Following its success at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I Wish You Well: The Gwyneth Paltrow Ski-Trial Musical is heading to the West End next month.
The musical is based on the (mostly) true story of the infamous celebrity trial between Gwyneth Paltrow and Terry Sanderson following their ski slope collision. Written by Roger Dipper and Rick Pearson, I Wish You Well is still running at Underbelly in Edinburgh until 26 August before transferring to London.
The full Edinburgh cast is set to return for the West End run, including Diana Vickers (Dial M for Murder) as Gwyneth, Marc Antolin (Quiz) as Terry, Tori Allen-Martin (Wild About You) as Kristin and Idriss Kargbo (Wicked) as Judge Jude. The production is directed by Shiv Rabheru and choreographed by Arlene Phillips, with musical direction by Debbi Clarke.
I Wish You Well: The Gwyneth Paltrow Ski-Trial Musical will open at the Criterion Theatre on 11 September and will run until 12 October 2024. Keep an eye out for further announcements.
The upcoming revival of Juno and the Paycock is coming to the West End this September. Seán O’Casey’s masterpiece is set to open at the Gielgud Theatre on 21 September and the full cast has just been announced.
As we already know the play will be lead by Tony award-nominee J. Smith-Cameron (Succession’s Gerri Kellman) as Juno Boyle alongside Mark Rylance (Jerusalem, Dr Semmelweiss) as ‘Captain’ Jack Boyle.
Further cast who will join the two stars are Paul Hilton as ‘Joxer’ Daly, Aisling Kearns as Mary Boyle, Eimhin Fitzgerald Doherty as Johnny Boyle, Ingrid Craigie as Mrs. Tancred, Anna Healy (as Mrs. Maisie Madigan), Chris Walley as Charles Bentham, Seán Duggan as ‘Needle’ Nugent, Leo Hanna as Jerry Devine, Jessica Cervi, Caolan McCarthy, Bryan Moriarty, John Rice, and Jacinta Whyte.
Juno and the Paycock follows the story of a working-class family in Dublin during the Irish Civil War who come into a large inheritance. The play was adapted into a film in 1930 by Alfred Hitchcock. This new production of the 1924 play will be directed by Tony and Olivier award-winner Matthew Warchus (Matilda The Musical, Pride).
Juno and the Paycock opens at the Gielgud Theatre on 21 September 2024. Book tickets now online via the LSBO website or at our box office in Leicester Square.
The full cast for the new revival of Samuel Beckett’s masterpiece has been announced.
Waiting for Godot is considered one of the greatest plays of the 20th century. The play tells the story of Didi and Gogo who anxiously wait by a tree for a man named Godot. They don’t know who he is, why they are meeting or what time he is coming… they only know that something incredible will happen when he does.
The main cast includes Lucian Msamati (Game of Thrones) as Estragon and Ben Whishaw (Paddington) as Vladimir, alongside Tom Edden (Crazy for You) as Lucky and Jonathan Slinger (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Pozzo.
Completing the cast are Luca Fone, Alexander Joseph and Ellis Pang sharing the role of The Boy and Dean Graham (understudy Vladimir and Lucky) and David Lee-Jones (understudy Estragon and Pozzo).
The play is set to be directed by James Macdonald (Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf) with Max Harrison as his assistant director.
Waiting for Godot opens at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 13 September and will play until 14 December 2024. Book tickets now online via the LSBO website or visit our box office in Leicester Square.
Nassim Soleimanpour’s White Rabbit Red Rabbit is coming to the West End and will run at @sohoplace for 24 performances only.
The show challenges a performer to open a sealed envelope on stage revealing a script for the first time. They are then required to perform the script without any direction or preparation. The show first premiered at the Edinburgh and SummerWorks festivals in 2011 and has since been performed over 3000 times all over the world by a range of performers.
White Rabbit Red Rabbit which mixes elements of comedy and tragedy, has been described as a reflection on power dynamics, not just in contemporary Iran, but across the world.
The West End run will feature a cast of big names as you can see from the schedule below.
Tuesday 1 October (8pm) – Nick Mohammed Wednesday 2 October (8pm) – Mathew Baynton Thursday 3 October (8pm) – Jill Halfpenny Friday 4 October (8pm) – Michael Sheen Saturday 5 October (3pm) – Daisy Edgar Jones Saturday 5 October (8pm) – Pearl Mackie Sunday 6 October (2pm) – Ben Bailey Smith Sunday 6 October (8pm) – Jason Isaacs
Tuesday 8 October (8pm) – Olly Alexander Wednesday 9 October (8pm) – Kate Fleetwood Thursday 10 October (8.00pm) – Alfred Enoch Friday 11 October (8pm) – John Bishop Saturday 12 October (3pm) – Tonia Sotiropoulou Saturday 12 October (8pm) – Jonathan Pryce Sunday 13 October (2pm) – Keith Allen Sunday 13 October (6pm) – Richard Gadd
Monday 14 October (8pm) – Omari Douglas Tuesday 15 October (8pm) – Alan Davies Wednesday 16 October (8pm) – Sally Phillips Thursday 17 October (8pm) – Catherine Tate Friday 18 October (8pm) – Freema Agyeman Saturday 19 October (2pm) – Julie Hesmondhalgh Saturday 19 October (5pm) – Joe Dempsie Saturday 19 October (8pm) – Callum Scott Howells
White Rabbit Red Rabbit will play @sohoplace from 1 to 19 October for a limited run of 24 performances. Keep an eye out for further announcements!
Cabaret has been playing at the Kit Kat Club (the West End’s Playhouse Theatre) since November 2021 and Cabaret tickets still remain some of the hottest tickets in town.
The production won 7 Olivier Awards at the 2022 Olivier Awards and set the record for being the most award-winning revival in Olivier history. It took home the award for Best Musical Revival and was also the first production ever to win awards in all 4 eligible acting categories. Winning Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.
One of the most popular musicals of all time, Cabaret is set in 1930 Berlin during the twilight of the Jazz Age and the Nazis’ rise to power. We enter the world of the Kit Kat Club, a place where everyone can be free in a time when the world is changing forever. There we see the relationship between American writer Clifford Bradshaw and English cabaret performer Sally Bowles.
The West End production has already welcomed its fair share of stars including International Actress and Model Cara Delevigne and Oscar Winner Eddie Redmayne. The show has just announced 2 new big names that will be taking to the stage. From 23 September the role of Emcee will be played by Olivier nominee Adam Gillen and the role of Sally Bowles will be played by Golden Globe nominee Katherine Langford. They take over from the current leads Layton Williams and Rhea Norwood who exit the show on 21 September.
Gillen is best known for his iconic role of Liam in ITV’s smash-hit comedy Benidorm and many other television roles. Previous stage credits include Romeo and Juliet, Henry VIII, and Killer Joe.
Langford’s most notable credit is for playing the role of Hannah Baker in the groundbreaking Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. Other TV credits include Knives Out, Love, Simon and Cursed. Langford is set to make her West End debut in Cabaret.
Also joining the cast on 23 September is Daniel Bowerbank (Machinal) as Clifford Bradshaw and Fred Haig (Rock Follies) as Ernst Ludwig. They will also be joined by Xenoa Campbell-Ledgister, Sam Darius, Adrian Grove, Justin-Lee Jones, Alexandra Regan, Marina Tavolieri, Ben Simon Wilson, Wojna and Lucy Young.
Continuing in the production will be Sally Ann Triplett as Fraulein Schneider, Fenton Gray as Herr Schultz, and Jessica Kirton as Fraulein Kost/Fritzie, alongside Damon Gould, El Haq Latief, Ela Lisondra, Hícaro Nicolai, Andy Rees and Patrick Wilden.
Cabaret is currently playing at the Kit Kat Club. Book your Cabaret tickets now online via the LSBO website or visit our box office in Leicester Square.
The stage show is a prequel to the popular Netflix series and is written by Kate Trefry with a story by the creators of the TV series The Duffer Brothers, alongside Jack Thorne and Trefry.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow first previewed in November 2023 and officially opened in December 2023 at the Phoenix Theatre. Produced by Sonia Friedman and directed by Stephen Daldry, the show won ‘Best New Play’ at the WhatsOnStage Awards this year. The play also won the Olivier Award for ‘Best Entertainment or Comedy Play’ as well as ‘Best Set Design’.
Stranger Things: The First Shadow is set in Hawkins in 1959 and follows the story of young Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado, and Bob Newby. The stage show expands on the TV show’s story and mythology with incredible stagecraft and stunning visual effects.
The current West End cast includes Shane Attwooll as Chief Hopper, Kemi Awoderu as Sue Anderson, Chase Brown as Lonnie Byers, Christopher Buckley as Bob Newby, Ammar Duffus as Charles Sinclair, Gilles Geary as Ted Wheeler, Florence Guy as Karen Childress, Max Harwood as Alan Munson, Michael Jibson as Victor Creel, Oscar Lloyd as James Hopper Jr, Louis McCartney as Henry Creel, Isabella Pappas as Joyce Maldonado, Matthew Pidgeon as Principal Newby, Calum Ross as Walter Henderson, Maisie Norma Seaton as Claudia Yount, Patrick Vaill as Dr Brenner, Ella Karuna Williams as Patty Newby and Alex Young as Virginia Creel.
The full company is completed by Anika Boyle, Lily Crawford, Faith Delaney, and Imogen Turner (alternating the role of Alice Creel); with Tricia Adele-Turner, Lauren Arney, Samuel Baxter, Reya-Nyomi Brown, Patricia Castro, Lydia Fraser, Isaac Gryn, Mark Hammersley, Benjamin Lafayette, Tom Peters, Kingdom Sibanda, Tiana Simone, Danny Sykes and Meesha Turner.
The production is set to start previews in March 2025 at the Marquis Theatre ahead of an official opening on 22 April. Casting for the Broadway run is yet to be announced.
The upcoming West End production of The Duchess (Of Malfi) has announced additional casting.
As previously announced the play is set to star Jodie Whittaker (Doctor Who/ Broadchurch) who makes her return to the stage for the first time in over a decade. Whittaker will be joined by Joel Fry, Rory Fleck Byrne, Jude Owusu, Elizabeth Ayodele, Hubert Burton, Matti Houghton, Hannah Visocchi, Kerill Kelly, Greg Snowden, and Amy Vicary-Smith with further casting yet to be announced.
Directed and adapted by award-winning Zinnie Harris, this production of John Webster’s thrilling drama is said to reinvent the play in a compelling way.
The play follows the story of a recently widowed Duchess who defies her family’s wishes by remarrying beneath her class. When her brothers discover the marriage they unleash a series of cruel punishments against her.
Lily Collins (Emily in Paris) and Álvaro Morte (Money Heist) are set to star in the brand new play Barcelona, which is coming to the West End this October.
Written by Bess Wohl and directed by Lynette Linton, Barcelona follows the story of an American tourist who goes home with a handsome Spaniard when things take a dangerous turn. This sexy and funny play is sure to keep audiences guessing and explores the fantasy of who we pretend to be, versus the truth of who we are.
Both Collins and Morte make their West End debuts in this seductive thriller and when asked about how they feel about the production they said the following.
Collins said: “It has been a childhood dream of mind to perform in the West End and I’m hugely excited to make my stage debut in Bess’ exciting play, Barcelona. Working with this team has truly been a gift and I cannot wait for audiences to be taken on a thrilling journey as the play unravels. I knew the moment I finished reading the script, I had to play Irene.”
Morte added: “The London theatre scene is a vibrant and exhilarating canvas for fresh, groundbreaking work. I am thrilled and honoured to be a part of this captivating new play, marking my West End debut. I’m looking forward to bringing Barcelona to life and sharing it with audiences.”
The show will run at the Duke of York’s Theatre for a strictly limited 12-week run from 21 October 2024 to 11 January 2025. Keep an eye out for further announcements!
Award-winning director Jamie Lloyd (Sunset Boulevard, Romeo and Juliet) is set to direct a season of Shakespeare plays at Theatre Royal Drury Lane, beginning later this year.
The first of the 2 shows will be The Tempest starring Sigourney Weaver (Alien, Avatar). She will be making her West End debut as Prospero. The Tempest will run from 7 December 2024 and play until 1 February 2025.
Much Ado About Nothing will then open on 10 February and will run until 5 April 2025. This is set to star Tom Hiddleston (Loki) and Hayley Atwell (Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning) as Benedick and Beatrice.
Regarding the season Lloyd has said: “It is such an honour to be invited by Andrew Lloyd Webber to be the first company to present Shakespeare at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in decades. I could not be more thrilled to welcome three-time Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning actress, Sigourney Weaver — an international icon of stage and screen — to London. Then to collaborate again with two of the greatest actors of their generation — Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell — on one of Shakespeare’s wittiest and most tender comedies is a dream come true.”
Andrew Lloyd Webber who owns the Theatre Royal Drury Lane has stated “When I was nine years old I was taken to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane to see Peter Brook’s legendary production of The Tempest with John Gielgud as Prospero. It made a profound impression on me. At the final performance, Gielgud broke Prospero’s staff and pronounced that Shakespeare would never again be performed at the Theatre Royal as it would be ‘lost to musicals’. Ever since I owned the Theatre Royal I have been determined to prove him wrong. It is therefore a massive joy that Jamie Lloyd is bringing back Shakespeare to the Lane and even more wonderful that the first of two Shakespeare plays will be The Tempest.”
Full cast and creatives for the 16-week season are yet to be announced. Keep an eye out for further announcements!
If you’re looking for the perfect top 5 family shows to take the family to this Summer then look no further. Take a look at our top picks below!
Wicked Apollo Victoria Theatre
Wicked has remained of the most popular shows in London since the show opened at the Apollo Victoria Theatre in 2006. In April the musical became the 10th longest-running show in West End history and continues to ‘defy gravity’ night after night.
Acting as both a prequel and a sequel to the classic tale of The Wizard of Oz, Wicked tells the story of the unlikely friendship between Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda the Good.
Packed with colourful costumes, incredible scenery and stunning special effects, Wicked has all the ingredients for an unforgettable family outing. Book your Wicked tickets now for an ‘ozmopolitan’ night out!
The Lion King Lyceum Theatre
The Lion King is quite possibly the most popular show on the West End, selling out night after night. With stunning special events, vibrant colours and an enchanting musical score, the beloved Disney film comes to life on stage.
The multi-award-winning musical has music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice, a musical score created by Hans Zimmer and choral arrangements by Lebo M. The Lion King has been wowing West End audiences for nearly 25 years and shows no sign of stopping.
Book The Lion King tickets now to experience the captivating rhythms of Africa at the Lyceum Theatre. The Lion King is all you need for a fun family night out this Summer.
MatildaThe Musical Cambridge Theatre
Matilda the Musical is inspired by the beloved book from the ingenious author Roald Dahl and has been delighting London’s audiences for well over a decade. The heartwarming and whimsical stage adaptation brings the novel to life on stage with an abundance of catchy tunes and spectacular staging.
With a book by Dennis Kelly and original songs from the brilliant Tim Minchin, Matilda is a treat for all the family. Book your Matilda tickets now to see the award-winning musical at the Cambridge Theatre.
Back to the Future Adelphi Theatre
Back to the Future The Musical is adapted from the 1985 film and features a book by Bob Gale and music and lyrics by Grammy Award-winning Alan Silvestri and six-time Grammy winner Glen Ballard. The musical features original songs as well as songs featured in the film such at Johnny B. Goode, Back in Time and The Power of Love.
The perfect musical for all the family to enjoy, Back to the Future is full of brilliant special effects, catchy tunes and colourful costumes. When this baby hits 88mph you’re going to see some serious… entertainment.
Book your Back to the Future tickets now to see the show at the Adelphi Theatre.
SIX the Musical Vaudeville Theatre
Divorced. Beheaded. Died. Divorced. Beheaded. Survived. Live in concert!
Six the Musical is the untold story of the six wives of Henry VIII, remixed into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power. The musical written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss was first seen at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2017 and has since become a global phenomenon. Six is now a staple in London’s West End, Broadway, internationally and even on the sea!
Book your Six tickets now to see the queens ‘Get Down’ in this homegrown British musical. Now playing at the Queen’s ‘forever home’, the Vaudeville Theatre.
Book West End theatre tickets for any of these shows online via the LSBO website or visit our box office in Leicester Square.
