I’m looking forward to February 2026 and what theatre has to offer. Here is a list of openings/media nights, and extensions in February 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.
B
“1841. Mary Ann Evans is of marriageable age, just. Her father, Robert, has recently moved with her to Bird Grove House, with the sole purpose of finding her a suitable husband through the local church.
But Mary Ann’s remarkable intellect and growing self-confidence are forming progressive new ideas in her mind; ideas that challenge her father’s most strongly held beliefs.
Perhaps that is the only way forward: to break every societal convention expected of her, find her voice, and become the writer she has always dreamt of being. After all, who can suppress the astounding gifts of future literary titan, George Eliot?”
“Sophie has just lost a parent. So has Jonah. Sophie has just inherited quite a lot of money. So has Jonah. After a series of uncanny coincidences, the pair find themselves living on top of one another, in two small flats in Leytonstone.
Then on a whim, Sophie mails Jonah a baby monitor connected to her flat. And he starts to watch her. Reading. Playing video games. Eating. Watching TV. Without ever coming face to face, something almost like love starts to bloom between them.”
The Bodyguard (New Theatre Wimbledon) *
“The international, award-winning smash-hit musical The Bodyguard is back! Starring international leading actor Sidonie Smith as Rachel Marron, Olivier Award-nominated Adam Garcia as Frank Farmer, and Matt Milburn as Sy Spector. Former Secret Service agent turned bodyguard, Frank Farmer, is hired to protect superstar Rachel Marron from an unknown stalker. Each expects to be in charge – what they don’t expect is to fall in love.”
“The night before the woodcutters come, Bettie meets the bold and mysterious Paida Moyo. The chance encounter sparks an extraordinary journey of friendship, bravery, and self-discovery. Can the two friends save the woodlands and its critter crew before it’s too late? And how might the forest help Bettie in return?
Written by Tatenda Naomi Matsvai, Brave Bettie is a magical woodland adventure told through poetry, songs, live music, and stories that explore their home heritage in Zimbabwe. This playful yet powerful production looks at resilience, self-belief, social activism, and the environment, offering an urgent message for young audiences.”
By Trial and Error (Entre le Zist et le Geste) (Unicorn)
“The stage is set: a simple black curtain stands centre stage. Two acrobats emerge from the dark. As they prepare for their first lift, a sudden thought interrupts their seemingly well-oiled routine… Is this the right move? Is this what we practiced?
Get ready to laugh, gasp and cheer in this show full of acrobatic brilliance and fun from internationally acclaimed French company Le Cirque Content Pour Peu. Packed full of surprises, humour and physical comedy borrowed from silent cinema, By Trial and Error (Entre le Zist et le Geste) is a heart-warming show about the fear of failure and how to bounce back!”
C
A Classical Mixtape (Southbank Centre) *
“Taking the form of a mixtape brought to life, this multi-venue takeover of the Southbank Centre features classical music favourites, including film soundtracks. Roam around and select tracks as the mood takes you. Each orchestra performs a 20-minute set on repeat throughout the evening. You can choose to listen again, skip and move on to another orchestra, or pause to catch up with friends at one of our bars.
The mixtape features an immersive experience with Chineke! Orchestra, a raucous oompah set by Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the London Sinfonietta performing hypnotic works by Steve Reich, and a mountainous adventure featuring musicians from Aurora Orchestra.”
Cosi fan tutte (London Coliseum) *
Packed with witty twists, sparkling arias and Mozart’s signature charm, this timeless opera paints a whimsical yet poignant picture of love, trust and temptation in a way that is both heartwarming and delightfully entertaining.
All women are the same, right? Not to be trusted! Well, meddling Don Alfonso seems to think so. In fact, he’s so certain, he’s putting his money on it. Determined to prove his point, he persuades his two friends Ferrando and Guglielmo to put their fiancées’ loyalty to the ultimate test.
The plans are set, and the bet is made. The men will pretend to be called away to war but instead will return in disguise and have 24 hours to attempt to seduce each other’s sweethearts – Fiordiligi and Dorabella – who are unwittingly enjoying a fun day out at the fair.”
D
“Here is a father who loves his daughter. You can tell from the way he held her when she was born after a difficult delivery; you can tell from the way he dances with her to her favourite songs; you can tell from the way he will do anything to protect her.
He’s not going to apologise for every other little thing he’s ever done. Who knows, you might have done them too…
Balancing humour and horror, Daughter is a darkly satirical monologue about fatherhood, love, and toxic masculinity. Told with unsettling charm, this story interrogates questions of culpability and complicity in our society. It examines the subtle and not-so-subtle ways we condone and encourage misogyny.”
Dear Liar (Jermyn Street Theatre)
“1940. The Germans advance on Paris. A case stuffed with letters is smuggled to London. Inside, a remarkable story about – and by – two remarkable people: the brilliant actress ‘Mrs Pat’ and George Bernard Shaw. They met in 1899. They made Pygmalion. World Wars started and stopped, and started again. They fell in love. They fell apart. And through it all… they wrote.
Jerome Kilty’s play reveals the extraordinary bond between these two theatrical titans. In their witty, unfiltered words, attraction collides with ambition as the world transforms around them. A play about how we change – and what we hold on to.”
Debate: Baldwin vs Buckley (Wilton’s Music Hall) *
“The Historic 1965 Cambridge Union Debate, Reimagined .
Following critically acclaimed runs in New York City, London, Chicago and Los Angeles, the american vicarious’ radically staged production of the historic debate between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. is reenacted at Wilton’s Music Hall. “
G
Go Feral Like The Big Dogs (Union) *
“Alex and Rachel are 2 corporate high-flyers who will do just about anything to get ahead, and when they find themselves presented with an opportunity to seriously further their careers, they face a decision which will change their lives, and maybe the country, forever. Go Feral Like The Big Dogs. is a vibrant, thrilling piece, which investigates corporate greed, ambition and the limits of humanity itself.”
H
Here There Are Blueberries (Stratford East)
“In 2007, a mysterious album featuring Nazi-era photographs arrived at the desk of a U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum archivist. As curators unravelled the shocking truth behind the images, the album soon made headlines and ignited a debate that reverberated far beyond the museum walls.
Based on real events, Here There Are Blueberries tells the story of these historical photographs—what they reveal about the perpetrators of the Holocaust, and our own humanity.”
I
I’m Sorry, Prime Minister (Apollo)
“From the BAFTA Award-winning co-creator of Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister, Jonathan Lynn, comes the long-awaited final chapter of British political satire — and it is as cunning, cutting, and catastrophically funny as ever.
Jim Hacker (played by national treasure Griff Rhys Jones) is back — older, but perhaps not wiser, and still utterly baffled by the real world. Hoping for a quiet retirement at the tranquil Hacker College, Oxford, Jim instead finds himself facing the ultimate modern crisis: cancelled by the college committee.
Enter the delightfully devious Sir Humphrey Appleby (played by the acclaimed Clive Francis), who has lost none of his love for bureaucracy, Latin phrases, and well-timed obstruction. Can Humphrey outmanoeuvre the meddling students, the Fellowship, and reality itself? Or is it finally time to say, “I’m Sorry, Prime Minister…”?””
Iolanthe (Wilton’s Music Hall) *
“The “masters of G&S” and Off West End award winning Charles Court Opera, return to Wilton’s to present their enchanting production of Gilbert & Sullivan’s sharp satire of power, privilege and parliamentary democracy.
The production is directed by renowned operetta specialist John Savournin, whose recent productions include The Merry Widow and Trial by Jury for Scottish Opera, Opera Holland Park and D’Oyly Carte and CCO’s recent production of Patience.
This witty and magical operetta tells a tale of forbidden love causing an absurdist fusion of two worlds – the magical fairies of Fairyland and a bamboozled House of Peers. Featuring some of Sullivan’s most glorious music, including ‘Oh foolish fay’, ‘If you go in, you’re sure to win’ and what is popularly known as ‘The Nightmare Song’, audiences can expect an evening of first class entertainment and riotous fun suitable for all ages.”
K
Krapp’s Last Tape (Stanley Arts) *
“Krapp’s Last Tape is a journey through an old man’s life, filled with hilarious memories and hopes for the future, coupled with the mourning of lost love and unfulfilled ambition. This production, directed by Academy Award nominee Stockard Channing and starring David Westhead, tours globally throughout 2025.
Revel in Samuel Beckett’s classic play, as audiences are invited into Krapp’s world of solitude, memories, dreams, elation, and despair. This touring production has been brought to life in disused function rooms, underground vaults, former jails, and dusty factories. We are transported to a land of joy, sadness, lost ambition, love, madness, and hope.”
M
“As the stench in their building intensifies and infestations spread, a lonely group of tenants starts to ask questions.
But when the housing association barely lifts a finger in support and pest control “don’t deal with maggots”, the neighbours are left to grapple with their suspicions and fears alone – blurring the boundaries of their usually private lives in the process.
Through shared storytelling, Maggots explores loneliness, systemic failure, and what it means to build community – questioning what we owe our neighbours and what it costs to look away.”
Manic Street Creature (Kiln) *
“Ria is a singer-songwriter. She’s talented. She’s ambitious. And she’s driven- quite literally- all the way from Lancashire to London, to start afresh in Camden Town.
Charting the rise and fall of a rollercoaster relationship, Ria is recording her debut album with her band. But the more the tracks progress, the more music and memory collide…
This soaring piece of gig theatre from Olivier Award winner Maimuna Memon brings a raw and powerful insight into first love, co-dependence and mental health care – but most of all, how music can help us start again.”
Miles (Southwark Playhouse Borough) *
“Miles. is a bold theatrical work inspired by the life and legacy of Miles Davis and his musical influences. Offering an imagined portrait, the play explores the inner world of an artist driven by innovation, ambition, and contradiction.
Following an acclaimed sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe 2025, the newly extended version of Miles. transfers to Southwark Playhouse Borough this February.
Written and directed by Oliver Kaderbhai, and created by the same creative team behind the original production, Miles. is realised in Delirium’s distinctive visual style. Blending performance, projection, and heightened theatrical imagery, the production crafts a dreamlike journey through creativity, addiction, and artistic risk.”
Monstering the Rocketman (Arcola) *
“When The Sun falsely accuses Elton John, 39, of “sordid rent boy sex sessions”, the Rocketman blasts it with a whopping multi-million-pound lawsuit…
But for unrepentant editor Kelvin Mackenzie, 40, “Sorry” seems to be the hardest word. He launches a staggering year-long campaign of media harassment, which could break the Rocker.
In the end: is Elton still standing? Or does the Sun go down on him?.”
P
The Story of Peer Gynt (The Coronet) *
“Norwegian star Kåre Conradi’s critically acclaimed one-man dramatised lecture about one of Ibsen’s most famous and colourful characters, Peer Gynt.
Since discovering the play at 17, Conradi has had a passionate connection with Peer Gynt. In just over an hour, he moves effortlessly between storyteller and the feckless Peer himself to shed new light on Ibsen’s legendary play.
Peer Gynt is the story of a charming but lazy and arrogant young man who leaves home to seek his fortune. Embarking on a series of fantastic voyages around the world, he has one incredible adventure after another.”
This charismatic stripped-back performance goes to the core of what makes Ibsen one of the most performed writers in the world.
Plays for a Poor Theatre (Bread & Roses) *
“Howard Brenton’s Plays for a Poor Theatre will be revived in a week-long run at the Bread & Roses Theatre in Clapham by multi-award-winning, Divided Culture Co.
Heads, Gum and Goo, and the Education of Skinny Spew are to be staged for five-nights only. Known as the ‘Plays for a Poor Theatre’ these striking plays are actor-heavy, subverting traditional notions of theatre and promoting critical reflection. Little set, little technology – instead, they tell stories of childhood, identity and society – through physicality, brutal imagery and metaphors.”
Practically Imperfect (OSO Arts Centre) *
“The very private writer PL Travers lives quietly in Chelsea. Out of the blue, her very own creation, Mary Poppins, suddenly appears in Travers’ office, asking difficult questions Travers would rather not answer and, equipped with an accordion, performing the kind of music Travers really wanted in the Mary Poppins film (including Edwardian songs such as Lily of Laguna).
From The Telling, award-winning writer Clare Norburn and BAFTA-nominated director Nicholas Renton. Starring past OSO Artist in Residence Lottie Walker as PL Travers and actor-musician Joanna Brown as Mary Poppins.”
R
“In fashionable 1920s Belgravia, Sheila, a talented novelist, and Keld, an aspiring playwright, embark on married life. Both are fiercely ambitious, but when Keld’s career takes off and Sheila’s doesn’t, professional jealousy and an affair have a devastating effect on their marriage.
Startlingly moving, but full of customary sparkling wit and dark humour, Noël Coward’s first play is given a stylish period revival for its centenary year. The Rat Trap is lovingly revised by Bill Rosenfield and presented by Troupe, who return to Park Theatre after its critically acclaimed production of The Forsyte Saga Parts 1 and 2.”
S
“Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey, Paddington, Twenty Twelve) stars as C.S. Lewis alongside acclaimed actor Maggie Siff (Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy, Billions) as the spirited American poet Joy Davidman whose unexpected love transforms the orderly academic life of C.S Lewis – the celebrated author of The Chronicles of Narnia. What begins as a meeting of minds becomes an uplifting and powerful journey of love and the fragile beauty of life.
Originally a sell-out production at Chichester Festival Theatre, Rachel Kavanaugh directs this strictly limited engagement at London’s Aldwych Theatre from 5 February.”
Spanish Oranges (Playground Theatre) *
“Fiona is a novelist on the brink of fame with a new book that blurs the line between fiction and confession. Ivo, once a celebrated actor, has been canceled—and he suspects Fiona’s success may be built on the bones of his downfall. Set over a single turbulent morning, this razor-sharp play examines the shifting power dynamics between love and ambition, truth and narrative, art and the people it consumes.
Loosely inspired by Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Ingmar Bergman’s Scenes from a Marriage, Spanish Oranges is a searing exploration of modern intimacy and the lies we tell on the page, on the stage, and to each other.”
Spin Cycles (Camden People’s Theatre)
“Performed predominantly on and with a spinning bike, Spin Cycles explores the processing and suppression of grief through the strange cult-like world of spin classes.
Spin Cycles gives a cathartic look into why we search for something deeper when the inconceivable happens to us. After an earth-shattering year, can she spin herself out of a slump? She’s not in a cult … yet? Is she? Spin Cycles is a one person show about spinning, grief, love, healing and everything in between.”
T
That’ll Be The Day (London Palladium) *
“Coming back to the iconic London Palladium after 10 years, That’ll Be The Day returns for a night of unforgettable entertainment! Don’t miss this spectacular performance celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the show and Trevor’s farewell tour.
Experience a unique blend of rock ‘n’ roll, pop, and comedy, featuring timeless hits from the 50s through to the 80s. This remarkable evening will also feature a special guest, Britain’s Got Talent finalist, Tom Ball, who will join the cast on stage for one night only, adding his extraordinary vocals to an already unforgettable celebration.
Join us to celebrate this milestone as we enjoy four decades of entertainment, showcasing the energy, passion, and talent that has made That’ll Be The Day the UK’s longest-running touring theatre show. Celebrate the legacy, relive the hits, and bid farewell to Trevor in the heart of London’s West End.”
To Maury With Love (Drury Lane) *
“To celebrate multi-Tony Award winning composer Maury Yeston’s 80th birthday, producer Danielle Tarento presents a concert of his most well know and loved music, directed by Thom Southerland.
Tarento and Southerland have collaborated previously on several of Yeston’s shows in the UK, including the London premieres of Titanic the Musical and Death Takes a Holiday and a critically acclaimed revival of Grand Hotel. These musicals will be represented in the concert, along with music from Nine, Phantom and many others, including never-before heard songs and an overture written especially for the occasion.
Heading the cast will be West End and Broadway star Ramin Karimloo. No stranger to Yeston’s work, Karimloo played Barrett in the recent Encore’s production of Titanic the Musical at NYCityCenter and Guido Contini in Nine in Concert for Hope Mill Theatre at The Lowry. Also appearing are Graham Bickley, Rob Houchen and Kelly Mathieson.”
“Join TUTU on a hilarious journey, where incredible dance skills and inventive parody intertwine. Featuring an all-male cast of six dancers decked out in flamboyant costumes, from ducks to divas. Choreographed by Philippe Lafeuille, TUTU is back by popular demand.
A family-friendly, gender norm-defying dance extravaganza, TUTU pays homage to the dance world that can sometimes take itself a little too seriously. Yes, a bare-chested tutu-clad man can perform a stunningly graceful pointe solo! This playful new perspective shatters stereotypes and makes dance accessible for all.”
U
Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch (The Other Palace)
“Disney villain. Octo-woman. Plus-size icon.
The five-star, sold-out, splash-hit Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula The Sea Witch returns to London for a limited eight-week run in 2026.
Unfortunate dives into the story of everyone’s favourite Disney diva, as she spills the tea on what really goes on under the sea in this tale of sex, sorcery and suckers!”
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry (Theatre Royal Haymarket)
“Harold Fry was never meant to be a hero. An ordinary man in an ordinary life until a letter from a long-lost friend sends him out the front door… and he keeps on walking. From Devon’s quiet lanes to the windswept streets of Berwick-upon-Tweed, his journey becomes a pilgrimage of love, redemption, and second chances.
Strangers turn into companions, kindness appears in unexpected places, and the road reveals more than Harold ever imagined. Back home, his wife Maureen begins her own journey, one that might bring them together again.”
V
The Vertical Hour (The Questors) *
“Conflicted war reporter turned Yale academic, Nadia, and her boyfriend Philip are visiting Oliver, his reclusive father in the Shropshire hills. Talk turns to politics, solitude, love. Their views are very different. Over a fraught 24 hours the three taunt and test each other. Passions and wits clash as they wrestle with reconciling existence in a fractured world while enjoying a rich personal life. As the dawn breaks, the night’s revelations lead each of them to painful self-examination.
David Hare’s marvellous play, written after the invasion of Iraq, is as biting and resonant now as it was then.”
“Friday night. Four girls. Two boys. Alone in a house. Some of them are in love. Most of them are virgins. Everyone’s pretending they know what they’re doing.
Tonight’s the night they stop pretending.
This is Miriam Battye’s (Strategic Love Play, Succession) The Virgins: a funny and devastating fever dream of desire and teenagerhood, directed by Olivier-nominated Jaz Woodcock-Stewart (Paradise Now!, Grud, The Glass Menagerie).”
W
“Two estranged sisters reunite on a park bench after their mother’s funeral. Makayla hasn’t been home since she left ten years ago; Ally hasn’t left since she dropped out of university.
Together they confront the ghosts and misunderstandings of their difficult but shared history. Honest, funny and raw, Headache Creative’s new play is a story about the strong but complicated bond of sisterhood.
What I’d Be is for the ones who escaped and for the ones who stayed.”
“Elliot Hooper’s life is highly suboptimal. His mum isn’t very well, his posh neighbour is trying to steal his home and he has ever so slightly unleashed an evil death daemon into the world… Luckily (according to her), the constellation Virgo has crash landed in his dungheap and with the help of a legendary family of ancient Greek Gods, Elliot is on a quest to save THE world. But can he save HIS world too…?”