The best London theatre shows to see in 2024

Heading to the West End to see one of the hottest London theatre shows is a firm favourite thing to do in London. Actors playing multiple parts remains a popular trend for 2024, while an uptick in musical adaptations of films and a plethora of starry names (Brian Cox, Steve Coogan, Sarah Snook et al) presenting centre stage are likely to ensure bums on proverbial seats this year. Beyond starry cast lists, productions’ creative teams are name-checking some big hitters too – Elton John, Rufus Wainwright and Sam Mendes are just three standouts. In short, there’s much to get excited about across London’s Theatreland (and beyond) for 2024. Below, you’ll find a dozen shows to add to your calendar this year. And if you're looking to grab supper before the show, then look at our list of the best pre-theatre menus in London.

The best London theatre shows to see in 2024

Six the Musical

It’s about time King Henry VIII's wives told their side of the story, and what better way to do it than battle it out in a pop sing-off? The six Tudor wives have ditched the frilly neck collars and corsets for a modern uniform of fluorescent structured dresses, glittery boots and tiaras. Each takes to the mic, telling their side of events and how they either came to be beheaded, divorced or deceased. Expect an evening of singing along and grooving in your seat; by the end of the show, you’ll be on your feet, dancing to the catchy tunes. The show will run at the Vaudeville Theatre until May 2025. Sophie Knight

Address: Vaudeville Theatre, 404 Strand, London WC2R 0NH
Website: sixthemusical.com
Dates: Booking until May 2025

Matilda

The all-singing, all-dancing production of Matilda is a global sensation, with a London iteration at the Cambridge Theatre and an international tour that includes Mumbai and Abu Dhabi. This West End adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s book – and the subsequent films – follows the story of a determined little girl with special powers. The cast of talented young performers delivers an electrifying performance overseen by the comic yet terrifying Miss Trunchbull. If you need any more convincing, the show has garnered 100 international awards, including 24 for Best Musical, solidifying its status as a must-see production.

Address: Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street, London WC2H 9HU
Website: matildathemusical.com
Dates: Booking until May 2025

Mean Girls

Charlie Burn takes on the role of Cady Heron, supported by the ‘plastics’ Georgina Castle, Elèna Gyasi, and Grace Mouat in the West End adaptation of Mean Girls – the 2004 Lindsey Lohan movie that has stood the test of time. Following a successful Broadway run, the show is now available to London’s audiences, with 140,000 tickets released for the highly sought-after Savoy Theatre seats. Expect all the drama and twists and turns of the film, now with a musical twist, as Cady navigates her time at North Shore High, intent on dethroning Regina George from her position as Queen Bee. Connor Sturges

Address: Savoy Theatre, Savoy Court, The Strand, London WC2R 0ET
Website: thesavoytheatre.com
Dates: Booking until February 2025

The Devil Wears Prada

Dig out your cerulean sweater – The Devil Wears Prada is making its way to the Dominion Theatre this October, and it's already one of the most highly-anticipated London theatre shows in recent times. The new musical, based on Lauren Weisberger's best-selling 2003 novel and the 2006 blockbuster film, features music by Elton John, with direction and choreography by Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots, Legally Blonde, Hairspray). The storyline remains loosely the same, following aspiring writer Andy Sachs’s time at Runway magazine, reporting to its austere Editor-in-Chief, Miranda Priestly. Elton John’s recent (much praised) stage musical Tammy Faye (which also premiered in 2022, when TDWP premiered in the US) is a promising point of reference.

Address: Dominion Theatre, 268-269 Tottenham Court Road, London W1T 7AQ
Website: devilwearspradamusical.com
Dates: 24 October 2024 – 31 May 2025

Shrek the Musical

Shrek's popularity knows no bounds, so, unsurprisingly, the audience at this fun-filled musical is made up of just as many groups of adults as families bringing along children. It's a wonderfully chaotic few hours with excellent sets and magnificent costumes, and it's easy to forget you're actually in Hammersmith. One warning: there's just one song from the much-loved film soundtrack, but the cast – which includes Todrick Hall as Donkey and Joanne Clifton as Fiona – belt out the original songs so beautifully, you'll barely miss the crowd-pleasers. Abigail Malbon

Address: Eventim Apollo, 45 Queen Caroline Street, London W6 9QH
Website: eventimapollo.com
Dates: Until Saturday 31 August

The Paddington Bear Experience

Nostalgic adults and children of all ages will love being transported to Paddington Bear’s world, with an immersive multi-room experience which will leave everyone with sticky paws. Step through Mr Gruber’s famous antique shop into Paddington Station, where a cheery station master sends you on a train to Windsor Gardens. Once there, visitors must help Mrs Brown prepare for a marmalade street festival, taking families on an interactive trip through Paddington’s drama-filled London home – which includes problem-solving with Mrs Bird and an unexpected orange hunt in a Peruvian rainforest. Once successful in the quest for marmalade, visitors are released into the street party, with games and marmalade sandwiches for the children and baileys-infused orange hot chocolate for the adults – culminating in pictures alongside everyone’s favourite bear. This isn't your traditional West End spectacle, but rather a fun theatrical adventure for everyone involved. Jessica Rach

Address: Riverside Building, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London, SE1 7PB
Website: paddingtonbearexperience.com
Dates: Currently booking until April 2025

The Gruffalo

This summer, The Gruffalo hits Shaftesbury Avenue’s oldest theatre with an all-singing, all-dancing adaptation of Julia Donaldson's beloved children’s book. Audiences are invited on an interactive journey through the deep, dark wood as Mouse navigates a cockney Fox, a glamorous Snake and finally a terrifying Gruffalo on a quest for hazelnuts. Be prepared to clap and sing along to this contemporary and lively interpretation of the modern classic – 25 years after its release. Jessica Rach

Address: Lyric Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1D 7ES
Website: Lyric Theatre
Dates: Booking until 18 September

Dr. Strangelove

Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove, the Cold War comedy about a nuclear crisis, gets its first-ever stage adaptation at the Noël Coward Theatre from 8 October. The film, released two years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, starred Peter Sellers, who memorably took on three roles. Steve Coogan will follow suit in this stage production, playing a trio of parts: German scientist Dr. Strangelove, a British officer, and the US president. Adapted by Veep creator Armando Iannucci and Sean Foley, who also directs, the staged satire looks like a sure-fire hit.

Address: Noël Coward Theatre, 85-88 St Martin's Lane, London WC2N 4AP
Website: delfontmackintosh.co.uk
Dates: 8 October – 21 December 2024

Witness for the Prosecution

Witness for the Prosecution is one of the hottest immersive shows in London right now. Take a seat in London’s County Hall as the dramatic twists and turns of Agatha Christie’s iconic short story unfold. Theatre-goers are placed in the heart of the action as the prosecution battles the defence and a series of witnesses take the stand to give their shocking testimonies. Is Leonard Vole genuinely guilty of murdering a widow to inherit her wealth? Or is there much more at play in the tale of passion, justice and betrayal? You decide…

Address: London County Hall, Belvedere Road, London SE1 7PB
Website: witnesscountyhall.com
Dates: Booking until March 2025

Hello, Dolly!

A huge success when it premiered on Broadway in 1964, winning 10 Tony Awards – the perennially popular musical comes to The London Palladium this July with Imelda Staunton as the titular meddler, Dolly Levi. Travelling to Yonkers, New York, searching for a match for ‘half-a-millionaire’ Horace Vandergelder, things turn when Levi decides to make herself a match. Jerry Herman’s hummable tunes – ‘Put On Your Sunday Clothes’, ‘Before the Parade Passes By’, and, of course, ‘Hello, Dolly!’ – are reason enough to book a ticket, but it’s Staunton that’s the biggest draw here. Her Momma Rose in the Olivier-Award-winning Gypsy at the Savoy Theatre was sensational. (The was coincidentally produced by Michael Harrison, now producing Hello, Dolly!). The musical also reunites Staunton and director Dominic Cooke (following the critically acclaimed Follies at the National Theatre).

Address: The London Palladium, 8 Argyll Street, London W1F 7TF
Website: hellodollyldn.com
Dates: Until 14 September 2024