Saturday, 14 February 2026
Those who know me know that my relationship with theatre has always been deep and longlasting. Why else would I do these posts every year? Sadly, parenthood made finding the time a challenge in 2025, and one of my primary resolutions for 2026 is to make sure I get out to a few more shows, and enjoy the cultural cornucopia that is on offer. One can hope. Dreaming is part of the pleasure after all, and disappointing loyal readers is quite out of the question. So I’ve done the legwork regardless, delving deep into the cultural undergrowth to surface a selection of the most tantalising productions the year has to offer.
So here it is, our list of the top 10 theatrical productions to keep an eye on in 2026, perhaps with a slight London and Zurich bias, starting with number 10:
10. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" by Dale Wasserman, at the Old Vic
Let's begin with a classic. The upcoming revival of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest at The Old Vic in London runs from 1 April to 23 May.
Directed by acclaimed theatre-maker Clint Dyer, this new staging of Dale Wasserman’s adaptation of Ken Kesey’s iconic novel comes to life in the round, promising an immersive and visceral experience that brings audiences close to its fierce clash of individuality and institutional authority.
The production stars Aaron Pierre as the irrepressible Randle P. McMurphy and Giles Terera as Dale Harding, with Michelle Gomez taking on the chilling role of Nurse Ratched, supported by a richly drawn ensemble of patients and staff whose struggles and rebellions fuel the play’s emotional power. With its sharp social critique and kinetic presentation, this fresh take on a classic story of resistance and humanity is poised to be a standout of London’s 2026 theatre season.
9. "American Pyscho" by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Duncan Sheik, at the Almeida
Another revival. The 2026 return of American Psycho to the Almeida Theatre is one of London’s most talked-about shows this season, running from late January through 14 March 2026 as part of Rupert Goold’s final programme as the theatre’s artistic director, fittingly reopening the musical that launched his Almeida tenure in 2013.
Based on Bret Easton Ellis’s cult 1991 novel and adapted for the stage with a book by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and an electrifying ‘80s-inspired score by Duncan Sheik, this darkly satirical musical thriller dissects Wall Street excess, toxic masculinity and consumerist vanity through the chilling eyes of investment banker–by-night serial killer Patrick Bateman, now played by rising star Arty Froushan.
The production’s sleek, visually striking design, blending catwalk-like staging with pulsing electronic numbers and sharp choreography, amplifies both the satire and brutality at its heart, making it a provocative and timely theatrical event that resonates as disturbingly today as it did on its original premiere.
8. "Kimberly Akimbo" by David Lindsay-Abaire and Jeanine Tesori, at the Hampstead Theatre
Hampstead Theatre’s 2026 season brings to London one of contemporary musical theatre’s most beloved hits with the European premiere of Kimberly Akimbo, a brilliantly quirky and heartfelt show with book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire and music by Jeanine Tesori.
Running on the main stage from 28 August to 7 November 2026 under the direction of Michael Longhurst, this intimate new production introduces UK audiences to Kimberly Levaco, a spirited teenager whose rare condition causes her to age at four times the normal rate, giving her the appearance of an elderly woman even as she navigates the universal struggles of adolescence, family chaos and first love. Winner of five 2023 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book, Kimberly Akimbo mixes sharp humour with genuine emotional depth, inviting audiences to revel in its blend of whimsy and poignancy as it makes its anticipated London debut at Hampstead Theatre’s Swiss Cottage home.
The Royal Court Theatre’s 2026 staging of Samuel Beckett’s Krapp’s Last Tape returns this seminal one-man play to its historic home as part of the venue’s 70th anniversary season, running in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs from 8 to 30 May 2026.
In this new production, acclaimed actor Gary Oldman, who first took on the role in a celebrated 2025 run at York Theatre Royal, both directs and stars as Krapp, the solitary, aging man who, seated amid the detritus of his life, listens back to recordings of his younger self and confronts a lifetime of memory, regret and fleeting hope.
Each performance is paired with Godot’s To-Do List, a newly commissioned, Beckett-inspired short play by Jerwood Young Playwright Leo Simpe-Asante, creating a thematically rich double bill that honours Beckett’s minimalist genius while bringing fresh voices and humour into dialogue with his existential meditation on time and self-reflection.
6. "Ivanov" by Anton Chekhov at the Bridge Theatre
The Bridge Theatre’s new staging of Anton Chekhov’s Ivanov arrives in London for summer 2026, running from 4 July to 19 September in a contemporary reimagination by acclaimed Australian playwright-director Simon Stone.
In this modern take on one of Chekhov’s early great dramas, Hollywood star Chris Pine makes his London theatre debut as the melancholic Nikolai Ivanov, a man who, despite a seemingly stable marriage and successful career, finds himself adrift in a life weighed down by debt, existential malaise and personal disillusionment.
With Stone’s signature approach of transporting classic works into the present day and a creative team that includes innovative designers and sound artists, this Ivanov promises to probe timeless questions of fulfillment, identity and societal expectation with fresh immediacy and emotional depth at the Bridge’s striking riverside space.
5. "Monster's Paradise" by Olga Neuwirth, Opernhaus Zurich
Taking a break from London, we have the Zurich Opera House’s 2026 staging of Monster’s Paradise.
This marks the Swiss premiere of one of contemporary opera’s most striking new works, running on the Hauptbühne Opernhaus from 8 March to 12 April 2026. Composed by Olga Neuwirth with a libretto by Elfriede Jelinek, this politically charged, surreal music-theatre piece sends two vampiric avatars on a globe-spanning odyssey through a world in decline, where a grotesque tyrannical King-President and his conjured sea monster clash for power in a blend of tragedy and grotesque satire.
Under the visionary direction of Tobias Kratzer and with Swiss conductor Titus Engel on the podium, the production fuses live orchestra, avant-garde sound design, vivid video and striking visual imagery to explore authoritarianism, ecological collapse and the role of art in a chaotic age, making it one of Zurich’s most talked-about contemporary opera experiences of the season.
4. "War Horse" by Nick Stafford, at the National Theatre
One of the great pieces of British theatre, the revival of War Horse returns to the Olivier Theatre at the National Theatre in spring 2026, running from 16 May to 30 July 2026 as the landmark production comes “home” almost 20 years after its original premiere and following a hugely successful UK and Ireland tour.
Based on Michael Morpurgo’s beloved novel and adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford, this Tony-award-winning theatrical phenomenon blends stirring live music and songs with the ground-breaking puppetry of South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, whose life-sized creations bring the horses, especially Joey, the loyal steed at the heart of the story, to vivid, breath-taking life.
Set against the sweep of the First World War, War Horse follows young Albert’s determination to reunite with his beloved horse after Joey is sold to the cavalry, delivering a powerful meditation on love, loss, courage and the ravages of conflict that remains one of the most emotionally affecting and visually inventive experiences in modern theatre.
3. "Arcadia" by Tom Stoppard, at the Old Vic
The Old Vic Theatre in London presents a major revival of Tom Stoppard’s Arcadia from 24 January to 21 March 2026, marking the first time the play has been staged at the historic venue as part of artistic director Matthew Warchus’ final season.
Directed by Carrie Cracknell, this celebrated modern classic, often regarded as Stoppard’s masterpiece, interweaves two timelines within a Derbyshire country house: in 1809, a precocious young genius, Thomasina Coverly, explores mathematics, science and the mysteries of the universe with her tutor Septimus Hodge, while in the present day scholars piece together the clues of the past as they unravel love, loss, thermodynamics and literary intrigue.
With witty, flirtatious dialogue and a visually dynamic in-the-round staging, the production brings Stoppard’s deep blend of romance, intellectual inquiry and human emotion vividly to life for contemporary audiences.
2. "The Story" by Tracey Scott Wilson, at the National Theatre
The National Theatre’s 2026 British premiere of The Story is a gripping, high-stakes newsroom drama playing in the Olivier Theatre from 27 August to 24 October 2026.
Written by acclaimed American playwright Tracey Scott Wilson and directed by Clint Dyer, this taut thriller follows an ambitious Black reporter who defies her editor to pursue an incendiary lead inspired by real events, pushing questions of journalistic ethics, racial politics and the cost of truth-seeking to the forefront.
The production marks the National Theatre debut of BAFTA-winning screen star Letitia Wright in the central role, supported by a strong ensemble that includes Ashley Thomas, Lorraine Toussaint, Aliyah Odoffin and Wilf Scolding, with further casting to be announced. The Story promises to be a compelling blend of adrenaline-fuelled drama and timely social commentary, making it one of the standout new plays of the London season.
1. "Dracula" by Kip Williams, at the Noel Coward Theatre
And finally, our number 1 pick for 2026 in theatre. The Noël Coward Theatre’s 2026 West End production of Dracula isn’t a traditional staging of Bram Stoker’s gothic classic so much as a theatrical reinvention; a bold, immersive solo adaptation that reimagines the iconic vampire tale for a new era.
Directed and adapted by visionary Aussie creator Kip Williams, this electrifying version sees three-time Oscar nominee and Tony, Emmy and Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo return to the London stage in a tour-de-force performance in which she embodies all 23 roles, from the innocent solicitor Jonathan Harker to the terrifying Count himself, in a fusion of live action, video and cinematic techniques that pushes the boundaries of theatrical form.
Opening in February 2026 and running through 30 May 2026, the production blends high-tech storytelling with intimate performance to probe the seductive horror and timeless themes of fear, desire and the monstrous within, making it one of the West End’s most talked-about events of the season.
So there you have it folks: 2026 in theatre. Tune in soon for our next instalment of the Hot List, covering the essential new music coming this year!
