Bah humbug! – suitably unfestive stage shows to enjoy this December

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – to watch fantastic theatre about murders, hauntings, family dynamics, and misunderstood villains!

If you’re looking for a thrilling, suitably unfestive show to enjoy over the Christmas period, then look no further. We’ve got outrageous comedies, spooks, thought-provoking dramas, and much more.

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All My Sons

In the West End, Bryan Cranston is reunited with director Ivo van Hove for All My Sons. In the Arthur Miller classic, about the dishonest American Dream, he stars as Joe Keller opposite Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Kate Keller and Paapa Essiedu as Chris Keller. The production has already extended due to demand, and our chief critic called it an “explosive production.”

Plays at Wyndham’s Theatre until 7 March 2026

Coven

Rebecca Brewer and Daisy Chute’s new musical about the Pendle Witch Trials aptly opened on Halloween and it is continuing its run into the new year. In it, we meet the young Jenet, who accuses her own family of witchcraft, leading to their execution. Twenty years later, she finds herself accused of the same crime. Just remember that when you’re sat around the dinner table.

Plays at Kiln Theatre until 17 January 2026

Daniel’s Husband

A successful career, a beautiful home, a group of cracking friends, and a happy relationship. Sounds like everyone’s wish list! But an unexpected crisis makes this Off-Broadway hit take a devastating turn.

Plays at Marylebone Theatre from 4 December to 10 January 2026

Dracapella

You won’t find any carols here, but you will enjoy a cappella renditions of jukebox hits. Ako Mitchell and Keala Settle star in this laugh-a-minute retelling of Bram Stoker’s gothic classic.

Plays at Park Theatre from 3 December to 17 January 2026

High Noon

Okay, Christmas may be the time to watch old movies, but this one is suitably thrilling and will be played out on stage. The adaptation of the Oscar-winning Western lands in the West End this December and will be told in real time on a stage by a cast led by Billy Crudup and Denise Gough. It promises to be a high-stakes night out.

Plays at Harold Pinter theatre from 17 December to 7 March 2026

Into the Woods

Not your usual Christmas fairytale! Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine weave together four Grimms’ fairy tales as a baker and his wife embark on a quest to reverse an evil curse cast upon them by a wicked witch. Jordan Fein directs while Tom Scutt designs these dangerous woods!

Plays at Bridge Theatre from 2 December

Kenrex

When a man is shot dead in broad daylight, 60 witnesses claim not to have seen the incident. Festive stuff. Performed as a solo show, Jack Holden and Ed Stambollouian’s  five-star play Kenrex is part true crime and part Western.

Plays at the Other Palace from 3 December to 1 February 2026

Oh, Mary!

Cole Escola’s Tony Award-winning hoot arrives in London at the end of the year! Mason Alexander Park plays would-be cabaret star Mary Todd Lincoln in this historically dubious wartime comedy.

Plays at Trafalgar Theatre from 3 December to 25 April 2026

Paranormal Activity

A different type of ghost story for the festive period, Paranormal Activity is haunting the West End with some spooky thrills for its London premiere. Based on the iconic film series, this is a brand-new story written by Levi Holloway (Grey House) and directed by Felix Barrett, artistic director and founder of Punchdrunk, set to terrify audiences.

Plays at the Ambassadors Theatre from 5 December to 28 March 2026

The Playboy of the Western World

An all-star cast brings John Millington Synge’s Irish classic to London this December. Pegeen Flaherty’s life is turned upside down when a young man walks into her pub claiming that he’s killed his father. As the killer becomes a local hero, it is the unexpected arrival of a second man who turns the piece upside down…

Plays at the Lyttelton Theatre from 4 December to 28 February 2026

Ride the Cyclone

It isn’t the most cheery of shows – six teenagers are trapped in limbo, having been killed in a rollercoaster accident and are offered a chance to return to life, only if they can prove most deserving of the chance. Alas, it has a cult following and is playing its UK premiere over the Christmas period!

Plays at Southwark Playhouse Elephant until 10 January 2026

Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch

We think Ursula will find herself stuck on the naughty list after this one… The tell-all tale of sex, sorcery, and suckers is swimming back onto the stage in Salford in a new production! This adults-only retelling of The Little Mermaid is a cracker.

Plays at the Lowry from 5 December to 11 January 2026

The Woman in Black / The Last Five Years

If you fancy a fantastically unfestive double bill, head to Bath! In the main space, you can enjoy the classic ghost story The Woman in Black before hopping over to their studio space for Jason Robert Brown’s anti-love musical The Last Five Years. You can’t do better than that!

The Woman in Black Plays at Theatre Royal Bath from 2 to 6 December / The Last Five Years from 25 November to 3 January 2026

Woman in Mind

Alan Ayckbourn’s psychological comedy is being revived! Susan (played by Sheridan Smith) has her world split into two after a bump to the head. Unable to decipher what is real and what isn’t, she battles neglect and estrangement. Romesh Ranganathan will make his professional stage acting debut in the piece.

Plays at Duke of York’s Theatre from 9 December to 28 February 2026, before touring

Young Frankenstein

Liverpool is continuing its tradition of having unconventional Christmas shows – this year’s being the Hope Mill revival of Young Frankenstein! Mel Brooks’ adaptation will have the city doing “The Transylvania Mania,” as our reviewer said that this “classic crackles with all the chaos, camp, and inappropriate glee you might expect, all delivered with a wink, a shimmy, and the occasional obligatory horse whinny.”

Plays at Liverpool Playhouse from 3 December