The theatre scene has plenty to offer this month, with new shows opening in the West End and across the city. From a manga-inspired musical to classics from Alan Ayckbourn and Andrew Lloyd Webber, these are the shows you’ll want to catch.
From the return of an Andrew Lloyd Webber classic to musicals inspired by hit films, there are a wealth of exciting shows arriving in London this July. See a manga come to life with Death Note the Musical, or step into the life of music icon Chaka Khan with I’ve Every Woman: the Chaka Chan Musical. 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 nine shows we’re most looking forward to:
Best New Shows Opening in July
Trainspotting The Musical
Theatre Royal Haymarket
15 July 2026 – 5 September 2026
Opening this July, Trainspotting: The Musical takes Irvine Welsh’s iconic story and reimagines it for the stage. The musical follows Renton and his friends through friendship, addiction, identity and survival in a world without easy answers. Trainspotting makes its world premiere at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, and features a live band, a new score and a bold theatrical approach.
The new musical features a book by Irvine Welsh based on his hit novel and screenplay, alongside new original songs by Stephen McGuinness and Irvine Welsh and iconic tracks from the 1996 film.
Theatre Royal Haymarket, London
The Oresteia
Bridge Theatre
2 July 2026 – 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
Love’s Labour’s Lost
One of Shakespeare’s lesser performed plays, Love’s Labour’s Lost is presented in a blazing new production infused with the passion, rhythm and emotional intensity of flamenco. When the King of Navarre and his three friends decide to swear off women and focus on their studies, their plans are thrown into disarray with the arrival of Princess of France and her ladies. Chaos and hijinks ensue as they can only in a Shakespeare play.
Director Indiana Lown-Collins (The Solid Life of Sugar Water) makes her Globe Theatre directing debut with Love’s Labour’s Lost, playing at Shakespeare’s Globe from 17 July.
Shakespeare's Globe, 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
How the Other Half Loves
Old Vic
29 July 2026 – 19 September 2026
Announced earlier this month, the upcoming revival of How the Other Half Loves arrives at the Old Vic in July with Roger Allam (Endeavour, The Thick of It) and Dorothy Atkinson (Ludwig, Mum) starring as Frank and Fiona Foster.
The lives of three couples become comically intertwined in this play from prolific playwright Alan Ayckbourn, after Fiona Foster and Bob Phillips are each accused of having an affair by their spouses. How the Other Half Loves is a raucous take on sex, class and marital misunderstanding.
Old Vic, London
Hit Machine
Soho Theatre
9 July 2026 – 15 August 2026
Josh Radnor (How I Met Your Mother) and Noah Galvin (Theater Camp, Dear Evan Hansen) make their London stage debuts in Hit Machine, the explosive new comedy from Jonathan Caren (The Morning The Sun Fell Down). The duo star as brothers bound by the same bruised childhood and separated by one’s success and the other’s failure.
The play, directed by Daniel Bailey (Red Pitch) Hit Machine will feature original music by three-time Grammy Award winner Ben Harper. The strictly limited run arrives at the Soho Theatre on 9 July.
Soho Theatre, London
Heathers the Musical
The Arts at Marble Arch
9 July 2026 – 22 August 2026
Based on the iconic 1980s cult film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, Heathers the Musical returns for a summer stint at The Arts at Marble Arch. This darkly funny musical has become a fan favourite in recent years, as it follows outsider Veronica Sawyer as she unexpectedly has the chance to join the elite clique who rules Westerberg High School. Throw in a growing attraction to mysterious new student JD, and Veronica finds things quickly spiralling out of control.
Heathers the Musical blends dark comedy with romance, satire and explosive songs in a story about what it takes to surviving high school.
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. Originally developed in 2014, the musical made its English language debut with a concert version at the London Palladium. This is the first major English language production of the global phenomenon.
Death Note 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
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
Allegra
Harold Pinter Theatre
8 July 2026 – 8 August 2026
Stage and screen star Maureen Lipman stars in Allegra at the Harold Pinter this month. Written by Olivier Award-nominated playwright Peter Quilter (End of the Rainbow), this funny and touching new comedy explores family, memory and the fragile beauty of holding onto joy.
Allegra is directed and choreographed by three-time Olivier Award winner Stephen Mear (Mary Poppins, Hello, Dolly!) and stars Lipman as the titular character, a woman with a wild imagination who loves nothing more than bursting into song. Her devoted brother Ronen and carer Anna do their best to manage her increasingly unpredictable behaviour, but how do you protect someone you love without hiding away what makes them who they are?
Harold Pinter Theatre, London
Tao of Glass
@sohoplace Theatre
24 July 2026 – 12 September 2026
Following a critically acclaimed world premiere at the Manchester International Festival, Tao of Glass arrives at @sohoplace for a highly anticipated West End debut. Part-concert and part-performance, this show features 10 brand-new pieces of music by renowned composer Philip Glass.
Inspired by a dream, this production is performed by Phelim McDermott alongside an ensemble of world-class musicians and puppeteers as they explore life, loss, and the eternal question: Where does true inspiration come from?
@sohoplace Theatre, London
Related What's On guides
8 kid-friendly theatre shows to see in London this autumn(that the whole family will enjoy)
Last minute theatre in London: 11 must-see shows to book right now
10 top tours to see this autumn, from West End hits to reimagined classics
12 soap stars to watch in the West End this autumn
Latest News
Everything you need to know about The Traitors: Acts of Betrayal in London
Nina Raine’s sweeping new adaptation of Middlemarch arrives at the RSC: See brand-new images from the production
What to expect from Pride the Musical ahead of highly anticipated transfer to the Bridge Theatre
