10 non-festive shows to see this winter

Not everyone wants to haul out the holly and spend their festive season packed with panto trips! With that in mind, here are ten shows running across the festive season throughout the UK that have nothing to do with Christmas. Sometimes Scrooge might have a point….

Hamilton at the Millennium Centre, Cardiff

What do you mean Hamilton isn’t festive, I hear you ask? Well – Lin-Manuel Miranda’s multi-award-winning musical about America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton blends hip-hop, jazz, blues, and Broadway, but it also features death by the gallon, infidelity, duelling and bloodshed. So we’re including it! The tour heads to Cardiff later this month. 26 November 2024 to 25 January 2025

The Tempest at Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Nothing screams Christmas like a trip to an island for an enigmatic Shakespeare problem play! Jamie Lloyd directs Sigourney Weaver in Shakespeare’s The Tempest, in a production set to dazzle the vast Theatre Royal Drury Lane stage. A stellar cast includes Mason Alexander Park and Gavin and Stacey‘s Mathew Horne. 7 December 2024 to 1 February 2025.

Spend Spend Spend at the Royal Exchange, Manchester

Admittedly Christmastime does seem to be all about “spend spend spend”, but this musical comedy, directed by Josh Seymour, follows Viv Nicholson’s rags-to-riches story after winning a fortune on the Football Pools.23 November 2024 to 11 January 2025

The Rocky Horror Show at Liverpool Playhouse

What better way to celebrate Christmas than by partying along to a group of corset-loving aliens going all-in on extravagance and carefully co-ordinated dance moves? Richard O’Brien’s legendary rock ‘n’ roll musical returns for a festive stay in Liverpool as part of its ongoing tour. 3 December 2024 to 4 January 2025

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812 at Donmar Warehouse

 Ding dong merrily on high: it’s time for a musical about Tolstoy’s War and Peace! Dave Malloy’s musical, inspired by about a quarter of the doorstopper tome, follows Natasha Rostova’s romantic entanglements in Moscow High Society. Directed by Tim Sheader, this UK premiere promises to be a dazzling, genre-defying experience – and the cast is pretty special. 9 December 2024 to 8 February 2025.

The Little Foxes at the Young Vic

Speaking of non-festive modern classics, Lillian Hellman’s play, directed by Lyndsey Turner, tells the story of Regina Hubbard’s quest for wealth and power, setting her against her family. Starring Anne-Marie Duff. 2 December 2024 to 8 February 2025.

War Horse on tour – at the Oxford New Theatre

From some little foxes to a mighty great big puppet horse! The National Theatre’s acclaimed production of War Horsereturns, telling the story of a young boy’s journey to find his beloved horse during World War I. 10 December 2024 to 4 January 2025

The Invention of Love at Hampstead Theatre

Tom Stoppard’s play explores the life of poet A E Housman, blending his academic debates and personal relationships. Directed by Blanche McIntyre and decidedly non-festive, the production stars Simon Russell Beale. 4 December 2024 to 25 January 2025

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof at the Almeida Theatre

Why have Santa up on the rooftop when you can have a Cat On A Hot Tin Roof? Tennessee Williams’ classic play, directed by Rebecca Frecknall, explores themes of family, greed, and desire – and it sees Frecknall direct the other star of Normal People, back at the Almeida. 10 December 2024 to 1 February 2025

Mary: A Gig Theatre Show at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh

A chance to see a show clearly on the up – this blend of haunting original music and rich spoken word reimagines Mary, Queen of Scots’ story. The feminist retelling by early career Scottish theatre makers delves into Mary’s inner world, and, after an acclaimed run at the 2024 Edinburgh Festival, it’s part of the Traverse’s £1 Tickets Project. 19 to 21 December 2024