LATEST NEWS 2nd NOVEMBER 2026

PH: 2nd November 2026

• Patrick Stewart – has died aged 86. Stewart made his professional stage debut in 1959 at the Theatre Royal in Bristol before joining the Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966. He appeared in around 60 productions with the company and later became internationally known for his screen work, including Star Trek: The Next Generation. He returned to the RSC as Prospero in a 2006 production of The Tempest, which transferred to the West End the following year. His later stage work included West End and Broadway productions of Waiting for Godot, alongside his close friend Ian McKellen. Stewart was knighted in 2010 for services to drama. His theatre awards included Olivier Awards for Antony and Cleopatra in 1979 and Hamlet in 2009. His one-man production of A Christmas Carol also won the Olivier Award for Best Entertainment in 1994. West End theatres will dim their lights for two minutes at 7pm on Tuesday 3 November.
• Cinderella… A Very Happy Ending! – has announced the full cast for its 2026 Adult Panto, which runs at Mayflower Studios, Southampton from 26 November to 11 December 2026. Leading the cast as Cinders is Fiona Lynn, with David Dobson playing her Princey. They are joined by Danielle Fletcher as Fairy, Malcolm Clarke as Bunion, Katy Chalkley as Verruca and Lee Backhouse as Mankini. The adult panto is written & directed by David Dobson and produced by Julianne Watling-McCarthy for The Stage Door Productions. The show marks a major new chapter for The Stage Door’s Adult Panto, which moves to Mayflower Studios this year after more than a decade of entertaining Southampton audiences at their original home on the other side of the Guildhall Square. First launched in 2014, Adult Panto has become one of The Stage Door’s best-known productions, taking familiar fairy tales and giving them a decidedly grown-up makeover packed with outrageous comedy, rewritten songs, audience participation and plenty of innuendo.
• Fly, You Fools! – the Edinburgh Festival Fringe hit is set to play from 25 November 2026 to 16 January 2027 at Southwark Playhouse Borough. Following its London run, Fly, You Fools! will head to Birmingham Rep for five performances from 20 January to 23 January. Created by the team behind Hold On To Your Butts, Recent Cutbacks, the show is a live, shot-for-shot parody of the first Lord of the Rings film. Featuring four performers, they use physical comedy, live sound effects, and mime to help recreate Middle-earth on stage and turn the epic 178-minute film into a 60-minute theatrical experience. It received a four-star review from WhatsOnStage’s chief critic Sarah Crompton last year. This run comes in the 25th anniversary year of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. Set to star are Jack Baldwin, Charlie Burt, David Hoskin, Charlie Ives and Laurence Pears.
• The Smartest Giant in Town – Fierylight and Little Angel Theatre’s Olivier Award-nominated musical adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s much-loved classic will return to Mayflower Studios from 21 – 24 July 2027 as part of a new UK tour. This heart-warming stage production brings one of the nation’s favourite picture books to life in a magical musical adventure. Packed with delightful puppets, catchy songs and Julia Donaldson’s beloved characters, it is a beautiful tale about friendship, kindness and the joy of helping others that continues to delight audiences since first opening in 2022. George wishes he wasn’t the scruffiest giant in town. But after a trip to a fancy clothes shop, he has a spectacular new look: smart trousers, a smart shirt, a stripy tie, and shiny shoes. Now he’s the smartest giant in town… until he bumps into some animals who desperately need his help – and his clothes! This production is adapted and directed by Artistic Director Samantha Lane, with music and songs by award-winning musician Barb Jungr. Set and costume design is by Kate Bunce, puppets are designed by Judith Hope and lighting design is by Sherry Coenen.
• Lear – Ian McKellen is set to return to the stage in a new reimagining of the classic King Lear at the Yard Theatre as part of the venue’s inaugural season in its rebuilt Hackney Wick home. Lear is scheduled to run from 17 November 2026 to 2 January 2027. Set to join McKellen will be Taylor Russell as Cordelia. The production, has been reimagined by playwright Simon Stephens and the Yard’s artistic director Jay Miller. McKellen last performed King Lear on stage in 2017 at Chichester Festival Theatre, in a production that later transferred to the West End and New York. He has previously collaborated with Stephens on An Ark, a virtual theatre experiment. Stephens’ recent theatre credits include Vanya, The Seagull, A Doll’s House and Heisenberg, while Miller has led the Yard since its founding in 2011.The creative team includes set and costume designer Stewart Laing, sound designer Josh Anio Grigg, lighting designer Zerlina Hughes, video designer Sarah Readman, choreographer Malik Nashad Sharpe and assistant director Sophia Golan. Full casting and creative team information will be announced at a later date. The new venue, designed by Takero Shimazaki Architects, more than doubles the size of the original theatre and includes a 220-seat auditorium, new artist development spaces and expanded backstage facilities.
• São Paulo Dance Company – follows up its triumphant 2024 UK and Ireland debut with a second highly anticipated Dance Consortium tour, which will visit Southampton at Mayflower Theatre from 23 – 24 March 2027. The company brings a new programme, Brazilian Perspectives, a triple bill of work by three female choreographers. Cassi Abranches, whose Agora went down a storm with audiences in 2024 will open the evening. An exhilarating explosion of rhythm and energy, that sculpts the movement of each dancer’s body to the percussive beats and bass grooves of Sebastian Piracés’ score, mixing drums and Afro-Brazilian percussion with rock music and vocals. Leilane Teles and Lili de Grammont are both giving UK and Ireland premieres. Dancer and choreographer Leilane Teles brings to the stage Umbó, which speaks of ancestry that inhabits us all. In a ritual of inspiration and desire, Teles takes the rhythmic textures of Afro-Brazilian traditions and blends them with evocative vocals from singer/songwriter Tiganá Santana and singer Virginia Rodrigues to create something uniquely her own. Lili de Grammont created EST.AÇÃO (Station), as her second work for the company. She is a psychologist, psychoanalyst and activist as well as a choreographer. The train station is de Grammont’s device for observing the human experience and exploring questions around climate change. Bodies circulate and traverse, arriving and departing in a constant state of flux. Amidst humour, tension and celebration, the work explores time, communication and the inevitability of transformation. The station becomes a metaphor for our lives, memories and emotions. Music is by Ed Côrtes. Brazilian Perspectives promises the bold Brazilian energy and fusion of athleticism, precision and emotional intensity for which São Paulo Dance Company is internationally acclaimed.
• 48 Thoughts Per Minute – a hilarious celebration of our chaotic inner real-life testimonies will open at Mayflower Studios in Southampton from 2^nd February 2027. With new writing by Jessica Fostekew (The Infinite Monkey Cage, Sturdy Girl Club, The Guilty Feminist) and The Paper Birds’ Co-Directors Jemma McDonnell and Kylie Perry and informed by a team of academic experts including Professor Charles Fernyhough (Director of Centre for Research into Inner Experience at Durham University), they have created their most inventive, laugh-out-loud show yet. Some scientists have suggested the average human brain generates 48 thoughts per minute. So what exactly are we thinking about? Set over three minutes as one woman awaits potentially life-changing news, this is a high-speed, humorous, relatable and stirring journey through four characters’ minds and one woman’s unstoppable cascade of thoughts. Brought to life by a stellar cast featuring Mark Thomas (Ordinary Decent Criminal, England & Son, The Mark Thomas Comedy Product) alongside The Paper Birds’ Kylie Perry, the production transforms the theatre into a human brain, with staging, sound, and visuals shifting at breakneck speed. Audiences will have the option to join in too, sharing their thoughts via smartphone.
• An Inspector Calls – following a hugely successful tour in 2024-25, Stephen Daldry’s multi award-winning National Theatre production of JB Priestley’s will set out on a UK tour returning to Southampton at Mayflower Theatre from 7 March 2028. Since 1992, Daldry’s seminal production of An Inspector Calls has won a total of 19 major awards, including four Tony Awards and three Olivier Awards, and has played to more than 6 million theatregoers worldwide. Stephen Daldry is a multi-award-winning Theatre, Film and Television Director & Producer. During his career he has directed theatre for London’s West End & New York’s Broadway winning multiple Olivier & Tony awards.
• John Proctor is the Villain – Kimberly Belflower’s play is to transfer to the West End, playing at Wyndham’s Theatre from 2 February to 24 April 2027. The production, directed by Danya Taymor, played a sold-out run in the Jerwood Theatre Downstairs as part of the Royal Court’s 70th anniversary season. The vast majority of the Royal Court cast will return for the new run, including Sadie Soverall as Shelby Holcomb, Lauryn Ajufo as Nell Shaw, Molly McFadden as Bailey Gallagher, Dónal Finn as Mr Smith, Charlie Borg as Lee Turner, Reece Braddock as Mason Adams, Holly Howden Gilchrist as Beth Powell, and Miya James as Raelynn Nix. Joining the show for the West End will be Amy Macken as Ivy Watkins. The cast is completed by Alfie Craig, Anna Francis, Thalia Gambe, Ada Grey and Tom Milligan. Scenography is by AMP, featuring Teresa L. Williams, the costume design is by Sarah Laux, the lighting design is by Natasha Katz, the sound design and original composition is by Palmer Hefferan, projection design is by Hannah Wasileski and movement direction is by Tilly Evans-Krueger. The voice and dialect coach is Gigi Buffington, the casting director is Julia Horan,, with dramaturgy by Lauren Halvorsen. The play received seven Tony Award nominations during its Broadway run at the Booth Theatre in 2025, including Best Play and Best Actress in a Play for star Sadie Sink.
• Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Days of Christmas – has announced the cast ahead of its festive stint at London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre from 24 November 2026 until 17 January 2027. Humphrey Ker and David Reed‘s new comedy whodunnit which premiered at Birmingham Rep last year has a new score with songs by Tim Rice and Howard Goodall and is directed by Phillip Breen. The play is set in Victorian London, where, in the West End, a series of performers die mid-scene, and Scotland Yard rules out foul play until Sherlock Holmes discovers a link to “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. Holmes races against time to save French Hens, find Gold Rings, and rescue Mother Goose, facing mortal danger along the way. With the help of Dr Watson and detective Athena Faversham, Holmes aims to solve the mystery. Leading the cast are Bo Poraj (Miranda) as Sherlock Holmes and Olivier Award nominee Marc Antolin as Dr Watson. They are joined by Edward Bourne as swing, Jonnie Broadbent as Arthur Stone, Annabel Brook as Ernie, Wayne Cater as Wotan, Margot Jardine as swing, Mia Jerome as Queen Victoria, Olivia-Faith Kamau as Estella Bottle, Mia Overfield as Clifford, Vivien Parry as Mrs Hudson, Emily Pithon as Professor Murray, John Ramm as Lestrade, John-Luke Roberts as Fafner and Charlie Russell as Athena Faversham. The full creative team includes designer Mark Bailey, lighting designer Anna Watson, sound designer Luke Swaffield for Autograph Sound, choreographer and movement director Georgina Lamb, fight director Renny Krupinski, illusions by Chris Fisher and Dr Will Houstoun, casting director Helena Palmer, musical director Leo Munby, and orchestra manager Matthew French.
• Jeeves and Wooster in Perfect Nonsense – a comedy based on the works of PG Wodehouse will emabrk on a UK tour at Aylesbury Waterside Theatre (29 January to 6 February), before moving on to Manchester Opera House (9 to 13 February), Theatre Royal Brighton (16 to 20 February), Princess Theatre, Torquay (23 to 27 February), Richmond Theatre (2 to 6 March), Arts Theatre, Cambridge (9 to 13 March), Theatre Royal Glasgow (16 to 20 March), Woking Theatre (23 to 27 March), Milton Keynes Theatre (30 March to 3 April), Liverpool Playhouse (13 to 17 April), Sheffield Lyceum Theatre (20 to 24 April), The Alexandra, Birmingham (27 April to 1 May) and Grand Opera House, York (4 to 8 May). Tom Rosenthal will play Bertie Wooster, and Adrian Scarborough as his valet Jeeves. The production is written by Robert Goodale and David Goodale and directed by Phillip Breen. The play was first seen in 2013, winning an Olivier Award for Best New Comedy.
• Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley – Park Theatre has announced the full cast and creative team for the UK premiere which will run from 2 December 2026 to 10 January 2027 at Park 200 alongside the world premiere of A Dickens of a Christmas, at park 90 as part of its 2026 Christmas programme. Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley is written by Lauren Gunderson and Margot Melcon, the production is directed by Sarah Meadows and co-produced by Park Theatre and Adam Blanshay Productions. Chloe Wade will play Mary Bennet in the play, which is based on the characters from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. The cast also includes Keaton Guimarães-Tolley as Arthur de Bourgh, Nadi Kemp-Sayfi as Elizabeth Darcy, Cash Holland as Jane Bingley, Jack Michael Stacey as Fitzwilliam Darcy, George Rowlands as Charles Bingley, Kara Lynch as Lydia Wickham and Yasmine Meaden as Anne de Bourgh. The creative team includes lighting designer Jodie Underwood, sound designer Matt Huxley and movement director Christina Fulcher. Sarah-Jane Price is the casting director, with Ann Bailey and Ciara Pigeon on the stage management team. The second production in the programme is A Dickens of a Christmas, based on lesser-known festive stories by Charles Dickens, the production follows a series of characters whose lives are affected by supernatural encounters and visions of the future and will run from 15 December 2026 to 9 January 2027 and is presented by theatre company Maybe You Like It and is co-written and co-directed by Caleb Barron and Ellie Jay Cooper.
• Purpose – Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ 2025 Tony Award-winning Best Play and Pulitzer Prize-winning drama Purpose will receive its European premiere as part of the Royal Court season for 2027 playing at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs from 16 January to 27 February 2027. Directed by Phylicia Rashad, the new play centres on a family that struggles to live up to its own legacy, and explores race, politics, sexuality and more. Kalyne Coleman (Interview with the Vampire) will join the original Broadway company for the London run, appearing alongside Alana Arenas (David Makes Man), Glenn Davis (Downstate), Jon Michael Hill (Pass Over), Harry Lennix (Justice League), and LaTanya Richardson Jackson (To Kill a Mockingbird). The full creative team will also transfer with the production. That includes set designer Todd Rosenthal, costume designer Dede Ayite, lighting designer Amith Chandrashaker, and sound designers Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen. Hair and wig design is by Nikiya Mathis, dramaturgy is by Jonathan L. Green and the production stage manager is Tiffany N. Robinson. Casting for this production is by JC Clementz and Calleri Jensen Davis.
• Afterbirth – Jessie Buckley will lead the world premiere of the new play at Jerwood Theatre Downstairs from 15 January to 26 February 2028. Maria Aberg will direct Nina Segal’s piece, which explores the disorienting reality of life after birth. The piece was announced as part of the Royal Court’s 2027 season, with Oscar winner Buckley playing Annie. She was last seen on stage in the award-winning revival of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, where she won an Olivier for her portrayal of Sally Bowles. The drama is an English Touring Theatre commission supported by the Royal Court.
• The Greatest Showman – it has been confirmed that the musical will open at Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 5^th May 2027 with previews from 14^th April. The stage adaptation of the 2017 film which premiered in the spring of this year at Bristol Hippodrome features songs by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, a book by Tim Federle, and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw. The cast includes Oliver Tompsett as P T Barnum, Samantha Barks as Charity Barnum, Ben Joyce as Phillip Carlyle, Vajèn van den Bosch as Jenny Lind and Malinda Parris as Lettie Lutz. Further casting is to be announced.
• The Book Thief – the musical adaptation of Markus Zusak’s bestselling novel will have its London premiere at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre from 24 July to 28 August 2027. Directed by Tom Jackson Greaves, it features music and lyrics by Elyssa Samsel and Kate Anderson, with a libretto by bestselling author Jodi Picoult (My Sister’s Keeper) and playwright Timothy Allen McDonald (Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach).Set in Germany in 1940, the story follows Liesel Meminger, a 12-year-old girl who steals books during the Second World War. Death narrates the story, having grown weary after carrying away countless souls and searching for a story that might renew their faith in humanity. It is a co-production between the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, DEM Productions and Writers’ Cage, with Andrew Paradis, in association with Bethany Cooper Productions, based on the original Bolton Octagon production.