West End Weekly (14 February 2026): Hercules, Billy Elliot, Harold Fry & more

Welcome to this week’s issue of West End Weekly, bringing you all the London theatre news including the hot gossip about Disney’s Hercules, Billy Elliot The Musical, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and much more.

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Disney’s Hercules sets final West End dates

Disney’s Hercules will play its final London performances on 5 September 2026 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Don’t miss your chance to go from zero to hero before this epic musical adventure leaves London.

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Harold Fry reviews: Is it a journey worth taking?

Critical acclaim is rolling in for The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, with London critics applauding its heartfelt story, moving performances and Passenger’s folk-inspired music. Is this new British musical the feel-good walk of the season? See what the reviewers are saying.

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Richard Kind to guest star in The Producers

Only Murders in the Building favourite Richard Kind will guest star as Max Bialystock in The Producers from 23 March to 9 May 2026, joining Mel Brooks’ riotous West End hit for seven weeks only. Don’t miss it!

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Billy Elliot returns to the West End in 2027

It’s official – Billy Elliot The Musical is pirouetting back to London for the first time in over a decade. The Olivier and Tony Award-winning hit arrives at the Adelphi Theatre from February 2027, with Stephen Daldry and the original creative team reuniting. A new generation is about to discover the electricity…

Horror is all the rage: Paranormal Activity returns

The hit stage horror Paranormal Activity is returning to the Ambassadors Theatre from 8 August, for another limited season. This ★★★★ “Shockingly good” (Time Out) thriller finishes its current London season on 25 April. New dates now on sale.

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News Headlines

First look photo of Dracula starring Cynthia Erivo, Performances start tonight - More >

Jennifer Saunders to star in Edward Bond’s The Sea - More >

Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards 2026 nominations announced - More >

Shadowlands West End photos starring Hugh Bonneville & Maggie Siff - More >

First-look photos of Amber Davies in Legally Blonde tour - More >

Ben Platt to star in Midnight at The Never Get at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London - More >

Chichester Festival Theatre unveils star-studded 2026 season - More >

Man and Boy reviews round-up at the National Theatre starring Ben Daniels - More >

Regé-Jean Page to star in The Great Gatsby in the West End - More >

Category Is: Macbeth all-drag Shakespeare to play the Emerald Theatre - More >

New musical World’s Greatest Lover set for London premiere starring Matt Terry & Dalton Harris - More >

Shows Opening & Closing

Shows Opening:

Broken Glass: Starts 21 Feb
Marie & Rosetta: Starts 28 Feb
It Walks Around the House at Night: Starts 4 Mar
Ancient Grease: Starts 4 Mar
Sugar Daddy: Starts 5 Mar
I’m Every Woman The Chaka Khan Musical: Starts 5 Mar
Summerfolk: Starts 6 Mar
Teeth ‘n’ Smiles: Starts 13 Mar

More new openings >

Shows Closing:

Already Perfect: Closes 15 Feb
Ballet Shoes: Closes 21 Feb
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold: Closes 21 Feb
Fallen Angels: Closes 21 Feb
MJ The Musical: Closes 28 Feb
Woman in Mind: Closes 28 Feb
Maggots: Closes 28 Feb
The Playboy of the Western World: Closes 28 Feb
Cable Street: Closes 28 Feb
Cirque du Soleil OVO: Closes 1 Mar
All My Sons: Closes 7 Mar
High Noon: Closes 7 Mar

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.

A jaunt through the history of panto: how a flexible theatre form transformed Britain’s Christmas theatre scene

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

Everything you need to know about West Side Story at the National Theatre

10 reasons we can’t wait for West Side Story

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

Everything you need to know about A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic

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)

Top Picks: 10 shows to book during LOVEtheatre Week

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 14 February 2026 - Hercules (Photo Johan Persson) and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry The Musical (Photo Tristram Kenton)