A Saturday detention from 1985 is getting the dance treatment. Phoenix Dance Theatre brings Sincerely, The Breakfast Club to Sadler's Wells East next spring, one of more than 20 productions just added to Sadler's Wells' 2027 programme.
The piece is drawn from John Hughes' film The Breakfast Club. Five strangers from five cliques. One school library. It runs at Sadler's Wells East in Stratford from 28 April - 1 May 2027.
The creative team behind the company's 2025 tour of Inside Giovanni's Room is back together. Marcus Jarrell Willis choreographs, Marc Strobel composes and Tonderai Munyevu is dramaturg, with poetry and lines from the library's books worked into the score.
The new dates stretch from February to August across all four of the company's London stages: Sadler's Wells Theatre in Angel, the Lilian Baylis Studio, the Peacock Theatre in Holborn and Sadler's Wells East.
Wuthering Heights, Coppélia and Carmen
Northern Ballet brings Wuthering Heights to Sadler's Wells Theatre from 4-8 May. David Nixon CBE choreographs Emily Brontë's novel to an original score by Claude-Michel Schönberg. The company also has a show for younger audiences, Robin Hood, at Sadler's Wells East from 3-5 June, choreographed by company soloist Heather Lehan.
Scottish Ballet's Coppélia plays 10-14 March. This version moves the story to Silicon Valley, where the inventor Dr Coppélius has built an AI. Morgann Runacre-Temple and Jessica Wright, who work as Jess and Morgs, direct and choreograph, and Mikael Karlsson and Michael P Atkinson rework the Delibes score for the Scottish Ballet Orchestra.
English National Ballet follows with Johan Inger's Carmen from 7-17 April, with English National Ballet Philharmonic in the pit. Its family show My First Ballet: Cinderella is at the Peacock Theatre from 1-11 April.
International visitors
Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch returns with Pina Bausch's 1989 work Palermo Palermo from 11-21 February, 22 performers on stage. Crystal Pite and Jonathon Young bring Kidd Pivot's Assembly Hall, set at the annual general meeting of a failing group of medieval re-enactors, from 21-24 April. GöteborgsOperans Danskompani performs Alexander Ekman's two-act Hammer with a 31-strong ensemble from 12-15 May.
Wayne McGregor's company brings back Deepstaria from 4-6 March, with sound by Nicolas Becker and LEXX.
Sadler's Wells East and the Lilian Baylis Studio
The smaller stages carry most of the new work:
- 16-18 February: Lilian Baylis Studio, Meet the Hatter by Joss Arnott Dance
- 16-17 March: Sadler's Wells East, EXXY by Dan Daw Creative Projects
- 17-19 March: Lilian Baylis Studio, Muette by Boris Charmatz and Terrain
- 7-10 April: Sadler's Wells East, Hansel & Gretel and the Witch by balletLORENT, written by Carol Ann Duffy with music by Murray Gold and narration by Gina McKee
- 8-10 April: Lilian Baylis Studio, Landscapes by Xenia Aidonopoulou
- 22-24 April: Sadler's Wells East, KABEL, Anthony and Kel Matsena's retelling of Cain and Abel
- 3-5 June: Lilian Baylis Studio, Club Ninja by Ichi Ni San
- 22-24 July: Sadler's Wells East, Khoj by Pagrav Dance Company, created by Urja Desai Thakore and Hetain Patel
Five UK artists from the venue's 18-month Five Dances development programme are also making new midscale works for a festival that will take over the whole of Sadler's Wells East during 2027.
Back at Sadler's Wells Theatre, Jonzi D hosts Breakin' Convention over the early May bank holiday weekend: From Endz on 30 April, then the festival proper on 1-2 May, with the line-up still to come. The National Youth Dance Company joins Hofesh Shechter for From England with Love on 10 July.
A summer of returns
Matthew Bourne's Play Without Words is back from 27 July - 21 August for its 25th anniversary, part of New Adventures' 40th birthday year. The full story of its return is here.
Two shows already on sale round out the summer. Singin' in the Rain splashes in from 2 June - 3 July, with Karen Hauer as Lina Lamont, Grant Almirall as Don Lockwood, Nicole-Lily Baisden as Kathy Selden, Matthew Maddison as Cosmo Brown and Wendi Peters as Dora Bailey. The National Theatre's Ballet Shoes follows from 25 August - 11 September, with Anton Du Beke as Great Uncle Matthew at selected performances.
The newly added dates are in priority booking now. Tickets are on sale for Singin' in the Rain and Ballet Shoes at Sadler's Wells.
