Last chance saloon: 11 West End shows closing over the next two weeks

In the immortal words of Norma Desmond: “Ring out the old, ring in the new.” And as we prepare to say goodbye to 2023, we must also get ready for a farewell to a dozen West End productions over the next couple of weeks. Yes, it’s “last chance saloon” time again.

Here are the shows facing the final curtain…

31 December

Crazy for You

Speaking of saloons, our favourite citizens of Deadrock, Nevada, will prove they got rhythm one final time, as Susan Stroman’s five-star production of Crazy for You plays its closing performance at the Gillian Lynne Theatre this Sunday, 31 December.

4 January

Jersey Boys

The story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons made its triumphant return to the West End in the summer of 2021 (following its original WhatsOnStage Award-winning, nine-year run that ended in 2017). Now the popular jukebox musical prepares to “Walk Like a Man” out of the Trafalgar Theatre on 4 January.

6 January

A Christmas Carol

Well, bah humbug! The Old Vic’s annual staging of the Dickens classic, this time led by the “born to play Scrooge” actor Christopher Eccleston, will come to its joyous finale on 6 January.

Elf The Musical

Everyone’s favourite oversized elf will be taking his final bow at the Dominion Theatre on 6 January. Emmerdale‘s Matthew Wolfenden leads the cast of the current production, which tells the “Sparklejollytwinklejingley” tale of Buddy, who accidentally crawled into Santa’s sack as a baby, was raised by elves in the North Pole and now finds himself on a quest to meet his biological father in New York City.

The House of Bernarda Alba

Celebrated director Rebecca Frecknall’s “superb” production of The House of Bernarda Alba has offered a new perspective on Federico García Lorca’s timely drama, starring Harriet Walter in the titular role. It plays its final performance at the National’s Lyttelton Theatre on 6 January.

Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends

The stellar company of Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends, led by Broadway megastars Bernadette Peters and Lea Salonga, will pay homage to one of the all-time greats of musical theatre for one final time at the Gielgud Theatre on 6 January. Here’s to the ladies (and to the men) of this rousing, five-star tribute!

Sunset Boulevard

Showered with WhatsOnStage Award nominations, Jamie Lloyd’s radical, cinema-infused reimagining of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard also plays its final performance at the Savoy Theatre on 6 January. And with one (more) look at Nicole Scherzinger’s star turn as Norma Desmond, you could kick off “The Perfect Year”!

7 January

Unbelievable

Co-written and co-directed with his longtime collaborators Andy Nyman and Andrew O’Connor, Derren Brown has assembled the Avengers of West End actors-turned-magicians in a show that offers a great variety of tricks and illusions that still have us stumped. Unbelievable is set to disappear from the stage of the Criterion Theatre on 7 January.

13 January

Dear England

The National Theatre hit the back of the net with James Graham’s “football-mad” masterpiece, led by an astonishing performance by Joseph Fiennes as England manager, Gareth Southgate. The sold-out production quickly secured its West End transfer to the Prince Edward Theatre and its “Extra Time” will end with the final whistle on 13 January.

14 January

Peter Pan

Panto season is almost over (Oh yes, it is) and The London Palladium’s high-flying, swashbuckling offering of Peter Pan will play its final performance on 14 January. We have a sneaking suspicion that Julian Clary, Nigel Havers and co. will be back next year, but this is your last chance to see comedy legend Jennifer Saunders’ Captain Hook in all her dastardly glory.

Peter Pan Goes Wrong

The second Neverland-centric West End production coming to a close on 14 January is the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society’s mischievous staging of the J M Barrie classic that made a welcomed return over the festive season. The laugh-out-loud Peter Pan Goes Wrong arrives at its splendidly shambolic climax at the Lyric Theatre.