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Nationwide
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1 April 2026
We have a brilliant month ahead for new writing across the UK!
There are new musicals about pirate radio stations, karate kids and space, as well as plays about Houdini, The Beatles’ lesser-known fifth member and an all-drag Macbeth, and that’s barely scratching the surface… Prefer what you already know? Well, you can enjoy new productions of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest or Kiss of the Spider Woman.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
A new production of Dale Wasserman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, based on the novel by Ken Kesey, will play in London. For those unfamiliar, the piece is set inside a psychiatric facility, where Chief Bromden, a long-silent patient, has his perspective on the institution challenged by the arrival of McMurphy, a gambler whose defiance stirs rebellion among the patients and threatens the authority of Nurse Ratched. The production will star Aaron Pierre as Randle P McMurphy and Giles Terera as Dale Harding, and will be directed by Clint Dyer.
Plays at the Old Vic from 1 April to 23 May
Flyby
This new musical follows the relationship between an engineer named Daniel and a documentary filmmaker named Emily, who explores his disappearance into space and shifting time periods. It is written by Theo Jamieson and directed and co-created by Adam Lenson.
Plays at Southwark Playhouse Borough from 3 April to 16 May
Kiss of the Spider Woman
Anna-Jane Casey is set to star in a rare staging of Kander and Ebb’s hit Broadway musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. It’s the first major revival since 1992 and will be staged in an intimate setting, directed by Paul Foster.
Plays at Curve’s Studio Theatre from 3 to 25 April 2026 before touring
Heart Wall
Written by Kit Withington and directed by Katie Greenall, this tender new drama explores grief and memory centered around a local pub. It is a co-commission with Oldham Coliseum.
Plays at Bush Theatre from 7 April to 16 May
The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui
Mark Gatiss leads the Royal Shakespeare Company’s revival of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui by Bertolt Brecht, alongside BAFTA winner Mawaan Rizwan and Kadiff Kirwan. The new version by Stephen Sharkey and directed by Seán Linnen promises to be “cinematic in its scope, mischievous at its heart and with a chilling political bite,” according to press materials.
Plays at Swan Theatre from 11 April to 30 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
Magic
Ever wondered about the relationship between Harry Houdini and Arthur Conan Doyle? You ought to check out David Haig’s new play, set to receive its world premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre. With David Haig as Conan Doyle and Hadley Fraser as Houdini, don’t let this one escape you!
Plays at Chichester Festival Theatre from 24 April to 16 May
Please Please Me
Written by Tom Wright and directed by Amit Sharma, this new play charts the meteoric rise of The Beatles and the simultaneous personal struggle of their manager, Brian Epstein. Set in the early 1960s, it focuses on the “Fifth Beatle” as he navigates the complexities of his hidden personal life while transforming four Liverpool lads into a global phenomenon. The cast includes Calam Lynch and Eleanor Worthington-Cox.
Plays at Kiln Theatre, from 16 April to 23 May
Driftwood
The debut play by Martina Laird, directed by Justin Audibert, is set in 1950s Trinidad. It follows the power struggles within a Port of Spain gentlemen’s club as the island moves toward independence. After playing in Stratford-upon-Avon, it will travel down the M40 to London.
Plays at RSC’s The Other Place, Stratford-upon-Avon from 17 April to 30 May, before transferring to Kiln Theatre from 3 June to 4 July
Category is Macbeth
An all-drag Macbeth will sashay into the capital this month! TuckShop’s production relocates Shakespeare’s classic piece to the 1980’s London club and drag scene, with references to music from artists including Depeche Mode, Soft Cell and Pet Shop Boys. The cast will be led by Drag Race UK winners Ginger Johnson as Macbeth and Kyran Thrax as Lady Macbeth.
Plays at Emerald Theatre from 24 April to 28 May
Grace Prevades
Following a run at Theatre Royal Bath, David Hare’s new play Grace Prevades arrives in the West End! Ralph Fiennes and Miranda Raison will lead the cast, directed by Jeremy Herrin. The play explores the lives of Henry Irving and Ellen Terry, prominent figures of the Victorian stage, as well as Terry’s children, Edith Craig and Edward Gordon Craig, who both played significant roles in shaping British theatre.
Plays at Theatre Royal Haymarket from 24 April to 11 July
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. Check out who’s starring.
Plays at New Wimbledon Theatre from 28 April before touring
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