The West End will dim its lights for Sir Patrick Stewart, The Greatest Showman has its Drury Lane dates and Paddington The Musical is now booking to June 2028. This is the week in London theatre.
Theatre lost one of its great classical actors this week, a Disney musical set its West End dates and two West End hits added more months. These are the stories Best of Theatre News covered between Friday 23 October and Friday 30 October.
Sir Patrick Stewart
Sir Patrick Stewart died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday 28 October, aged 86. He joined the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966 and appeared in more than 40 of its productions. Read our obituary.
West End theatres will dim their lights for two minutes at 7pm on Tuesday 3 November in his memory. Read about the tribute.
Announcements and on sale
The Greatest Showman begins previews at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 14 April 2027, with opening night on 5 May and booking to 2 October 2027. Samantha Barks and Oliver Tompsett lead the cast. Priority booking opens on 3 November and general sale at 12pm on Wednesday 18 November. Read the full announcement.
The same show takes the headline slot at this year's Royal Variety Performance, at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday 20 November, alongside numbers from Billy Elliot the Musical, Wicked and Operation Mincemeat. See the West End line-up.
Paddington The Musical is now booking at the Savoy Theatre to 25 June 2028, up from 13 February 2028. Its second company began performances on 28 October. Read about the extension.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical is booking to July 2027 at the Piccadilly Theatre, where it reaches five years in November. See the new production photos.
The Royal Court's 2027 season brings Jessie Buckley to the theatre for the first time, in Nina Segal's Afterbirth, and gives Branden Jacobs-Jenkins's Broadway play Purpose its European premiere. General booking opens at 12pm on Wednesday 4 November. Read the season details.
The Lyric Hammersmith Theatre has put seven 2027 productions on sale, from £10. The year opens with the return of Jaja's African Hair Braiding on 28 January, and later brings Conor McPherson's Before the Coffee Gets Cold and the musical The Book Thief. Read the Lyric season.
Michelle Terry will step down as artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe at the end of 2027. Before she goes, she revives Mother Courage and Her Children from 10 June to 17 July 2027. Read the Globe news.
Stephen Daldry's An Inspector Calls runs at Alexandra Palace Theatre on 3-25 September 2027, the first stop on a UK and Ireland tour. Read the tour dates.
Judi Dench and Lesley Manville opened 50 Stories for 50 Years, a free installation on the Queen's Walk for the National Theatre's half-century on the South Bank, on Friday 30 October. Read about the installation.
Casting
John Proctor Is the Villain brings eight of its Royal Court cast to Wyndham's Theatre from 2 February to 24 April 2027. Amy Macken joins as Ivy Watkins. Read the casting news.
Taylor Russell plays Cordelia opposite Ian McKellen in Lear at the Yard Theatre, from 17 November 2026 to 2 January 2027. Seven festive performances have been added. Read the casting news.
Bo Poraj is Holmes and Marc Antolin is Watson in Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Days of Christmas at Alexandra Palace Theatre, from 24 November 2026 to 17 January 2027. Read the casting news.
Jack Baldwin, Charlie Ives and Laurence Pears, of Hold On To Your Butts, return with Charlie Burt for Fly, You Fools! at Southwark Playhouse Borough, from 25 November 2026 to 16 January 2027. Read the casting news.
Peter Andre returns as Nikos in Mamma Mia! The Party at The O2 for selected performances from 10 January to 18 March 2027. Read the casting news.
Katherine Parkinson is one of four new guests in An Oak Tree at The Other Palace, on 14 November. The run ends the next day. See all four guests.
Reviews
The Pianist averages 3.8 out of 5 from 22 rated reviews at the Park Theatre. Read the roundup.
Theresa Ikoko's Girls averages 3.9 out of 5 from 17 rated reviews at the Young Vic, where it runs until 21 November. Read the roundup.
In the same building, The Revlon Girl averages 4.4 out of 5 from ten rated reviews, and no critic goes below four stars. Read the roundup.
Garry Starr: Classic Penguins at The Other Palace averages 4.7 out of 5 from 11 rated reviews. Read the roundup.
The Master Builder, with Greg Hicks, averages 3.5 out of 5 from 16 rated reviews at the Arcola Theatre. Read the roundup.
Memoriam averages 3.7 out of 5 from 15 rated reviews at Southwark Playhouse Borough, and runs until 21 November. Read the roundup.
Roleplay averages 3.1 out of 5 from 11 rated reviews at Soho Theatre. Read the roundup.
At Sadler's Wells, Birmingham Royal Ballet's Swan Lake averages 3.6 out of 5 from four rated reviews. Read the roundup. Motionhouse's Hidden averages 4.5 out of 5 from five at Sadler's Wells East. Read the roundup.
Also reviewed this week: Dolly at the Omnibus Theatre, 4.6 out of 5; London City Ballet's Firebird double bill, 3.8; and Room 13 at Battersea Arts Centre, 2.8.
First looks
English National Opera's new Tosca, with Axelle Fanyo in the title role, opens at the London Coliseum tonight, Friday 30 October. See the production photos.
New photographs show Teri Hatcher with the current company of The Devil Wears Prada at the Dominion Theatre. See the new pictures.
Giles Terera is pictured as Scrooge in rehearsal for the Old Vic's tenth-anniversary A Christmas Carol. See the rehearsal photos.
A new trailer for Pride the Musical is out ahead of its run at the Bridge Theatre. Watch the trailer.
This weekend
Saturday 31 October is the last performance for Martin Guerre at the Old Vic, Cirque Berserk! at the Garrick Theatre, Fences at the Lyric Hammersmith, Angel's Bone at the London Coliseum and Stoker Wilde at Wilton's Music Hall.
Hamlet Hail to the Thief starts at the Barbican Theatre on 31 October. See Alex Lake's rehearsal photographs.
Until 1 November, Wicked is donating to the youth charity Ditch the Label from selected bar, merchandise and ticket sales at the Apollo Victoria Theatre. Read about Wicked Day.
Next week, Cloud 9 begins at the National Theatre's Lyttelton and Nero at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, both on Monday 2 November.
Booking further ahead? Our guides list what's closing soon and what's opening soon in the West End.
