The best way to start off your new year is with plenty of new shows! Happily, London is as busy as ever when it comes to great plays, musicals, comedy, cabaret and more, so you can find loads of enticing options in the West End and beyond in January 2025. 

Noel Streatfeild’s children's classic [*Ballet Shoes*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/43183-ballet-shoes) is continuing the festive cheer long into 2025 at the National Theatre, while [*The...

Top theatre to see in London in January

Ballet Shoes - LT - 1200

Find out the best shows to see in London in January 2025, including exciting new plays, big West End musicals, and Hollywood A-listers coming to town.

The original cast members of the National Theatre and Broadway production of [*Hadestown*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/24465-hadestown-tickets) will reprise their roles for a limited run in the West End next year. They will take over at the Lyric Theatre from 11 February to 9 March 2025. 

Reeve Carney (*Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark*) will return as Orpheus, André De Shields (*The Full Monty, Warp!, The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehaving*) as Hermes, Amber Gray (*Eureka Day, Here We Are, Natasha,...

Original 'Hadestown' lead cast to star in West End production

1200 LT Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada - Photograhy by Matthew Murphy

Reeve Carney will return as Orpheus, André De Shields as Hermes, Amber Gray as Persephone, Eva Noblezada as Eurydice, and Patrick Page as Hades.

Initial casting has been set for the return of the Olivier Award-winning play [*Dear England*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/43212-dear-england), written by James Graham. The show will return to the National Theatre in London for a 10-week run in March 2025.

Gwilym Lee, who has starred in a number of Shakespeare's plays, as well as the Queen biopic *Bohemian Rhapsody* (2018), will play the lead role of football manager Gareth Southgate, as he attempts to coach the England men's team to...

'Dear England' sets lead casting for National Theatre return

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Gwilym Lee will play the lead role of football manager Gareth Southgate, taking over from Joseph Fiennes who received an Olivier nod for his performance.

[*Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/37379-come-alive) has extended performances at the Empress Museum in London until September 2025.

Inspired by the world of *The Greatest Showman*, *Come Alive!* features Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s songs from the 2017 film, with an original storyline, all within a 700-seat Big Top venue. There's also an immersive pre-show experience, with on-site food options, multiple bars, and circus...

'Come Alive! The Greatest Showman Circus Spectacular' tickets now available through September 2025

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*Come Alive!* features Benj Pasek and Justin Paul’s songs from the 2017 film — such as "This is Me" and "Rewrite the Stars" — with an original storyline.

The London transfer of Olivier Award winner James Graham's play [*Punch*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/41716-punch), about the true story of a one-punch crime, has been extended by two weeks at the Young Vic. Performances will now run until 26 April.

Graham (*Best of Enemies, Dear England, This House, Sherwood*) brought Jacob Dunne’s moving memoir *Right From Wrong* to the Nottingham Playhouse stage earlier this year. It tells the story of teenager Jacob Dunne, who punches someone one...

James Graham's 'Punch' tickets now available through end of April 2025

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Graham's play is based on Jacob Dunne’s moving memoir *Right From Wrong* and tells his story of a one-punch crime, which has fatal consequences. 

Nobody puts baby in the corner! First-look artist impressions have been released of new west-London venue Capital Theatre, which will open with a production of [*Dirty Dancing*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/43487-dirty-dancing) in October 2025. 

Housed within Westfield London in Shepherd’s Bush, the permanent new theatre venue will hold 620 seats, set over 35,000 square feet, with no customer more than nine rows from the performance stage area.

The auditorium has been designed and...

First look inside London's new Capital Theatre ahead of 'Dirty Dancing'

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Check out these images inside west London's new venue Capital Theatre, which opens with a production of *Dirty Dancing* next autumn.

Casting has been announced for [*The Gift*](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/43087-the-gift), which opens at the Park Theatre in London on 22 January.

Nicholas Burns (*Nathan Barley, Benidorm, Black Mirror*) will take on the lead role of Colin. He is joined by Laura Haddock (*Downton Abbey: A New Era, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Inbetweeners Movie*) as Lisa and Alex Price (*Father Brown*, originated Draco Malfoy in *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child* in the West End and on Broadway) as...

Casting announced for 'The Gift' at Park Theatre

the gift cast LT 1200

*The Gift* is a comedy that follows Colin after he receives an unexpected cake box from his favourite patisserie, only to find that what's inside is very much not a cake.

Further casting has been announced for the UK premiere of *Here We Are*, which opens at the National Theatre in London on 23 April 2025.

Inspired by two of Luis Buñuel’s films – *The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie* and *The Exterminating Angel* – *Here We Are* is the final musical by Stephen Sondheim. It follows a group of guests at a dinner party, as they realise they’ve bitten off more than they can chew.

Joining this new production are Chumisa Dornford-May (*Natasha, Pierre & The Great...

Further casting announced for final Sondheim musical 'Here We Are'

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Inspired by two of Luis Buñuel’s films, *Here We Are* is the final musical by Stephen Sondheim and follows a group of guests at a dinner party.

Irish actor Paul Mescal is one of the biggest success stories of recent years. Born in 1996 in Maynooth, north County Kildare, Mescal initially aspired to be a footballer but discovered acting after an injury. He trained at Dublin’s Lir Academy of Dramatic Art and began his career as a stage actor.

Mescal’s mainstream breakthrough came in 2020 when he was cast as diffident student Connell Waldron in the television adaptation of Sally Rooney’s novel *Normal People* opposite Daisy Edgar-Jones....

Learn more about Paul Mescal's career ahead of 'A Streetcar Named Desire'

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The *Normal People* and *Gladiator II* star reprises his role as Stanley Kowalski at the Noël Coward Theatre in the West End for three weeks in February.

Paul Mescal - LON

Find out more about Paul Mescal theatre roles in London.

Paul Mescal - Stars on Stage | London Theatre

It’s been another fantastic, and fantastically varied, year of [London theatre](https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/). Multiple inventive revivals put a fresh spin on classic work, from Wilde and Shakespeare to Sophocles, while heartfelt new plays and musicals illuminated our complex world (and our obsession with true crime). 

Here are some of my top picks – and, happily, you still have time to catch a few of these gems.

![The Importance of Being Earnest - LT -...

The best of theatre 2024

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With 2024 drawing to a close, we look back on some of the year's theatrical highlights – from spectacular musicals to thrilling plays.

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This digital concert is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. Live musicians accompany digital avatars of the hit band ABBA in a totally new form of hybrid entertainment. 
Designed by the group themselves, you’ve never seen ABBA– or any concert– quite like this.
Get your tickets to *ABBA Voyage* at their purpose-built venue the ABBA Arena today. 

Set against the majesty of the Serengeti Plains and to the evocative rhythms of Africa, Disney's multi-award winning musical will redefine your expectations of theatre.

At its heart is the powerful and moving story of Simba - the epic adventure of his journey from wide-eyed cub to his destined role as King of the Pridelands.

Brilliantly reimagined by acclaimed director Julie Taymor, Disney's beloved film has been transformed into a spectacular theatrical experience that explodes with glorious colours, stunning effects and enchanting music.

An iconic, innovative musical that will still take your breath away. This global hit is the most successful stage show in history. Using vibrant puppetry to bring to life the classic Disney film, Julie Taymor’s production was groundbreaking when it debuted and continues to be unlike anything else on the West End. Let yourself be transported, grab your tickets to *The Lion King* at the Lyceum Theatre today.  

Come and hear the music of the night. One of the longest-running musicals in West End history, this Andrew Lloyd Webber piece is a global hit for a reason. Telling the tragic and romantic take of opera singer Christine and the mysterious man who haunts her, you’ll experience classic songs like "Music of the Night" and "The Phantom of the Opera" in their original staging. Get *The Phantom of the Opera* tickets at His Majesty’s Theatre today. 

The Phantom of the Opera

Freedom, beauty, truth, and love are the bohemian way! The hit film takes to the stage with all-new songs seamlessly blended with the classic medleys. 
This dazzling production reaches the West End after a hit Broadway debut in a stunning spectacular that brings all the magic of the Moulin Rouge cabaret to life.

Music, missionaries, and mischief combine in one of the best-loved comedy musicals of all time from the creators of South Park. Mormon missionaries find themselves in over their heads in Africa in a satirical but sweet story about finding who you really are. Check out tickets to *The Book of Mormon* at the Prince of Wales Theatre today.  

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