Ten play revivals to see in 2024

As there’s so much to choose from, we’ve limited ourselves to the new productions of classics, rather than shows that have been on before.

The Importance of Being Earnest

JMK Award-winning director Josh Roche has steered some major productions to success in the last half decade, but it’ll be very intriguing to see him get his teeth into Oscar Wilde’s classic about the ridiculousness the human race can find itself in, playing at the Royal Exchange in Manchester. Royal Exchange, from 14 June

The Crucible

 Sheffield’s Crucible is staging, of all the plays out there, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible this year – which probably marks the first time a venue has presented a show with the same name (we’ve put our thinking caps on). Associate artistic director Antony Lau helms the production, returning to the venue after his successes with Miss Saigon and The Good Person of Szechwan. Sheffield Crucible, from 2 March 

Constellations

Nick Payne’s play about a single romance located within the multiverse has been beloved across the world, but this new production by Theatr Clwyd seems to be something special – with the piece performed in both English and Welsh thanks to translator Gwawr Loader. Theatr Clwyd, from 10 May

An Enemy of the People

Director Thomas Ostermeier is one of the most critically lauded creatives on the continent, and though a regular at the Barbican, he’s finally making his West End debut in an English-language version of his take on Ibsen’s An Enemy of the People. Doctor Who and House of the Dragon star Matt Smith leads a crack cast in a pertinent tale of environmental catastrophe. Duke of York’s Theatre, from 6 February

The Lieutenant of Inishmore

Liverpool will play host to a new production of Martin McDonagh’s bloody farce, about a hitman whose cat goes astray. A rollercoaster ride with humour as sharp as knives, the show will be even more impressive within the thrust-stage Everyman Theatre. Liverpool Everyman Theatre, from 21 September

Plaza Suite 

Two of Hollywood’s finest, Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, are bringing their glitzy Broadway staging of Plaza Suite to the West End, occupying the equally glitzy Savoy Theatre. A chance to see two icons giving a masterclass in comedic drama. Savoy Theatre, from 17 January

Dear Octopus 

Dodie Smith is perhaps best known for her work on 101 Dalmatians and I Capture the Castle, but her 1938 play Dear Octopus is finally getting a major revival for the first time in a long while at the National Theatre. Emily Burns, who brought the larger-than-life comedy Jack Absolute Flies Again to the Olivier stage in 2022, is on directing duties, with the cast featuring the legendary Lindsay Duncan and Malcolm Sinclair. National Theatre, from 7 February

Player Kings

Ian McKellen never ceases to amaze with his string of high profile and varied career choices, bouncing between Shakespeare, solo show, pantomime and new writing. Next, he teams up with director Robert Icke to present a new take on the two parts of the Bard’s Henry IV, fused into a single piece that is likely to be mightily fascinating. Manchester Opera House, from 14 March, then Noël Coward Theatre, West End, from 1 April 

Escaped Alone 

This year marks the Scottish premiere of Caryl Churchill’s hit play Escaped Alone, first seen at the Royal Court in 2016 and exploring the nature of apocalypse and mundane chit-chat. The apocalypse has never been so quaint. Tron Theatre, from 22 February

The Cherry Orchard

Benedict Andrews has worked wonders on the London stage, with his revolving version of A Streetcar Named Desire with Gillian Anderson being heralded as one of the stand-out shows of the last decade. He’s now back, this time at the Donmar Warehouse, for a take on Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard, with some solid casting. Donmar Warehouse, from 26 April