New plays to see in 2025

Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew – Bush Theatre

The Bush Theatre always features on this list, and for very good reason – it is one of the most exciting new writing venues in the UK! While the 2025 line-up is all pretty tasty, we’re singling out Coral Wylie for new play Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew, about a 19-year-old who finds themselves through gardening. Putting the culture in horticulture! Wylie stars, alongside one of the nicest people in showbusiness, Omari Douglas. 8 February to 22 March

Unicorn – Garrick Theatre 

Hubble, bubble, toil and throuple – Mike Bartlett is tackling the subject of polyamory in this new play starring Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan, and Erin Doherty. Hard-launching a fresh play direct into the West End is sadly increasingly rare these days, so we’ve got to applaud the effort being made here. Three tickets, please! 4 February to 26 April

East is South – Hampstead Theatre

AI is an all-encompassing topic that has only grown in cultural relevance – we’re really hitting a point where our social media, hardware and more are surrounded by the stuff. It’s no longer a Kubrick-era fantasy, but a very real circumstance. Have there been any profoundly impressive AI plays yet? Probably not. House of Cards showrunner Beau Willimon may change all of that next year with East is South, which has a very splendid cast. 7 February to 15 March

Otherland / 1536 – Almeida Theatre 

The Almeida in north London has a strong track record of new writing debuts – some of the best plays of the 21st century started their lives in its intimate confines. Next year will offer two plays from exciting talents – Chris Bush (Standing at the Sky’s Edge) brings romantic comedy drama Otherland from February (it may also be described as a phantasmagorical exploration of womanhood/epic voyage of self discovery), while May sees Ava Pickett’s history drama 1536 (about ordinary women who realise that the romantic entanglements of Henry VIII feel familiar) open. 11 February to 15 March (Otherland),6 May to 7 June (1536).

North by Northwest – tour 

It’s going to be Hitchcock mania in 2025, with a new Alfred Hitchcock Presents musical opening in 2025. Around the same time, Wise Children’s Emma Rice will be bringing international spy thriller North by Northwest to the stage, likely with her signature storytelling style and ensemble-led vision. While making new writing based on existing IP has been something of a musical theatre exercise, Rice always has a way to make these sorts of shows unique – take a look at Brief Encounter or The Umbrellas of Cherbourg as examples. York Theatre Royal, from 18 March, before touring to Manchester, Liverpool, Bath, Cheltenham and north London 

Manhunt – Royal Court Theatre

Speaking of the Royal Court, Robert Icke had a strong 2024 between Player Kings and Oedipus. Next year’s offering will be Manhunt, based on the gripping true story of Raoul Moat, who in 2010 killed one person and wounded two others in a two-day shooting spree, followed by a weeklong manhunt – the largest in UK history. Icke knows how to ratchet up tension through vivid storytelling, so this could be a real “moment” for the writer and venue. 28 March to 1 May

The Comedy About Spies – Noël Coward Theatre

The Mischief gang are back and up to their old tricks! This brand new show from the “Goes Wrong” pioneers looked fantastic when it appeared at the Royal Variety earlier this month, so will surely be a hot ticket come 2025. This one has been in the works for a very, very long time, but will see a number of the original Play That Goes Wrong team reunite. From 14 April

Takeaway – Liverpool Everyman 

Nathan Powell will oversee this world premiere, set in a Caribbean takeaway that sits right at the heart of an ever-changing Liverpool. Expect a larger-than-life, community-driven examination of what our modern cities look like. It’s very exciting to see what this one might be cooking up. 26 April to 17 May

My Master Builder – Wyndham’s Theatre

My Master Builder is a new play inspired by Ibsen, written by Lila Raicek and directed by the consistently enterprising Michael Grandage. It stars Ewan McGregor, returning to the UK stage for the first time in far, far too long. The play follows a couple whose marriage is upended after the husband’s former pupil returns – and exposes some truths that had hitherto remained buried. 17 April to 12 July

Port Talbot Gotta Banksy – Sherman Theatre / tour

What happens when one of the world’s most prolific artists decides to make a mural on a garage, sparking international fascination? What then happens when, less than a decade later, your main employer and industrial backbone closes? That’s the subject of Paul Jenkins and Tracy Harris of Theatr3’s new play, a new piece based on interviews with those in the local town. 1 to 10 May (Sherman Theatre) and then touring to the Plaza in Port Talbot, Grand Theatre in Swansea, Torch Theatre in Milford Haven and Tŷ Pawb in Wrexham

Keli – Scottish tour

Martin Green’s new play follows a fiery teenager in a former mining town who happens to be the best player her brass band has ever seen. It celebrates community, creativity, and the power of music – and will be visiting multiple venues as part of its premiere run. 10 May to 14 June, at Macrobert Arts Centre, Stirling, Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Dundee Rep Theatre, Perth Theatre and Glasgow Tramway

Marriage Material – Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Birmingham Rep

It’s incredibly fitting that the final play for Rufus Norris’ time at the National Theatre is David Eldridge’s End, completing his Beginning and Middle trilogy. It will round out an incredibly rich year for new writing at the venue, including a new play by Prima Facie scribe Suzie Miller, starring Rosamund Pike, as well as a piece that reunites the Young Vic’s legendary former artistic director David Lan with the prolific Juliet Stevenson. After it all, of course, comes End. From November