Musicals and plays touring in 2026

Tours, glorious tours! We’ve got them by the bucketload.

These are all new tours starting at some point in 2026, so remember, there are still plenty of tours continuing their journeys, too. And if that wasn’t enough, there are also shows like Clueless that have confirmed they’ll be hitting the road, and we’re eagerly waiting for dates.

Without further ado, see what’s coming near you…

A Grain of Sand

Having been in development for over 20 years, Good Chance will finally present A Grain of Sand in 2026. The one-woman drama follows Renad, a Gazan girl who travels in search of her family and the ‘Anqaa’, a figure of Palestinian folklore. The narrative combines children’s testimonies from contemporary Gaza with stories passed down through generations.

Tour opens at the Arcola Theatre, London in January

Barnum

Roll up, roll up! The Watermill production of Barnum is visiting big tops (theatres) across the UK. Directed by Jonathan O’Boyle and choreographed by Oti Mabuse, expect over 20 actor-musicians performing on 150 instruments, alongside acrobats and international circus acts. Across the tour, you’ll see either Lee Mead or Matt Rawle sporting the black tophat.

Tour opens at Theatre Royal Windsor in January

The Constant Wife

Kara Tointon will star in the Royal Shakespeare Company revival of The Constant Wife, which was first seen in Stratford-upon-Avon. Written by Laura Wade, based on the comedy by W Somerset Maugham and directed by Tamara Harvey, the piece will tour the UK before transferring on board the Queen Mary 2 during a transatlantic crossing.

Tour opens at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool, in January

Our Town

Michael Sheen will lead a revival of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Our Town, reimagined in an intimate Welsh setting. Having established the Welsh National Theatre earlier this year, it’s part of Sheen’s debut season as artistic director and will be directed by Swansea-born Francesca Goodridge.

Tour opens at Swansea Grand Theatre in January

Prima Facie

Our editor-in-chief said that Jodie Comer reprising her multi-award-winning role of Tessa in Suzie Miller’s solo play proves “the vital power of the nation’s theatres.”  Tickets for this tour flew out the door – and those lucky enough to bag a ticket will surely have an unforgettable evening. Even the waiting lists have waiting lists!

Tour opens at Richmond Theatre in January

Single White Female

The world premiere adaptation of Single White Female hits stages next year, with Kym Marsh in the starring role. Adapted for the stage by Rebecca Reid, the play updates the psychological thriller for the age of social media.

Tour opens at Theatre Royal Brighton in January

The Beekeeper of Aleppo

Christy Lefteri’s best-selling novel returns to the stage for another tour. The piece follows beekeeper Nuri and his wife Afra, who are forced by war to escape the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo.

Tour opens at Nottingham Playhouse in February

The Boy at the Back of the Class

Told from a child’s perspective, The Boy at the Back of the Class follows a group of classmates who learn that their new friend Ahmet has fled a war-torn country. In the stage adaptation of Onjali Q. Raúf’s award-winning children’s book, they set out on an unexpected adventure that explores themes of friendship, kindness and belonging.

Tour opens at the Rose Theatre in February

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

The Reduced Shakespeare Company returns with an updated take on its long-running comedy, that truncates the Bard’s works into a rollicking ride.

Tour opens at Theatre Chipping Norton in February

Double Indemnity

The OC star Mischa Barton will make her UK stage debut next year in a new adaptation of Double Indemnity. Based on James M Cain’s 1943 novel, which inspired Billy Wilder’s celebrated film noir, the piece follows insurance salesman Walter Huff, whose encounter with the married Phyllis leads to a dangerous conspiracy…

Tour opens at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park Theatre in February

Glorious!

Glorious news! Wendi Peters will lead the 20th anniversary UK tour of Peter Quilter’s play. The comedy sees the off-key singing New York socialite, Florence, preparing for a sold-out recital at Carnegie Hall, where she and her pianist (played by Matthew James Morrison) defy critics and embrace her unconventional performances.

Tour opens in Poole in February

Legally Blonde

The unstoppable Amber Davies will be bending and snapping across the country in 2026 as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde. This is gonna be just like senior year except funner, as Elle says!

Tour opens at Curve, Leicester, in February

Mean Girls

Get in, loser! The WhatsOnStage Award-winning new musical Mean Girls is going on tour. Emily Lane and Vivian Panka will lead the Tina Fey-Jeff Richmond-Nell Benjamin musical as it roars across the country, and Steps star Faye Tozer joins the ride. So fetch.

Tour opens at Manchester Opera House in February

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, and fun will surely be had in this new production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert! Adèle Anderson, Kevin Clifton, Nick Hayes and Peter Duncan will hop on board for a road trip of a lifetime.

Tour opens at the Palace Theatre in Manchester in February

Spitfire Girls

Katherine Senior’s play is flying out across the country for its second tour! Set on New Year’s Eve in 1959, it follows two women reunited years after their service in the Second World War.

Tour opens at Winchester Theatre Royal in February

The Ballad of Johnny & June

Learn everything you could have ever wanted about the two musicians from the perspective of their son, John Carter Cash. Featuring tunes including “I Walk the Line”, “Ring of Fire”, “Hey Porter”, “Jackson” and “I’ve Been Everywhere,” this new musical is directed by the King of jukebox musicals, Des McAnuff, whose previous credits include Jersey Boys, The Who’s Tommy and Summer: The Donna Summer Musical and will star Christopher Ryan Grant and Christina Bianco.

Tour opens at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre in March

The Choir of Man

West End hit The Choir of Man will become your local for a stint in 2026 as part of its major tour. We’ll raise a glass to that.

Tour opens at the New Wimbledon Theatre in March

The Enormous Crocodile

An enormous tour for an enormous croc! Roald Dahl’s children’s tale will be greedily scaling the country, impressing with its snappy puppetry and tunes.

Tour opens at Theatre Royal Brighton in March

The High Life

Alan Cumming and Forbes Masson‘s 1990s sitcom followed the antics of Air Scotia flight attendants Steve, Sebastian and Shona, as well as their captain, Hilary Duff. The new musical picks up with the characters several decades later as they face new challenges in a changing world – and sees the original cast reunite!

Plays at Dundee Rep Theatre from 28 March before touring Scotland

The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

The stage version of John le Carré’s Cold War novel will hit the road after a stint in the West End following its premiere in Chichester. The play follows British intelligence officer Alec Leamas, who is persuaded by George Smiley to take on one final mission in East Berlin. There he encounters Liz Gold, a librarian whose compassion forces him to confront questions of love, betrayal and moral compromise. Don’t miss it and be left out in the cold!

Tour opens at Curve, Leicester in March

Waitress

Butter, sugar, tour! The much-loved Sara Bareilles musical is opening up again and looking for a soft place to land on tour. Carrie Hope Fletcher will play expectant mother, pie baker, and dream chaser, Jenna, on select dates, and we can only dream of who will be joining her…

Tour opens at the New Wimbledon Theatre in March

Caroline: A New Musical

A cast of actor-musicians and a ’60s jukebox score will bring this new musical about pirate radio stations to life! Written by Vikki Stone and directed by Douglas Rintoul and Alex Thorpe, the piece will tour East Anglia.

Tour opens at New Wolsey Theatre in April

The Karate Kid – The Musical

Be one of the first to see this new musical in the UK! Four years after its world premiere in St Louis, the stage adaptation of the 1984 movie arrives first in London, widening the much-loved franchise! This new production is written by the original film’s writer, Robert Mark Kamen, with music and lyrics by Drew Gasparini.

Tour opens at the New Wimbledon Theatre in April

Kiss of the Spider Woman

Get yourself caught in the web of this rare staging of Kander and Ebb’s hit Broadway musical Kiss of the Spider Woman! WhatsOnStage Award winner Layton Williams, Anna-Jane Casey and George Blagden will lead the first major revival since 1992, which will be staged in intimate settings across the country.

Tour opens at Curve, Leicester, in April

The Last Laugh

Imagine being in a dressing room with three of Britain’s best-known comedians – Tommy Cooper, Eric Morecambe and Bob Monkhouse! Join them as they reflect on comedy, mortality and what it means to be funny in Paul Hendy’s play.

Tour opens at Malvern Theatres in April

Allegra

In Allegra, Maureen Lipman plays a woman whose irrepressible optimism leads her to burst into song in everyday situations, sometimes imagined and sometimes very real, disrupting the village where she lives. For it, she reunites with Quilter for the world premiere of his new comedy.

Tour opens at Theatre Royal Brighton in May

Annie

The sun will come out tomorrow, because Annie is back! Nikolai Foster’s much-loved revival will return, and with the production previously welcoming the likes of the late, great Paul O’Grady, Miranda Hart and Craig Revel Horwood in the role of Miss Hannigan, next to head down to Easy Street is La Voix!

Tour opens at New Wimbledon Theatre in May

Thespians

It’s about time Mischief forayed into musicals, and that time has finally arrived! Set in 534 BC, Jonathan Sayer‘s latest work sees Greece’s smallest island compete in a nationwide prayer competition led by a tyrant, where the losing team faces execution. Things take a turn when Thespis accidentally invents acting, sparking the world’s first play and the birth of theatre…

Tour opens at Mercury Theatre Colchester in May

The Car Man

Matthew Bourne’s award-winning dance thriller is touring for the first time in over ten years. Set in a 1960s garage diner, the dance piece is loosely based on Bizet’s popular opera Carmen and is inspired by vintage movie film noir classics.

Tour starts at Curve, Leicester, in June

Jersey Boys

“Walk Like a Man” right up to your local theatre and start “Beggin'” for a ticket to the new 20th anniversary tour of smash-hit jukebox musical Jersey Boys.

Tour opens at the New Wimbledon Theatre in June

9 to 5

What would Dolly do? Go on tour, of course! A new revival of 9 to 5 marks Landmark Theatres’ first in-house production to tour nationally. For those unfamiliar, it is based on the 1980 film and tells the story of three disgruntled office workers seeking revenge on their overbearing boss – all set to tunes by the legendary Dolly Parton!

Tour opens at Peterborough New Theatre in July

High Society

Cole Porter and Arthur Kopit’s High Society is receiving a glitzy revival to spend a summer at the Barbican! The story follows preparations for a society wedding that begin to unravel as past relationships resurface and an intrusive reporter arrives…  don’t forget to RSVP! Helen George will star.

Plays at the Barbican from May before the tour opens at Wycombe Swan in July

Calendar Girls

Mark your calendars – the much-loved musical from Gary Barlow and Tim Firth returns in 2026 with a new production for a new tour! Bonus points if the tour adds a few stops in Yorkshire.

Tour starts at Theatre By The Lake in August

Heathers the Musical

There are “So Very” many tour stops in this new tour of the WhatsOnStage Award-winning musical! Whatcha waiting for?

Tour opens at Theatre Royal Windsor in August

Mrs Doubtfire

A tour is on the way, dears! Gabriel Vick will reprise his acclaimed role of Daniel Hillard in the musical comedy stage adaptation, and we can’t wait to find out who else joins the cast. See you there, poppets!

Tour opens at Birmingham Hippodrome in August

The Silence of the Lambs

Ewe don’t want to miss this world premiere play of one of the world’s most well-known psychological thrillers! Nikolai Foster’s on directorial duties for this one. Dare to see it?

Tour opens at Curve, Leicester, in August

Chariots of Fire

Mike Bartlett’s stage adaptation, based on the multi-award-winning film, is inspired by the true story of Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams as they strive for glory in the 1924 Paris Olympics. It’ll be running across the country on its first-ever UK tour this year.

Tour opens at Theatre Royal Windsor in September

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The first revival of Simon Stephens’ adaptation of Mark Haddon’s best-selling novel will embark on a huge tour in 2026. A coming-of-age whodunnit, the story follows Christopher Boone, who is gifted with a brilliant mind for numbers but unsettled by the unpredictability of people and everyday life. When a neighbour’s dog is killed, he finds himself proving his innocence.

Tour opens at New Victoria Theatre, Woking, in September

Dirty Dancing

Are you ready to have the time of your life? Join Baby and Johnny for an unforgettable summer with Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage, directed by Federico Bellone and choreographed by Austin Wilks.

Tour opens at Milton Keynes Theatre in September

The Mousetrap

Agatha Christie’s classic play is marking a massive 75 years with a new tour! If you haven’t yet had the chance to see the West End’s longest-running show, then this is surely your chance to find out whodunnit.

Tour opens at Birmingham’s Alexandra Theatre in September

Sylvia

March, women, march! The Olivier-nominated musical production of Sylvia, from The Old Vic and ZooNation: The Kate Prince Company in association with Sadler’s Wells, will return, alongside Sharon Rose and Beverley Knight, who is confirmed to reprise her Olivier Award-winning role as Emmeline Pankhurst.

Tour opens at Curve, Leicester, in September

Wallace: A Musical

A William Wallace hip-hop musical takes aim at Scotland’s most familiar national myth, interrogating whether William Wallace should be remembered as a hero, a rebel or a story shaped by the centuries that followed him. Expect a hip-hop score that fuses rap, folk, pop and rock while keeping a distinctly Scottish voice.

Tour opens at Beacon Arts Centre in September

Back to the Future the Musical

Hop in your DeLorean, the WhatsOnStage Award-winning musical, Back to the Future, will be bidding farewell to the West End and flying out on its first-ever UK tour. Great Scott!

Tour opens at Bristol Hippodrome in October

Cats

Jellicle cats can, and Jellicle cats do go on tour! Drew McOnie will direct and choreograph Andrew Lloyd Webber’s landmark musical before it strays across the country.

Plays at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre before the tour opens at Theatre Royal Plymouth in October