I’m looking forward to January 2026 and what theatre has to offer. Here is a list of openings/media nights, and extensions in January across London. I’ll note below the ones I hope to cover with a *.
I’ve tried to highlight something for every taste and budget.
A
“Acetone is a new, emotionally raw, dark comedy about contemporary love, identity, and fragility of self in the aftermath of heartbreak.”
Already Perfect (King’s Head) *
“Already Perfect is a searing and uplifting new musical by Tony Award winner Levi Kreis. On the eve of his Broadway show being filmed for the archives, Levi finds himself alone in his dressing room, unravelling and on the brink of ending it all.”
“Patrick Bateman has it all – looks, money, style and status. Engaged to the beautiful Evelyn Williams, he is about to win the prestigious Fischer account for his investment bank and celebrate by dining at Dorsia.
But there’s another side to his life that Patrick keeps secret. And people – including those closest to him – keep disappearing…”.
B
Ballad Lines (Southwark Playhouse Elephant) *
“For fans of Hadestown, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Once. Discover Ballad Lines, the soaring new folk musical London’s talking about. Ballad Lines is a heart-opening musical about the stories we inherit, and the choices each generation makes to break, reshape, or carry them forward.
Beautiful Little Fool (Southwark Playhouse Borough) *
“Told through the eyes of their adult daughter Scottie, Beautiful Little Fool tells the story of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald: brilliant, tempestuous and infamous.
Years on from the Roaring Twenties, with the party long over, the lives and writings of Scottie’s legendary parents are brought vividly to life in this new musical.”
Boris Godunov (Royal Opera House) *
“Haunted by guilt, Tsar Boris Godunov (Bryn Terfel) is losing his grip. Meanwhile, an ambitious young man spies an opportunity to steal the crown.”
C
“Mairead and Ron are carving out their own futures on Cable Street when Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists start to march on East London.
One hundred thousand Jews, Irish workers and communists unite to blockade the road they call home.
As the people raise their voices and take a united stand against hatred, the lives of the streets’ residents are changed forever.
Featuring a powerful and contemporary score, Cable Street is an electrifying reimagining of one of London’s most significant days.
Cirque du Soleil – Ovo (Royal Albert Hall) *
“Bursting with breathtaking acrobatics inspired by insects, where crickets leap skyward, butterflies soar midair, ants juggle with precision, and spiders contort, bend and twist in defiance of gravity – each act showcasing the exceptional talent you expect from Cirque du Soleil.
With dazzling costumes, immersive staging, high-energy choreographies, and a sense of wonder that speaks to the child in all of us.”
Cohen, Bernstein, Jodie & Me (Upstairs at the Gatehouse)
“Growing up in a Jewish immigrant family whose identity was powerfully shaped by song, young Deb Filler yearns to find her own kind of music.
Courageous, determined, and just plain lucky, she finds her way into the lives of some of the greatest musical artists of our time.
In Auckland, Maestro Leonard Bernstein performs for Deb, and only Deb. In New York, Deb drives Leonard Cohen to the airport and a lifelong friendship begins.
In Vancouver, Deb joins Joni Mitchell backstage in a meeting that is simply beyond belief.”
D
“Developed with the Finborough Theatre where it was first seen in an acclaimed 2022 run, Darkie Armo Girl is an OffWestEnd Award nominated play from British-Armenian writer and performer Karine Bedrossian about surviving life with the innocence of a child, but the destructive self-abandon of a suicide bomber.”
The Death of Gesualdo (St Martin’s in the Fields) *
“In this staged concert, The Gesualdo Six are joined by six actors and a puppet who enact a stunning series of tableaux vivants, filled with iconography taken directly from Renaissance painting, to superimpose Gesualdo’s psyche onto his most chilling music.
The result will be the boldest look yet at how the life and music of this enigmatic prodigy must function together for the true Gesualdo to emerge from the shadows. What do we do with the art of monstrous people?”
“Tom Asher has two immediate aims. To prevent his life tipping into catastrophe. And to get dressed.
It turns out neither will be easy – in fact both rapidly escalate towards impossibility – as he fends off a series of eccentric visitors whose sole aim seems to be test his patience, his professionalism, his sanity, and his resolve not to be dragged into a disastrous liaison with an alluring young woman who really just wants revenge on her boyfriend, who just happens to be Tom’s best friend and his business partner.
What unfolds is an hilarious series of events, underscoring the significance of the simple (or complicated) act of getting dressed.”
F
“Once upon a time today, in three small attic apartments in Paris, a big man, a tall thin man and a curvaceous blonde are neighbours. This would be a romantic story if it wasn’t for the fact that these three odd-balls have a special talent for messing things up. Messing everything up.
With one disaster leading to another amidst a deluge of jokes, this quirky trio cling to anything that looks like love, life or hope. Coming to Sadler’s Wells as part of MimeLondon, this is a Grand-Guignolesque performance; objects fly around, characters fall flat on their faces and the whole stage is in total disarray from the various fires, leaks, storms and other whacky unexpected accidents that culminate in a dizzying chaos.
Endearing, laugh-inducing and irresistible, our three anti-heroes shock us just as much as they make us cry… with laughter.”
“Now in it’s fourth year, FreshFest provides a platform for companies, playwrights & creatives to debut their new productions or scripts in our award-winning theatre to showcase the very best in fresh talent.”
G
A Ghost In Your Ear (Hampstead Downstairs)
“An actor arrives late at a sound studio for a last-minute job that he is yet to see the script for: an audiobook recording of a particularly chilling ghost story.
But as the evening progresses, the horrors start to escape the pages of the story, and haunt the studio itself…
Using binaural sound technology, the audience wears headphones so they are immersed in the terrifying auditory world of the show.”
Guess How Much I Love You (Royal Court) *
“A pregnant couple wait for their 20-week scan, as the future they had planned slips through their fingers. A story about starting a family, impossible choices, and enduring love.
Led by a powerhouse cast including Rosie Sheehy and Robert Aramayo who both make their Royal Court debuts in this deeply moving relationship drama.”
H
“Based on the iconic, four-time Oscar-winning 1952 film with an original screenplay by Carl Foreman – hailed as one of the greatest westerns ever made.
This isn’t just a play. It’s a wake-up call. Told in real time, this edge-of-your-seat thriller stars Tony and Emmy Award-winner Billy Crudup (The Morning Show) and Olivier Award- winner Denise Gough.”
I
“The one-woman Terminator parody. A Terminator built with Windows 95 must travel back in time to Dudley on a quest to save humanity, and to discover what it means to be human.
I’ll Be Back is the story of an embittered Cyberdyne Systems scientist (Dudley branch) who must become a Windows 95 Terminator, and travel back in time in order to right all of her wrongs.
This troubled and malfunctioning killing machine returns to a world before Judgment Day on a quest to save humanity from the robots she helped to create, and to discover what it means to be human.”
“In Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s dazzling musical, the Baker, the Baker’s Wife, the Witch, Jack, Little Red Ridinghood, Cinderella and Rapunzel take us beyond happy ever after to discover what really matters.”
J
Jo – The Little Women Musical (Theatre Royal Drury Lane) *
“A once-in-a-lifetime star-studded event that will bring Louisa May Alcott’s classic story Little Women to life in a bold new musical adaptation with a sweeping, timeless score that will leave you spellbound.
At the heart of this iconic coming-of-age story is Jo March, the original literary heroine – a fiercely passionate young writer whose grief over losing her sister inspires a story that continues to resonate with audiences everywhere.
This enchanting new musical is for anyone who has dreamed big, questioned their path, or yearned to share their story.”
L
“Allegiances of religion, race and upbringing clash in this satire of post war society.”
M
Margarita’s Crown of Shadows (Etcetera) *
“Her love was stolen. Her voice was silenced. So she made a deal with the only power that would listen: the Devil himself. Step into a world where a woman’s despair ignites into a supernatural fury.
When Margarita loses the one man who saw her soul, she is offered a single, terrifying chance at reunion. To seize it, she must shed her skin, embrace the night, and become the queen of a fantastical underworld.”
Mrs President (Charing Cross) *
“Mary Lincoln is a woman under siege – with her grief, her detractors, and herself. In the shadow of her late husband, President Abraham Lincoln, she battles a world eager to define her and a conscience that will not rest.
Accused of treason and shunned by society, she turns to Matthew Brady, the world’s first celebrity photographer, to help her reclaim her story.
But as the lens turns between them, the power shifts, and their collaboration spirals into a fierce struggle for authorship, truth, and control.”
“Mary’s been sleeping with strangers across Scotland for eight months. Tonight’s conquest: Mike, an American tourist who’s never heard of KFC. After the best sex of her life, she tells him what she’s been hiding.
Then he tells her what he’s been hiding. From award-winning David Ireland comes a sharp and hilarious exploration of faith and loneliness in a Travelodge.”
N
“Nezha is a thrilling new musical inspired by the legendary warrior god of Chinese mythology, with an electrifying score by Duncan Walsh Atkins and a bold new book by Teresa Luo and Jennifer Tang.
This production fuses modern musical theatre and rap with East Asian storytelling traditions, bringing to life one of China’s most beloved epic tales — the story of a child hero who dares to challenge fate.”
O
“You’re the pride of the police force but fate intervenes and suddenly you’re in the same prison you sent your scalps to.
News of your arrival spreads, the riot starts and they come looking for you. A fellow inmate hides you and you flee together.
But why is he protecting you exactly? Soon you’ll find out as your past life comes back to haunt you.”
“Max is a scientist in a secret lab who stumbles on a cure for all diseases. His boss, Judy, decides to sell it privately to millionaires but Max wants it distributed free to everyone.
He smuggles out a batch of samples to a nearby hospital. When his teenage daughter, Felicity, joins the rebellion, Judy orders a junior researcher, Vic, to guard her.
But they fall in love and together they plot to seize control of the lab. Meanwhile Judy has a secret plan to deal with the troublemakers permanently.”
“Philadelphia, 1983. Twenty-eight year old Phillip hasn’t stepped outside in years — surviving on canned tuna, encyclopedias, and his own wild theories about the dangers beyond the door.
His older brother Treat runs his world with rules and rituals to keep them safe, bringing home whatever he can steal. Then, one night, Treat drags in Harold, a stranger stuffed with cash and soaked in whiskey. The perfect target… or so it looks. By morning, nothing will be the same.”
Our American Queen (Bridewell)
“Internationally acclaimed theatre company the american vicarious returns to London with the UK premiere of Our American Queen – a new play exploring the life and legacy of Kate Chase, one of the most celebrated yet overlooked women of 19th-century America.
Set against the 1864 U.S. presidential election, the play follows Salmon P. Chase, Lincoln’s Secretary of the Treasury, as he dares to challenge the president for the nation’s highest office.
At the centre stands his daughter, Kate Chase – brilliant, ambitious, and hailed by the press as “Our American Queen.”
Torn between love and power, Kate must choose between her devotion to Lincoln’s secretary John Hay and a marriage that could secure her father’s political future in a nation on the brink.”
P
Paranormal Activity (Ambassadors)
“Inspired by the iconic, terrifying film series, Paranormal Activity is a new story live on stage. James and Lou move from Chicago to London to escape their past, but they soon discover that places aren’t haunted, people are…”
R
“Chastity Quirke is White House receptionist, ex-Chapter President of Kappa Gamma Zeta, and a zealous Republican. Every single day she is proud to Make America Hot Again, all while serving her close personal friend the President of the United States.
Don’t be fooled by her pageant smile; Chastity is a keen political operator determined to prove her loyalty by any means necessary, and she’s not going to let the icky Democrats, her ex-boyfriend, or the evils of socialism stand in her way.
But when her political idol – White House Press Secretary Candace Monroe – becomes embroiled in the scandal of the century, Chastity has a come-to-Jesus moment she never anticipated.”
S
“In the aftermath of the First Gulf War, as Saddam Hussein’s forces brutally crush the Kurdish uprising in northern Iraq, two million Kurds escape into the freezing mountains. The world watches on in horror as images of death and starvation reach television screens.
Meanwhile, in Whitehall, two diplomats – aided by a Kurdish refugee – fight to convince the British government that it is their moral duty to intervene before it is too late.
Based on historic events, this sweeping new play reveals how moral conviction and diplomatic resolve sparked Operation Safe Haven – the unprecedented mission that prevented a genocide.
T
The Tempest (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse)
“Prospero, Miranda, Caliban and Ariel. Four lost souls stranded on this island with no hope of escape. As the years pass, they tell themselves a story. A story that is told over and over. A story of past wrongs. A story of desire and revenge.
A story of a storm that will rescue and redeem them. A story that conjures other characters out of air, out of thin air. An imagined enchantment. But will salvation ever really come?
Tim Crouch directs Shakespeare’s tale of power, freedom and the magic of story.”
W
Three works showing as part of the annual Resolution Festival at The Place – the festival of new choreography.
“When Susan sustains a bump to the head, her world splits in two—one mundane, one imagined—and the lines begin to blur.
Alan Ayckbourn’s groundbreaking play is a hilarious and gripping exploration of identity, family, and mental escape.”