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10 can't-miss theatre shows and musicals coming to London in 2025

London’s West End is as packed as usual for 2025, with new Disney musicals alongside Shakespeare and Chekhov plays fronted by Hollywood stars.

01 January 2025

After a few years of lockdowns, closures, and smaller-than-ideal audiences, London’s theatre scene has really begun fighting back. There’s a host of big, glitzy shows and musicals set to hit the capital city in 2025, alongside some thoughtful anniversary revivals and transfers of sellout productions from elsewhere in the UK.

So whether you’re looking for a family-friendly musical, a fun date night, or some thoughtful consideration of the human condition, here are the theatrical events of 2025 you really don’t want to miss.

1. Disney’s Hercules

1997’s Hercules is still magical in a way few modern Disney movies manage, turning Mount Olympus and the Greek pantheon into vivid cartoon characters jockeying for power, love, and family.

A big part of that magic is the soundtrack, a mix of Broadway showtunes and gospel backing singers, including one Oscar-nominated song (Go The Distance). This stage adaptation premiered in New York back in 2019, but is only now coming to London. Wherever you live in the UK, this is worth going the distance.

Premieres June 6 at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

2. The Seagull

Despite a frosty reception when The Seagull first graced the stage, more than a century later it’s seen as one of Anton Chekhov’s most accomplished plays, charting the aesthetic and romantic clashes of several artists at a civil servant’s country estate. Cate Blanchett takes on the role of Irina, a renowned actress – but there’s plenty of other screen and stage royalty here, including Tom Burke (Strike), Tanya Reynolds (The Decameron), and Emma Corrin (The Crown). Kodi Smit-McPhee (Power of the Dog) makes his professional stage debut.

Runs Feb 26 to Apr 5 at Barbican Theatre

3. Richard II

Bridgerton star Jonathan Bailey wears the crown in this staging of Shakespeare’s Richard II at the Bridge Theatre, reuniting the star with director Nicholas Hytner. This timeless tale of political machinations, swinging loyalties, and deposed kings is as relevant now as ever, giving Shakespeare’s unique insight into the motivations and justifications of those who wield power. Might be less jolly than Bailey’s latest turn as Fiyero in the Wicked movie, mind.

Runs Feb 10 to May 10 at Bridge Theatre

4. Punch

James Graham (This House, Dear England) is one of the UK’s most acclaimed and prolific playwrights. His latest work is based on the life of Jacob Dunne, who was jailed for manslaughter at the age of 19 after killing a man with a single punch, but eventually built a relationship with the parents of his victim. Punch is transferring from Nottingham Playhouse after a sold-out run, which The Times called “James Graham's most moving work yet”.

If that’s not enough Graham for you, then the writer’s acclaimed football drama Dear England is also getting a National Theatre revival from March 10.

Runs Mar 1 to Apr 26 at Young Vic

5. 4.48 Psychosis

Sarah Kane’s heart-wrenching exploration of depression debuted at The Royal Court Theatre 25 years ago, and is returning for an anniversary staging. Kane’s work is known for its violence, physical and emotional, shown with the clarity and poise of our greatest poets. Incredibly, the original cast (Daniel Evans, Jo McInnes, Madeleine Potter) and director James Macdonald are all reprising their roles – this is not a staging to miss.

Runs June 12 to July 5 at Royal Court Theatre

6. Oedipus

Despite another high-profile Oedipus adaptation in 2024 starring Mark Strong, there’s a new tragic kid on the block this coming year. Ella Hickson (Oil, The Writer) pens a new adaptation for The Old Vic, with Rami Malek (Mr Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody) starring alongside Indira Varma (Luther, Game of Thrones). It’s a classic detective story that’s inspired countless psychoanalysts with its exploration of love, fate and punishment, that’s no less impactful for us knowing how it turns out.

Runs Jan 21 to Mar 29 at The Old Vic

7. Titanique

Could anything improve the love story of James Cameron’s Titanic? The answer, of course, is more Celine Dion. This comedy jukebox musical maps the songs of Celine Dion onto this iconic tragedy, with a full live band and rave reviews from its run in New York.

Runs Dec 19 to Mar 2 at Criterion Theatre

8. Elektra

These days, Brie Larson is best known for playing Captain Marvel in the Marvel cinematic universe – but the Oscar winner will be taking on a very different role in this adaptation of Sophocles’ Elektra by Anne Carson (Autobiography of Red), a renowned classicist and a winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize for poetry.

Sophocles’ play is a terse exploration of grief, family, and revenge – like all the good ancient Greek tragedies – and comes to the stage via one of the most exciting writers working today.

Runs Jan 24 to Apr 12 at Duke of York Theatre

9. Chloe Petts: How You See Me, How You Don’t

Chloe Petts is a rising star on the comedy scene, having appeared in Hannah Gadsby’s Gender Agenda on Netflix, Have I Got News For You, and even Sky Sports as a football commentator. She’s back with a new hour-long show at Soho Theatre after a run at the Edinburgh Fringe, showing off her ‘trademark laddishness’ and lampooning of gender norms, all-girl state schools, and online trolls.

Runs Jan 13-25 at Soho Theatre

10. A Moon For The Misbegotten

Director Rebecca Frecknall, fresh off a production of Tennessee Williams's Cat On A Hot Tin Roof that starred Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People), is back in 2025 with Eugene O’Neill’s A Moon For The Misbegotten. The play charts the misfortunes of a grieving alcoholic and a scheming neighbour, and stars Ruth Wilson (Luther, The Affair) alongside Michael Shannon (Knives Out, The Shape of Water).

Runs June 17 to August 16 at Almeida Theatre