April Theatre News Round Up

April is coming to a close and it has been a big month in theatre news! This April, Theatre news has been a-plenty. From star casting, show extensions plus many opening and closing this month, fear not! The Team at LSBO will keep you updated.

April Theatre News: Shows Opening

April was a big month for London Theatre and we have seen 4 shows open this month! Okay, technically one of them opens in 2 days but we’re super excited for it, so had to include it in our April round up!

Firstly, the highly anticipated The Great Gatsby Musical opened at The London Coliseum on 11th April. The adaptation of the classic novel by F.Scott Fitzgerald will send us back to the roaring 20s as we enter the glittering life of the glamourous Jay Gatsy.

Secondly, the latest production from the writers of The Play That Goes Wrong opened called The Comedy About Spies. The show opened at the Noel Coward Theatre on 14th April and released it’s production images just the other week. It follows a rogue British operative who nabbed top secret plans. With plenty of whacky characters and enough double agents to confuse even the sharpest operative, this show is sure to have us all cackling.

Following just 3 days later was My Master Builder. The Ibsen play stars Ewan McGregor and opened at The Wyndhams Theatre on 17th April. This classic play certainly has some powerful actors in with McGregor as the leading man alongside Kate Fleetwood and Elizabeth Debicki.

Lastly, we will see the opening of Giant, the 3 time Olivier Award Winning play, at the Harold Pinter. Starring John Lithgow portraying Roald Dahl, it is set to open in just 2 days following a sold out run at The Royal Court Theatre.

Shows Closing This April

The April Theatre News has truly shown a shift in theatres this month. Spring is the season of change and the West End is certainly doing just that. Altogether 6 shows are closing this month.

Mucho Ado About Nothing stunned audience members with it’s leading man Tom Hiddlestone at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The show closed earlier this month and the theatre is currently dark until Hercules opens there in June.

Another celebrity leading show that closed this month was Elektra starring Brie Larson which ended on 12th April. The show taking it’s place at the Duke of York’s Theatre is the new play Sterophonic which will open in May. The play is about a band recording a new album in the 70s as they are on the brink of stardom and perhaps the brink of a breakup?

The Years closed on 19th April at the Harold Pinter to make room for the aforementioned Giant. Both of these plays were big hitters at this years Olivier Awards. In this case, we saw The Years take home 2 Olivier Awards and was a hit amongst critics.

Some further April Theatre News to come: There are 3 shows closing this April, again in just a few days time. The Score and The Unicorn both star big names in acting such as Brian Cox and Stephen Mangan. We will be especially sad to say goodbye to Mrs Doubtfire which also closes on 26th April. Mrs Doubtfire has been entertaining audiences at the Shaftsbury Theatre for two years and we’ve loved our discounted tickets with them throughout this time.

April Theatre News: Show Extensions

It’s not all goodbyes folks, many shows announced they are here to stay!

Mamma Mia! has just celebrated its 26th birthday in the West End. This month they announced they will be staying at their home of the Novello Theatre until March 2026. Set in sunny Greece, the show features some of ABBA’s greatest hits.

A much newer (but just as fun) musical also announced they will be booking into the new year. That show is Clueless which only opened in February this year at the Trafalgar Theatre. It is based on the hit 90’s film which itself is in fact based on the Jane Austen novel, ‘Emma’.

Lastly, Tina announced they will be extending into 2026, making it the longest show to run at The Aldwych Theatre. Not only that, but they also announced a star casting of Fleur East who will be joining the cast as the title role of Tina Turner! You can read our article for more info about East’s casting and dates here.

Cast Announcements

There was only one full cast announcement in the April Theatre News Round up and that is for Fawlty Towers The Play. The show is returning to The Apollo Theatre following a succesful run at the same venue just last year. Based on the classic TV show, it will open on 24th June for a limited run, you can read about the full cast here.

New Shows Announced!

The Wyndhams Theatre announced, not one but two plays that will be fill up their diary for 2025. Following My Master Builder, the RSC produced play, Born With Teeth is making its West End Premier. Starring Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who) as Christopher Marlowe and Edward Bluemel (My Lady Jane) as William Shakespeare. Born With Teeth will run from 13th August – 1st November. The story is a reimagining of the relationship between two literary icons at odds with their time. Additionally, they announced that All My Sons will open in November and complete their 2025 season. The revival of Arthur Millers first play will star Ivo Van Hove (A View from the Bridge), Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) alongside Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths) and Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You).

The last new show announced in this April’s Theatre News Round Up is the West End transfer of Punch. It is making its transfer from the Young Vic and is written by James Graham (Dear England). The story follows a young man who serves prison time after an impulsive punch leads to fatal consequences. The show will open at The Apollo Theatre on 22nd September.

April Theatre News: Olivier Award Round Up

The Olivier Awards took place on Sunday 6th April at The Royal Albert Hall. The spectacluar night was hosted by Billy Porter (Cabaret) and Beverley Knight (Sister Act). The full list of winners are below:

• Best New Play: Giant by Mark Rosenblatt.
• Best New Musical: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, music and lyrics by Darren Clark, book and lyrics by Jethro Compton at Ambassadors Theatre.
• Best Revival: Oedipus by Robert Icke at Wyndham’s Theatre.
• Best Musical Revival: Fiddler on the Roof, at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre.
• Best Actress: Lesley Manville for Oedipus.
• Best Actor: John Lithgow for Giant.
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Elliot Levey for Giant.
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Romola Garai for The Years.
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role in a Musical: Maimuna Memon for Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812.
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Musical: Layton Williams for Titanique.
• Best Actor in a Musical: John Dagleish for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
• Best Actress in a Musical: Imelda Staunton for Hello, Dolly!
• Best Director: Eline Arbo for The Years.
• 3Best Costume Design: Gabriella Slade for Starlight Express.
• Best Sound Design: Nick Lidster for Fiddler on the Roof.
• Best New Entertainment or Comedy Play: Titanique by Tye Blue, Marla Mindelle and Constantine Rousouli.
• Best Family Show: Brainiac Live at the Marylebone Theatre.
• Best Theatre Choreographer: Christopher Wheeldon for MJ The Musical.
• Best Set Design: Tom Scutt for Fiddler on the Roof.
• Best Lighting Design: Paule Constable and Ben Jacobs for Oliver!.
• Best New Production in Affiliate Theatre: Boys on the Verge of Tears at the Soho Theatre.
• Best New Opera Production: Festen by the Royal Opera at the Royal Opera House.
• Best New Dance Production: Assembly Hall — Sadler’s Wells.

Outstanding Achievement Awards:

• Outstanding Achievement in Opera: Allan Clayton for Festen at the Royal Opera House
• Outstanding Achievement in Dance: Eva Yerbabuena for Yerbabuena
• Outstanding Musical Contribution: Darren Clark for Music Supervision, Orchestrations and Arrangements and Mark Aspinall for Musical Direction, Music Supervision, Orchestrations and Arrangements for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Stranger Things Documentary

Certainly a big story in April Theatre News! Netflix released a documentary on the process of creating Stranger Things: The First Shadow. The show opened at The Phoenix Theatre back in 2023. What’s more, the show has been so popular thats it’s had a Broadway transfer. The play serves as a prequel to the hit Netflix TV show of the same name. Also, the show is produced by the same company who created Harry Potter and the Cursed Child so it is sure to please from a visual effects perspective. Check out the documentary or book your cheap tickets here.

Thats all for your April Theatre News Round up with LSBO, we look forward to seeing what May brings.