Shows we’d love to see return in 2026

Every day we report on theatrical happenings across the UK and beyond right here at WhatsOnStage!

We’re always celebrating what is playing and what’s to come, and you can see our lists of new musicals, tours, musical revivals, new plays, and more planned for 2026.

However, we can’t help but reflect on those shows that we loved so much that we can only hope to see them return in the near future.

These are the ones that the editorial team at WhatsOnStage are holding out for!

Charley’s Aunt

One of my absolute favourites, Rob Madge, adapted Brandon Thomas’s classic farce this autumn, and it looked a delight. Directed by Sophie Drake at the Watermill, the pink summer garden room set, with its clashing stripes and florals on the period costumes (all designed by Alex Berry), is just calling for another outing under the sun. Luckily for us, we have another Madge-written piece to look forward to in 2026. Tanyel Gumushan

The Comedy About Spies

Some shows are made to make you laugh until your cheeks hurt, and The Comedy About Spies does exactly that. With its perfectly timed chaos and absurd spy antics, a 2026 revival is a mission I’d gladly sign up for watching again! Alex Braybrooke

A Knight’s Tale The Musical

Earlier this year, the world premiere stage adaptation of A Knight’s Tale rode into town, entertaining audiences for a limited run at Manchester Opera House. Based on the 2001 film, the jukebox musical, directed by Rachel Kavanaugh and choreographed by Matt Cole, not only boasts an embarrassment of crowd-pleasing bangers and laugh-out-loud zingers, but also live onstage jousting… What more do you need?! Tom Millward

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs

Iman Qureshi’s comic drama about the trials and tribulations of a choir of queer women has already enjoyed two Off-West End runs – at the Soho Theatre in 2022 and at the Kiln this past summer – and we’re ready for the piece to take the next step. The L in the LGBTQIA+ community doesn’t get enough mainstream West End exposure, in my humble opinion, and this play with music has more than earned its rightful spot. Tom Millward

Much Ado About Nothing

Sometimes what makes a theatre moment beautiful is the fact that you know it’ll never be repeated. But that doesn’t make it bittersweet to mourn what you’ll never experience again. That’s how I feel remembering the sheer, exuberant joy of Jamie Lloyd’s Much Ado About Nothing. While the confetti may be what people remember best, it was the steely resilience of Hayley Atwell’s Beatrice, the perfect foil to Tom Hiddleston’s crooner Benedick, that I’ll struggle to forget. The pair had an electrifyingly dysfunctional romance. Alex Wood

Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812

I’ve listened to the Broadway cast album for this bulkily titled musical time and again to try and recapture the magic of being sat in the Donmar Warehouse, seeing an absurdly talented cast deliver such a wondrous score as Dave Malloy’s. He made War and Peace cool! In a musical! Given it was a sell-out success, the financial argument for its return is certainly there. But is there a producer with the time and drive to make it happen? We have to wait and see… Alex Wood

Sing Street

Based on the beloved 2016 film by John Carney, Sing Street is bursting with music, friendship, and 80s energy. These school pals and their journey through young love make it impossible not to smile – I’d happily watch it all unfold again in 2026. Alex Braybrooke

West Side Story

Specifically, it must be the Made at Curve revival, directed by Nikolai Foster. Since it premiered at Christmas in 2019, not a day has gone by that I haven’t thought about this gorgeous production, which starred Jamie Muscato as Tony and Adriana Ivelisse as Maria. We’re fortunate to have a bunch of Stephen Sondheim musicals confirmed for 2026, including Sweeney Todd, A Little Night Music, and an up-and-running Into the Woods, so surely one more wouldn’t hurt. Tanyel Gumushan

The Witches

Lucy Kirkwood and Dave Malloy’s musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s The Witches debuted at the National Theatre in November 2023… and it was as darkly delicious as the 1983 Roald Dahl novel it is based upon. Experiencing Katherine Kingsley peeling off her own face as the Grand High Witch was a visual I didn’t realise was on my bingo card that year, but I, for one, would love to see her and all her bald, wicked disciples (dis)grace the stage one more time! Tom Millward

Honourable mentions: Here We Are, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Cyrano de Bergerac with Adrian Lester, The Harder They Come, Evita, Lovestuck