London Theatre: The Best Plays To Book Now
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3 years ago
The show will go on
When in London, it’s remiss to forget about the theatre – whether you’re here for the day, a week, or you’ve lived here your whole life. Our glittering capital is brimming with some of the best productions the industry has to offer. Here are the best London theatre shows and plays to book now and get excited for in the near future.
London Theatre: The Best Plays To Book Now
The Mousetrap
Where? St Martin’s Theatre (West Street, London WC2H 9NZ)
When? Monday–Sunday evenings, with matinee shows on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Currently booking until September 2024.
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London’s longest-running play is well worth watching, even over 70 years into its run. The Mousetrap is an infamous murder mystery production (written legendary novelist Agatha Christie), set in a newly opened countryside hotel where a snowstorm keeps a group of people trapped together. The only problem? There appears to be a murderer amongst them.
BOOK IT: the-mousetrap.co.uk
Hamnet
Where? Garrick Theatre (2 Charing Cross Rd, London, WC2H 0HH)
When? Monday–Saturday, with matinee shows on Thursdays and Saturdays. Currently booking until February 2024.
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From the Royal Shakespeare Company comes Hamnet, a play based on Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel of the same name that tells the love story of Agnes Hathaway and William Shakespeare – as well as the family life they had together that was riddled with tragedy.
BOOK IT: rsc.org.uk
Witness For The Prosecution
Where? Palace Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5AY)
When? Tuesday–Sunday, with matinee shows on Thursdays and Saturdays. Currently booking until April 2024.
© Johan Persson
Another Agatha Christie whodunnit (can you tell there’s a theme here when it comes to British plays?), Witness For The Prosecution takes a more immersive approach by taking over London’s Country Hall – using the old Council Chambers as a makeshift courtroom for the case. Here, the audience are placed in the thick of the action (quite literally, you have the final say on whether the accused, Leonard Vole, is innocent or guilt). See you in court.
BOOK IT: witnesscountyhall.com
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Where? London County Hall (London, SE1 7PB)
When? Wednesday and Friday–Sunday, with ability to book consecutive parts one and two on the same day. Currently booking until May 2024.
The most awarded play in history, this one needs no introduction. For those yet to see Jack Thorne and JK Rowling’s epic two-part Harry Potter stage series, expect dazzling effects, shock plot twists and a stellar cast makes for a spellbinding adventure in this unique theatrical experience, set 19 years after the 2007 novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
BOOK IT: harrypottertheplay.com
Coming Soon: New London Plays
Stranger Things: The First Shadow
Where? Phoenix Theatre (Charing Cross Rd, London, WC2H 0JP)
When? Coming to London in November 2023. Tuesday–Sunday evenings, with matinee shows on Fridays and Saturdays. Currently booking until August 2024.
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Following in the popularity of Netflix original series Stranger Things comes a prequel play, Stranger Things: The First Shadow. Taking place in Hawkins in 1959, the story follows a rather regular town and it’s rather regular inhabitants – Jim Hopper’s car won’t start, Bob Newby’s sister won’t take his radio show seriously and Joyce Maldonado just wants to graduate – but the very irregular arrival of new student Henry Creel starts to turn things on its head.
BOOK IT: strangerthingsonstage.com
Plaza Suite
Where? Palace Theatre (Shaftesbury Avenue, W1D 5AY)
When? Coming to London in January 2024. Tuesday–Sunday evenings, with matinee shows on Thursdays and Saturdays. Currently booking until March 2024.
Plaza Suite by Neil Simon (c) Joan Marcus
Following a sell-out run on Broadway, Plaza Suite is coming to London in early 2024 – with Sarah Jessica Parker (making her West End debut) and Matthew Broderick in tow. The play itself is split into three parts, with the real-life husband-and-wife duo playing three characters each, telling the story of various couples visiting the Plaza Hotel in New York City.
BOOK IT: thesavoytheatre.com
An Enemy of the People
Where? Duke of York’s Theatre (St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4BG)
When? Coming to London in February 2024. Monday–Saturday evenings, with matinee shows on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Currently booking until April 2024.
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British actor Matt Smith makes his West End return with An Enemy of the People, the first English rendition of Henrik Ibsen’s famous play. It tells the story of a scientist who discovers that healing waters of his hometown’s baths have been contaminated – and then struggles to convince those he loves that he’s telling the truth.
BOOK IT: anenemyofthepeople.co.uk
Spirited Away
Where? London Coliseum (St Martin’s Lane, London WC2N 4ES)
When? Coming to London in April 2024. Tuesday–Sunday evenings, with matinee shows on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Currently booking until July 2024.
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Fans of Studio Ghibli will be ecstatic to know that its Oscar-winning animated film Spirited Away will be making its European theatrical debut in London next year. The show, which has been adapted by Les Misérables director John Caird, will see the original Japanese cast perform the production (with English subtitles provided) alongside a live orchestra playing Joe Hisaishi’s original film score. For those unfamiliar with the film, the story centres on Chihiro, a young girl who stumbles into the spirit world while moving to a new home with her parents.
BOOK IT: spiritedawayuk.com
Featured image: Plaza Suite by Neil Simon (c) Joan Marcus
