May brought the record-breaking temperatures but June is looking likely to be a scorching month at the theatre. Check out our preview below!
Redcliffe – Southwark Playhouse Borough (22 May – 4 Jul)
Set against the backdrop of 18th-century England, the new musical is based on the haunting true story of William Critchard and Richard Arnold in Redcliffe, Bristol and is an epic tale of forbidden love during the persecution people faced for hundreds of years.
The P Word – Bush Theatre (28 May – 27 Jun)
Zafar flees homophobic persecution in Pakistan to seek asylum in the UK. Londoner Bilal (self-styled as ‘Billy’) is ground down by years of Grindr and the complexity of being a brown gay man. Their worlds are about to change forever. Moving through casual hook-ups to the UK’s hostile environment, Waleed Akhtar’s sharp-witted and devastating play charts the parallel lives of two gay Pakistani men. Directed by Theatre503 Artistic Director Anthony Simpson-Pike, original cast members Esh Alladi and Waleed Akhtar return.
Are You Watching? – Royal Court (29 May – 4 Jul)
Deepfakes. Disappearing girls. A journalist wired to a machine. A mother’s grief sold for clicks. As the lines blur between entertainment and abuse, technology and sex, violence and voyeurism – who’s complicit and who is in control? And are you watching?
We Had A World – Hampstead Theatre (29 May – 4 Jul)
Joshua Harmon’s deeply personal and searingly funny play brings to theatrical life his New York childhood, caught between his hilariously eccentric but indomitable grandmother and his mother. His grandmother’s influence shapes him as both a person and an artist, but as he traces the family’s relationships, he uncovers their secrets, revealing thirty years of family fights, monstrous behaviour, enormous cruelty and enduring love.
Shantify – Udderbelly Boulevard Soho (2 – 14 Jun)
This nautical musical adventure starring a crew of West End wonderboys was the talk of Edinburgh Fringe 2025, made waves at London’s Ambassadors Theatre and now drops anchor at Underbelly Boulevard Soho. Join The Barnacle Buoys as they prepare for the biggest gig of their lives at The Port Arms, turning show tunes, rock classics and pop bangers into superb sea shanties.
Under The Shadow – Almeida Theatre (2 Jun – 4 Jul)
Babak Anvari’s BAFTA-winning film is reimagined by Carmen Nasr in this suspenseful stage adaptation, directed by Nadia Latif and featuring a cast led by Leila Farzad.
When Shideh’s husband is conscripted to serve on the frontline, she is left alone with her young daughter as Tehran is bombed. As the missiles strike, something more ancient and malevolent is carried on the wind. The world premiere adaptation set amid the 1980s Iran-Iraq War explores the boundary between the rational and the irrational, and the question of whether to leave or stay.
Sinatra The Musical – Aldwych Theatre (3 Jun – 10 Apr 27)
It is New Year’s Eve, 1942, and a skinny 27-year-old Italian-American singer is about to step onto the stage of New York City’s Paramount Theatre and give a performance that will change music history. But as Frank Sinatra’s voice captures a nation, his heart is torn between his wife, Nancy, and movie goddess, Ava Gardner. When scandal and a hostile press send his career into a tailspin, the young crooner fights back and stages the greatest comeback in show business history.
Sinatra The Musical is heading to the West End, brought to the stage by a world class creative team including two-time Tony Award-winning writer Joe DiPietro (What’s New Pussycat? and Memphis) and Olivier Award-winning and three-time Tony Award-winning director & choreographer, Kathleen Marshall (Anything Goes and Top Hat). Starring Joel Harper-Jackson as Frank Sinatra, Ana Villafañe as the movie goddess Ava Gardner and Phoebe Panaretos as Frank’s first wife, Nancy Sinatra.
Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse – Five (or The Children’s Crusade) – Southwark Playhouse Borough (3 Jun – 4 Jul)
Staged by On it Goes Theatre, and based on the classic Kurt Vonnegut science-fiction novel, Slaughterhouse-Five introduces us to Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who becomes “unstuck in time” after he is abducted by aliens. In a plot-scrambling display of virtuosity, we follow Pilgrim simultaneously through all the phases of his extraordinary life, from his time as a Prisoner of War during the firebombing of Dresden, to being a zoo exhibit on the planet Tralfamadore.
Driftwood – Kiln Theatre (3 Jun – 4 Jul)
As colonial Trinidad advances towards political independence, a downtown Port of Spain gentlemen’s club becomes entangled in a different kind of custody battle. Driftwood is the first play by Martina Laird. Directed by Chichester Festival Theatre’s Artistic Director Justin Audibert and set in 1950s Caribbean, it’s a deeply evocative story of self-determination and the search for family and belonging.
How to Make a Mess – Upstairs At The Gatehouse (4 – 28 Jun)
After the death of her estranged mother, Natasha Karp’s (Rags, Park Theatre; Bordello, Royal Academy of Dance) Anna inherits something unexpected: Nigella Lawson’s seminal cookbook How to Eat.
Along with the book comes an imagined version of Nigella herself, played by Tanya Truman (Confessions of a Rabbi’s Daughter, The Other Palace Studio) who guides Anna through grief, comfort and change, one recipe at a time. Cooking becomes a way for Anna to reconnect with herself, letting go of old rules around how to live and learning how small, everyday choices can open up something bigger.
Glengarry Glen Ross – Old Vic (4 Jun – 18 Jul)
A fly-by-night office in Chicago. A brutal sales competition: Top dog wins a Cadillac. Second wins a set of steak knives. Third and fourth get fired. Four real estate agents cheat, fight and steal to come out on top — but can any of them win?
One of the most influential and thrilling dramatic comedies of the late 20th century, David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross won the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Considered a modern classic, this production will be staged by Tony Award-winning director Patrick Marber and features an all-female cast, starring Rosa Salazar and Indira Varma.
Zoe Wohlfeld: Dog Funeral – Soho Theatre (6 June)
Part of London Clown Festival 2026, Zoe W (Gaulier trained American clown) is holding a funeral for her childhood dog, and you’re invited. Dressed in Victorian mourning garb and ready to cry on command, she’s here to teach you how to properly perform your grief. All she wants is your sympathy, your tears, and a goddamn glass of Pinot Grigio (please!).
Allegra – Richmond Theatre (8 – 13 Jun)
Allegra is a moving comedy with spectacular song and dance sequences, but is also a touching and emotional examination of how, sometimes, the most beautiful of minds can start to disappear. National treasure Dame Maureen Lipman stars in the title role of Allegra, in this heart-warming new comedy from Olivier and Tony Award-nominated playwright Peter Quilter, alongside John Middleton.
White Rabbit Red Rabbit – Duchess Theatre (8 Jun – 28 Sep)
What happens when no one knows what comes next?
Iranian playwright Nassim Soleimanpour’s internationally acclaimed theatrical experiment White Rabbit Red Rabbit returns to London to celebrate its 15th anniversary, with a fresh lineup of celebrated actors, including David Harewood, David Tennant, Riz Ahmed, and Kathryn Hunter already confirmed, and more to be announced.
The Truth – Apollo Theatre (9 Jun – 12 Sep)
The Truth is a wickedly entertaining comedy where trust is fragile, loyalty is negotiable, and everyone has something to hide. This star-driven revival of the Olivier-nominated play peels back the lies we tell the people we love, and the ones we tell ourselves… Starring Tony Award-nominated Stephen Mangan returning to the London stage, alongside comedy icon Ardal O’Hanlon (Father Ted, My Hero), Sarah Hadland (Miranda, The Job Lot), and double Olivier Award-winner Janie Dee, The Truth runs in the West End for a strictly limited 14-week season.
Soldiers of Tomorrow – Finborough Theatre (10 Jun – 4 Jul)
Many years ago, in Israel, Itai Erdal’s eight-year-old nephew came home from school with an empty box to be filled with presents for soldiers at the front Inside the box, the boy’s teacher had written: ‘To the soldiers of today from the soldiers of tomorrow.’
That ‘tomorrow’ has come.
A former conscript soldier in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF), Itai Erdal, accompanied by Syrian born musician Emad Armoush, shares the story of his military service in a frank, profoundly personal insight into the Arab-Israeli conflict, the occupation of Palestine, and the conditions that led to October 7, the horror of Gaza, and war with Iran and Lebanon.
A Fine Idea – Arcola Theatre (11 Jun – 4 Jul)
It is 2024. After years circling the globe delivering aid, Jo has built a career supporting those most in need – a good person doing good things. But 75 years after her grandfather got the idea of “international development” into President Truman’s inaugural speech, global inequality is worse than ever. Eight billionaires now hold the same wealth as the poorest half of humanity.
And when Jo meets an activist who is fighting with her life for her nation’s future, she can’t shake the feeling that the system she passionately believes in might be part of the problem. Spanning continents and decades, A Fine Idea travels from post-war idealism to today’s overlapping crises, unpicking the history of aid, power and good intentions. A Fine Idea is a response to the bestselling book ‘The Divide’ by Jason Hickel.
Pride – National Theatre (11 Jun – 12 Sep)
Summer, 1984. With miners on strike across the country, 24-year-old activist Mark Ashton tries to rally a disparate group of gay men and lesbians into supporting the beleaguered miners. Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) quickly finds itself entwined with a small pit village in South Wales. Pride unites the director and writer of the original film, Matthew Warchus and Stephen Beresford, with composers Christopher Nightingale, Josh Cohen and DJ Walde for this new musical which could be the hit of the summer.
Much Ado About Nothing – Shakespeare’s Globe (11 Jun – 24 Oct)
Sharp tongues and savage gossip fuel a messy, magnetic attraction in this new production of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing in the Globe Theatre. The war is over, but the battle for love is just beginning. Beatrice has sworn off men, but there’s something about Benedick she just can’t leave alone.
Meanwhile, beneath Messina’s polished surface, secrets slip, gossip runs wild and reputations hang by a thread. Everyone’s saving face – and nobody’s doing it very well. Set in a sun-soaked world of style and status, where image is everything and late-night parties blur into dawn, Chelsea Walker’s (All’s Well That Ends Well, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Globe) Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s most incisive romantic comedies.
A To B – Soho Theatre (12 Jun – 3 Jul)
Amani and Brianna are getting ready for a blind date, but getting there is the real test. Between teefing sisters, gentrified patties, flying bird poo, missing barbers, and a trim that could end a man, romance might not be the only thing on the line…
Set to a Caribbean South London soundtrack, A to B is about the beauty and absurdity of trying to be seen and to connect in a world that won’t stop interrupting. It’s about showing up: for love, family, yourself, even when you’re late, lost, or covered in mud. A coming-of-age romcom where nothing goes to plan, but everything still matters.
Written by up-and-coming British playwright Tia-Renee Mullings and directed by Ewa Dina.
Cyrano de Bergerac – Noël Coward Theatre (13 Jun – 5 Sep)
Fiercely funny and intensely romantic, Cyrano lives by his words and his sword. Haunted by doubts about his own his appearance, he watched from the shadows as Roxane falls for another man. Handsome but hopeless with words, Christian turns to the one person who can help.
Following a sold-out, critically acclaimed run with the Royal Shakespeare Company, this ‘hilariously funny and ultimately heartbreaking’ (Mail on Sunday) production transfers to the West End for a strictly limited season. Stars Olivier Award-winner Adrian Lester as protagonist Cyrano, with Susannah Fielding as Roxane. Directed by Simon Evans and co-adapted with Debris Stevenson, Edmond Rostand’s timeless classic is reimagined with exhilarating wit, lyricism and heart
RON – Riverside Studios (13 Jun – 5 Jul)
Co-produced by Riverside Studios, RON is an absurd, violent, genre-bending queer odyssey exploring the nature of unrequited love; how far would you go to show someone you love them? Sometimes you’re just the Ron person in the Ron place at the Ron time.
Hot Mess – The Other Palace (15 Jun – 6 Sep)
The multi award-winning, 5-star new musical that took the Edinburgh Festival by storm lands in London for a strictly limited summer season. After a billion years of bad dates, Earth has finally found the one… Humanity. Sparks fly. Seeds are sown. Ground is broken. But what begins as a passionate love affair between the universe’s most iconic couple quickly descends into a hot mess.
From the creators of 42 Balloons, Jack Godfrey and Ellie Coote, comes an original pop musical about love, hope, and the ultimate breakup, starring Danielle Steers and Morgan Gregory.
The Misanthrope – National Theatre (16 Jun – 1 Aug)
Alice, a brilliant novelist, despises the hollow contemporary mantras of kindness and respect. But the bolder she becomes in speaking out, the more colleagues avoid her, and the more her personal relationships begin to fracture. As she challenges fashionable ideas and lends her voice to causes others are afraid to touch, she faces intense criticism and backlash. Alice will soon learn the price she must pay as an artist and as a woman for daring to speak her mind.
Award-winner Sandra Oh is the Misanthrope in Martin Crimp’s cutting new version of Molière’s dark comedy, directed by National Theatre Director Indhu Rubasingham.
Mrs Dalloway – Wilton’s Music Hall (16 – 20 Jun)
Experience Virginia Woolf like never before in this moving, witty, and dazzingly theatrical adaptation of a modern masterpiece. Mrs Dalloway is created by award-winning director Jen Heyes and Olivier Award-winning artist Kit Green (Tina C, Ida Barr), who also transforms into all 16 roles – including that of Woolf herself.
A single day in June 1923. Upper class socialite Clarissa Dalloway travels across London as she prepares for a party she will be hosting that evening. Across town, war veteran Septimus Smith struggles against the horrors of his own experience and lost autonomy. Friends, lovers, and enemies; daughters and sons; physicians and teachers; soldiers and clowns. As Clarissa and Septimus confront ghosts of the past and present in their separate worlds, a party brings these many dissonant lives together in a single, fragile, moment.
CAMDENWALLA – Camden People’s Theatre (17 Jun – 4 Jul)
The themes of CAMDENWALLA resonate strongly with the resurgence of anti-racist and migrant solidarity networks across Britain today. Set inside the building where the real events took place, the play tells the story of the Camden Monitoring Project, a community-led organisation founded in the 1990s to document racist violence in North London and provide safe transport home for local Bengali workers facing harassment. At a time when racist abuse was routinely ignored or underreported, volunteers answered emergency calls, recorded testimonies and organised lifts home for vulnerable workers, creating informal networks of protection and solidarity.
The play follows Muhammad played by Bhasker Patel, (best known for playing Rishi Sharma in Emmerdale) and Alima (played by Nusrath Tapadar, whose theatre credits include Tara Theatre, Hope Theatre and Omnibus Theatre) over the course of one night in 1994, as tensions rise. The pair confront generational divides, competing ideas of activism, and the emotional labour of protecting a community under pressure.
A DoL House – The Big House (17 Jun – 11 Jul)
The Big House unveils their summer production of A DoL House, a gritty, urgent new drama exposing a hidden youth care crisis in the UK.
Written by BAFTA-winner David Watson and directed by Maggie Norris, this claustrophobic political thriller pulls back the curtain on the alarming rise of Deprivation of Liberty (DoL) orders—legal measures that restrict a teenager’s basic freedom by enforcing constant surveillance, sometimes in unregistered placement homes. Drawn from real-life interviews with High Court judges and young care-leavers, the production features three programme alumni of The Big House and ultimately asks: when does state protection become absolute control?
Relics – Lyric Hammersmith (18 Jun – 18 Jul)
When four siblings reunite at their recently-deceased mother’s home with the intention of divvying up her possessions, a long-buried family secret explodes out into the open – challenging everything they thought they knew about themselves and each other. True to form, Liv thinks she can bulldozer her way back to how things used to be. People-pleaser, Rob, just wants everyone to get along. But Michelle’s had enough of towing the fragile family line. And with prodigal son, Jonny, hellbent on pushing everyone’s buttons, they all look set to lose everything – their dignity included.
The world premiere of Ben Ockrent’s Relics is a darkly comic family drama about the legacies we inherit, the choices we make, and the heartbreaking compromise of growing up, directed by the award-winning Michael Longhurst and starring Sally Phillips.
Sting – Young Vic (18 Jun – 18 Jul)
Ash is off the rails. Going straight from the sparkly sweat and tequila shots of the club to her first day of a new job, her new boss Lily is unimpressed. Their assignment: to catalogue historic cases of women accused of being witches. After an incident at work, Ash’s boyfriend Dom enters the scene as a knight in shining armour, even providing Ash with the best present she could hope for: a pet rabbit. But as the women delve into researching a disturbing series of murders, Lily starts to get the sense that something is wrong with Ash. Or maybe, something is wrong with Dom.
This urgent new play by Sophie Swithinbank directed by Nancy Medina casts a scathing light on the systemic injustice that permeates the very institutions sworn to protect us, starring Adelle Leonce, Nick Blood & Phoebe Ladenburg.
Springwood – Hampstead Theatre (19 Jun – 25 Jul)
1939. A weekend at a country house. The fate of nations hangs in the balance; King George VI’s single opportunity to convince President Roosevelt to support his country in an impending war is seemingly dependent on whether he and his wife can navigate a public picnic with the decorum and dignity expected of royalty. The weekend marks the first-ever visit of a British monarch to the United States – can the “special relationship” survive a menu of hot dogs and beer? From Olivier and Tony Award-winning playwright and director Richard Nelson (Farewell to the Theatre, Goodnight Children Everywhere), Springwood is a remarkably topical and moving new play that pulls back the curtain on a pivotal meeting where the personal and political entwine.
The cast is led by Robert Lindsay as President Roosevelt and Jemma Redgrave as his wife, Eleanor Roosevelt. They are joined by Andrew Havill as King George VI and Rebecca Night as Elizabeth, The Queen.
Ride The Cyclone – Southwark Playhouse Elephant (19 Jun – 22 Aug)
The hit musical returns following an acclaimed previous run at Southwark Playhouse Elephant. Check out our review of that here.
After a freak roller-coaster accident, six teenagers find themselves suspended in limbo and offered one final chance to return to life. One by one, they step into the spotlight to prove why they deserve that second chance. Darkly comic, unexpectedly moving, and told at full tilt, this 90-minute musical is a five-star theatrical thrill ride. London, this is one ride you can’t miss.
Archduke – Royal Court (20 Jun – 25 Jul)
Belgrade, 1914. Three hungry young men are offered something to eat (and the chance to change the course of history). Their mission: kill Archduke Franz Ferdinand and set the century alight. Sharp, funny and dangerously timely, Archduke blends biting wit with mounting tension in a thrilling new production for an age of restless young men.
Leading the cast are stars of stage, screen and comedy: Olivier Award winner Chris Walley, Abraham Popoola, Stanley Morgan, Janice Connolly and British Comedy Award winner Marc Wootton. From Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph, Lyndsey Turner directs this European premiere.
Arcadia – Duke of York’s Theatre (20 Jun – 12 Sep)
Opening at the Duke of York’s Theatre, which is being newly renovated into the round especially for this production, from 20 June, for a strictly limited 12-week run following a successful run at The Old Vic – check out our review of that here.
A dazzling collision of science and romance, Arcadia explores the beauty of curiosity, the ache of lost knowledge and the timeless thrill of discovery. In a country house, two centuries apart, genius, passion and discipline unfold. In 1809, teenage prodigy, Thomasina Coverly races ahead of her time – exploring mathematics, nature and the unpredictable forces that govern both the universe and the human heart.
In the present day, author Hannah Jarvis investigates a mysterious chapter in the life of Lord Byron with precision, patience and rigor, determined to resist the pull of romanticised myth. As past and present intwine, their questions begin to echo across time: can we ever truly understand the patterns of life or are we forever poised on the edge of disorder?
Jesus Christ Superstar – London Palladium (20 Jun – 5 Sep)
The award-winning Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Jesus Christ Superstar comes to the iconic London Palladium, starring Sam Ryder as Jesus and Tyrone Huntley as Judas, the production also features Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Richard Armitage, Boy George, Layton Williams and Julian Clary, who share the role of King Herod.
The Guilty – Donmar Warehouse (20 Jun – 15 Aug)
Russell Tovey is troubled police officer Joe, stuck on the night shift, who takes a desperate 999 call from Emily. As he scrambles to decode fragmented clues from a woman in danger, a real-time thriller unfolds. In a night filled with unsettling twists, Joe has a mounting sense that nothing is quite as it seems.
Directed by Felix Barrett, The Guilty is by award-winning writer Chloë Moss, based on the films Den Skyldige and The Guilty.
Who Do They Think They Are? – Greenwich Theatre (20 Jun)
An upbeat piece, Who Do They Think They Are? is a one-act play that celebrated middle-aged women and the importance of dancing in forging and maintaining human connections.
Why I Stuck A Flare Up My Arse For England – Garrick Theatre (21 Jun)
At the height of World Cup fever, and ahead of a run Off-Broadway, the multi award-winning Why I Stuck a Flare Up My Arse for England comes to the West End for one night only.
The show tells the true story of ardent football fan Billy Kinley, who sticks a flare up his bum at Euro 2020 and goes viral. What follows is a funny, raw and disarmingly honest exploration of identity, loyalty and belonging in this ‘final ever’ UK performance of this remarkable production.
Monarchs Anonymous – The Other Palace Studio (23 – 28 Jun)
What happens when you force Henry VIII, Marie Antoinette, and a host of infamous royals into a room to talk about their feelings? A hysterical historical mash-up where Kings clash, therapy endures, and laughter reigns supreme.
Wife to James Whelan – Jermyn Street Theatre (25 Jun – 25 Jul)
1937, a small Irish town. Nan Bowers and her friends are waiting to hear which local lad has won a life-changing job in Dublin. James Whelan shows up triumphant and ready to celebrate with his sweetheart, Nan, only to discover that she has plans of her own. Seven years later, James comes home, flush with success. His return will affect not only Nan but the whole town.
Teresa Deevy was at the height of her fame when the Abbey Theatre rejected Wife to James Whelan amid the growing conservative backlash of the 1940s. Now, in 2026, Mint Theater’s Jonathan Bank makes an overdue reintroduction to Ireland’s forgotten genius with this timeless ensemble play that pits love against pride.
