New musicals arriving in 2026

We’re springing into business with a truckload of new musicals still to arrive this year!

From world premieres to overseas imports, telling the tales of pirate radio stations, witches, showmen, and even a Burnley businessman, it’s an exciting time for musical theatre fans.

To caveat, the listed shows have not been staged professionally in the UK before now, and will enjoy full productions. We haven’t included concert productions – of which there are many we hope to see develop further down the line!

Please note, we have only included shows that started previews from the time after we scheduled this pre-Easter weekend!

FlyBy

Theo Jamieson’s new musical was developed at the National Theatre last year and follows the relationship between an engineer named Daniel and a documentary filmmaker named Emily, exploring Daniel’s disappearance into space and shifting time periods.

Plays at Southwark Playhouse from 3 April to 16 May

Caroline: A New Musical

Tune in to a wad of ’60s tunes in a new musical written by Vikki Stone and featuring a cast of actor-musicians! Caroline’s life changes when her boyfriend takes a job with Radio Caroline, the offshore station that broadcast pop and rock music from a ship off the Essex coast during the 1960s. Paying tribute to East Anglia, the “bold, loud and joyfully defiant show” will tour the region.

Plays at the New Wolsey Theatre from 17 April before touring 

Disenchanted!

These princesses are no damsels in distress! See the real Snow White, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Hua Mulan, the Princess (Who Kissed the Frog), the Little Mermaid, Pocahontas, Rapunzel, Belle, and Princess Badroulbadour, in this new piece written by Dennis T Giacino and Fiely Matias, which has already been performed on five continents!

Plays at Lichfield Garrick from 24 April to 2 May

The Karate Kid – The Musical

Four years after its world premiere in St Louis, the stage adaptation of the 1984 movie arrives 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.

Plays at New Wimbledon Theatre from 28 April before touring

Fourteen Again

A new musical featuring tunes by Victoria Wood and a book by Everybody’s Talking About Jamie writer Tom MacRae? Sign us up! Exploring friendship and nostalgia, the show follows Peggy, who reconnects with her former best friend, Lou, at a local slimming club. It’ll play at a theatre newly rechristened in Wood’s honour.

Plays at the Victoria Wood Theatre (currently the Old Laundry Theatre in Bowness-on-Windermere) from 1 to 30 May

Bank of Dave

Dream duo Rob Madge and Pippa Cleary have penned the book and tunes for the world premiere of Bank of Dave. Self-made Burnley businessman Dave Fishwick and the subsequent documentary book and film about his Burnley Savings and Loans company are the inspiration for this new Nikolai Foster-directed musical, debuting up north!

Plays at the Lowry from 2 to 16 May before moving to Curve from 20 to 30 May

Thespians

A Mischief musical?! We can hardly believe our luck! Jonathan Sayer‘s latest work is set in 534 BC. It follows Greece’s smallest island as it competes 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 begins at Mercury Theatre Colchester on 9 May

Dark of the Moon

Loosely inspired by the traditional Scottish ballad “Barbara Allen,” Dark of the Moon follows the clash of two polarized worlds – one a charming rural town and the other the mystical, smoky mountains inhabited by witches and warlocks, as a human girl and witch-boy fall in love. Georgie Rankcom is set to direct this world premiere.

Plays at Charing Cross Theatre from 18 May to 8 August

Beetlejuice

We definitely said its name more than three times, but the West End will finally get a taste of Beetlejuice! The cult classic about the immortal demon is directed by Tony Award winner Alex Timbers, with an original score by Tony Award nominee Eddie Perfect, a book by Tony Award nominee Scott Brown and Tony nominee Anthony King.

Prince Edward Theatre, from 20 May 

Something Rotten!

It’s a musical! A musical! After its WhatsOnStage Award-winning concert, Something Rotten will receive its fully-staged UK premiere, with two cast members confirmed to be reviving their roles…

Plays at Manchester Opera House from 16 June to 19 July

Midnight at the Never Get

Ben Platt will play his first full theatrical run in the UK in a revised production of Midnight at the Never Get. Written by KPop Demon Hunter’s Mark Sonnenblick, the musical explores an illegal romance in a cabaret bar in 1960s New York. The Menier Chocolate Factory is set to provide a beautiful, intimate backdrop.

Plays at the Menier Chocolate Factory from 11 July to 12 September

The Singer

Okay. It might be difficult to internet search “KT Tunstall”, The Singer” and “musical” together, but there is a result in Dundee Rep’s newest season! With songs by the award-winning musician, this piece of gig-theatre follows Joe, a Deaf artist who performs with his hands and Andy, a washed-up musician hungry for a comeback.

Plays at Dundee Rep Theatre in late July, before visiting the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the Citizens Theatre Studio in Glasgow and the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen

Death Note

A reimagined production of the mega manga musical will receive its world premiere this summer – with a revised script and new songs! With music by Frank Wildhorn, lyrics by Jack Murphy, a book by Ivan Menchell, and additional lyrics by Morgan Reilly. For those unfamiliar, the story follows Light Yagami, a high school student who discovers a notebook with the power to kill anyone whose name is written in it. Disillusioned with the justice system, Light begins using the notebook to kill criminals and comes to be known as Kira.

Plays at Barbican Theatre from 30 July to 12 September

Bliss

Set to be the biggest musical of this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Bliss follows four sisters who leave the tower they have been confined to and encounter the outside world, where traditional ideas of fairy tales and happy endings are put to the test. The workshop cast featured Kayna Montecillo, Dujonna Gift, Sam Tutty and Josefina Gabrielle, so we can’t wait to see who is involved this time around!

Plays at Pleasance Courtyard from 5 to 31 August

Kimberly Akimbo

The Tony Award-winning Best Musical is heading to London for its European premiere! A new production, directed by Michael Longhurst, will have a “Great Adventure” at the Hampstead Theatre in the summer, so you can meet teen Kim, navigating her rare genetic disorder, which causes her to age rapidly, with her turbulent family life and new relationships.

Plays at Hampstead Theatre from 28 August to 7 November

Wallace: A Musical

A William Wallace hip hop musical aims 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 on 23 September before touring

Ceilidh

Sam Pinkleton (the director behind Oh, Mary!) will present the UK premiere of Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie’s Ceilidh. The immersive musical invites audiences into one of Scotland’s long-standing traditions, combining music, storytelling and dance. Guided by a caller and live folk band, the event unfolds as a family story of love, legacy and connection during a night that carries particular significance for those involved.

Plays at Pitlochry Town Hall from 7 to 17 October