Autumn 2026 preview – top plays and musicals to see

We know that summer has barely ended, but we simply cannot help looking forward to autumn!

The theatrical calendar is full of highlights up and down the country, and any regular reader of WhatsOnStage can be assured of being kept up to date daily. With so much on the horizon, we have narrowed it down to just ten of our top picks of new productions to enjoy during the cooler months. Your fave not on the list? We’ve got oodles more to our autumn preview over the next seven days, so don’t fret!

A Little Night Music

Send the clowns to Manchester! The much-loved musical comedy by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler is set in turn-of-the-century Sweden and follows mismatched couples who waltz through a series of self-delusions in search of a happy ending. Casting is yet to be announced, but Selina Cartmell will direct the piece in the round over the festive period.

Plays at the Royal Exchange Theatre from 5 December 2026 to 30 January 2027

The Afronauts

Telling the true-ish story of the Zambian Space Program, this new play by Ryan Calais Cameron centres on a schoolteacher who assembles a group of aspiring astronauts as the newly independent nation of Zambia attempts to compete in the global space race. It will be co-directed by Cameron and director Monique Touko, who, in an exclusive interview with WhatsOnStage, said that the piece is “an inspiring, human-centered journey of creativity and hope,” noting that it explores a real historical event about people with big dreams.

Plays at the Royal Court from 14 November to 19 December

Ceilidh

Grab a partner and get ready to dance! Written by Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie, who also work under the name Noisemaker, and directed and choreographed by Sam Pinkleton (of Oh, Mary! and The Rocky Horror Show acclaim), the new musical is set around a traditional Scottish social gathering. Featuring a caller and folk band at the heart of the action, as the evening unfolds, the story focuses on a family, their relationship, inheritance and the significance of the event itself.

Ceilidh forms part of Alan Cumming’s first season as artistic director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre during the theatre’s 75th anniversary year. Other autumnal highlights include Cumming as Henry Higgins in a chamber version of My Fair Lady!

Plays at Pitlochry Town Hall from 7 to 17 October before transferring to London and touring

Golden Boy

Big screen golden boy Josh O’Connor will return to the stage in a new revival of Clifford Odets’ American classic. The BAFTA winner is in great company, with the cast including Jason Barnett, Richard Fleeshman, David Ganly, Patrick Martins, Daniel Mays, Oliver Ryan, Hayley Squires, Stanley Townsend, Zubin Varla and Nicholas Woodeson. Sam Yates is on directorial duties of the production, which is said to feature a live string quartet and explore “ambition, identity, and the high price of success,” telling the tale of a gifted young violinist who finds himself lured into the brutal world of professional boxing.

Plays at Almeida Theatre from 9 September to 31 October

Lear

It is always such a treat to see Ian McKellen performing Shakespeare, so it is particularly spectacular that he will return to the stage in a new reimagining of King Lear at the Yard Theatre. Celebrating the venue’s inaugural season in its rebuilt Hackney Wick home, Lear is a reimagining by playwright Simon Stephens and the Yard’s artistic director Jay Miller. With only 220 seats, it gives a rare opportunity to see the Shakespearean star up close.

Plays at The Yard from 17 November 2026 to 2 January 2027

Martin Guerre

The lesser-known musical by Les Misérables and Miss Saigon creators Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil will be semi-staged this autumn. Set in 16th-century rural France, the story follows a young peasant woman, Bertrande, whose husband Martin abandons her and their village. Years later, a man claiming to be Martin returns, transformed into a kinder and more loving partner. Matthew Warchus will present it in the round at the Old Vic for a limited five-week run.

Plays at the Old Vic from 1 to 31 October

Owain and Henry

Michael Sheen and Linus Roache will take on the title roles of Gary Owen’s new play, examining the 15th-century rebellion against the English crown by outlaw Owain Glyndŵr coming up against King Henry IV in a battle that could lead to freedom for Wales and the end of England. The Welsh National Theatre and Wales Millennium Centre co-production will also be co-directed by Sheen and Steffan Donnelly.

Plays in the Donald Gordon Theatre from 5 to 28 November

Rent

Well, how do you measure our excitement for this one? WhatsOnStage and Olivier Award winner Luke Sheppard is reimagining his hit staging of Jonathan Larson’s much-loved musical in the West End, led by Stranger Things and Broadway star Gaten Matarazzo amongst a whole host of stage favourites.

Plays at the Duke of York’s,  soon-to-be Tom Stoppard Theatre, from 26 September 2026 to 27 March 2027

The Sea

Jennifer Saunders will lead a revival of Edward Bond’s The Sea. Set in a small seaside village in 1907, the play takes place after a violent storm disrupts the community. As residents respond to the chaos, the local draper Mr Hatch becomes convinced that extraterrestrial forces may be preparing to invade, while Mrs Rafi, played by Saunders, organises the village women for an amateur production of Orpheus and Eurydice.

Plays at Theatre Royal Bath from 22 October to 7 November

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Gillian Anderson plays the iconic stage role of Martha, with Billy Crudup as begrudged husband George in this new revival of Edward Albee’s drama, as after-party drinks slowly get out of hand. This game of cat and mouse will be staged in the round with direction by Marianne Elliott. After more star-studded plays? You’re in luck. Keira Knightley, Stephen Dillane and WhatsOnStage Award winner Luke Thompson will lead the world premiere of The Lives of Others, while Christine Baranski and Richard E Grant will star in Hay Fever.

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? plays at @sohoplace from 21 September to 19 December