September is looking very starry!
A major slate of new shows is opening in September 2026 for the West End’s autumn season, and it is shaping up to be filled with stars!
Christine Baranski, Richard E. Grant, Tilda Swinton, Josh O’Connor, Michelle Dockery, Rory Kinnear, Natalia Osipova, Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kate Fleetwood, and Gaten Matarazzo are all lined up for starring roles in September’s new West End and London season.
From James Graham’s blazing new take on economics in The Standard of Living to Noël Coward wit in Hay Fever, audiences can look forward to a mix of starry revivals, hotly anticipated new plays and a beloved musical returning for its 30th anniversary. Highlights include Christine Baranski and Richard E. Grant at Wyndham’s, Tilda Swinton at the Royal Court, Michelle Dockery at Stratford East, and Rory Kinnear at the Theatre Royal Haymarket — plus a starry Almeida return, Sondheim’s Into the Woods transferring into the West End, and news of a major Bridge Theatre transfer to come.
Here’s our Top 12 highlights of what shows are starting in September 2026. Also check out the full listing of New Shows in September, and the complete rundown of All Shows playing in September.
1. The Standard of Living
Three-time Olivier winner James Graham’s world premiere tells the astonishing story of rebel economist John Maynard Keynes, starring Rory Kinnear and Royal Ballet principal Natalia Osipova, making her West End debut, directed by Nicholas Hytner.
Starts at the Theatre Royal Haymarket on 21 September 2026.
Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
2. Hay Fever
Noël Coward’s classic comedy of appalling manners gets a starry revival, marking Christine Baranski’s long-awaited West End debut opposite Richard E. Grant’s return to the London stage after 20 years, as the eccentric Bliss family and their unwitting weekend guests descend into chaos.
Starts at Wyndham’s Theatre on 22 September 2026.
Wyndham's Theatre, London
3. Into The Woods
Fresh from a triumphant, Olivier-winning run at the Bridge Theatre, Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s fairy-tale masterpiece transfers into the West End for the first time since 1991, with Kate Fleetwood reprising her celebrated performance as the Witch.
Starts at the Noël Coward Theatre on 22 September 2026.
Noël Coward Theatre, London
4. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Edward Albee’s ferocious marital drama comes to @sohoplace in a fierce new production directed in the round by Marianne Elliott, starring Gillian Anderson as Martha and Billy Crudup as George, with Josh Dylan and Phoebe Horn completing the leading four as Nick and Honey.
Starts at @sohoplace on 21 September 2026.
@sohoplace Theatre, London
5. Rent
Jonathan Larson’s Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical returns to the West End to mark its 30th anniversary, directed by Luke Sheppard and starring Broadway’s Gaten Matarazzo in his West End debut as Mark.
Starts at the Tom Stoppard Theatre on 26 September 2026.
Duke of York's Theatre, London
6. Tru
Jesse Tyler Ferguson brings his acclaimed portrayal of Truman Capote to London in Jay Presson Allen’s funny, heartbreaking solo play, capturing the writer alone in his New York apartment in the wake of the scandal that destroyed his social world.
Starts at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 19 September 2026.
Menier Chocolate Factory, London
7. Bloodsport, After Helen of Troy
The world premiere of Ava Pickett’s blazing new play reimagines the aftermath of the Trojan War from the perspective of the woman at its centre, starring Michelle Dockery as Helen and Laura Aikman as her estranged childhood friend Cee.
Starts at Stratford East on 3 September 2026.
Theatre Royal Stratford East, London
8. Franz & Marie
An audacious new musical reimagining of the Woyzeck myth, giving equal weight to Marie alongside Franz for the first time, starring Brenock O’Connor and Jade Oswald at the head of a 14-strong actor-muso company.
Starts at the Charing Cross Theatre on 28 September 2026.
Charing Cross Theatre, London
9. Thelma & Louise: The Musical
The beloved 1991 road movie is reimagined as a bold new stage musical at the Young Vic, bringing the story of two women’s defiant escape from the constraints of their lives to thrilling theatrical life.
Starts at the Young Vic Theatre on 3 September 2026.
Young Vic Theatre, London
10. The Urmetazoan
Alex Rugman’s darkly funny new play follows two sisters, one a Nobel Prize-winning scientist preparing to leave Earth forever on a one-way mission to deep space, as they rediscover the joy of each other’s company just as a devastating goodbye looms.
Starts at Hampstead Downstairs on 18 September 2026.
Hampstead Theatre, London
11. Man to Man
Tilda Swinton returns to the London stage in a rare revival of Manfred Karge’s modern classic, a searing solo piece about a woman who assumes her dead husband’s identity to survive Nazi Germany.
Starts at the Royal Court on 5 September 2026.
12. Golden Boy
Josh O’Connor returns to the London stage to headline Clifford Odets’ Depression-era drama about a young violinist torn between his art and the lure of the boxing ring.
Starts at the Almeida Theatre on 8 September 2026.
Almeida Theatre, London
Related What's On guides
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