Musicals

Musicals news

Shrek heads for Sunderland

30 May 2023

Shrek The Musical comes to Sunderland Empire February 6–10.

Turing musical for Edinburgh

22 May 2023

Guilty Of Love, a new Alan Turing musical, comes to Hill Street Theatre at Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Première of To Wong Foo The Musical

22 May 2023

Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester will stage a world première of To Wong Foo The Musical, based on the 1995 film.

Cirque for Stockport

22 May 2023

Cirque—The Greatest Show at Stockport Plaza combine showstoppers with aerialists, contortionists and trapeze artistes.

Main Man for Wicked

22 May 2023

West End legend Carl Man is joining the cast of the Wicked UK and Ireland tour, which returns to Manchester December 2024.

King-sized Sunderland record

22 May 2023

Disney’s The Lion King ended a record-breaking season at Sunderland Empire May 6 having performed to more than 100,000 audience members.

Celebrating: Birmingham Rep artistic director Sean Foley

Victoria Wood comedy playwriting prize in Birmingham

19 May 2023

Birmingham Rep has announced the creation of “the first major playwriting prize dedicated to the art of comedy”.

Jane Burnell, Henry Strutt and Jess Hopkins who will be singing at a preview of Buxton International Festival

Buxton to preview 2023 shows

12 May 2023

A preview of the Buxton International Festival in the Derbyshire town will include extracts from a new musical based on the life of Vera Brittain.

The public’s 100 favourite musicals

9 May 2023

Theatre web site WhatsOnStage has taken a public vote and reveal the 100 favourite musicals.

Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Prize

7 May 2023

MMD Musical theatre writers are invited to make submissions for the Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Prize.

Tony Blair musical for Lowry

7 May 2023

A reckless reappraisal of the life of Tony Blair, that’s Tony! by Harry Hill and Steve Brown coming to The Lowry in Salford October 2–7.

Showstopper! in Lancaster

7 May 2023

Showstopper! is the first-ever spontaneous musical comedy to have a full West End run and be nominated for and win an Olivier Award.

Composers take note

7 May 2023

Applications have opened for the 2023 Octagon Theatre Bolton resident composer.

Cast revealed for Leicestershire’s open-air Hairspray

5 May 2023

Leicestershire’s Kilworth House Theatre has revealed the cast for its “unique” production of Hairspray—the first outdoor presentation of the musical in the UK.

Hippodrome artistic director and chief executive Jon Gilchrist and consultant Vicky Graham

Hippodrome creates department for new musicals

27 April 2023

Birmingham Hippodrome is to have “the first in-house musical theatre department at a UK venue” in which it will develop new musicals.

Hamilton to have 10-week season in Birmingham

19 April 2023

Olivier, Tony, Grammy and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamilton is to play a 10-week season at Birmingham Hippodrome in 2024.

Musical theatre festival pulled with fortnight’s notice

15 April 2023

“The UK’s first outdoor festival dedicated to all things stagey”, the inaugural Gaiety Musical Theatre Festival, has been called off.

Audrey Brisson who will play Vera Brittain

Brisson to play Vera Brittain in new musical

27 March 2023

Buxton International Festival and Norwich Theatre have revealed the cast for their new co-production The Land of Might-Have-Been which opens in July 2023.

Waldo's Circus for Salford

21 March 2023

Waldo’s Circus of Magic & Terror: a new theatre musical and story of love and resistance set in a travelling circus comes to The Lowry.

Musical theatre showcase

21 March 2023

BEAM 2023 is at Oxford Playhouse May 25–26.

Lining up for Jamie

19 March 2023

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie announces initial casting for its second UK & Ireland tour which launches at The Lowry, Salford.

Kerry and Collabro headline new outdoor festival

18 March 2023

Kerry Ellis and Collabro will headline Gaiety Musical Theatre Festival, “the UK’s first outdoor festival dedicated to all things stagey”, in Warwickshire.

Frank Sinatra performed in Birmingham in 1953

Birmingham Rep to première Sinatra musical

9 March 2023

Start spreading the news: Birmingham Rep is to stage a new musical based on the life and career of Frank Sinatra.

High stakes for Drag Addict

4 March 2023

The world première of a musical full of high stakes, high emotions and even higher heels comes to HOME in Manchester.

Musical reviews

The Spongebob Musical

Book by Kyle Jarrow based upon the series by Stephen Hillenburg, music by var...

The Path Entertainment

The Opera House, Manchester

16–21 May 2023

Anna Unwin (Jenny), Michael Ball (George), Jamie Bogyo (Alex) and Laura Pitt-Pulford (Rose)

Aspects of Love

Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Don Black and Charles Hart

Nica Burns

Lyric Theatre

12 May–11 November 2023

Once On This Island

Book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, music by Stephen Flaherty

Regent's Park Open Air Theatre

10 May–10 June 2023

Claire-Marie Hall, Zoe Roberts, David Cumming, Natasha Hodgson and Jak Malone

Operation Mincemeat

Written and composed by SpitLip: David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson ...

Avolon in association with SpitLip

Fortune Theatre

9 May–19 August 2023

Fisherman's Friends The Musical

Book by Amanda Whittington, based on a screenplay by Nick Moorcroft, Meg Leon...

ROYO

Cambridge Arts Theatre

25–29 April 2023

Glory Ride

Book, music & lyrics by Victoria Buchholz and Todd Buchholz

Charing Cross Theatre

22 April–29 July 2023

Waldo’s Circus of Magic and Terror

Hattie Naylor and Jamie Beddard with music by Charles Hazlewood

Extraordinary Bodies, Bristol Old Vic and Theatre Royal Plymouth

The Lowry, Salford

20–22 April 2023

The Bodyguard The Musical

Book by Alex Dinelaris based on the screen play by Lawrence Kasdan, music and...

Michael Harrison, David Ian, Crossroads Live, MEHR-BB Entertainment, Playing Field Theatre Ltd, Marvish Productions and Michael Watt

Curve Theatre, Leicester

17–22 April 2023

Jack Whittle as Tony Blair & Howard Samuels as Peter Mandelson

Tony! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera]

Book by Harry Hill; music and lyrics by Steve Brown

Nicholson Green Productions and Park Theatre

Leicester Square Theatre

15 April–21 May 2023

The Secret Life of Bees

Book by Lynn Nottage, music by Duncan Sheik, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, base...

Almeida Theatre in association with Sonia Friedman Productions, Lauren Shuler Donner, Marianne Mills, Bob Cohen and Hugo Six

Almeida Theatre

8 April–27 May 2023

Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story

Alan Janes and Rob Bettinson

Theatre Royal Bath

4–8 April 2023

Sister Act

Music by Alan Menken. Lyrics by Glen Slater. Book by Ceri and Bill SteinKellner

Jamie Wilson, Kevin McCollum, Gavin Kalin, Robbie Wilson and Curve

Sheffield Lyceum

4–15 April 2023

The Bodyguard

Book by Alex Dinelaris based on the screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, music and ...

Michael Harrison, David Ian, Crossroads Live, MEHR-BB Entertainment, Playing Field Theatre Ltd, Marvish Productions and Michael Watt

The Palace, Manchester

3–15 April 2023

Berlusconi A New Musical

Story, music and lyrics by Ricky Simmonds and Simon Vaughan; additional story...

Francesca Moody Productions and Thomas S Barnes

Southwark Playhouse Elephant

25 March–29 April 2023

My Fair Lady

Book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe from a play b...

Lincoln Center Theater, James L Nederlander, Jamie Wilson, Hunter Arnold, Crossroads Live, Playful Productions and English National Opera

Palace Theatre, Manchester

22 March–1 April 2023

Masquerade: The Lives of Noël Coward

Oliver Soden

Weidenfeld & Nicholson

Released 16 March 2023

Sam Pay as Big Goat, Rhys Rusbatch as Mr Bo, Canoumah Diguet as Baby Goat, Tiajna Amayo as Little Bo-Frilly and Samuel Tracy as Middle Goat

The Three Billy Goats Gruff

Music by George Stiles, book and lyrics by Anthony Drewe

Unicorn Theatre

Unicorn Theatre (Weston Theatre)

12 March–23 April 2023

The Heathers: Verity Thompson, Elise Zavou, Billie Bowman

Heathers the Musical

Kevin Murphy and Laurence O'Keefe, based on the film by Daniel Waters

Bill Kenwright and Paul Taylor-Mills

New Victoria Theatre, Woking

7–11 March 2023

Girl from the North Country

Conor McPherson, music and lyrics by Bob Dylan

Tristan Baker and Charlie Parsons for Runaway Entertainment and The Old Vic

Curve Theatre, Leicester

7–11 March 2023

Guys and Dolls

Music and lyrics Frank Loesser, book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows based on ...

Bridge Theatre

3 March–2 September 2023

Musical features

Good News and Bad for Septuagenarians

12 May 2023

This week, senior citizens have been hitting the theatrical headlines with mixed fortunes.

The Formula for a Record-Breaking Hit

21 April 2023

As Chicago becomes the longest-running current show on Broadway, Philip Fisher considers what it takes to hit the jackpot in the West End and on Broadway.

Seth Numrich and Danny Burstein in Golden Boy

Theatre as Karaoke

14 April 2023

Recent negative exposure regarding bad behaviour in theatres could threaten an already rocky industry.

Anthony Calf and David Haig in Racing Demon by David Hare

The Great Debate – Musicals versus Plays

31 March 2023

Sir David Hare has courted controversy by suggesting that "Musicals are killing theatres".