The theatre scene in London is always thriving, and 2024 is no exception. With a diverse range of productions set to hit the stage, it can be difficult to decide which plays to see. From classic dramas to modern comedies, there’s something for everyone. Some notable highlights include new plays starring Matt Smith, Ian McKellan, and Tracy-Ann Oberman. Whether you’re a theatre enthusiast or a casual viewer, we’ve compiled a list of must-see plays that are sure to leave a lasting impression. So, grab your tickets and get ready for an unforgettable year of theatre in London.
An Enemy of the People – Matt Smith
6 February 2024 – 6 April 2024
Doubt spreads more rapidly than any illness in Ibsen’s thought-provoking play An Enemy of the People, which explores the concept of truth within a society that hungers for power and wealth.
The highly acclaimed, must see production, An Enemy of the People will play at the Duke of York’s Theatre for a strictly limited run beginning February 6, 2024.
When Dr. Stockmann (Matt Smith) makes an astonishing discovery about the dangerous and bacterial properties of the local (and highly popular) tourist baths’ water, the fate of the town instantly falls into his hands, but those who have much to lose are unwilling to accept his claims and meet him with resistance and opposition.
Conflict extends beyond contaminated water in this contemporary production by acclaimed director Thomas Ostermeier, which aims to break down barriers and remind us why the struggle between social classes is ever-present.
The Devil Wears Prada a New Musical
24th October 2024 – 31st May 2025
Gird your loins! THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is a new musical based on the blockbuster film and bestselling novel, strutting into London’s Dominion Theatre in October 2024. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA features an original score by music legend Elton John, lyrics by Shaina Taub, a book by Kate Wetherhead and direction & choreography by 3-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde, Pretty Woman, Hairspray).
Fresh out of college, aspiring journalist Andy scores a job at the prestigious Runway magazine working for fashion’s most powerful and terrifying icon — editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly. Sacrificing her personal life to meet Miranda’s impossible demands, Andy finds herself seduced by the glamorous world she once despised. How far will she go to succeed… and will it be worth selling her soul to get what she’s always wanted? Hilariously fun and fabulously stylish, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA tells an inspiring story about discovering what kind of person you truly want to be.
A Chorus Line
31 July – 25 August 2024
Seventeen stories. Eight chances. One singular sensation New York City. 1975. On an empty Broadway stage, seventeen performers are put through their paces in the final, gruelling audition for a new Broadway musical. Only eight will make the cut. A Chorus Line is a musical masterpiece that revolutionised Broadway, with creator Michael Bennett using real-life testimonies from late-night recording sessions with dancers. Celebrate the lives of theatre’s unsung heroes, as they tell searing stories of ambition, shattered hopes, and what it really costs to follow your dreams. Directed by Nikolai Foster, with a book by James Kirkwood and Nicholas Dante, music by Marvin Hamlisch and lyrics by Edward Kleban, A Chorus Line features iconic songs including One, I Hope I Get It, Nothing and the hit ballad What I Did For Love. Join us next summer for sensational choreography, heart-wrenching personal stories and musical theatre’s most unforgettable finale.
Mean Girls Musical
6 June – 27 October 2024
Cady Heron may have grown up on an African savanna, but nothing prepared her for the wild and vicious ways of her strange new home: suburban Illinois. How will this naïve newbie rise to the top of the popularity pecking order? By taking on The Plastics, a trio of lionized frenemies led by the charming but ruthless Regina George. But, when Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a Queen Bee without getting stung.
PLAYER KINGS – Henry IV Part I and II Tickets
1 April – 22 June 2024
Ian McKellen – ‘one of the world’s greatest actors’ (Times) – plays Falstaff in a new version of Shakespeare’s Henry IV, adapted by the award-winning writer and director Robert Icke. A divided country, leadership crumbling, corruption in the air. Welcome to England. Hal wasn’t born to be king. Only now, it seems, he will be. His father longs for him to leave behind his friends in the taverns of Eastcheap, most notably the infamous John Falstaff. War is on the horizon. But will Hal ever come good? Bringing together Shakespeare’s two great history plays (Henry IV, parts 1 and 2) into the theatrical event of the season, PLAYER KINGS will reign over London’s West End for twelve weeks only – playing at the Noël Coward Theatre from April 2024.
The World According to Kaleb – Kaleb Goes on Tour Tickets
26 Feb 2024
Show Information Shut the gate! Kaleb Cooper, Chipping Norton’s finest celebrity farmer and Sunday Times bestselling author, who shot to fame starring in Prime Video series, Clarkson’s Farm, has decided to conquer his fear of the unknown and embark on his first ever theatre tour with THE WORLD ACCORDING TO KALEB – KALEB GOES ON TOUR. Kaleb has captured the hearts of viewers around the world with his often-frustrating quest to teach Jeremy Clarkson a thing or two about farming, as well as his extremely amusing comments on life, the universe and everything. First and foremost a farmer, Kaleb is now learning something new himself and stepping outside of his beloved Chippy to treat audiences to a rip-roaring riot of a show.
Candace Bushnell – True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City Tickets
7 Feb 2024
Meet the real Carrie Bradshaw in Candace Bushnell’s acclaimed one woman show True Tales of Sex, Success and SEX AND THE CITY. The international best-selling novelist – author and creator of TV’s iconic Sex and the City – takes us on a whirlwind tour of New York City, sharing her remarkable philosophy through stories of fashion, literature. . . and, of course, sex. Candace’s column in the New York Observer inspired the legendary TV series, which went on to win multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards and spawned two box office-busting films. Her books and screen successes redefined modern relationships in the Nineties and Noughties. This incredible onstage memoir unravels at a quick pace – from Candace’s arrival in New York City with $20 in her pocket, to features in Time Magazine, the New York Times and Variety Magazine, and interviews with Oprah Winfrey. Always provocative, the literary phenomenon’s life story is crafted into an inspirational and entertaining stage show. So, whether you’re a Carrie or a Miranda, a Charlotte or a Samantha, grab yourself a seat, pour yourself a Cosmopolitan and join us in toasting the saucy memoirs of a cultural icon. True Tales of Sex, Success and Sex and the City.
A Mirror Johnny Lee Miller Tickets
22 January – 20 April 2024
You are invited to celebrate the wedding of Leyla and Joel. Award-winning actors Jonny Lee Miller (Trainspotting, Elementary) and Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education, Scenes with Girls) star in the “extraordinary and mesmeric” A Mirror, coming to London’s West End following a sell-out run at the Almeida Theatre. Would the congregation please stand and swear the Oath of Allegiance. Writer Sam Holcroft (Rules for Living, Edgar & Annabel for The National Theatre) and director Jeremy Herrin (Best of Enemies, People, Places and Things) take audiences on a surprising, entertaining and thought-provoking journey. When creativity and corruption collide, who decides what is art and what is truth? Geoffrey Streatfeild returns to the role of Bax, and BIFA Winner and BAFTA nominee Samuel Adewunmi will play the role of Adem. Running for a strictly limited season, don’t miss this thrilling and “brilliantly mischievous” new play. At the Trafalgar Theatre from 22 January.
Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical Tickets
11 Jan 2024 – 14 Apr 2024
From the producers of smash-hit Heathers the Musical… A must-see experience in New York and Los Angeles and following a sold-out, critically-acclaimed production in the Assembly Palais du Variété spiegeltent at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Cruel Intentions: The ’90s Musical, finally hits London. Manipulative step-siblings Sebastian and Kathryn, flushed with their own sexual prowess, engage in a cruel bet: Kathryn goads Sebastian into attempting to seduce Annette, the headmaster’s virtuous daughter. Weaving a web of secrets and temptation, as the two set out to destroy an innocent girl — and anyone who gets in their way — they wreak havoc at their exclusive Manhattan high school, becoming entangled in their own web of deception and unexpected romance with explosive results… On the 25th anniversary of the hit film Cruel Intentions starring Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair and inspired by Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Cruel Intentions: The ‘90s Musical is a wild jukebox throwback laced with a soundtrack of the greatest ‘90s pop classics including The Verve ‘Bittersweet Symphony’, R.E.M. ‘Losing My Religion’, Natalie Imbruglia ‘Torn’, Ace of Base ‘I Saw the Sign’, Christina Aguilera ‘Genie in a Bottle’, TLC ‘No Scrubs’, Boyz II Men ‘I’ll Make Love to You’, *NSYNC ‘Bye Bye Bye’, Britney Spears ’Sometimes’ and many more.
The Merchant of Venice 1936 Tickets
15 February 2024 – Saturday 23 March 2024
London, 1936 the threat of fascism grows day by day. Shylock (Tracy-Ann Oberman – Eastenders, Doctor Who, Friday Night Dinner) a widow, single mother and survivor of attacks on Jewish people in Russia, runs a small business from her home in Cable Street. Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists plan a march through the Jewish East End and a fragile peace is shattered. Into Shylock’s world enters antisemitic Antonio in need of a loan, a dangerous deal is made. Will Shylock take her revenge? A powerful reminder of a key moment in British history. ‘If you prick us do we not bleed? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge?’
What shows do you plan to see in London this year? Let us know in the comments below!
Author: Jonathan Thomas
Jonathan is a consummate Anglophile who launched Anglotopia.net in 2007 to channel his passion for Britain. Londontopia is its sister publication dedicated to everything London.