Top 10 theatre openings this week: 7 – 13 December

10. Hangmen – Wyndham's Theatre

A cracking new play by Martin McDonagh with a barnstorming performance from Johnny Flynn.

It sold out when it premiered at the Royal Court earlier this year so make sure you get your tickets early for this West End transfer. New cast additions include Andy Nyman who takes over from Reece Shearsmith.

7 December – 5 March 2016, Wyndham's Theatre. More information and tickets here.

9. Into the Woods – Royal Exchange, Manchester

Manchester audiences are in for a treat this Christmas as associate artistic director Matthew Xia makes his Royal Exchange Theatre debut with Sondheim's Into the Woods, and what a cast he's assembled.

Alex Gaumond (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) plays the Baker alongside Marc Elliott (Urinetown, City of Angels) as Rapunzel's Prince and Gillian Bevan (Hamlet) as the Witch.

Buying tickets for this production will not be 'Agony'…

9 December – 16 January 2016, Royal Exchange, Manchester. More information and tickets here.

8. You For Me For You – Royal Court

We're very excited to see Paapa Essiedu's Hamlet for the RSC next year, in the meantime you can see him in the UK premiere of Mia Chung‘s play alongside Daisy Haggard (see our interview with her here.)

8 December – 9 January 2016, Royal Court, London. More information and tickets here.

7. Chitty Chitty, Bang Bang – West Yorkshire Playhouse

A flying car and a fab cast including Jon Robyns (Memphis) as Caractacus Potts and Tamsin Carroll (Miss Saigon) as Baroness Bomburst, what more can you ask for?

Oh, there's also a UK tour from February featuring Martin Kemp, Jason Manford and Michelle Collins.

10 December – 30 January 2016, West Yorkshire Playhouse. More information and tickets here.

6. Hapgood and Pine – Hampstead Theatre

Hampstead has two promising openings this week – Tom Stoppard's Hapgood upstairs and Jacqui Honess-Martin's Pine downstairs.

The former is a play about espionage starring the wonderful Lisa Dillon, the latter has more of a festive offering and is set in a Christmas Tree shop with a great cast including Lucy May Barker and David Mumeni.

Hapgood: 9 Dec – 23 Jan. Pine: 10 Dec – 16 Jan, Hampstead Theatre. For more information and tickets, click here: Hapgood, Pine.

5. Peter Pan Goes Wrong – Apollo Theatre

If you haven't seen The Play that Goes Wrong by now you must have been living underneath a very large rock. Peter Pan Goes Wrong offers much of the same, we're expecting plenty of slapstick from the Mischief Theatre gang.

9 Dec – 31 Jan 2016, Apollo Theatre. More information and tickets here.

4. wonder.land – Olivier, National Theatre

Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Moira Buffini's (Handbagged) retelling of Lewis Carroll's 1865 novel received mixed reviews when it opened at the Manchester International Festival earlier this year. But it's had a bit of a reworking since and promises to at least offer something a little different to what National audiences are used to. Expect a dazzling coming-of-age story with cool video projection.

From 10 Dec, Olivier, National Theatre. More information and tickets here.

3. The Wasp – Trafalgar Studios

Tom Attenborough (son of Michael) directs this two-hander that sold out at the Hampstead Theatre, starring Myanna Buring (Twilight) and Laura Donnelly (Sugar Rush).

11 Dec – 16 Jan 2016, Trafalgar Studios. More information and tickets here.

2. Matthew Bourne's Sleeping Beauty – Sadler's Wells

Mince Pies, Eggnog and reruns of Only Fools and Horses, there's some things that just make Christmas and a visit to a Matthew Bourne production is one of them. His 2012 production of Tchaikovsky's ballet Sleeping Beauty stops off at Sadler's Wells this Christmas as part of a UK tour.

9 Dec – 24 Jan 2016, Sadler's Wells. More information and tickets here.

1. A Christmas Carol – Noel Coward Theatre

Fancy seeing an Academy Award-winning actor on stage this Christmas? Then look no further than the Noel Coward theatre where Jim Broadbent is making his long-awaited return to the stage, playing Scrooge in a new version of Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol.

9 Dec – 30 Jan 2016, Noel Coward Theatre. More information and tickets here.