Oscar, BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe Award winner Dame Emma Thompson may be heading back to the stage.
Quick Take: Emma Thompson has hinted at a possible return to the stage. The news comes as her new stage musical adaptation of Nanny McPhee The Musical edges closer to a West End opening.
The acclaimed actress and writer told The Times over the weekend that returning to the stage was a traumatising idea, but that “it’s very possible I might do [a short run] when the right thing comes along.”
Theatreland rumours have now gone into overdrive that a possible project could be Emma Thompson’s new stage musical adaptation of Nanny McPhee.
Nanny McPhee The Musical: What we know
Nanny McPhee The Musical has been in the works for a number of years, but is now edging closer to a West End run with Katy Rudd, whose five-star production of Ballet Shoes finishes at the National Theatre this month, on board as the director.
Thompson wrote and starred in the 2005 movie of Nanny McPhee, and the 2010 sequel Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang.
She has teamed up with composer Gary Clark (Sing Street) for the new Nanny McPhee musical, with Thompson also writing the show’s book, and co-writing the lyrics with Clark.
Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (Nanny McPhee Returns) – starring Emma Thompson. Photo (c) Universal Studios
Star-studded workshops
Previous workshops of the show have featured a stellar cast including Emma’s sister Sophie Thompson (When We Were Married), Olivia Colman, Lily James (Lyonesse) and Rory Kinnear (Here We Are), although no casting has been revealed for the rumoured West End run.
Emma Thompson said in her Times interview that any return to the stage would be despite feeling “faintly traumatised” from her 15-month run in Me and My Girl when she was in her twenties. “I’m a morning person and theatre actors are often night people,” she said. “The workload in a musical is very particular. And back in the day no one got breaks. You would get ill and just carry on. It was tough.”
In addition to Me and My Girl on stage, Emma starred in the 2022 movie version of Matilda The Musical, playing Miss Trunchbull.
Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 4
Emma Thompson was talking to The Times about her forthcoming one-night-only starring role in the Park Theatre’s Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 4.
The fundraiser is a Wild West-themed comedy, where a different celebrity guest plays the Sheriff each night – totally unprepared and unrehearsed. Other celebs lined-up for the show include Gillian Anderson, Adrian Dunbar, Jim Broadbent, Sandi Toksvig, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Hugh Bonneville.
Nanny McPhee – Plan your visit
Nanny McPhee The Musical is not currently confirmed for the West End, and no formal announcements have been made about a venue or dates for the show.
Check back for further details or sign-up for alerts on our Nanny McPhee show page to be the first to know about this new musical.
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![Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 4 - Park Theatre. Emma Thompson, Gillian Anderson, Hugh Bonneville (Photos via agent)](https://www.westendtheatre.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Whodunnit-Unrehearsed-4-Park-Theatre.-Emma-Thompson-Gillian-Anderson-Hugh-Bonneville-Photos-via-agent.jpg)
Celebrity line-up confirmed for Park Theatre’s Whodunnit [Unrehearsed] 4 fundraiser including Emma Thompson
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