Our pick of festive shows for 2026 – and more thoughts on 2027

Welcome to the WhatsOnStage Podcast!

The nights are drawing in but Sarah Crompton and Alex Wood are drawing up plans for a winter chock full of the best new theatre! The pair pick their top shows over the next six weeks – with lashings of musical revivals and exciting new writing.

For those who like their shows merry and bright, or those who like a miserly time at the theatre. Plus, the pair digest a big new season announcement at the Old Vic, with Damien Lewis, Milly Alcock, Arinzé Kene and a nice bout of Stephen Sondheim.

Crompton and Wood host a weekly series on all things theatrical. News, views, frank exchanges and lists offer an unmissable guide to what’s happening on stage (and in film and on television) now, in the past and in future.

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