Don’t miss it. All the stars of London’s autumn 2026 productions

Josh O’Connor in *Golden Boy*

Almeida Theatre
September 9 – October 31
Tickets – click here.

This classic American play from 1937 tells the story of Joe Bonaparte. He is a young Italian-American, an exceptionally talented violinist, who is destined for a career in music. But music requires years of hard work and offers no guarantee of financial success, whereas a chance appearance in the ring opens up a much shorter path to fame for Joe. Playwright Clifford Odets uses this premise to craft a story about the American Dream—and about what happens to a person when they have to choose between talent and ambition.

It will be extremely interesting to see what Sam Yates, the Olivier Award winner for *Vanya* with Andrew Scott, will do with this material. Josh O’Connor, star of *The Crown*, is returning to the stage for the first time in ten years: prior to his on-screen success in 2015, he appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s productions of *Oppenheimer* and *TheShoemaker’s Holiday *. The cast also includes Jason Barnett, Richard Fleischman, Hayley Squires, and others.

What about the tickets? Demand is off the charts! The first batch of tickets sold out in practically no time—but there’s still a chance to join the second round of this battle in August, when the theater promises to release additional tickets for sale.

Gillian Anderson in *Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?*

sohoplace
September 21 – December 19
Tickets – follow the link.

Another American drama, first staged on Broadway in 1962. The very next year, the play’s author, Edward Albee, won a Tony Award for Best Play, and the Pulitzer Prize jury selected it as the winner in the drama category.

It’s 2:00 a.m., and history professor George (Billy Crudup) and his wife Martha (Gillian Anderson) return home, but they have no intention of going to sleep: Martha invites Nick, a young professor, and his wife Hani (Josh Dylan and Phoebe Horn) over for one more glass of wine. The get-together gradually turns into a psychological showdown: George and Martha humiliate each other and dredge up old grievances, devising increasingly cruel “games”—and the guests unwittingly find themselves caught up in them. And so do we: director Marianne Elliott stages the play “in the round”—meaning the audience sits around the perimeter of the stage, and in the very intimate space of the sohoplace theater, no less.

Gillian Anderson hasn’t appeared in the West End since 2019—and the stakes are high this time around: on screen, Martha has already been brilliantly portrayed by Elizabeth Taylor, and on stage, by Imelda Staunton. That said, Anderson is no slouch either: in 2014, she received an Olivier Award nomination for her role in the London production of *A Streetcar Named Desire*.

What about the tickets? There are still some left, but very few—hurry up!

David Susche in *Murder in the Cathedral*

Orange Tree Theatre
October 12 – November 7
Tickets – click here.

The “People’s Poirot,” Commander of the Order of the British Empire Sir David Suchet, will play Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. The production is based on T. S. Eliot’s tragedy, and the play is rooted in a real-life crime: on December 29, 1170, four of Henry II’s knights murdered Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. The play was first staged and performed right there in the cathedral—which, of course, heightened the dramatic effect. This time, the production will also take place at St. John the Divine Church in Richmond. So in this case, Sushe’s character isn’t investigating a crime but playing the victim and martyr—a man who bravely walks toward his own death.

Directors Tom Littler and Francesca Ellis promise to blend Eliot’s poetry with live choral music; the show’s composer is Orlando Gof. The chorus plays a crucial role in the play: professional performers will be joined by an amateur chorus (an open call for interested participants was held on Instagram). And here’s the most important thing: this is 80-year-old Sushe’s first theater role in nearly ten years—so it would be a crime to pass up such an opportunity.

What about the tickets? As of this writing—alas, it’s sold out. But in this case, that’s not the end of the story: first, the theater has promised a possible additional release, and you can join the waiting list. Second, you can snag a ticket through the Friday Rush—the Orange Tree Theatre releases a small number of tickets for the following week at noon every Friday. If you can’t make it to London, there’s a second chance: from November 10 to 21, *Murder in the Cathedral* will be performed at the Theatre Royal Bath.

Tilda Swinton in *Man to Man*

Royal Court
September 5 – October 24
Tickets – click here.

Tilda Swinton has broken the record in this collection—she’s returning to the stage for the first time in thirty (!) years. And she’s immediately taking on a role she played at the very beginning of her career, back in 1987: In *Man to Man*, she plays both Ella and Max—a woman in 1930s Germany who, after her husband’s death, puts on his clothes, takes his job, and gradually begins to live under his name. It’s worth noting that this is a one-woman show—a titanic undertaking for an actor.

The literary basis is a play by the East German playwright Manfred Karg. The original title is *Jacke wie Hose*, and it premiered in Bochum in 1982. Karge was inspired by a newspaper article about a woman who, after her husband’s death, pretended to be him for many years in order to keep her job. Nearly forty years ago, critics described Swinton’s performance as strange, provocative, and touching, and she herself said she would like to play this role “until I’m sixty.” Well, she’s keeping her word! The production is directed by the same director, Stephen Anwin, with set design once again by Bunny Christie, who went on to become one of Britain’s most renowned theater designers.

What about the tickets? The main London run is already sold out. However, on Mondays, the Royal Court releases a limited number of tickets for £15 at 9 a.m. for that day’s performance; you can also sign up for the waitlist for refunds. If you can’t make it to London, you’ll have a reason to visit Scotland: the show will then move to the Traverse Theater in Edinburgh (tickets go on sale soon).

Cate Blanchett in *Electra*/*Persona*

National Theatre
August 19 – October 10
Tickets – click here.

Benedict Andrews combines two stories—created roughly 2,300 years apart—into a single production: Sophocles’ tragedy *Electra* and Ingmar Bergman’s film *Persona*.

The first part tells the story of Electra, the daughter of Agamemnon. After returning from the Trojan War, her father was murdered by his own wife, Clytemnestra, and her lover, Aegisthus. Electra is consumed by a desire for revenge and awaits the return of her brother Orestes to restore justice. After intermission, the action shifts to *Persona*: Elisabeth is an actress who suddenly falls silent during a performance of *Electra*. She is sent to recover alongside her nurse, Alma; Alma talks endlessly, while Elizabeth remains silent, and gradually the two women’s personalities begin to merge in a strange way.

The lead roles are played by Cate Blanchett and Nina Hoss—they previously worked together on the film *Tár*, in which Hoss played the wife of Blanchett’s character. We’d love to tell you who’s playing whom this time, but we simply don’t know: the actresses will switch roles from performance to performance. In one version, Blanchett plays Electra and Hoss plays Clytemnestra; in another, it’s the other way around. Then, the one who was Electra becomes Elizabeth in *Persona*, and the one who played Clytemnestra becomes Alma. It’s no use trying to pry the information out of National Theatre staff—they, too, are forbidden from revealing the secret. This is the concept devised by director Benedict Andrews, who also created the radical production of *The Cherry Orchard* at the Donmar Warehouse.

What about the tickets? Most of the tickets have already been sold out, but on August 14 from 12:30 to 1:00 p.m., a few more tickets will be released for £10 as part of the Friday Rush promotion.

Kristin Scott Thomas in *The Cherry Orchard*

Harold Pinter Theatre
October 3 – January 9, 2027
Tickets – click here.

Chekhov is dearly loved by English audiences—and *The Cherry Orchard* seems to be a perennial favorite on the London stage. This time, Ranevskaya is played by Kristin Scott Thomas, and Lopakhina by Stephen Mangan, who is slightly less well-known to Russian-speaking audiences. The production is based on the original text but is presented in a new adaptation by Irish playwright Conor McPherson, author of *The Weir* and the musical *Girl from the North Country*.

This isn’t the first time Kristin Scott Thomas has played a role by Chekhov: she has already portrayed Arkadina in *The Seagull* and even won an Olivier Award for Best Actress. Just one month before the London premiere, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production starring Helen Hunt and Kenneth Branagh is wrapping up. But the interpretations are quite different: while the RSC has assembled a star-studded ensemble around Hunt and Branagh, the West End production is banking on the long-standing creative partnership between Scott Thomas and director Ian Rickson.

What about the tickets? There are still some available, and quite a few—prices start at £20.

Keira Knightley in *The Lives of Others*

Adelphi Theatre
October 29 – January 9, 2027
Tickets are available via the link.

Another high-profile comeback: Keira Knightley is performing on a West End stage for the first time in 15 years—in the world premiere of the stage adaptation of *The Lives of Others*. The play is based on the 2006 German film of the same name, which won an Oscar. Robert Icke is adapting the story for the stage.

The story takes place in East Berlin in 1984. Successful playwright Georg Dreyman and his lover, theater actress Christa-Maria Sieland, find themselves under Stasi surveillance. A listening device is installed in their apartment, and Captain Gerd Wiesler—an impeccably disciplined secret police officer—is assigned to monitor the couple. However, as he spends hours listening in on the lives of others—their conversations, music, arguments, and confessions—Wiesler gradually begins to doubt the system he serves.

Nightley plays Christa-Maria, and her co-star is Luke Thompson (Benedict from *Bridgerton*, whom theatergoers also know from *Oresteia* and *A Little Life*). The Stasi officer will be played by Emmy Award winner Stephen Dillane. But just as important here is the director himself, Robert Icke—he directed *Oresteia*, *Hamlet* with Andrew Scott, and a stage adaptation of Orwell’s *1984*. Max Richter is composing a new score specifically for this production.

According to producer Sonya Friedman, the project has been in development for about 15 years, and the director of the original film initially suggested that Tom Stoppard write a stage adaptation. So we’re in for something spectacular.

What about the tickets? Surprisingly, there are still tickets available! And at pretty reasonable prices: starting at £30 (initially, tickets started at just £25, and the producers set aside more than 36,000 seats priced under £35).

Sting in *The Last Ship*

Theatre Royal Drury Lane
September 22–October 3
Tickets are available via the link.

Of course, you can see Sting in concert, or you can see him in his own musical. The musician was born and raised near Newcastle, close to the huge Swan Hunter shipyard. He recalls that he used to dream of getting away from there, but now feels the need to return to that place in his work. The Last “Ship ” is a unique declaration of love for the people and the work culture in which he grew up.

The story also takes place in a shipbuilding town in northeastern England—the closure of the shipyard threatens to destroy the entire way of life the community has come to know. The workers are led by foreman Jackie White: his health is rapidly deteriorating just when the community needs a leader. This character is played by Sting himself. Running parallel to this is the story of Gideon—a young man who once fled Wallsend to go to sea, leaving behind his beloved Meg, and who returns home years later.

The musical first opened on Broadway back in 2014 (and, by the way, received two Tony nominations), and was later reworked. The current version has been significantly rewritten once again: the script was written by playwright Barney Norris. This is The Last Ship’s first run in London. Sting also wrote the music and lyrics specifically for the production, although some familiar songs will be featured—in particular, “Island of Souls,” “All This Time,” and “When We Dance.”

What about the tickets? There are still some available, and quite a few—starting at £45.

Richard E. Grant in *Hay Fever*

Wyndham Theatre
September 22 – December 12
Tickets – click here.

Rounding out the lineup is another comeback and a debut: Richard E. Grant is performing in the West End after a twenty-year hiatus, while Christine Baranski is taking the stage there for the first time. They will play the Blisses in a new production of Noel Coward’s *Hay Fever*—one of his most famous “comedies of bad manners.”

The play was written in 1924. Judith is an actress who recently retired from the stage and already desperately misses the applause; her husband David is a reclusive writer, and their adult children, Sorel and Simon, are trying—so far without much success—to strike out on their own. All four live in a country house and treat those around them much like extras in their own play. One day, Judith invites a young admirer to spend the weekend with them—but it turns out that each of the four Blisses, independently of the others, has also invited their own guest. In short, it’s a sort of prototype for *Saltburn* without Barry Keoghan’s dancing.

The play is directed by Emily Burns, a director who has been working extensively with classical comedy in recent years. The last time this play was staged in London was in 2012: Judith was played by Lindsay Duncan at the time, and the cast also included Olivia Colman, Freddie Fox, and the then-relatively unknown Phoebe Waller-Bridge. This time, the full cast has not yet been revealed—the Wyndham Theatre is keeping the suspense alive!

What about the tickets? There are still tickets available for October through December—but you’ll want to act fast if you want to get them at a good price.