West End Weekly (18 April 2026): Avenue Q, Christine Baranski, Aaron Pierre, Thelma & Louise & more

Welcome to this week’s West End Weekly, bringing you a round-up of the latest Theatreland news.

If you thought the post-Olivier Awards dust would have settled by now, think again. It has been a “stop the presses” kind of week in London, with world premiere show announcements, casting news, and big new openings – from Aaron Pierre’s powerhouse turn at The Old Vic to celebrating the return of everyone’s favourite “politically incorrect” puppets.

From Hollywood royalty plotting their West End debuts to a certain pair of runaway fugitives heading to the South Bank, there’s lots to catch up on this week.

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: Review round-up

Aaron Pierre commands the stage in Clint Dyer’s bold Old Vic revival of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Critics have praised its intensity and standout performances, but did all of the critics enjoy the show?

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Christine Baranski & Richard E. Grant to star in Hay Fever

Hollywood star Christine Baranski (The Gilded Age) makes her West End debut opposite Richard E. Grant (Saltburn) in a major revival of Noël Coward’s classic comedy Hay Fever. The production runs at the Wyndham’s Theatre from 22 September for 12 weeks only.

Read the news More about the show

Glengarry Glen Ross returns with an all-female cast

David Mamet’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play is set for a bold new revival this summer, directed by Patrick Marber and reimagined with an all-female cast for the first time. Catch this striking new production at The Old Vic from June.

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Thelma & Louise: The Musical to premiere in London

The Oscar-winning film Thelma & Louise is getting a World Premiere musical reboot this year. West End powerhouses Amy Lennox (Cabaret) and Rachel Tucker (Wicked) star in this bold new reimagining at The Young Vic from September. Tickets on sale 23 April.

Read the news More about the show

Maria Friedman to lead UK premiere of Kimberly Akimbo

Olivier Award-winner Maria Friedman is starring in the UK premiere of the Tony-winning musical Kimberly Akimbo. Friedman plays a teenager with a rare condition that causes her to age prematurely, forcing her to navigate first love and family chaos. Directed by Michael Longhurst, the Hampstead Theatre production runs from 28 August.

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Critics cheer Avenue Q’s cheeky West End comeback

The “hilarious and liberating” (Standard) musical Avenue Q has started performances in the West End, and London’s critics are delighted to see it back! A string of four and five-star reviews have praised its outrageous humour, sharp songs and superb young cast at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Take a look at our review round-up.

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News Headlines

Olivier Awards 2026: The full list of winners as Paddington The Musical dominates the night - More >

Access all areas: From the stage to the winners’ room at the 2026 Olivier Awards – New Photos - More >

CATS extends London run at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre - More >

Into the Woods to transfer to the West End’s Noel Coward Theatre starring Kate Fleetwood - More >

Cirque Alice to have European premiere at London’s Royal Festival Hall this Christmas - More >

The Greatest Stage of All: The Best Shows & Musicals Set in London for 2026 - More >

The Play That Goes Wrong celebrates 2 million West End visitors & reveals new cast - More >

Shows Opening & Closing

Shows Opening:

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Starts 29 Apr
Sherlock Holmes: Starts 2 May
1536: Starts 2 May
End of the Rainbow: Starts 5 May
Mother Courage and Her Children: Starts 7 May
Stage Kiss: Starts 8 May
Equus: Starts 8 May
An Ideal Husband: Starts 8 May
Care: Starts 11 May
War Horse: Starts 16 May
High Society: Starts 19 May

More new openings >

Shows Closing:

Broken Glass: Closes 18 April
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry The Musical: Closes 18 Apr
Summerfolk: Closes 29 Apr
Deep Azure: Closes 2 May
The Holy Rosenbergs: Closes 2 May
Copenhagen: 2 May
Starlight Express: 3 May
I’m Sorry, Prime Minister: 9 May
Shadowlands: 9 May
The Authenticator: 9 May
A Mirrored Monet: 9 May
Lander 23: 10 May
Heartsink: 10 May
Heart Wall: 16 may
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest: 23 May

More shows closing >

Latest News

Stage performance with a guitarist on a platform amid sparks, surrounded by actors and a seated audience in a theater setting.

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Three carnival performers in glittering costumes on stage: a dancer posing with a large disco ball, an owl(costume) character, and a queen in an ornate gown and crown.

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West Side Story. Photography by Adam Fussell. Art direction and design by National Theatre Creative Studio

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Musical 42nd Street in Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London, England (September 2017). Photo by Theaterbilder123

A brief history of Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the West End’s oldest theatre

From left to right: A performer in vibrant pantomime costume with colourful feathered headdress, a character in dark gothic clothing holding a lantern, and an animated snowman in winter attire.

Why the West End at Christmas isn’t just for pantos

Nickcolia King-N'da (Will Scarlet), Kandaka Moore (FT), Eshan Gopal (Lil John Jr) and Helen K Wint (Marian) in rehearsals for Robin Hood and the Merry Mandem. Photography by Mark Senior

See new rehearsal photos for Robin Hood and the Merry Mandem, Stratford East’s rip-roaring panto

Back view of a girl with two braids wearing a white shirt and black backpack, a booklet titled

Birdcatcher unveils trailer ahead of run at London’s Park Theatre as part of extended UK tour

Matt Henry, Amy DiBartolomeo and LucyBenjamin (Credit Chris Davis)

Matt Henry leads the cast of To Sir, With Love – A New Musical, touring the UK from April 2027

Theatrical performer in historic costume stands on a wooden platform with arms outstretched inside a brick-walled theater set, dramatic lighting overhead.

Hamnet hits the road: the RSC’s hit play tours the UK in 2027

Woman with curly hair sits on an orange studio floor, opening a lit decorative box containing maps; tangled cords lie around her.

Carrie Hope Fletcher to star in new musical Ballad Lines at The Other Palace for limited 12 week run

A Christmas Carol - The Old Vic 2023 - Christopher Eccleston first look. Photo by Hugo Glendinning

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James Graham on hit play Punch: “I’m hoping to turn that into television.”

Woman in a dramatic black gown seated on a white rug outdoors, with two wicker baskets beside her in a dimly lit forest setting.

Cloud 9 reviews: critics hail a “ferocious takedown” of Victorian imperialism, but one questions whether its content has aged well

Older man in a dark bathrobe being helped by a younger woman in a red-and-gray sweater in a church-like room with pews in the background.

First look at Sir Ian Mckellen in rehearsals for Lear at The Yard

Three portrait shots in a vertical triptych: left a smiling man in a dark suit, middle a man in a blue denim shirt with arms crossed, right a glamorous drag queen in a gold sequined dress posing with a hand on her face.

Drag, opera and Elvis: Monét X Change heads to the West End in The Legend of Georgia McBride

Saving Alan Turing: new play about the codebreaker’s final years to premiere at the King’s Head Theatre

Two women in a bright studio, one raises an arm while the other leans in with an arm around her shoulders near a small exercise bar.

First look: rehearsal photos for Victoria Wood musical Fourteen Again at the Menier Chocolate Factory

The Mousetrap’s Artistic Director to step down after 32 years at the end of 2026

Bo Poraj and John Ramm in rehearsals for Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Days of Christmas. Photo by Marc Brenner

Rehearsal images released for Sherlock Holmes and the Twelve Days of Christmas at Alexandra Palace Theatre

BILLY ELLIOT The Musical. Rafferty Smale (Billy) and Company. Photo Tristram Kenton

See newly released images from Billy Elliot the Musical, as UK and Ireland tour commences

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong - London. Photo by Mark Senior

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong releases additional front row tickets at Wyndham’s Theatre in the West End

Man in a dress shirt and tie stands on a hill with a dog, set against a giant full moon and colorful space backdrop in a surreal collage.

Matt Smith to star in the 2027 world premiere of The Humans in the West End

The best pantos in London to book this Christmas

Cast announced for Father Christmas at Lyric Hammersmith

Full cast announced for Raymond Briggs’ Father Christmas at the Lyric Hammersmith

The Snowman, Birmingham Rep 2026. Photo by Johan Persson

Everything you need to know about The Snowman on stage ahead of its 29th year in the West End

ABBA VOYAGE. Vernon Kay and Pudsey Bear. Children In Need Gala Performances (8 November 2026). Photo Craig Sugden

ABBA Voyage raises over £325,000 for BBC Children in Need after gala performances hosted by Vernon Kay

JOY: A New Musical to have UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse Elephant in February 2027

Old Vic New Season annouced. Damien Lewis, Milly Allock. Photos by Photo by Nadav Kander

Rupert Goold’s first Old Vic season announced, with Damian Lewis, Milly Alcock and more

Two men sit close together on a blue sofa against a green paneled wall; older man has a gray beard and plaid jacket, younger man wears a yellow shirt and jeans.

Amadeus trailer released starring Michael Sheen and Callum Scott Howells ahead of West End run in 2027

Tony Hale, Jessie Mueller and Karen Ziemba lead the Broadway cast of Paddington The Musical

Three-panel collage: left woman in a purple sweater stands in a kitchen, center bald man with a glass of blue liquid, right smiling woman in a Labyrinth shirt in a library.

7 West End theatre shows closing in November 2026

Three women in 19th-century costumes on a dim stage; center figure wears a bonnet and striped dress, looking distressed.

New production images released for Cranford at the Orange Tree Theatre starring Tamsin Greig

L-R Felipe Pacheco (Guildenstern), Claudia Harrison (Gertrude) & Miles Barrow (Rosencrantz) and the company of Hamlet Hail to the Thief at Barbican Theatre. Photo by Manuel Harlan

See newly released production images for Hamlet Hail to the Thief

From left to right: Young person viewed from behind wearing a black backpack and navy skirt, standing on a residential street with stone houses in the background, close-up portrait of a young woman with dark hair and bold red lipstick, with water splashing across her face against a teal background, and a viintage wooden-framed tennis racket photographed against a dramatic red and green gradient background.

Three new plays set to premiere at Park Theatre in 2027

Operation Mincemeat - The first preview of its new UK tour. Photo via PR

Operation Mincemeat UK tour announces additional performances in Birmingham, Salford and Plymouth

PRIDE the Musical: How Matthew Warchus and Stephen Beresford reimagined PRIDE for the stage

How Matthew Warchus and Stephen Beresford reimagined PRIDE for a new audience

Three actors in period costumes stand on an outdoor stage at night; a seated woman holds a child, flanked by two standing performers in Victorian gowns.

First look photos: Dominic Cooke’s new staging of Cloud 9, starring Rebecca Humphries and Eloka Ivo

A production photo of Buena Vista Social Club on Broadway

Havana comes to London: Tony-winning Buena Vista Social Club confirms West End debut

Jamie Muscato and Sharon Rose star in One Day the Musical Photo: Matt Crockett

Everything you need to know about One Day the Musical at the Garrick Theatre

Avenue Q at the Shaftesbury Theatre London. Photo by Matt Crockett

Last minute theatre in London: 10 must-see shows to book right now

LOVEthetre Top Picks. Oh, Mary (Manuel Harlan). The Play that Goes Wrong (Matt Crockett). The Hunger Games (Johan Persson). Beetlejuice (Johan Person)

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Triptych of three black-and-white portraits: a man with glasses in a suit, a woman with dark hair, and a woman with light hair looking into camera.

Jessica Hynes and Reece Shearsmith join White Rabbit Red Rabbit’s final line-up

Six teenagers sit around desks in a photography studio with a gray backdrop, engaged in conversation as a group photo is taken.

The cast of John Proctor Is the Villain talk about bringing the show to the West End

John Lithgow and Elliot Levey in Giant at the Harold Pinter Theatre. Photo by Johan Persson

First clip released from Giant, starring John Lithgow as Roald Dahl, screening in 900 cinemas from 19 November

Promotional banner advertising family-friendly Christmas shows, with a collage of posters on a purple background and a large white figure in the foreground.”,

11 Family-friendly shows to see in London this Christmas

The Cast of Ceilidh. Photo by Luke Dyson

Ceilidh the Musical extends its Shoreditch Town Hall residency due to popular demand, now booking into February 2027

Adam Garcia, Lauren Oakley and Sam Bailey in Chicago. Photo by Matt Crockett

Lauren Oakley, Adam Garcia, Mica Paris and Sam Bailey to star in Chicago UK and Ireland Tour 2027

Theatrical confrontation: a chained, ragged performer lunges toward a seated woman in a bonnet on a stage with a clock on the wall behind them

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong: first look at the festive mayhem

Colin Burnicle, Liza Stevenson, Sameer Dhanjee, Ellie Seaton, Ashh Blackwood in rehearsals for Cinderella at Lyric Hammersmith. Photo by Alex Brenner.

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the Lyric Hammersmith’s Cinderella pantomime in rehearsal ahead of Christmas premiere

Sukania Venugopal & Nipuni Sharada in Counting and Cracking. Photo by Pia Johnson

Acclaimed Australian Sri Lankan epic Counting and Cracking to make its London debut at Soho Theatre Walthamstow

Three-panel collage: a man leans on a railing in a library, a dancer swirls a red-edged black gown on stage, and another dancer in a striped dress leaps with red shoes.

Sadler’s Wells announces 2027 season with Wuthering Heights, The Breakfast Club and more

PLAY WITHOUT WORDS. 2012 Company. Photo by Simon Annand

Matthew Bourne’s Play Without Words returns for 25th anniversary with a season at Sadler’s Wells

Jordan Donica as the Phantom. Phantom of the Opera 40th Anniversary cast. Photo by Johan Persson

The Phantom of the Opera welcomes new principals and extends following celebration of 40 years in the West End

One the Musical Interview. Background Image - Jamie Muscato and Sharon Rose in One Day the Musical at Lyceum Edinburgh. Photo by Mihaela Bodlovic

How One Day the Musical found its voice: the cast and creative team on translating a beloved novel for the stage

Two women stand indoors and smile while presenting a framed award with a red seal.

Renowned West End producer Sonia Friedman receives Freedom of the City

Matt Willis as The Emcee in Cabaret. Photo by Marc Brenner

Matt Willis returns as Emcee in Cabaret opposite Sarah Hyland for a limited six-week run

Gloria Obianyo, Janie Dee.jpg in Speculations at Marylebone Theatre. Photo by Helen Maybanks

See Janie Dee take on Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald in newly released images for Torben Bett’s Speculations

The Choir of Man Production Image. Photo by The Other Richard

The Choir of Man announces full cast ahead of return this Christmas at The Arts at Marble Arch

Collage of ten portraits featuring diverse drag performers and performers in bold, colorful outfits posing together.

Rufus Hound, Vikki Stone, Danielle Steers and more join King’s Head Theatre’s Dick Whittington: Adults Only panto

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Main photo: West End Weekly (18 April 2026) - Avenue Q (Photo Matt Crockett), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Photo Manuel Harlan), Christine Baranski (Photo Emilio Madrid)