 11, National Theatre; nationaltheatre.org.uk
Frozen
The only way to truly let the ‘rona go is to buy a ticket for the biggest, glitteriest, belt-iest musical the West End can handle. Step forward, Frozen the Musical. Delayed from 2020, this Broadway import finally arrives on our stages in a newly refurbished Theatre Royal Drury Lane this August, with Samantha Barks playing Elsa. From August 27, Theatre Royal Drury Lane; frozenthemusical.co.uk
Back to the Future: The Musical
The Flux Capacitator awaits you: 1985 cult movie classic Back to the Future has been turned into a musical. It opens in London in August, with Tony Award winner Roger Bart playing eccentric scientist Doc Brown. A must-see for nostalgia geeks. From August 20, Adelphi Theatre; backtothefuturemusical.com
The NW Trilogy
The production of Zadie Smith’s debut play might have been delayed by the pandemic, but the Kiln are offering us something enticing in the meantime: a trilogy of plays about life in North West London. The writers are Moira Buffini, Roy Williams and Suhayla El-Bushra, and it’s part belated London Borough of Culture celebrations for Brent. Sept 6 - Oct 9, Kiln Theatre; kilntheatre.com
The Mirror and the Light
If you wolfed down the final part of Hilary Mantel’s Thomas Cromwell trilogy and wished it wasn’t the end, good news: a stage adaptation will arrive in the West End this September. Mantel is adapting it alongside actor Ben Miles, who will reprise his acclaimed performance as Cromwell in a co-production with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Sept 23 - Nov 28, Gielgud Theatre
Macbeth
We haven’t seen as big an injection of star power since Dolly Parton helped fund the Moderna vaccine. Four-time Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan, star of Lady Bird and Little Women, will make her UK stage debut as Lady Macbeth at the Almeida this autumn. Her power-hungry leading man will be James McArdle, who recently played the dodgy priest in Mare of Easttown and starred opposite Ronan in Ammonite. We would tell our husband to take Banquo out just to get a ticket. Sept 25 - Nov 20, Almeida Theatre; almeida.co.uk
Hamlet
We’ve been desperate to see Cush Jumbo play Hamlet since the production was first announced in 2019, so we’re delighted that it’s going ahead in September. It’s already very sold out, but keep your eyes peeled on the Young Vic website for any returns. From Sept 25 - Nov 13, Young Vic; youngvic.org
What If If Only
All bow down to the legend that is Caryl Churchill. It seems that the feted playwright knows our concentration might not be what it once was before the pandemic, so her latest work is only 14 minutes long. All we know is that it’s about someone wondering if ‘things could have been different’ after the death of their partner. Regardless, we can always find 14 minutes for Caryl. Sept 29 - Oct 23, Royal Court; royalcourttheatre.com
Get Up, Stand Up! The Bob Marley Musical
Arinzé Kene will play reggae superstar Bob Marley in this musical based on the singer’s life, featuring all of his biggest hits. Directed by Clint Dyer with a book written by Billy Elliot writer Lee Hall, it will be one of the year’s most anticipated new musicals in an already quite crowded field. From October, Lyric Theatre; getupstandupthemusical.com
Old Bridge
It’s always worth checking out the winner of the Papatango Prize, a scheme that gives a full production to a script by a young playwright. The 2019 winner, Shook by Samuel Bailey, won rave reviews and a West End transfer (scuppered, unfortunately, by Covid). Last year’s winner, Igor Memic, now finally gets a production at the Bush Theatre, which is a love story that also explores the impact of the Bosnian War. Oct 21 - Nov 20, Bush Theatre; bushtheatre.co.uk
Moulin Rouge!
Love is a many splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all we need is… a West End production of the 2001 film Moulin Rouge. A penniless writer meets a TB-riddled courtesan and they fall deeply in love, much to the dismay of an irate duke. You don’t need to know the words to Elephant Love Medley (both parts) to be aware that this is going to be spectacular spectacular. From November 12, Piccadilly Theatre; moulinrougemusical.co.uk
Life of Pi
Expect the theatrical magic you’ve been missing to feature heavily in this stage adaptation of Yann Martel’s Booker Prize-winning novel, a philosophical tale about a boy trapped on a raft with a tiger. It was due to open in the West End last year after an acclaimed run at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre; adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti, the production is full of big visuals and bold use of puppetry, a fitting way to bring this beloved book to life. From Nov 14, Wyndham’s’ Theatre; lifeofpionstage.com
Four Quartets
It was during the Second World War, with London’s theatres closed for business, that TS Eliot sat down to write Four Quartets; the four-part work, about time, faith, and collectively emerging from a crisis, is a fitting one for the times we’re living through. Thespian statesman Ralph Fiennes has already starred in his own production of the work in Oxford and Bath, and this autumn he takes it to the West End. Nov 18 - Dec 18, Harold Pinter Theatre
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