Hot List 2025: Stars on stage in London’s West End in 2025

The West End is set to sparkle with star power in 2025, performing in a stellar array of London musicals, dramas and comedies.

It’s hard to think of a starrier year for the West End, as a stunning selection of shows open in 2025 featuring a talented line-up of stage and screen stars, including Hollywood legends, British TV icons, and West End and Broadway megastars.

Check out our round-up of Stars on Stage in London in 2025.

Also see: All Shows playing in London in 2025 | Hot List 2025 – Critics’ Picks

Oedipus starring Rami Malek & Indira Varma

Oedipus at The Old Vic starring Rami Malek and Indira Varma. Photo by Nadav Kander — *Photo by Nadav Kander*

Oscar winner Rami Malek (Bohemian Rhapsody, No Time To Die) and Olivier Award-winner Indira Varma (Macbeth, Present Laughter, Game of Thrones) star in the world premiere of Ella Hickson’s intimate and revelatory version of Sophocles’ transcendent tragedy Oedipus.

Opens 21 January 2025, The Old Vic Theatre, London

Book tickets to Oedipus at The Old Vic in London

Elektra starring Brie Larson

Oscar winner Brie Larson (Room, Lessons in Chemistry, Captain Marvel) stars in an electrifying new take on classic revenge thriller Elektra, directed by Daniel Fish (Oklahoma!). Also stars Stockard Channing (The West Wing, The Good Wife, Grease) as Clytemnestra, Marième Diouf (Romeo and Juliet, The Globe) as Chrysothemis, Greg Hicks (Grapes of Wrath, National Theatre; Coriolanus, The Old Vic) as Aegisthus, and Patrick Vaill (Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Oklahoma!) as Orestes.

Opens 24 January 2025, Duke of York’s Theatre, London

Book tickets to Elektra at the Duke of York’s Theatre London

The Years starring Romola Garai & Gina McKee

The Almeida Theatre’s acclaimed production of The Years transfers to London’s West End for a strictly limited season starring Deborah Findlay (Orlando), Romola Garai (Vigil), Gina McKee (Dear England), Anjli Mohindra (Noises Off) and Harmony Rose-Bremner (Hamnet).

Opens 24 January 2025, Harold Pinter Theatre, London

Book tickets to The Years at the Harold Pinter Theatre London

Second Best starring Asa Butterfield

Asa Butterfield (Sex Education) makes his hugely anticipated stage debut in new play Second Best – a playful, poignant story about how a 10 year old child actor narrowly missed out on the role of a lifetime playing Harry Potter.

Opens 24 January 2025, Riverside Studios, London

Book tickets to Second Best at the Riverside Studios London

Cabaret starring Billy Porter & Marisha Wallace

Cabaret - Marisha Wallace and Billy Porter. Photo by The Umbrella Rooms — *Photo by The Umbrella Rooms*

West End and Broadway stars Marisha Wallace (Guys & Dolls, Dreamgirls) and Billy Porter (Pose) are joining the London cast of Rebecca Frecknall’s multi-award-winning musical Cabaret from 28 January 2025, playing Sally Bowles and The Emcee.

Billy Porter & Marisha Wallace, from 28 January 2025, Kit Kat Club, London

Book tickets to Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club in London

Unicorn starring Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan & Erin Doherty

Unicorn in London starring Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan & Erin Doherty

James Macdonald directs Nicola Walker (Unforgotten, The Split, Last Tango in Halifax), Stephen Mangan (Episodes, The Split) and Erin Doherty (The Crown) in Mike Bartlett’s explicit, funny and provocative new play Unicorn.

Opens 4 February 2025, Garrick Theatre, London

Book tickets to Unicorn at the Garrick Theatre London

Richard II starring Jonathan Bailey

Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton, Wicked) stars in a major new production of Shakespeare’s Richard II at the Bridge Theatre, directed by Sir Nicholas Hytner.

Opens 10 February 2025, Bridge Theatre, London

Book tickets to Richard II at the Bridge Theatre London

The Score starring Brian Cox

The Score. Brian Cox. Photo - Theatre Royal Bath

Trevor Nunn directs award-winning actor Brian Cox (Succession) and Nicole Ansari-Cox (Deadwood) in the West End premiere of Oliver Cotton’s explosive new play The Score.

Opens 20 February 2025, Theatre Royal Haymarket, London

Book tickets to The Score at the Theatre Royal Haymarket London

The Seagull starring Cate Blanchett

Oscar winner Cate Blanchett stars in a major new production of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull at the Barbican Theatre in 2025, directed by Thomas Ostermeier. Also stars Tom Burke, Emma Corrin, Jason Watkins, Tanya Reynolds & more.

Opens 26 February 2025, Barbican Theatre, London

Book tickets to The Seagull at the Barbican Theatre London

My Master Builder starring Ewan McGregor

Hollywood star Ewan McGregor makes his long-awaited return to the London stage in My Master Builder, a thrilling new play directed by Michael Grandage.

Opens 17 April 2025, Wyndham’s Theatre, London

Book tickets to My Master Builder at the Wyndham’s Theatre London

Here We Are at the National Theatre

Here We Are - Casting: Clockwise from top left: Tracie Bennett (Photo Adam Price), Rory Kinnear, Richard Fleeshman (Photo Faye Thomas), Chumisa Dornford-May (Photo Yellowbelly), Martha Plimpton (Photo Markham, Froggatt & Irwin), Cameron Johnson (Photo Yellowbelly), Paulo Szot (Photo Priscila Prade), Denis O'Hare (Photo Alexander Berg), Jane Krakowski (Photo Patrick Shaw), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Photo Luke Fontana)

Stephen Sondheim’s final musical Here We Are gets its UK premiere at the National Theatre this year, featuring an exceptional cast including Tracie Bennett (Follies, End of the Rainbow) and Denis O’Hare (American Horror Story, True Blood), reprising their roles from the New York production. Joining them are Jane Krakowski (30 Rock), Martha Plimpton (Sweat), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family), Rory Kinnear (No Time to Die), Richard Fleeshman (Company), Harry Hadden-Paton (Downton Abbey), Cameron Johnson (Guys & Dolls), and Paulo Szot (South Pacific).

Opens 23 April 2025, National Theatre, London

Book tickets to Here We Are at the National Theatre London

Giant starring John Lithgow

Golden Globe-winner John Lithgow (3rd Rock From the Sun) stars as Roald Dahl in the West End transfer of Giant, directed by Nicholas Hytner. Giant offers a complicated portrait of a fiendishly charismatic icon, children’s author Roald Dahl.

Opens 26 April 2025, Harold Pinter Theatre, London

Book tickets to Giant at the Harold Pinter Theatre London

The Deep Blue Sea starring Tamsin Greig

The Deep Blue Sea. Tamsin Greig as Hester Collyer. Photo by Manuel Harlan — *Photo by Manuel Harlan*

Tamsin Greig (Green Wing, Episodes) and Tony Award nominee Finbar Lynch star in The Deep Blue Sea, Terence Rattigan’s 1950’s study of obsession and the destructive power of love, directed by Olivier Award winner Lindsay Posner.

Opens 7 May 2025, Theatre Royal Haymarket, London

Book tickets to The Deep Blue Sea at the Theatre Royal Haymarket London