London Theatre is about to become even more exciting in 2023.
If you haven’t booked tickets to your favourite London theatre shows for 2023, what are you waiting for?
The New Year is set to welcome a dazzling delivery of new shows to London’s most famous West End stages. From musicals to comedies, to historical dramas and everything in between, you won’t know which tickets to buy first.
Lucky for you, we’ve put together a guide to highlight some of the best shows 2023 has to offer.
As well as new delights you’ll still be able to catch some of the biggest shows from 2022 as they continue to astound audiences into the New Year.
Read on for our official guide to unmissable London theatre shows 2023 (new and old)…
New shows for 2023
George Takei’s Allegiance
Where: Charing Cross Theatre
When: 9 January – 8 April
Their loyalty was questioned, their freedom taken, but their spirit could never be broken.
Inspired by the true events surrounding its star George Takei, Allegiance is the story of the Kimura family, whose lives are upended when they and 120,000 other Japanese-Americans are forced to leave their homes following the events of Pearl Harbor.
Sam Kimura seeks to prove his patriotism by fighting for his country in the war, but his sister, Kei, fiercely protests the government’s treatment of her people. An uplifting testament to the power of the human spirit, Allegiance follows the Kimuras as they fight between duty and defiance, custom and change, family bonds and forbidden loves.
Legendary performer George Takei stars alongside Broadway star Telly Leung (Broadway’s Alladin, Glee) in this enthralling and epic new musical conceived just for the UK.
The Unfriend
Where: Criterion Theatre
When: 15 January – 16 April
While on holiday Peter and Debbie befriend Elsa: a lusty, Trump-loving widow from Denver, USA. She’s less than woke but kind of wonderful. They agree to stay in touch – because no one ever really does, do they?
When Elsa invites herself to stay a few months later, they decide to look her up online. Too late, they learn the truth about Elsa Jean Krakowski. Deadly danger has just boarded a flight to London! What began as a casual holiday friendship is suddenly a threat to the lives of their children.
Peter and Debbie now face the ultimate challenge of the modern world – how do you protect all that you love from mortal peril without seeming a bit impolite? Because guess who’s coming… to MURDER.
This riotous dark comedy from writer Steven Moffat and director Mark Gatiss, the award-winning team behind BBC’s Sherlock, stars an uproarious cast including Reece Shearsmith (Inside No. 9), Amanda Abbington (Sherlock) and Frances Barber (Silk).
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons
Where: Harold Pinter Theatre
When: 18 January – 18 March
“Let’s just talk until it goes.”
You’re going to speak more than 123 million words in your lifetime. What will you do when they run out?
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons is a tender and funny rom-com about what we say, how we say it, and what happens when we can’t say anything anymore.
Starring Jenna Coleman (The Serpent, All My Sons) and Aidan Turner (Poldark, The Lieutenant of Inishmore), this bold and brilliant play from Sam Steiner (Fingernails, You Stupid Darkness!) is directed by Josie Rourke (Mary Queen of Scots, As You Like It).
Sylvia
Where: The Old Vic
When: 27 January – 1 April
“Be the change that you want to see. Be the change for you and me”
This revolutionary story celebrates the life of Sylvia Pankhurst – feminist, activist, pacifist, socialist, rebel – the lesser-known Pankhurst at the heart of the Suffragette movement, who changed the lives of working women and men across the world.
Following its 2018 run as a work-in-progress, Kate Prince’s Sylvia is back where it all began for its world premiere, uniting dance, hip-hop, funk and soul to shine a light on a remarkable moment in history, with original music by Josh Cohen and DJ Walde.
Medea
Where: @sohoplace
When: 18 February – 22 April
What could turn a woman from a lover into a destroyer of love?
Medea tells the story of a woman laid bare by grief and rage, and her terrible quest for revenge against the men who have abandoned her.
Sophie Okonedo brings her visceral, mercurial brilliance to literature’s most titanic female protagonist, whose complexity and contradictions have kept audiences on the edge of their seats, unable to look away, for almost 2,500 years.
The Great British Bake Off Musical
Where: Noël Coward Theatre
When: 25 February – 13 May
Follow the trials and tribulations of the bakers as they enter the hallowed tent, including a policeman, a carer, a sixth form student, a retired dinner lady, an environmentalist vegan, an Italian fashionista, and more, as they come together to share their journeys of friendship, love, and laughter.
From your neighbours to your colleagues to your grandparents to your children, everyone is welcome in the Bake Off tent.
Expect a scrumptious signature slice of humour, heart, and abundant joy, with sixteen wonderful new memorable songs.
Bonnie & Clyde
Where: Garrick Theatre
When: 4 March – 20 May
Two small-town kids from the middle of nowhere became the biggest folk heroes in all of America. They craved adventure – and each other. Their names were Bonnie and Clyde.
Following a sell-out run at the Arts Theatre, Frances Mayli McCann and Jordan Luke Gage return for a limited West End season.
Featuring music by Tony nominee Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde), lyrics by Tony and Oscar winner Don Black (Sunset Boulevard), a book by Emmy Award nominee Ivan Menchell, and directed by Nick Winston.
Bonnie & Clyde is the electrifying story of love, adventure and crime that captured the attention of an entire nation.
A Little Life
Where: Harold Pinter Theatre
When: 25 March – 18 June
A Little Life follows four college friends in New York City: aspiring actor Willem, successful architect Malcolm, struggling artist JB, and prodigious lawyer Jude.
As ambition, addiction, and pride threaten to pull the group apart, they always find themselves bound by their love for Jude and the mysteries of his past.
But when those secrets come to light, they finally learn that to know Jude St Francis is to understand the limitless potential of love in the face of life.
James Norton (Happy Valley, Grantchester) stars in visionary director Ivo van Hove’s (Network, Hedda Gabler) English language premiere of A Little Life, his acclaimed production of the million-copy bestseller by Hanya Yanagihara (To Paradise, Booker Prize Shortlist for A Little Life).
The much-anticipated play also stars Luke Thompson (Bridgerton, Hamlet), Omari Douglas (It’s A Sin, Constellations), Zach Wyatt (The Witcher, I and You), Elliot Cowan (The Crown, 2:22 A Ghost Story), Zubin Varla (Tammy Faye, Equus), Nathalie Armin (Force Majeure, The Doctor), and Emilio Doorgasingh (Best of Enemies, The Kite Runner).
Mrs Doubtfire
Where: Shaftesbury Theatre
When: 12 May – 13 January, 2024
Direct from a sensational run in Manchester – where it played to sold-out crowds and standing ovations – the new comedy musical Mrs Doubtfire is ready to dazzle and delight the West End from 12 May.
Out-of-work actor Daniel will do anything for his kids. After losing custody in a messy divorce, he creates the alter ego of Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire in a desperate attempt to stay in their lives.
As his new character takes on a life of its own, Mrs Doubtfire teaches Daniel more than he bargained for about how to be a father.
A hilarious and heartfelt story about holding onto your loved ones against all odds, Mrs Doubtfire is the musical comedy we all need right now.
Patriots
Where: Noël Coward Theatre
When: 26 May – 19 August
- The Fall of the Soviet Union. With the dawning of a new Russia, there are winners and losers, and today’s patriot can fast become tomorrow’s traitor.
As a new generation of oligarchs fights to seize control, Patriots follows billionaire businessman Boris Berezovsky from the president’s inner circle to public enemy number one.
BAFTA-winning Tom Hollander (The Night Manager, Travesties) will reprise his starring role as Berezovsky, the ‘kingmaker’ behind Vladimir Putin, with Will Keen (His Dark Materials) also returning to play Putin, and Luke Thallon as Abramovich. Joining them from the original Almeida cast are Matt Concannon, Ronald Guttman, Sean Kingsley, Paul Kynman and Jessica Temple.