A guide to shows inspired by myths, folklore, and fairy tales

Surrender to the fantastic with an array of magical shows, including Hadestown, Wicked, and The Nutcracker.

No one is ever too old to be enchanted by the worlds conjured up by incredible folklore. The oral tradition is the oldest form of storytelling, and versions of beloved tales of magic, romance and adventure have been handed down through hundreds, or even thousands, of years.

These stories have been told through drama, musicals, opera, ballet, and pantomime. Revisionist interpretations can offer fascinating insights into how they relate to our contemporary society, while traditional takes provide comfort and sheer escapism.

Read on for our guide to some of the most magical shows London has to offer.

Hadestown

Originally conceived as an indie project touring rural Vermont, composer, lyricist, and book writer Anais Mitchell’s folk musical Hadestown won eight Tony Awards, and the acclaimed West End production recently had a cast change, welcoming Dylan Wood and Madeline Charlemagne in the lead roles.

Orpheus is a poor boy who loves Eurydice, but Eurydice is starving and makes a bargain with Hades, the megalomaniac god of the Underworld. Orpheus sets out to bring her back. We know from the beginning that “It’s a sad tale, it’s a tragedy”, but it’s how the myth unfolds that matters – is the heartbreak really inevitable?

Book Hadestown tickets on London Theatre.

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical

Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians series (seven titles so far) has been delighting young readers since 2005. The franchise has been the basis of two films, a Disney+ series, and a musical. Taking the title of the first instalment in the series, The Lightning Thief started as an Off Broadway show, made its Broadway debut in 2019, and now comes to London's The Other Palace.

Percy Jackson is a 12-year-old New Yorker who learns that he’s half-god through his father, sea deity Poseidon. All sorts of adventures ensue, and encounters with the Minotaur, Medusa, and many more are even more thrilling when set to music! The perfect family adventure over the festive season.

Check back for The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical tickets on London Theatre.

Hercules

We have a while to wait for this superhuman new Disney show, which is due to open at Theatre Royal Drury Lane (a suitably heroic setting) in summer 2025. The 1997 Disney movie features epic songs by Alan Menken and David Zippel, and the score has been expanded further for the stage musical.

Like Percy Jackson, Hercules has been raised among mortals and goes on a journey in which he learns about what it means to be a hero. Casting is to be announced – to quote the final number, it’s likely that a star will be born!

Check back for Hercules tickets on London Theatre.

Wicked

L. Frank Baum’s 1900 children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz has been hailed by the Library of Congress as “America’s greatest and best-loved fairy tale”. The book is more political than the 1939 film with Judy Garland, and Gregory Maguire seized on this with his spin-off Wicked.

The musical is much more uplifting than the novel but still demonstrates how fantasy is the perfect vehicle for sneaking in political satire – much better than overt preachiness! As the Wizard says to Elphaba, “Where I'm from, we believe all sorts of things that aren't true. We call it ‘history’”.

Book Wicked tickets on London Theatre.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

When you watch this enchanting actor-musician musical, you’ll find it hard to believe that the story of a man who ages backwards isn’t an ancient folk tale and was in fact penned by F. Scott Fitzgerald (best known for The Great Gatsby – a 20th-century anti-fairy tale of sorts) in 1922.

Relocating the story to early 20th-century Cornwall, writers Jethro Compton and Darren Clark take the essence of Fitzgerald’s story and imbue it with myriad influences of the natural world. It’s a tearjerker that transports you to a magical, elemental realm.

Book The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tickets on London Theatre.

Cymbeline

Shakespeare borrowed from fairy tales and folklore on numerous occasions, from A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Macbeth. One of his less well-known offerings, the titular Cymbeline (based on the semi-legendary Cunobeline) is king of ancient Britain – gender-switched to queen in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse’s upcoming production.

The candlelit venue is marvellously atmospheric and ought to be the perfect setting for this tragicomic story of love, skullduggery, rebellion, and reconciliation.

Book Cymbeline tickets on London Theatre.

Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake

Perhaps the most successful and enduring dance show of the last 30 years, Matthew Bourne’s contemporary take on the fantastical story of Swan Lake (inspired by elements from Russian and German folklore) casts a man as The Swan/The Stranger, surrounded by an ensemble of male swans.

The production’s exploration of gay love ruffled a few feathers when it was first performed in 1995. It’s now seen as a modern classic, using Tchaikovsky’s sweeping score and principal storyline to explore contemporary issues related to sexuality and mental health.

Book Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake tickets on London Theatre.

The Nutcracker

Based on a fairy tale written by E.T.A. Hoffman in 1816, The Nutcracker, with its evergreen Tchaikovsky score, is the definitive Christmas ballet. Travel to the enchanted kingdom of the Sugarplum Fairy with the intrepid young heroine Clara and battle the wicked Mouse King!

English National Ballet’s production (which drops the definite article) plays performances at the London Coliseum and is set in well-to-do Edwardian London. Birmingham Royal Ballet’s extra-large-scale production plays at the majestic Royal Albert Hall. You can’t go wrong with either magical offering before Christmas or during Twixmas.

Book Nutcracker (London Coliseum) tickets on London Theatre.

Book The Nutcracker (Royal Albert Hall) tickets on London Theatre.

Cinderella

Based on the quintessential fairy tale (its roots go back to ancient times, and the first European version was published in Italian in 1634) in which a kitchen maid becomes a princess, Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella was first performed by the Royal Ballet in 1948 with Moira Shearer in the title role and quickly became a staple of the company.

The production has had a glow-up in recent years with new set design by Olivier-winner Tom Pye and costumes by Oscar-winner Alexandra Byrne. With visuals influenced by nature and flowers, it’s lovelier than ever.

Book Cinderella tickets on London Theatre.

Hansel and Gretel

Into the woods… but mind the Witch in her gingerbread house! The Brothers Grimm’s tale continues to delight and terrify. As with The Nutcracker, there are two versions to choose from this year. Combining folk songs with operatic techniques, Englebert Humperdinck’s enduringly catchy children’s opera plays at the Royal Opera House and transports audiences of all ages back to the haunted German forests of old.

And, in Shakespeare’s Globe’s Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Poet Laureate Simon Armitage’s verse adaptation returns with “a new recipe of music, mayhem and festive magic”, aimed at audience members aged 5+. Don’t forget to leave a trail of breadcrumbs behind you...

Book Hansel and Gretel (Royal Opera House) tickets on London Theatre.

Book Hansel and Gretel (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse) tickets on London Theatre.