The West End lineup for 2026 is exceptional. Major revivals, star-driven productions, and fresh musicals are all booking now, with some already selling through summer and beyond.

If you're planning your theatre calendar for the year ahead, here are the shows that demand your attention right now. These aren't just worth seeing—they're the productions everyone will be talking about.

The Must-See Musicals

Hamilton

Victoria Palace Theatre

Lin-Manuel Manuel Miranda's revolutionary hip-hop musical about America's founding fathers continues its extraordinary West End run. Five years in, Hamilton still requires advance booking for decent seats, and there's no sign of momentum slowing.

What makes it essential is how it reimagines historical storytelling for the present moment. The casting is deliberately diverse, the music genre-blending and brilliant, and the energy relentless. You watch history unfold through rap battles, R&B ballads, and intricate choreography that somehow makes constitutional debates thrilling.

The Victoria Palace Theatre became Hamilton's home, and the intimacy of the space (compared to some vast West End houses) means even upper circle seats offer genuine connection to the performers. You're close enough to catch sweat flying during the rapid-fire verses.

Book for: Anyone who appreciates innovative theatre, hip-hop music, or American history reimagined. Families with teenagers find it particularly engaging—education disguised as entertainment.

Booking tip: Weekend performances book months ahead. Weekday evenings and matinees offer better availability at shorter notice.

Wicked

Apollo Victoria Theatre

Nearly twenty years into its West End run, Wicked defies gravity and box office expectations nightly. The untold story of the Witches of Oz remains the gateway musical for countless first-time theatregoers, and for good reason.

Stephen Schwartz's score delivers anthem after anthem—"Defying Gravity" stops the show at interval, "For Good" devastates at the end, and "Popular" provides perfect comic relief. The production design fills the Apollo Victoria with mechanical dragons, flying broomsticks, and emerald spectacle.

What elevates Wicked beyond its surface pleasures is the friendship at its core. The relationship between Elphaba and Glinda, how power corrupts, how history gets written by victors—these themes give the sparkle genuine substance.

Book for: First-time West End visitors, musical theatre fans, anyone who grew up with The Wizard of Oz and wants the other side of the story.

Seating advice: The Apollo Victoria is massive. Stalls offer the most immersive experience, but Dress Circle rows A-H provide excellent sightlines of the full staging.

Les Misérables

Sondheim Theatre

Forty years. Les Misérables has been running in London since 1985, making it the longest-running musical in West End history. Four decades of audiences weeping through "Bring Him Home," cheering the barricade, and leaving humming "Do You Hear the People Sing?"

The current production at the Sondheim Theatre maintains Cameron Mackintosh's reimagined staging from 2009—the projections, the revolve, the stripped-back emotional intensity that refocused attention on Claude-Michel Schönberg's stunning score and Alain Boublil's lyrics.

First-timers often underestimate Les Mis. They expect grand but dated. Instead they get theatrical perfection—a three-hour emotional journey through revolution, redemption, and the best musical theatre score ever written. That's not hyperbole. It's just true.

Book for: Anyone who appreciates epic storytelling, stunning voices, and the rare musical that earns its three-hour running time.

Worth knowing: The show has no interval. It's continuous storytelling, which makes the experience even more immersive but means strategic bathroom timing matters.

The Lion King

Lyceum Theatre

Twenty-five years into its West End residency at the Lyceum, The Lion King remains a technical marvel. Julie Taymor's direction and costume design transformed how we think about theatrical storytelling, creating a visual language that honours both African tradition and puppet theatre innovation.

The opening sequence "Circle of Life" alone justifies your ticket. Animals process through the audience—giraffes, elephants, birds, gazelles—all operated by visible performers whose skill makes you forget you're watching puppetry. By the time the sun rises over Pride Rock, you're sold.

Elton John and Tim Rice's songs deliver the emotional beats, from "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" to "He Lives in You," but Taymor's staging is the real star. Twenty-five years later, nothing on the West End matches its visual imagination.

Book for: Families with children aged 5+, anyone who loved the film, those curious about what theatrical magic looks like when budgets and creativity align.

Seating note: The Lyceum's steep rake means even upper circle offers clear views. Stalls provide the immersive experience of animals processing past your seat.

Back to the Future

Adelphi Theatre (Closes 12 April 2026)

Final months alert. After five years of flying DeLoreans and perfectly recreated 1980s nostalgia, Back to the Future closes in April. If you haven't seen it yet, 2026 is your last chance to catch it at the Adelphi before it tours.

The musical nails what made the film beloved—the time-travel confusion, the mother-son awkwardness played for comedy, the race-against-time urgency—while adding songs that somehow feel like they belonged all along. Alan Silvestri and Glen Ballard's score captures the film's spirit without trying to replace its iconic moments.

The DeLorean flight sequence is worth the ticket price alone. Watching a full-sized car lift off and travel through time on stage is genuinely jaw-dropping. The technical achievement rivals anything the West End offers.

Book for: 80s kids now showing their own children the film, anyone who appreciates spectacular staging, musical theatre fans curious how you adapt something already perfect.

Time-sensitive: Closing April 2026. Book now.

Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Phoenix Theatre

Stranger Things: The First Shadow, prequel to the Netflix series proved that streaming-to-stage adaptations can work when done right. This isn't a lazy cash-in rehashing familiar storylines. It's an original story set in 1959 Hawkins, exploring the origins of the Upside Down and introducing a young Henry Creel.

The Duffer Brothers co-wrote the script, ensuring it feels authentically part of the Stranger Things universe while standing alone as theatre. The production design captures the show's aesthetic—nostalgic Americana hiding supernatural horror—and the special effects are genuinely unsettling.

Stephen Daldry's direction means this isn't just spectacle. It's character-driven drama that happens to feature portal-opening monsters and psychic powers. The teenage cast delivers performances that would impress in any context, supernatural or otherwise.

Book for: Stranger Things fans (obviously), but also anyone curious about how prestige television aesthetics translate to stage, or those wanting genuinely thrilling theatre.

Worth knowing: Under 12s not recommended. The horror elements are real, and the show earns its atmosphere.

The Essential Plays

Arcadia

Old Vic (Opens 24 January)

Tom Stoppard's masterpiece returns in a new production directed by Carrie Cracknell. Arcadia is widely considered one of the greatest plays of the past 50 years—witty, intellectually playful, emotionally devastating, and structured with mathematical precision.

The dual timeline structure jumps between 1809 and the present, showing how past and present echo each other, how discoveries get lost and found, how passion drives both romance and scientific inquiry. Stoppard trusts his audience completely, never dumbing down the chaos theory or landscape gardening history or Byron biography at the play's heart.

Given Stoppard's death late last year, this production carries additional weight. It's both celebration and memorial, a chance to witness one of his finest works performed by actors who understand its complexity.

Book for: Theatre lovers who want to be challenged, Stoppard devotees, anyone who appreciates plays that reward attention and thought.

The Old Vic advantage: In-the-round staging at one of London's most atmospheric venues. You'll be close to the action regardless of seat choice.

1536

Vaudeville Theatre

Ava Pickett's 5-star new play examines a day in the life of Anne Boleyn before her execution. 1536 isn't a historical epic or bodice-ripper romance. It's an intimate character study asking what goes through someone's mind when they know they'll die tomorrow.

The play challenges how we've understood Anne Boleyn—moving past the wife/victim/seductress narratives to explore her as a political operator, mother, and woman facing manufactured charges designed to destroy her. Pickett's writing gives Anne complexity and agency even in her final hours.

Book for: Anyone tired of Henry VIII stories told from male perspectives, those who appreciate character-driven drama, fans of new writing that engages with history intelligently.

Why now: New plays can close quickly if word-of-mouth doesn't spread fast enough. The reviews are strong, but that doesn't guarantee a long run.

Shadowlands

Wyndham's Theatre (Opens 5 February)

Hugh Bonneville stars as C.S. Lewis in this revival of William Nicholson's play about the writer's unexpected late-life love affair with American poet Joy Davidman. Shadowlands explores grief, faith, and the fear of opening yourself to loss.

The play's gentleness belies its emotional power. It's not showy or manipulative. It simply watches two intelligent people discover they can still surprise themselves, then asks what love means when you know it's temporary.

Bonneville brings the same warmth that made him beloved as Downton Abbey's Lord Grantham, but with additional layers—Lewis's intellectual rigour, his emotional guardedness, his transformation through connection.

Book for: Anyone who appreciates intelligent romance, fans of C.S. Lewis (though you don't need to know his work), those seeking theatre that trusts subtlety over spectacle.

Opening soon: Preview performances offer the best value. The performance quality will be nearly identical to opening night.

Inter Alia

Noel Coward Theatre (Opens 15 May)

Rosamund Pike makes her West End debut in Emma Healey's world premiere. Inter Alia centres on a high-achieving woman navigating power, gender, and the consequences of speaking truth. The play reportedly draws inspiration from the #MeToo movement while avoiding simple narratives.

Pike's stage debut is significant. She's proven herself in film and television (Gone Girl, I Care a Lot, Saltburn), but theatre demands different skills. Early reports from rehearsals suggest she's bringing the intelligence and complexity her screen work promises.

Book for: Those curious to see a film star tackle demanding stage work, anyone interested in contemporary plays engaging with power dynamics, fans of new writing.

Advance booking advantage: Star vehicles sell fast. May seems distant, but prime seats disappear quickly.

The New Arrivals Worth Watching

Paddington The Musical

Savoy Theatre

The bear from Darkest Peru adapted into a West End musical works far better than it should. Paddington captures the gentle warmth of Michael Bond's stories while delivering genuine spectacle—puppetry, practical effects, and a bear who feels real despite being obviously operated.

The creative team resisted the urge to modernise or edgify Paddington. Instead they leaned into the kindness and British eccentricity that made the books beloved. The result is family theatre that adults enjoy as much as children.

Book for: Families with children 3+, anyone nostalgic for Paddington, those wanting theatre that's genuinely sweet without being saccharine.

Booking through: October 2026 currently. Expect extensions.

Moulin Rouge!

Piccadilly Theatre

Baz Luhrmann's film becomes a stage spectacular that somehow amps up the already-excessive original. Moulin Rouge! throws every era of pop music into a blender—from "Lady Marmalade" to "Firework" to "Chandelier"—and trusts you to keep up.

The Piccadilly Theatre underwent major refurbishment to house this production, and the result is immersive Moulin Rouge excess. Cabaret performers appear throughout the auditorium, the windmill spins, and red velvet overwhelms every surface.

Is it subtle? No. Is it restrained? Absolutely not. Is it spectacular fun that justifies its ticket price through sheer commitment to excess? Completely.

Book for: Those who loved the film, anyone wanting pure theatrical escapism, date nights requiring guaranteed wow-factor.

Seating note: Stalls central offers the full immersive experience. Upper sections provide better view of the choreography but lose some atmosphere.

Booking Strategy for 2026

Book long-runners early if you have fixed dates. Hamilton, Wicked, Les Mis, Lion King all take advance bookings months ahead. Securing your preferred dates and seats means booking now.

Watch opening dates for new productions. Arcadia (January), Shadowlands (February), Inter Alia (May) all begin booking shortly before opening. Set reminders.

Consider preview performances. Most shows offer preview tickets at reduced prices before official opening night. The quality difference is usually negligible.

Join tickadoo+ free membership. Earn rewards on every booking, whether it's theatre or travel. The savings accumulate faster than you'd expect.

Mix guaranteed hits with risks. See Hamilton and Wicked for sure, but also book something new like 1536 or experimental like Inter Alia. The unknowns sometimes become your most memorable nights.

What Makes These Shows Essential

Every show listed above delivers something you can't get anywhere else. Hamilton reimagines historical storytelling. Wicked provides gateway musical magic. Les Mis offers epic scale done right. Lion King creates visual poetry. Arcadia challenges and moves in equal measure.

These aren't random recommendations. They're the productions that exemplify why London's West End remains the world's greatest theatre district. They're the shows you'll remember seeing years later.

Ready to Book Your 2026 Theatre Calendar?

Browse all West End shows on tickadoo and start planning your year of theatre. Join the free membership to earn rewards on every ticket—savings that grow whether you're booking Hamilton next week or planning summer trips.

The best 2026 shows are booking now. The only question is which ones make your list.