London theater plays 2023/24: 10 shows to buy tickets for
After several years of pandemic, London's theater scene is finally shining again at full strength. Maintaining its status as a top theater city, the British capital invites residents and visitors to the best London theater shows. Vibrant musicals, classic plays and bold new works - the best theater plays in London are astonishing in scale and variety.
We've tried to round up the most exciting shows through to the end of 2023 and the beginning of 2024. The list of best shows in London 2023 is constantly being updated, but the most anticipated and promising shows are already open for booking and ticket sales. So don't miss out : it's a spectacle worthy of your time.
1. The Effect
Hurry up and buy tickets for Jamie Lloyd's play at the National Theatre - see a play in London until September 23, 2023. Lucy Prebble's romantic comedy tells the story of two patients, Tristan and Connie, on a clinical trial of antidepressant treatment, who develop a love affair. Are these feelings real or a skillful manipulation, a pharmaceutical drug-induced delusion? This is for the characters and the audience to find out, but the pleasure of watching will definitely be real. Lloyd has enlisted a first-rate cast for the play with Paapu Essiedu and Taylor Russell in the lead roles. In keeping with the canons of the best London theater shows, the audience will be immersed in the story thanks to the installation of a podium stage between the rows of the audience and the use of flashes of clinically white light.
2. A Mirror
Current theater plays in London another show you can catch until September 23, Sam Holcroft's A Mirror at the Almeida Theatre, Islington. Sam Holcroft made a name for himself in the early 2010s with poignant dramas and is revisiting, following his genre, after almost a decade's absence from the stage with a dark comedy. It begins with an invitation to a wedding in some super-bureaucratic authoritarian society. Eager to tease connoisseurs of the best shows to see in London, the play's plot is somewhat classified, but by the looks of it it will invite the audience to speculate on the subject of free speech, authorship and censorship. Director Jeremy Herrin has attracted a truly stellar cast, from '90s icon Jonny Lee Miller in the title role to Tanya Reynolds and Michael Ward.
3. Sunset Boulevard
On September 18, the Savoy Theatre kicks off its run of Lloyd Webber's classic musical in Jamie Lloyd's adaptation. This combination already looks promising and bodes well for one of London's best theater productions. But the intriguing part of this revival on stage will be Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of The Pussycat Dolls, playing the title role. She will play Norma Desmond, a former silent movie star who lost her mind and hid behind the doors of her Hollywood mansion. Nicole has only played on the theater stage once before, portraying Grizabella in Cats in 2014 in the West End. But Lloyd has every confidence that she's up to the task, so we may well be in for one of the most popular shows in London.
4. Hamnet
From late September at the Garrick Theatre on Charing Cross Road, Maggie O'Farrell's $1.5 million adaptation of Shakespeare's wife Agnes and their son will join the list ofbest plays in London. Playwright Lolita Chakrabarti and the Royal Shakespeare Company offer a meditation on grief, creativity and nature, telling the story of the couple's relationship and the untimely loss of their son Hamnet. The Stratford premiere was a complete sell-out, earning it the title of one of the best theater productions of the season, and now you can see the premierein London. The role of Agnes in Erica Wyman's production is played by Madeleine Mantock. The production is listed in the theater's repertory through January 6, 2024.
5. Lioness
On October 17, best plays in London will be joined by a production of Lioness at the Harold Pinter Theatre in Leicester Square. The lead roles in this story about a former actress will be played by Lily James and Kristin Scott Thomas, who will team up for the second time after Ben Wheatley's screen adaptation of Daphne du Maurier's novel "Rebecca" from Netflix in 2020. The source material is Penelope Skinner's play "Hillbilly Cycle," about reclusive actress Elaine (Scott-Thomas) who plans a career comeback after a 30-year absence with the help of a young director (James). Skinner calls the story an "upside-down" revenge tragedy, and theater critics have put it on their list of plays to watch in London. The play, directed by Ian Erickson, can be seen through December 23, 2023.
6. Old Friends
On September 16, a tribute concert to American composer Stephen Sondheim will be held at the Gielgud Theatre in Soho. Cameron Mackintosh has decided to honor the metier, who passed away in late 2021 at the age of 91, with a lavish London performance of Old Friends. It's one of the best shows on in London for the upcoming season. And now Matthew Bourne's production returns to the stage, led by Bernadette Pitters. She will be joined by another Broadway star Lea Salonga and an impressive team of British stars including Christine Allado, Jenny Dee, Joanna Riding and the rest. "The Big, Big Broadway Show," as the upcoming production is described in the playbills, will present uplifting moments of Sondheim's inspiring work. The show, which will likely rank among the top London shows, will be on the theater's program through January 6, 2024.
7. King Lear
Shakespeare connoisseur and award-winning actor and director Kenneth Branagh returns to the London theater scene on October 21 with one of the top plays. He last shined on this stage in the 2016 season, and a production of The Browning Version in 2021 was canceled due to a pandemic. He will celebrate his return in style by presenting audiences with a stand-alone production of Shakespeare's "King Lear." He will not only serve as director, but also take on one of the most demanding roles on the world theater stage. You can watch the aging Lear, played by Branagh, give up the reins of power and lose his mind until December 9, 2023. There will be 50 theatrical plays in London before it heads to its U.S. premiere.
8. Witches
The best live shows in London will complement the National Theatre on the South Bank with the musical The Witches. It will premiere on November 7. The musical is an adaptation of Roald Dahl's novel about a young boy facing a conspiracy of witches. In the plot of this poignant tale, evil witches try to turn all children into mice, but 10-year-old Luke stands in their way. Acclaimed British director Lindsay Turnet and playwright Lucy Kirkwood make their musical theater debut with this tale of wit and bravery. Expect stage appearances from Katherine Kingsley as the Great High Witch and Daniel Rigby portraying the character of Mr. Stringer, the eccentric hotel manager. This good London play can be seen through January 6, 2024.
9. Stranger Things: The First Shadow
If you're a fan of the Netflix creation, why not watch the prequel to the story? The mythology of the acclaimed series will be brought to the London theater scene, and perhaps add to the list of the best London theater shows. The play, which is expected to premiere on November 17, 2023, will tell the story of events in Hawkins, Indiana in 1959. Connoisseurs of the series will see many familiar faces from their youth, including major characters Jim Hopper, Joyce Byers, Bob Newby, and main antagonist Henry Creel. Playwright Jack Thorne, director Stephen Daldry and the creators of the original series, the Duffer Brothers and screenwriter Kate Trefry, are attached to produce the production. The team is promising, so the play is already claiming to be one of the top theater shows in London. You can see it until June 30, 2024.
10. Macbeth
On February 8 in London at the Donmar Warehouse Theatre the audience will be able to see one of the best shows - Macbeth and appreciate David Tennant as the villain. It would seem that nothing unusual, he played a lot of negative characters in the movies, but in theatrical productions the role of the antagonist for him will be the first. He will be accompanied by the star of the series "The Good Fight" Kush Jumbo in the role of Lady Macbeth. The production will be directed by Max Webster, who has already successfully demonstrated his experience of reviving Shakespeare on the theater stage, presenting a magnificent version of "Henry V" with Keith Harington. Expectations are high for this team, and given the atmosphere of Webster's "Henry IV," it will be like a psychological thriller in modern garb. Hurry to buy tickets: seats for thetop rated theater shows in London are sold out in a matter of days. The play will be on stage until February 10, 2024.