All The Best Theatre To Book For 2027

Peter Shaffer’s celebrated drama returns to the West End with Michael Sheen playing Antonio Salieri and Callum Scott Howells taking on the role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Set in Vienna, the play explores the rivalry between the respected court composer and the young musical genius whose extraordinary talent leaves Salieri questioning his own place in the world. As admiration turns to obsession, jealousy consumes him, setting in motion a devastating battle between faith, ambition, and artistic greatness. Another one directed by Jeremy Herrin, this revival brings a formidable pairing of stage and screen talent to one of modern theatre’s most enduring dramas.

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The magical nanny is making the leap from screen to stage in a new musical adaptation of Nanny McPhee. Based on Christianna Brand’s Nurse Matilda books and the films starring Emma Thompson, the story follows widower Cedric Brown and his seven unruly children, whose lives are transformed when a mysterious nanny arrives with an unusual approach to discipline. Thompson has written the book and lyrics, with music by singer-songwriter Gary Clark. The production is directed by Katy Rudd, with choreography by Ellen Kane and illusions by Chris Fisher, whose credits include Stranger Things: The First Shadow. 

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The hit film is transferring to the West End. Inspired by the story of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman follows the showman as he builds an extraordinary spectacle around a cast of performers who refuse to conform to society’s expectations. The stage adaptation features music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, with direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw. The initial cast includes Oliver Tompsett as Barnum, Samantha Barks as Charity and Ben Joyce as Phillip Carlyle.

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Arthur Miller’s landmark American drama returns to the stage with Paul Mescal in the role of Biff Loman, alongside a repertory company that includes Monica Dolan and Ciarán Hinds. The play follows Willy Loman, an ageing travelling salesman whose belief in the American Dream begins to crumble as he struggles to reconcile his ambitions with  the reality of his life. As tensions rise within his family, the story becomes a moving examination of masculinity, parenthood, success and the cost of chasing an ideal. Directed by Rebecca Frecknall, this production is part of an ambitious National Theatre season that places two major works about family and identity side by side.

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Tennessee Williams’s unsettling psychological drama returns in a production directed by Michael Grandage, starring Emma Corrin and Harriet Walter. The story centres on wealthy widow Violet Venable, who is determined to protect the reputation of her late son, Sebastian. When her niece Catharine recounts the disturbing circumstances surrounding his death, Violet attempts to silence her by pushing for a lobotomy. Dark, claustrophobic and full of uneasy questions about memory, power and whose version of events gets believed, this is a chance to see one of Williams’s most provocative plays brought to life by a formidable cast.

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James Norton is set to take on one of Shakespeare’s most famous roles in a new production of Hamlet, directed by Thomas Ostermeier. The tragedy follows the Prince of Denmark as he grapples with his father’s death, his mother’s remarriage and the revelation that his uncle may have murdered the former king. As Hamlet searches for the truth, questions of revenge, grief and moral responsibility begin to consume him. Ostermeier is known for his contemporary interpretations of classic works, making this an interesting prospect for anyone who likes their Shakespeare with a fresh perspective. The exact venue and performance dates are still to be announced.

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Tracy Letts’s Pulitzer Prize-winning family drama returns to London in a major West End revival starring Lesley Manville and Anna Maxwell Martin. When a family crisis brings the Weston family back to their Oklahoma home, years of resentment and long-buried secrets begin to surface. At the centre is Violet Weston, a formidable matriarch whose sharp tongue and complicated relationships make for some devastatingly dark comedy. Directed by Jeremy Herrin, this compelling portrait of family dysfunction balances biting humour with the emotional fallout of generations of unresolved conflict.

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Joan Armatrading’s songs will provide the soundtrack to Glorious Madness, a new British musical with a book by Iman Qureshi. Framed around an original love story, the production offers a fresh way to experience the singer-songwriter’s celebrated catalogue. It will be directed by Phyllida Lloyd, whose musical theatre credits include Mamma Mia! and Tina – The Tina Turner Musical.

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Roald Dahl’s much-loved story returns to London in a new production starring Michael Ball as Willy Wonka. When Charlie Bucket wins a coveted golden ticket, he joins a handful of children on a tour of Wonka’s extraordinary chocolate factory, where the wonders are matched only by the dangers. Directed by Nikolai Foster, this staging features a book by David Greig and music and lyrics by Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, alongside songs associated with the 1971 film.

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Paul Mescal will appear in Tom Murphy’s powerful Irish drama as part of the National Theatre’s 2027 repertory season. A Whistle in the Dark follows an Irish family living in England, exploring masculinity, violence and the destructive pull of family loyalty. Directed by Caitríona McLaughlin, the production will play alongside Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman, with both works forming part of the National Theatre’s return to repertory programming. Following its London run, the play is also scheduled to transfer to Dublin’s Abbey Theatre as part of the Dublin Theatre Festival.

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Emilia Clarke will make her National Theatre debut in David Hare’s Plenty, a landmark play receiving a new production directed by Richard Eyre. Set in the decades following the Second World War, the drama follows Susan Traherne, a former wartime resistance courier who struggles to reconcile the idealism of her youth with the compromises of post-war British life. As her personal relationships unravel, the play becomes a searching portrait of disillusionment and the distance between the future people imagine and the one they inherit. 

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If you’ve spent your evenings trying to work out who is lying around the Round Table, this theatrical spin-off of The Traitors could be for you. Written by John Finnemore and directed by Robert Hastie, The Traitors: Acts of Betrayal brings the show’s themes of suspicion, strategy and deception to the stage. Hosted by Nick Mohammed, the production features five distinct versions of the story, with weekday performances following different paths depending on which characters are chosen as Traitors. Saturday audiences will also have a say, with live voting helping to determine how the story unfolds.

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Alan Bennett’s award-winning play The History Boys is returning to the West End for the first time in 20 years. Directed by Nicholas Hytner, the revival brings back the original National Theatre production, which went on to win three Olivier Awards and six Tony Awards. Set in 1980s Sheffield, it follows eight schoolboys at a grammar school as they prepare for university entrance exams, navigating adolescence, sexuality and school politics along the way. As their teachers clash over the purpose of education, the play explores whether learning is about passing exams or something more meaningful.

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