West End Theatre Previews

Last Updated on June 22, 2026

What’s hot at the theatre from summer through to winter 2026

There are so many great West End Theatre productions to see over the summer months, you may want to consider a staycation. London Unattached has previewed what’s on and what we are looking forward to. Over the next few months, London’s West End stages will host several critically acclaimed transfers, so if you missed some of these productions the first time round, there is an opportunity to catch up with hits including Arcadia, Into the Woods, and Cyrano de Bergerac. Regular theatregoers know that summer is the time to book for the new West End theatre season that opens in September. One of the compensations of returning to work and to autumnal weather is that there will be a raft of new star-studded productions to look forward to. As always, the early bird catches the worm. I have been disappointed so often when trying to book what looks like a stellar production, only to find it sold out soon after booking opened. One way to prevent this is to become a friend of particular theatres, which will allow you to book in advance. You get early booking privileges while also providing financial support to the theatre, so it is a win-win. Theatres with membership schemes include the National Theatre, the Old Vic, Sadler’s Wells, the Bridge Theatre, and the Barbican.  

Harold Pinter Theatre

There is a terrific line-up at the Harold Pinter Theatre over the next few months. First up is Allegra (8 July – 8 August), a comedy starring national treasure Dame Maureen Lipman, sure to sprinkle some sparkle over the summer with its song-and-dance sequences. Allegra tells the story of a woman who cannot stop singing, and this results in chaos in her village. Should she be managed by her brother and carer or allowed to give full voice to her happiness?

August brings Abigail’s Party to the stage (12 August – 19 September) and will star Tamzin Outhwaite as Beverly, who hosts what is possibly the most famous drinks party on the British stage. Directed by Nadia Fall (artistic director of The Young Vic), this reprisal of Mike Leigh’s iconic play is set in 1970s suburbia and is a black comedy taking on social class, materialism, and sexual tensions.

The Cherry Orchard will star Kirsten Scott Thomas (3 October – 9 January) in Chekhov’s poignant tragicomedy about a family facing social and economic change. This production will have a new adaptation by Conor McPherson (The Weir, Girl From the North Country) and is bound to be popular.

Harold Pinter Theatre, Panton Street, SW1Y 4DN

Noel Coward Theatre

Adrian Lester stars in Cyrano de Bergerac in the West End theatre transfer of a production that was a sell-out at the Royal Shakespeare Company. I have not seen a production of this play since it was made into a film starring Gérard Depardieu in 1990, and am looking forward to Adrian Lester bringing this romantic hero to the stage. Part soldier, part philosopher, part poet, Cyrano de Bergerac combines humour and pathos and is a most engaging story.

Following on is another West End transfer of the hugely successful Into The Woods (22 September – 9 January), which played to full houses at The Bridge Theatre, where its run ended in May. Read our review here. Steven Sondheim’s award-winning musical combines a selection of fairy tales into a new adventure.

Noel Coward Theatre,  St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4AU

Theatre Royal Haymarket

An exciting lineup here with Ralph Fiennes and Miranda Raison starring in Grace Pervades, a new play by David Hare. The play traces the relationship between Sir Henry Irving, the foremost star of the Victorian period and the first actor to receive a knighthood, and Ellen Terry, the most popular and highly paid actress in England, whom Irving recruited to join his famous company at the Lyceum Theatre. Tickets are available for performances until 11 July.

If you are looking for a summer treat for the young people in your life, The Tiger Who Came To Tea is playing from  22 June – 5 September with morning and matinee performances only. This charming story by Judith Kerr has been delighting children and adults for generations and is a lovely introduction to the theatre for children.

Trainspotting The Musical (15 July – 5 September) will be entertaining adults in the evening performances at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. This adaptation of the Irving Welsh novel will transport viewers straight back to the 1990s when the film Trainspotting earned its cult status. This is not pure nostalgia, however, as the lyrics written for the production by Irving Welsh bring to the stage contemporary issues of power and wealth disparity, along with a large dose of humour.

Theatre Royal Haymarket, Haymarket SW1Y 4HT

Duke of York’s Theatre

Another worthy West End theatre transfer, Arcadia by Sir Tom Stoppard, was a critically acclaimed production which London Unattached loved when it played at The Old Vic earlier this year. Read our review here. It runs at the Duke of York from 20 June to 12 September. Like all of Stoppard’s plays, Arcadia is a deep dive into a range of issues, exploring a collision of science and romance. It is set in a country house, and the timeframe leaps back and forth between 1809 and the present day, with mathematics, the workings of the universe and the human heart all up for examination.

Duke of York’s Theatre, St Martin’s Lane, WC2N 4BG

@sohoplace

Two excellent shows are coming up @sohoplace in the next few months. First is Tao of Glass (25 July – 12 September), a collaboration between composer Phillip Glass and performer-director Phelim McDermot. While they have previously worked together on opera productions, this West End premiere focuses on ten meditations on life, death and Taoist wisdom. It is based on a dream and includes ten new compositions by Glass, which are performed by an ensemble of musicians and puppeteers. Part-concert, part-performance, it promises to be a treat for the legions of enthusiasts of Phillip Glass’s music.

Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (21 September – 19 December) is a true classic, and this reprisal stars the wonderful Gillian Anderson and Billy Crudup. Made famous by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, who tore strips off each other in the 1966 film version, this production is sure to turn up the heat in the theatre. This is an explosive and devastating play which explores the psychological warfare between a married couple in a toxic relationship.

@sohoplace, 4 Soho Place, W1D 3BG

London Palladium

If you missed Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre last summer, here is a second chance to see this iconic musical starring, amongst others, Boy George, Sam Ryder,  and Julian Clary. If you are of a certain age and spent your adolescence singing I Don’t Know How To Love Him and Superstar, do not miss this Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice production. This is musical gold, running from 20 June to 5 September in the heart of West End theatre land

London Palladium, 8 Argyll Street, W1F 7TF

Adelphi Theatre

The Lives of Others, directed by Robert Icke and starring Keira Knightley and Stephen Dillane, will be a sell-out, so book early. It runs from 14 October to 9 January. Based on the Oscar-winning film from 2007, the play is set in East Germany under the Stasi regime, and it explores state control, moral boundaries, power, complicity and empathy.

Adelphi Theatre 409-412 The Strand, WC2R 0NS

Wyndham’s Theatre

Another opportunity to see a riveting production of To Kill A Mockingbird, which first played in the West End in 2022. Richard Coyle starred as Atticus Finch in that production and reprises his role. Based on the novel by Harper Lee, which has sold over 45 million copies, the story is set in Alabama in 1934 and follows the Finch family as widowed father Atticus tries to raise his children with morality and empathy while combating racial injustice. The play runs from 25 June to 12 September.

On a lighter note, Noel Coward’s comedy of bad manners, Hay Fever, will star two icons of the screen – Christine Baranski, making her West End debut, and Richard E. Grant. The play relates the story of Judith, an actress who retires to her country home in the company of her reclusive husband, a novelist, and their failed-to-launch children. Missing the applause to which she is accustomed, Judith invites a young fan for the weekend, which descends into chaos, parlour games, Coward’s legendary put-downs and much mirth. It runs from 22 September to 12 December.

Wyndham’s Theatre, Charing Cross Road, WC2H 0DA

Summary

The next six months are a busy time in London’s West End theatres, and there is also much to look forward to at the Southbank and Bankside theatres, as well as the raft of Off-West End theatres. You can read about these in our dedicated previews. London Unattached also has a preview guide for what the season ahead offers for opera and dance. Happy viewing.