Little Dancer – A New Musical in Concert

Last Updated on July 18, 2025

Preview: Little Dancer – A New Musical in Concert at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

On Sunday, 27 July 2025, the stage of Theatre Royal Drury Lane will be transformed into the gaslit backstage world of the Paris Opera Ballet, as Little Dancer – A New Musical in Concert makes its UK premiere for one night only – an extraordinary West End event inspired by Degas’ most famous muse.

With an international creative team that reads like a Broadway and West End hall of fame, this concert performance brings together the Tony and Olivier Award-winning talents of Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Anastasia) and director-choreographer Susan Stroman (The Producers, Crazy for You). First seen in Washington, D.C. and Seattle to critical acclaim and sold-out audiences, Little Dancer finally pirouettes into London, promising a night of rich storytelling, soaring music, and world-class performances.

Inspired by the true story behind Edgar Degas’ iconic sculpture Little Dancer of Fourteen Years, the musical explores the life of Marie van Goethem, a young ballet dancer living in poverty in 19th-century Paris. While striving to break through the rigid confines of class, gender, and artistic expectation, Marie becomes the reluctant muse to Degas, capturing a moment in time that would immortalise her forever in bronze.

The cast is led by Tiler Peck, principal dancer with New York City Ballet, as Young Marie, with Julian Ovenden (Downton Abbey, Bridgerton) as Degas and Laura Pitt-Pulford as Adult Marie. They’re joined by a glittering ensemble of West End favourites including Debbie Kurup, Josefina Gabrielle, and David Albury, supported by a dynamic young company of dancers and rising stars.

Promising “a musical world that is rich, evocative and romantic” (Stephen Flaherty), this new concert staging is a rare chance to experience a poignant and visually stunning piece of theatre that delves into art, ambition, and the quiet resilience of a girl who dreamed of dancing – and ended up inspiring the world.

Tickets are on sale now at lwtheatres.co.uk. Don’t miss this exquisite blend of ballet, musical theatre, and visual art. Little Dancer is poised to be one of the summer’s most unforgettable theatrical events.
And while this concert may only take a single bow for now, many will be hoping it’s just the overture to a full-scale West End run in the near future. With talent this extraordinary and a story this stirring, Little Dancer surely deserves a longer spotlight.

Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Catherine St,
London
WC2B 5JF
lwtheatres.co.uk.

Check our feature for more West End theatre previews.

We highly recommend Evita, currently showing at the London Palladium