Top 5 West End shows for autumn/winter that you can book for now
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Nicholas Ephram Ryan Daniels
(Updated on Jul 24, 2020)
Update (24 July 2020): Please note that some shows on this list including Good and The Pillowman have postponed their performances until 2021 and this listicle is now out of date.
The show will go on! West End theatres may be shut for now due to coronavirus, but we are confident that London Theatreland will get back on its feet stronger than ever before! See our picks below for the Top 5 London theatre shows scheduled to open after the dust settles. Starring big-name celebrity actors from David Tennant (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Doctor Who) to Amber Davies (9 to 5), these five upcoming productions are open for booking right now:
The Pillowman revival returns to the stage at the end of July.
Top Five West End shows you can book tickets for right now
Help keep theatre alive and plan to see these five fantastic new productions after the dust from COVID-19 settles! With some of the industry's biggest stars set to tread the boards, you certainly won't want to miss these brand-new shows and revivals this autumn or winter!
1. The Pillowman revival starring Steve Pemberton and Aaron Taylor-Johnson
This captivating dark comedy penned by Martin McDonagh (The Cripple of Inishmaan) was last seen at London's Royal National Theatre more than 15 years ago in an Olivier Award-winning production featuring David Tennant in the lead role. Now, The Pillowman is back and ready to take the West End by storm this summer when it opens at the Duke of York's Theatre on 24 July. The new production stars action film star Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Kick-Ass) as Katurian and Steve Pemberton (The League of Gentlemen, Inside No. 9) as Tupolski.
The story of The Pillowman follows a fiction writer named Katurian who becomes the police's number one suspect after a series of child murders bear a striking resemblance to one of his short stories. This psychological thriller and black comedy filled with Sharon Stone-Basic Instinct vibes is the first major revival of McDonagh's critically acclaimed play. The Pillowman is booking now until 17 October 2020 from just £18!
2. Doctor Who star David Tennant in C.P. Taylor's Good play
He was rumoured to appear in Jamie Lloyd's Pinter at the Pinter season but was mysteriously missing from the line-up. Now David Tennant is finally set to make his long-awaited return to the West End stage after last appearing in Don Juan in Soho (2017, Wyndham's Theatre).
Written by C.P. Taylor, Good The Play is set in Germany during the Third Reich and is daring exploration of the human condition. How can a seemingly "good" man be convinced that the "evil" of the Holocaust is morally okay? John Halder, a philosopher (played by Tennant), finds himself asking, "What makes a person 'good,' exactly?"
Regarded as one of the greatest English-language pieces about Nazi Germany, Good is a groundbreaking play you won't want to miss. The show opens at London's Playhouse Theatre on 6 October and is booking now until 19 December 2020.
3. The Drifters Girl starring Beverley Knight at the Garrick Theatre
Renowned musical theatre actress and singer Beverley Knight, who is perhaps best known in the West End for her roles in Cats, The Bodyguard, Sylvia, and Memphis the Musical, is undoubtedly one of the greatest singers that London theatre has to offer. For her next project, Knight is set to headline a brand-new musical, taking on the role of the legendary first-ever African American music manager, Faye Treadwell.
Having passed away at age 84 in 2011, Treadwell is famous for managing the hit doo-wop, soul, and R&B group The Drifters, which included more than 50 talented vocalists over the years, from Ben E. King and Clyde McPhatter to Gerhardt Thrasher and Bill Pinkney. The Drifters Girl will feature such toe-tapping hits as "Under The Boardwalk", "Save The Last Dance For Me", "Come On Over To My Place", "Stand By Me" (Ben E. King), "Saturday Night at the Movies", and "Kissin' In The Back Row of the Movies". This spectacular semi-jukebox musical opens on 1 October 2020 and is booking until 13 February 2021 in an open-ended run.
4. Andrew Lloyd Webber's new Cinderella musical starring West End sensation Carrie Hope Fletcher
There's nothing more exciting than the thought of young West End superstar Carrie Hope Fletcher (Heathers, Les Miserables) stepping into Cinderella's iconic glass slippers; and a new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is always a pleasure! You won't need a fairy godmother to get a good deal on tickets to this theatre gem! Tickets for Cinderella showing at the Gillian Lynne Theatre from 9 October to 13 December 2020 are now on sale for just £24 and up! Hurry to secure your seats now before the clock strikes twelve and get ready for an unforgettable West End experience in the soon-to-be newly renovated Gillian Lynne Theatre this autumn!
5. Bring It On at London's Southbank Centre this Christmas 2020!
I said, "Brr!", it's cold in here. There must be some Amber Davies in the atmosphere! The Love Island series 3 winner is set to take on the starring role in the UK touring production of Bring It On! The hit musical loosely based on the 2000 film of the same name, which starred Kirsten Dunst, Eliza Dushku, Gabrielle Union, and Jesse Bradford, is set to run at the Southbank Centre's Queen Elizabeth Hall just in time for the holidays. Rest assured, Bring It On The Musical is no "stolen routine," boasting its own new storyline that is certified fresh and exciting.
Prepare for total domination as you get blown away by the show's new catchy numbers, including "Friday Night Jackson", "Tryouts", "What I Was Born To Do", "Killer Instinct", "Cross The Line", and "I Got You." The musical is written by Hamilton's Tony Award-winning mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda, Grease: Live's Tom Kitt, Avenue Q's Jeff Whitty, and High Fidelity's lyricist Amanda Green.
Bring It On opens in London on 9 December and is booking until 10 January 2021. Be sure to do a "front handspring, step out, round off, back handspring, step out, round off, back handspring, full-twisting layout" to the box office now to secure the best seats at Queen Elizabeth Hall, Southbank Centre whilst stocks last!