Autumn is here and as we swap al fresco lunches and warm-weather sundowners for cosy nights indoors, we’re looking ahead to what’s coming up on the London stage. Plenty of new shows are opening in West End, as well as revivals or ongoing runs of much-loved classics and acclaimed modern productions. We’ve rounded up ten of the best plays to book tickets for this autumn-winter
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby
The hit BBC gangster series comes to the stage- in dance form. Performed by the Rambert dance company, the show acts as a prequel of kinds to the TV series, telling the story of the early years of Thomas Shelby. Beginning in the trenches of the First World War, the show unfolds into a theatre epic told through dance, exploring how the bonds forged in Flanders formed the basis of the Peaky Blinders gang. Plenty of characters from the show will be featured in a new light, and it’ll also feature plot elements loosely based off of the first series of the TV show. The Redemption of Thomas Shelby was written by series creator Steven Knight, so you can expect an immersive and faithful theatre performance.
THEATRE: WEMBLEY PARK
DATES: 12.9.22 – 06.11.22
BOOK TICKETS HERE
My Neighbour Totoro
Studio Ghibli’s iconic 1988 anime My Neighbour Totoro is getting a stage adaptation this year in London, from a collaboration of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the film’s composer, Joe Hisaishi. It tells the same coming of stage story exploring the fantastical imagination of childhood as the original, focusing on the adventures of two young girls and their interactions with friendly spirits from the woods. The production will feature puppetry and a orchestral version of the score to create an incredible and enchanting experience for all ages.
THEATRE: THE BARBICAN
DATES: 8.10.22 – 21.1.23
BOOK TICKETS HERE
The Doctor
The Doctor is an adaptation of a 1912 Austrian drama, updated by Robert Icke to be set in North London and follows the story of Professor Ruth Woolf. When the professor prevents a priest from entering the operating room of a girl dying after a botched self-administered abortion, there’s an outcry from several of the hospital staff, the girl’s father and members of the public. This current run of the play, and The Duke of York’s theatre, features Juliet Stevenson as Ruth Woolf, and has received acclaim across the board for her performance.
THEATRE: THE DUKE OF YORK
DATES: 29.9.22 – 11.12.22
BOOK TICKETS HERE
Orlando
This new production of the play Orlando, based on the novel by Virginia Woolf, features The Crown star Emma Corrin in the central role. The play focuses on a poet who changes their sex from a man to a woman, and lives for several hundred years. They meet some of English literary history’s most notable figures, from the reign of Elizabeth I to the 1920s. This version is adapted by Neil Bartlett and directed by Olivier award winner Michael Grandage- Corrin has also bagged an Olivier for their performance in last year’s Anna X.
THEATRE: GARRICK
DATES: 25.11.22 – 25.02.23
BOOK TICKETS HERE
Mandela
A new musical exploring the life of one of the 20th century’s most iconic figures, Mandela will run at the Young Vic later this year from November. Telling the story of “Mandela the man and Mandela the movement”, the production features South African rhythms to portray the anti-Apartheid movement. It delves into themes of revolution, protest and struggles for freedom, and was written by Laiona Michelle, who previously penned Little Girl Blue, a musical about singer Nina Simone.
THEATRE: YOUNG VIC
DATES: 29.11.22 – 04.02.23
BOOK TICKETS HERE
By The Handbook
Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby
My Neighbour Totoro
The Doctor
Orlando
Mandela
