Our pick of stage shows to see in May 2026

It’s May, which means we can finally say that Beetlejuice makes its West End bow this month!

And while he may be the ghost with the most, there are plenty of other productions up and down the country that open over the next few weeks. It’s shaping up to be a great month for both exciting new musicals and dazzling revivals.

Here are just some of our picks not to be missed…

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 (played by Sally Ann Triplett), who reconnects with her former best friend, Lou (played by Ria Jones), while at a local slimming club. It’ll play at a theatre newly rechristened in Wood’s honour.

Plays at the Victoria Wood Theatre, Bowness-on-Windermere from 1 May to 6 June

Bank of Dave

Dream duo Rob Madge and Pippa Cleary have penned the book and tunes for the world premiere of Bank of Dave. Sam Lupton will play self-made Burnley businessman Dave Fishwick, who, with his Burnley Savings and Loans company, was the focus of a documentary, book and film that are the inspiration for this new Nikolai Foster-directed musical, debuting up north before moving to Leicester!

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

Little Shop of Horrors

There are plenty of opportunities to go “Somewhere That’s Green” in 2026, with a couple of productions of Little Shop of Horrors confirmed. First up is Derby Theatre and Northern Stage’s collaboration, directed by Sarah Brigham. Among the company of actor-musicians are Kristian Cunningham as Seymour and Amena El-Kindy as Audrey. Each performance will integrate creative captions.

Plays at Northern Stage from 8 to 23 May 2026 before transferring to Derby Theatre from 30 May to 20 June 2026

Thespians

A Mischief musical?! We can hardly believe our luck! Jonathan Sayer‘s latest work is set in 534 BC and 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. A wealth of comedic musical favourites are set to star.

Tour begins at Mercury Theatre Colchester on 9 May

Allegra

In Allegra, Maureen Lipman plays a woman whose irrepressible optimism leads her to burst into song in everyday situations, sometimes imagined and sometimes very real, disrupting the village where she lives. For it, she reunites with Peter Quilter for the world premiere of his new comedy.

Tour opens at Theatre Royal Brighton on 12 May

The Tempest

We’re hoping not to see any storms this month, but Kenneth Branagh will be causing quite the stir when he returns to Stratford-upon-Avon for the first time in over 30 years to play Prospero, marking his first time taking on the role.

Plays at Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 13 May to 20 June

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals

StarKid will make its (long-awaited) full-length West End debut with The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals this month! The show, which first appeared online in 2018, follows Paul Matthews, who finds his everyday life upended when a mysterious alien arrival causes his town to break into song. Sounds ideal.

Plays at the Apollo Theatre from 14 to 30 May

End of the Rainbow

Drag Race star Jinkx Monsoon will play Judy Garland in another Quilter play. Set in London in 1968, the piece follows the icon as she prepares for a series of concerts at the Talk of the Town while facing personal and professional challenges. Of course, it includes some of Garland’s most well-known songs and depicts the final chapter of her life.

Plays at Soho Theatre Walthamstow from 15 May to 21 June

Dark of the Moon

Loosely inspired by the traditional Scottish ballad “Barbara Allen,” Dark of the Moon follows the clash of two polarised worlds – one a charming rural town and the other the mystical, smoky mountains inhabited by witches and warlocks, as a human girl and a witch-boy fall in love. Glenn Adamson and Lauren Jones lead this world premiere piece, with Georgie Rankcom directing.

Plays at Charing Cross Theatre from 18 May to 8 August

High Society

Cole Porter and Arthur Kopit’s High Society is receiving a glitzy revival to spend a summer at the Barbican! The story follows preparations for a society wedding that begin to unravel as past relationships resurface and an intrusive reporter arrives…  It’ll have you saying: “You’re Sensational” – especially with a cast featuring Helen George and Felicity Kendal, with Freddie Fox making his musical theatre debut!

Plays at the Barbican from 19 May to 11 July before touring

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 has revealed its cast, and it features many WhatsOnStage favourites, alongside long-running Beetlejuice company members and a couple of newcomers. We can’t wait to get to the other side!

Prince Edward Theatre, from 20 May

Redcliffe

The new musical written by and starring Jordan Luke Gage is set in 18th-century England, and is based on the story of William Critchard and Richard Arnold in Redcliffe, Bristol, and follows a man from humble beginnings who meets a visiting sailor. Their relationship leads them to question their lives and the world around them.

Excitingly, on 2 June, you can join our editor-in-chief and co-host of the WhatsOnStage Podcast, Alex Wood, to discuss the evolution of the score. Find out more.

Plays at Southwark Playhouse Borough from 22 May until 4 July

Once

The original creative team are reuniting to revive Once for the very first time in Scotland. It follows Guy (Dylan Wood), a Dublin street musician on the verge of giving up his craft, and Girl (Lydia White), a Czech immigrant who persuades him to keep going. Together, they form an unlikely partnership with a group of musicians as they set out to record an album.

Plays at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 23 May to 27 June

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

An actor-musician production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang sounds “Truly Scrumptious”, and after what they’ve accomplished with The Lord of the Rings, Barnum and Jesus Christ Superstar in recent years, we can’t see what Paul Hart and the Watermill team have planned for this ride! The cast is led by Christian Edwards as Caractacus Potts and Lydia Louise as Truly Scrumptious, with Mark Curry and Susannah van den Berg.

Plays at Watermill Theatre from 26 May to 13 September

Atonement

Ian McEwan’s Atonement is being brought to the stage in a new adaptation by Christopher Hampton! It’ll receive its world premiere at Chichester Festival Theatre and be directed by Adam Penford.

Plays at Chichester Festival Theatre from 29 May to 20 June