A 2023 Christmas gift guide for theatre lovers

‘Tis once again the season to be jolly (and to shop around for some festively fabulous presents for your loved ones)! And if you have friends and family members who – just like you – are crazy for all things theatre, then consider us Santa’s little helper! We have 20 suggestions that just might just make for a perfectly marvellous Christmas!

And if you happen to be in the West End next month, why not swing by the Arts Theatre and pick up a physical copy of newly released Christmas with The Choir of Man to spread some seasonal cheer? Everything else you can find below with the links embedded in each title…

1. WhatsOnStage Theatre Club membership

What better way to round out one year than gifting an annual membership to our prestigious Theatre Club? That’s not just Christmas sorted… that’s 2024 sorted too!

2. The Sound of Music: Super Deluxe Edition

You’ll discover quite a few of our favourite things on this list, but this all-new super deluxe edition of The Sound of Music is the first-ever collection of every single musical moment from the iconic film with 14 previously unreleased tracks. A must-have for any Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, it will be released on 1 December!

3. Tickets to the 24th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards

For the first time ever, the WhatsOnStage Awards will be held at the iconic London Palladium next year! Why not surprise your bestie with a ticket and be there with us on the big night itself (Sunday, 11 February, if you haven’t marked your diary already)?

4. Here’s to the Ladies: Conversations with More of the Great Women of Musical Theater 

Following on from the successes of A Wonderful Guy and Nothing Like a Dame, theatre journalist Eddie Shapiro’s latest installment of conversations with Broadway’s finest will be released on 5 December. Expect intimate reflections from the likes of Kelli O’Hara, Heather Headley and Stephanie J Block just to name a few! We’ll drink to that!

5. Operation Mincemeat Original Cast Recording

One of the runaway West End hits of the year has to be SpitLip’s 5-star production of Operation Mincemeat and if you have a friend who is ashamedly unaware of the hype, why not enlighten them with the 2023 cast recording (and a ticket to the show itself, of course)?!

6. Cards Against Humanity: Theatre Pack

Any Cards Against Humanity players among your peers? Add a little razzle dazzle to the game with the special theatre-themed expansion pack. The winner takes it all, as Donna Sheridan would say!

7. Hamilton 2024 wall calendar 

How could they possibly “Say No to This”?! The 2024 calendar features gorgeous black-and-white shots of the original Broadway cast members alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda’s most famous lyrics from the musical phenomenon that is Hamilton.

8. Break an Egg!: The Broadway Cookbook

Sugar, butter, flour… and a whole bunch of quirky recipes inspired by some of your friends’ favorite musicals from Wicked to Company and from Kiss Me, Kate to The Phantom of the Opera. Mama’s Well-Peppered Ragu, a nod to Chicago, has already got us salivating!

9. My Neighbour Totoro and Catbus soft toy

In celebration of the welcomed return to the Barbican stage of My Neighbour Totoro, why not treat a youngster to this Studio Ghibli officially licensed Catbus and Totoro plush toy and a visit to the five-time WhatsOnStage Award-winning spectacle?

10. National Theatre Connections 2023: 10 Plays for Young Performers

This 2023 edition, published this past summer, features works by Simon Longman, Lisa McGee, Leo Butler, Jordan Tannahill, Avaes Mohammad, Jon Brittain, Molly Taylor, Shamser Sinha, Ed Harris and Alison Carr and might be the perfect gift for any aspiring performers in your friendship circle.

11. Moulin Rouge! The Musical: The Story of the Broadway Spectacular

Whether you’re a bohemian or an aristocrat, there’s something for everyone in David Cote’s chronicling of the musical juggernaut Moulin Rouge!, including interviews with creator Baz Luhrmann and costume designer Catherine Martin. Come What May, there’ll be a smile on your friend’s face on Christmas Day!

12. Creating Back to the Future The Musical

If hurtling along at 88mph is more your buddy’s kinda style, then Back to the Future also has an in-depth accompaniment to the show’s creation. Written by Michael Klastorin, it also features a foreword by Bob Gale, afterword by Robert Zemeckis and an introduction by original cast member, now wowing audiences as Doc Brown on Broadway, Roger Bart. Great (gift), Scott!

13. Guys and Dolls – The 2023 London Cast Recording

Another smash hit musical taking London by storm in 2023 is, of course, the Bridge Theatre’s wonderfully immersive staging of Guys and Dolls. The cast recording has immortalised the vocals of Daniel Mays, Cedric Neal, Andrew Richardson, Celinde Schoenmaker and Marisha Wallace and is a must-have for your loved one’s collection.

14. The Little Big Things memoir

Perhaps one of the most emotional musicals to open this year is the world premiere of The Little Big Things at @sohoplace and if you’re thinking of treating a friend to a ticket, why not include the inspirational memoir the show is based on?

15. National Theatre at Home subscription

The National Theatre’s streaming service offers a gift subscription option, ranging from one to 12 months, so you can surprise a loved one with viewings of such acclaimed productions as Best of Enemies, Blues for an Alabama Sky, Jack Absolute Flies Again and Fleabag, all from the comfort of their own sofa!

16. Michael Ball: Different Aspects

Published this past October, stage veteran Michael Ball’s first memoir will take long-time fans behind the curtain. From Aspects of Love and Les Misérables to Sweeney Todd and Hairspray, it truly has been a life lived on stage.

17. Stranger Things Upside Down Capsule

Stranger Things: The First Shadow is now in previews at the Phoenix Theatre and as the West End prepares to be turned upside down, this capsule packed with Stranger Things collector’s items might just be the perfect gift for your favourite Demogorgon!

18. Peter Hannah’s theatre sketches 

You might know Peter Hannah for starring in shows like Waitress or Then, Now and Next, but the performer is also a stellar artist, creating some fantastic keepsakes based on famed stage locations and productions, incorporating artwork and marquee designs. He’s also an absolutely wonderful chap!

19. Funko Pop key chains: Buddy the Elf and Jovine

Who doesn’t love a Funko Pop?! Elf the Musical is back at the Dominion Theatre for the festive season and these “Sparklejollytwinklejingley” key chains could be the perfect accompaniment to a ticket!

20. Musical Theatre Bucket List journal

No MT enthusiast should be without a journal and this one comes with a diary of up to 50 shows, space for ticket stubs, ratings, principal cast listings and more!

From all of us here at WhatsOnStage, we’d like to wish you all the very best for the 2023 festive season!