New musicals confirmed for 2025
Clearly 11 April 2025 will be a big day for new musicals in the UK
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Nationwide
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27 December 2024
Our new year’s list of musical UK / world premieres is now an annual tradition that somehow attracts a staggering number of readers – so here is our 2025 edition!
We’ve picked out 25 or so new shows opening on stages next year – ranging from giant new shows like Hercules through to Scottish musicals about the Loch Ness Monster. Remember – we’ve only included shows that have never been seen professionally on UK stages before, and excluding concert productions.
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Without further ado, on with the musicals…
Scissorhandz
From next month, this irreverent tribute to the hit film Edward Scissorhands will open at London’s Southwark Playhouse, which has long been a bastion for emerging shows that become fan favourites. Emma Williams and Jordan Kai Burnett star, while the tunes include hits by Alanis Morissette and Taylor Swift. Could this be a cut above the rest?
Plays at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 23 January to 29 March
Stalled
A Seattle ladies’ room is the backdrop for this new musical, with book and lyrics by Liesl Wilke, music and lyrics by Andy Marsh, and additional contributions from Kyle Puccia. You can have a first listen to it above, while the show is the first of three (!!) new musicals at the new King’s Head Theatre, which could be an excellent space for new musicals in 2025.
Plays at King’s Head Theatre from 13 February to 23 March
The Parent Agency
Imagine being a child and being able to select your ideal parents. That’s what happens in David Baddiel’s best-selling book The Parent Agency! It’s being adapted for the stage at the Storyhouse, Chester. Dan Gillespie Sells (Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) will contribute lyrics while Tim Jackson (Two Strangers (Carry A Cake Across New York)) directs.
Plays at Storyhouse Chester on 15 February until 2 March
Clueless the Musical
We’re totally buggin’! KT Tunstall has written the tunes for this new stage version of Clueless, which had a well-received try-out in Bromley. Emma Flynn will take on the role of Cher Horowitz, with Keelan McAuley as Josh. The book comes from the writer and director of the original 1995 film, Amy Heckerling.
Plays at Trafalgar Theatre from 15 February
White Rose
One of the refreshing new musicals not based on a film, this show has book and lyrics by Brian Belding and music by Natalie Brice. It is inspired by the true story of a collective of university students in Munich, who secretly met to write, print, and distribute leaflets opposing Hitler and the Nazi party. They were known as the White Rose resistance. The musical premiered off-Broadway earlier this year, and now heads off-West End.
Plays at the Marylebone Theatre from 27 February to 13 April
Cry-Baby the Musical
A LOT of the shows on this list are based on films (which probably says something about where our musical theatre landscape is right now), and another on the list is Cry-Baby, penned by Mark O’Donnell, Thomas Meehan, David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger and based on the John Waters classic about a group of delinquents in 1950s Baltimore. It heads to the long-cherished east London Arcola Theatre this spring, directed by the venue’s artistic director Mehmet Ergen.
Plays at Arcola Theatre from 3 March to 12 April
Stiletto
The Robert Stigwood Organisation will usher this 18th century musical, set in Venetian high society, to the stage next spring. The writing team features Matthew Wilder (Mulan), who provides the music and lyrics, and Tim Luscombe (Easy Virtue), who penned the book. It is grounded in the historical phenomenon of castrati, which isn’t something you’d normally expect to find a show about.
Plays at Charing Cross Theatre from 24 March to 14 June
Wild Rose
Jessie Buckley starred in the brilliant film Wild Rose in 2018, and it’s now being brought to the stage thanks to Nicole Taylor, with John Tiffany directing. The tale follows Rose-Lynn, a free-spirited woman dreaming of becoming a country singer in Nashville. The show will also feature a plethora of country music hits!
Plays at Edinburgh Lyceum from 6 March to 5 April
Alfred Hitchcock Presents – The Musical
Alfred Hitchcock Presents… is one of those quintessential TV series of the last century, but probably not one you’d naturally assume would make a good musical. With an original score by Steven Lutvak and book by Jay Dyer, direction by John Doye, and a cast to die for, springtime in Bath is going to be a whole lot more intriguing than usual.
Plays at Theatre Royal Bath from 22 March to 12 April
Midnight Cowboy
There’s a really impressive team behind this one, based on the novel by James Leo Herlihy. Book is by Bryony Lavery, while music is by Francis ‘Eg’ White, who helped write songs such as Will Young’s “Leave Right Now”, James Morrison’s “You Give Me Something” and Adele’s “Chasing Pavements”. Nick Winston directs.
Plays at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 4 April to 17 May
Muriel’s Wedding the Musical
There’s nothing terrible about this news! The much-loved Australian musical – which mixes original numbers with beloved ABBA hits – will receive its UK premiere at Curve in Leicester. Megan Ellis takes on the title role, while Annabel Marlow plays BFF Rhonda. The story follows an outsider, who dreams of the perfect wedding but is stuck in a dead-end life in Porpoise Spit – until she moves to Sydney and discovers the importance of being true to oneself. Save the date and read our exclusive interview with the creative team.
Plays at Curve, Leicester from 10 April to 10 May
The Great Gatsby
The Tony Award-winning new musical has had the green light and is transferring to London. Based on F Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel about a self-made millionaire and his quest for the American Dream, on Broadway the show starred Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada so we can’t wait to see who’ll be roaring on stage over here, old sports.
Plays at the London Coliseum on 11 April until 7 September
A Knight’s Tale the Musical
Get your joust on – the world premiere of A Knight’s Tale will take place in Manchester in 2025. Based on the film, it follows a 14th-century peasant squire, William Thatcher, who breaks all the rules when he passes himself off as a nobleman in the hopes of becoming the world champion of jousting. The new comedy will feature chart-topping hits, to make for a fun knight, sorry, night, at the theatre.
Plays at Manchester Opera House from 11 April to 10 May
Coraline
Neil Gaiman’s award-winning novel is finally coming to the stage! Recommended for audiences aged nine and above, they’re invited to explore the darkly imaginative world where heroine Coraline encounters the sinister “Other Mother”. It’ll receive its world premiere at Leeds Playhouse before embarking on a short tour to Manchester, Birmingham, and Edinburgh.
Performances begin in Leeds from 11 April to 11 May
Here We Are
Stephen Sondheim’s final musical was first seen in New York in 2024, and it’s heading to the National Theatre in April. Inspired by two films – The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel – by Luis Buñuel, it follows a group of guests who find themselves unable to leave a dinner party. Starring are Tracie Bennett and Denis O’Hare (Tartuffe), who took part in the world premiere. They’ll also be joined by an all-star cast including (deep breath) Rory Kinnear, Chumisa Dornford-May, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Richard Fleeshman, Harry Hadden-Paton, Cameron Johnson, Jane Krakowski, Martha Plimpton and Paulo Szot.
Performances run in the National’s Lyttelton Theatre from 23 April to 28 June
Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical
Hit romcom and India’s longest-running blockbuster movie Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, also known as DDLJ, is adapted into the rechristened musical Come Fall in Love – directed by Aditya Chopra, with book and lyrics by Nell Benjamin, music by Vishal Dadlani and Sheykhar Ravjiani and choreography by Rob Ashford. Expect major production values, Bollywood mashed up with musical theatre
Plays at Opera House, Manchester from 29 May to 21 June
Disney’s Hercules
Bless our souls! Hercules is heading to the West End. Productions have been seen in New Jersey and Hamburg, and Luke Brady will “Go The Distance” and play the titular Greek hero during its much-anticipated run at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.
Plays at Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 6 June
Lovestuck
A range of major producing houses in London are presenting new musicals this summer – the Lyric Hammersmith, the National Theatre, and here, Theatre Royal Stratford East will prepare Lovestuck, written by the two creators of My Dad Wrote a Porno while music is by triple-platinum singer-songwriter Bryn Christopher with Martin Batchelar.
Plays at Theatre Royal Stratford East from 6 June to 12 July
King of Pangea
Martin Storrow’s new musical is the second of 2025 to open at the King’s Head Theatre in north London, and seems to be a folk musical love-letter to the worlds we create for ourselves to escape from the realities we’d rather not face after intense loss. It’s based on Storrow’s own experiences, so expect something stirring and moving. It’s been in development in the US for a number of years, so we’re excited to see what lands on our shores.
Plays at the King’s Head Theatre from 7 June to 6 July
Sing Street: A New Musical
A certain 2020 lockdown cut short the dreams of Sing Street on Broadway, but led to Dónal Finn, Adam Bregman, and more starring in a Boston staging in 2022. Now, the show, which follows a 16-year-old Dubliner trying to form a band in the 1980s will have its UK premiere, and we can’t wait for casting news. This new version of the show will feature much-loved hits from the film as well as original additions. It’ll light you up!
Plays at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre from 8 July to 23 August
Nessie
Honestly, we’re surprised that it has taken this long for a musical about the Loch Ness Monster to reach UK stages. But with book, music, and lyrics by Shonagh Murray, Nessie will audiences take the plunge into the rich waters of a fantastical tale of a monster revealed to the wider public. Pitlochry Festival Theatre puts remarkably few steps wrong, so this looks very exciting.
Plays at Pitlochry Festival Theatre at 9 July to 16 August
The Show on the Roof
Audiences will be welcomed to the 50s in this new musical, penned by Tom Ford and Alex Syiek and directed by Rory Pelsue. It’s the third to open at the King’s Head next year (that we know of so far!) and looks primed to unearth a fascinating chapter in American history, and the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights. Another show brought over from the US (it had its world premiere in Idaho), the King’s Head really is going all-in on musicals next year.
Plays at the King’s Head Theatre from 11 July to 16 August
Friends the Musical Parody
There have been a fair few musicals based on the tale of that coffee-obsessed sextet that occupied our TV screens in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the Barn Theatre now adds to the list with this touring musical, which is an audience favourite in the US, featuring book and lyrics by Bob and Tobly McSmith, with music by Asaf Gleizner.
Plays at the Barn Theatre from 14 July to 23 August, before touring
Anne Boleyn the Musical
No, not a Six spin-off, but this new musical, directed by Roxana Silbert, with a book by Rebecca Knight and music by Sam Gevers, brings musical fever to Hever (where Boleyn used to live) in a custom-built venue. No casting yet, but we can’t think of a more glorious way to bask in the open air over the month of August.
Plays at Hever Castle from 2 to 30 August
13 Going on 30 the Musical
Based on the 2004 film, this musical comedy follows Jenna Rink, a 13-year-old girl who magically wakes up as an adult and navigates her new life as a fashion magazine editor. As Freaky Friday proves, there’s no end to the body-swap musical pipeline, but having heard the numbers in the workshop for this, 13 Going on 30 will be a solid addition to the canon. Lucie Jones returns to star after her workshop performance, while Heathers’ Andy Fickman directs – his second “Manchester-premiering body-swap musical based on a beloved 00s film” on this list!
Plays at Manchester Opera House from 21 September to 12 October
Disney’s Freaky Friday
Could you, like, chill for a sec? The fun-filled body-swap comedy will have its professional UK premiere in Manchester over the festive period. With music by Tom Kitt and lyrics by Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal, If/Then) a movie adaptation was first seen in 2016 before being adapted into a Disney Channel Movie two years later.
Plays at HOME Manchester from 27 November to 31 December
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