Stage shows to see in February 2026

It’s a busy month for Theatreland!

This February, productions both familiar and new are opening across the UK, and many of them will be on the road for quite some time.

A newly minted Grammy winner performing a solo show in the West End, the first new musical from the RSC’s co-artistic directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey, and much more feature on this month’s list.

Double Indemnity

The OC star Mischa Barton will make her UK stage debut in a new adaptation of Double Indemnity. Based on James M Cain’s 1943 novel, which inspired Billy Wilder’s celebrated film noir, the piece follows insurance salesman Walter Huff, whose encounter with the married Phyllis leads to a dangerous conspiracy…

Tour opens at Eastbourne’s Devonshire Park Theatre on 5 February

The Boy at the Back of the Class

Told from a child’s perspective, The Boy at the Back of the Class follows a group of classmates who learn that their new friend Ahmet has fled a war-torn country. In the stage adaptation of Onjali Q. Raúf’s award-winning children’s book, they embark on an unexpected adventure that explores themes of friendship, kindness, and belonging.

Tour opens at the Rose Theatre, Kingston on 6 February

The Last Picture

A brand-new play by Catherine Dyson, directed by John R Wilkinson for English Touring Theatre (ETT), York Theatre Royal, and An Tobar and Mull Theatre, this thought-provoking work explores empathy, imagination, and collective memory when a group of year nine students and their emotional support dog are drawn into the story of 1939 Europe.

Tour opens at York Theatre Royal on 6 February

The Beekeeper of Aleppo

Christy Lefteri’s best-selling novel returns to the stage for another tour. The piece follows beekeeper Nuri and his wife Afra, who are forced by war to escape the beautiful Syrian city of Aleppo.

Tour opens at Nottingham Playhouse on 7 February

Deep Azure

Written by the late, great Chadwick Boseman, this lyrical drama receives its UK premiere under the direction of Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu. The play explores grief and justice through the story of a young woman searching for hope after the death of her fiancé.

Plays at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s Globe, from 7 February

Dracula

Another radical one-person adaptation directed by Kip Williams! Cynthia Erivo stars after spending the last two years wowing big-screen audiences, playing all 23 roles in a production that utilises live video and pre-recorded film, similar in style to Williams’ acclaimed The Picture of Dorian Gray.

Plays at Noël Coward Theatre, from 7 February to 31 May

Legally Blonde

The unstoppable Amber Davies will be bending and snapping across the country in 2026 as Elle Woods in Legally Blonde, joined by an equally impressive company. This is gonna be just like senior year except funner, as Elle says!

Tour opens at Curve, Leicester, on 7 February

Glorious!

Glorious news! Wendi Peters will lead the 20th anniversary UK tour of Peter Quilter’s play. The comedy sees the off-key singing New York socialite, Florence Foster Jenkins, preparing for a sold-out recital at Carnegie Hall, where she and her pianist (played by Matthew James Morrison) defy critics and embrace her unconventional performances.

Tour opens in Poole on 10 February

Road

A 40th-anniversary production of Jim Cartwright’s visceral play about working-class life in Northern England. Directed by Selina Cartmell, the production invites the audience to explore parts of the theatre before the performance begins. The cast includes Shobna Gulati, Johnny Vegas, Lucy Beaumont, and Lesley Joseph.

Plays at Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, from 13 February

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind

Based on the true story of William Kamkwamba, Lynette Linton directs the story of the Malawian teenager who, during a time of famine and poverty, built a wind turbine from scrap materials to bring electricity and water to his village. His ingenuity and determination became a symbol of resourcefulness and the power of education.

View this post on Instagram

Plays at the Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from 14 February to 21 March before transferring to @sohoplace from 25 April to 18 July

Operation Mincemeat

Pour yourself a glass of sangria and cue the glitzy finale – Operation Mincemeat will head out on its first ever UK tour. We exclusively chatted to two of the touring agents and you can get to know them in the podcast below. God, that’s brilliant!

Tour opens at the Lowry on 16 February

The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)

The Reduced Shakespeare Company returns with an updated take on its long-running comedy, which truncates the Bard’s works into a rollicking ride.

Tour opens at Theatre Chipping Norton on 18 February

Priscilla Queen of the Desert

“Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”, and fun will surely be had in this new production of Priscilla Queen of the Desert! Adèle Anderson, Kevin Clifton, Nick Hayes and Peter Duncan will hop on board for a road trip of a lifetime.

Tour opens at the Palace Theatre in Manchester on 19 February

Midnight

Todrick Hall‘s new musical Midnight will return to London with a star-studded cast! The sung-through piece is set in America’s South during the 19th century and was described as “a sweeping story of love, conflict, and the search for understanding.”

Plays at Sadler’s Wells East from 20 February

Broken Glass

Part of Nadia Fall’s inaugural season at the Young Vic, this Arthur Miller revival is directed by Jordan Fein, who has steered both Into the Woods and Fiddler on the Roof to great success. Set in 1938 Brooklyn, it follows a woman, played by Pearl Chanda, who suffers a mysterious paralysis after reading about the Nazi atrocities in Europe. Tony nominee Eli Gelb plays Phillip Gellburg, while Nancy Carroll will play Margaret Hyman

Plays at Young Vic from 21 February

Mean Girls

Get in, loser! The WhatsOnStage Award-winning new musical Mean Girls is going on tour. Emily Lane and Vivian Panka will lead the Tina Fey-Jeff Richmond-Nell Benjamin musical as it roars across the country, and Steps star Faye Tozer joins the ride. So fetch.

Tour opens at Manchester Opera House on 23 February

Spitfire Girls

Katherine Senior’s play is flying out across the country for its second tour! Set on New Year’s Eve in 1959, it follows two women reunited years after their service in the Second World War.

Tour opens at Winchester Theatre Royal on 26 February

One Day

Meet Dexter (played by Jamie Muscato) and Emma (Sharon Rose) as each year on St Swithin’s Day, we see them grow from students into adults. It’s based on David Nicholls’ 2009 novel, which has enjoyed a solid film adaptation and a more recent Netflix series. Bring tissues.

Plays at the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh from 27 February

The Manningtree Witches

A world premiere adaptation of AK Blakemore’s novel by Ava Pickett. Set in 1643, the play follows Rebecca West (played by Lucy Mangan) as she is caught in the path of the self-appointed Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins. It is a co-production with Frantic Assembly.

Plays at Mercury Theatre, Colchester, from 28 February

Marie and Rosetta

Beverley Knight will reprise her role as gospel and rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, alongside Ntombizodwa Ndlovu, who makes her West End debut as Marie Knight in the return of George Brant’s hit Marie and Rosetta 

Plays at @sohoplace from 28 February