The theatre scene has plenty to offer this month in the West End and across London. From a manga-inspired musical to a new imagining of Jane Eyre and beyond, these are the shows you’ll want to catch.
There’s plenty to see in London this month, from the return of The Comedy about Spies and Paranormal Activity to exciting new musicals. See a manga come to life with Death Note the Musical, or step in time with Mike Leigh’s Abigail’s Party. Venture into the outdoors with shows at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre or Shakespeare’s Globe.
There will be something for everyone this summer, but these are the shows we’re most looking forward to:
Best Shows to See in August
Paranormal Activity
Ambassadors Theatre
10 August 2026 – 3 October 2026
Inspired by the acclaimed Blumhouse & Paramount film series created by Oren Peli, Paranormal Activity returns to the West End this summer with plenty of spine-tingling scares.
This hit production follows James and Lou as they move from Chicago to London to escape their past, but they soon discover that their ghosts have followed them. This production, inspired by the hit horror movie franchise, is a theatrical experience that will haunt you long after the lights go out.
Ambassadors Theatre, London
The Comedy about Spies
Adelphi Theatre
1 August 2026 – 26 September 2026
Returning to the West End after a sell-out premiere in 2025, The Comedy About Spies turns the classic spy thriller on its head. From the award-winning Mischief Theatre, the team behind The Play That Goes Wrong, this hilarious Cold War comedy is a must see.
Playing a strictly limited 8-week run, this production will offer audiences a farcical, physical double-crossing caper full of misunderstanding, miscommunication, and mistaken identity!
Adelphi Theatre, London
Abigail’s Party
Harold Pinter Theatre
12 August 2026 – 19 September 2026
Mike Leigh’s legendary black comedy Abigail’s Party arrives in the West End following a critically acclaimed UK tour. Television and stage star Tamzin Outhwaite stars as the wine-fuelled, socially ambitious Beverley, opposite Kevin Bishop as Laurence.
Mike Leigh’s modern classic whisks audiences to 1977 Essex, where a disastrous cocktail party full of awkward small talk and marital tension spirals out of control. This hit play has a strictly limited run, playing at the Harold Pinter Theatre from 12 August until 19 September 2026.
Harold Pinter Theatre, London
The Oresteia
Bridge Theatre
Booking until 19 September 2026
Opening at the Bridge Theatre this month is The Oresteia, starring two-time Tony Award winner Mary-Louise Parker (Weeds) and David Morrissey (Sherwood). Written and directed by Simon Stone (Yerma, Phaedra), this major new production reimagines Aeschylus’ The Oresteia, by having a contemporary family wake up in the Greek myth, unable to find a way out of their hellish destiny. The play itself is a multi-generational exploration of war, betrayal, vengeance and the search for justice.
Bridge Theatre, London
Jane Eyre – A Musical
Southwark Playhouse Elephant
28 August – 24 October 2026
Making its UK debut this August is five-time Tony Award nominated Jane Eyre – A Musical, bringing Charlotte Brontë’s iconic novel vividly to the stage with music and lyrics by Paul Gordon (Daddy Long Legs, Pride and Prejudice)
Co-directed by John Caird (Les Misérables) and Megan McGinnis, the production reimagines one of literature’s most beloved stories as a sweeping musical journey of love, resilience and self-discovery. The exciting adaptation plays a limited run from 28 August until 24 October 2026.
Southwark Playhouse Elephant, London
Death Note the Musical
Barbican Theatre
30 July 2026 – 12 September 2026
Based on the internationally bestselling Japanese manga series, Death Note the Musical arrives at the Barbican with a revised script and newly written songs.
The musical is a gripping psychological drama that follows Light Yagami, a brilliant student who discovers a supernatural notebook that grants him the power to kill anyone simply by writing their name within its pages. Emboldened, Light begins a crusade to rid the world of criminals, but he’s attracting some unwanted attention.
Barbican Theatre, London
You & It
King’s Head Theatre
20 August 2026 – 26 September 2026
One of South Korea’s most celebrated new musicals arrives in London this summer. You & It is an emotionally charged love story exploring love, grief and artificial intelligence.
Written by Seoeun Oh and Q Lee, this award-winning musical has become one of the most successful original Korean musicals of recent years. Set in a near-future world where humans and AI coexist, this intimate musical follows a grieving widower who encounters an AI created in the image of his late wife. As technology offers him a second chance at connection, he is forced to confront grief, memory and the true meaning of love.
King's Head Theatre, London
Cats
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre
25 July 2026 – 19 September 2026
The iconic Andrew Lloyd Webber musical returns to London at long last. The first major production in over a decade, Cats will star a stellar cast of West End stars including Gary Wilmot (Anything Goes), Melanie La Barrie (Hadestown) and Rachael Wooding (Standing at the Sky’s Edge).
Based on T. S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, the musical follows a tribe of cats called the Jellicles who are gathering for a special occasion: it’s the annual Jellicle Ball where they will choose which cat will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and be reborn. This new production promises to inject new live into a beloved musical, staging it under the stars in the heart of London.
Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, London
I’m Every Woman - The Chaka Khan Musical
Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre
22 July 2026 – 27 September 2026
Powerful new musical I’m Every Woman – The Chaka Khan Musical brings the story and music of Chaka Khan to the stage, charting the course of her remarkable career. Stage actress Alexandra Burke (Sister Act, The Bodyguard Musical) will play the music icon.
Pulling from Chaka Khan’s extensive catalogue of music, I’m Every Woman will feature songs like ‘I Feel for You,’ ‘Tell Me Something Good,’ ‘Ain’t Nobody,’ and of course, ‘I’m Every Woman,’ as it explores her rise to fame, her battles behind the spotlight, and her powerful journey of resilience.
Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre, London
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