West End and musical stars appearing in Bridgerton season four

Dearest gentle readers.

You surely don’t need us to tell you that a new season of regency romance is on the way as Bridgerton returns for a fourth series.

This season’s blossoming young love is between Benedict and Sophie, who, coincidentally, are played by WhatsOnStage Award winner, Luke Thompson, and a current WhatsOnStage Award nominee, Yerin Ha – quite the power couple if we do say so ourselves.

They take over the spotlight from Penelope, portrayed by Nicola Coughlan (who is currently on stage in London) and Colin, portrayed by Luke Newton (who recently made his New York stage debut). Also in season three, WhatsOnStage Award nominee Hannah Dodd featured as Francesca Stirling, taking over the role from Ruby Stokes, who appeared in Till The Stars Come Down at the National and The Habits at Hampstead Theatre.

It appears that our stages and our screens are in more-than-capable hands with the forbiddable cast of Shondaland’s romantic romp.

Please note that this article only refers to performers confirmed to appear in season four and will be updated with any new additions we spot!

Newcomers

Yerin Ha (Sophie Baek)

This season’s leading lady, Yerin Ha, who plays Sophie Baek, made her UK stage debut in Jean Genet’s The Maids. In it, she played social media star, Madame, whose carefully curated image teeters on the edge of collapse after her boyfriend is accused of a crime in a new translation by Kip Williams (who also directed). Ha is now up for a WhatsOnStage Award for her performance.

Katie Leung (Lady Araminta Gun)

In Bridgerton, Katie Leung will play a widow and mother with two daughters (played by Michelle Mao and Isabella Wei) debuting on the marriage mart this season. Post Harry Potter fame and off-screen, she made her stage debut as Jung Chang in her autobiographical play, Wild Swans. A year later, she played in The World of Extreme Happiness at the National Theatre. Following that, she has performed in her home as part of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, as well as at the Royal Court, the RSC, and most recently at the Almeida in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ The Comeuppance, where she took on the role of a military doctor with an unacknowledged drink problem, worsened by all the death she has witnessed in the pandemic.

Gracie McGonigal (Hazel)

It seems almost fitting that this series of Bridgerton has a Cinderella-esque energy about it, for stage fave, Gracie McGonigal, has joined the cast! She’s currently playing Little Red in the Stephen Sondheim-James Lapine musical that combines fairy tales, Into the Woods. Her character, Hazel, is described as a lively and energetic young maid who has faced a difficult path, and it is thought that she makes a strong friendship with Sophie.

Returning cast

Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury)

Adjoa Andoh advocates for the arts extensively, expanding far beyond her long list of impressive stage credits over 40 years. More recently, she has directed and starred in a revival of Richard III with Lynette Linton, it featured the first ever company of women of colour in a Shakespeare play on a major UK stage. Off stage, she has taught, served on awards committees, and helped to launch the Royal Shakespeare Company and Foyle Foundation’s RSC Shakespeare Curriculum, a new digital platform for teachers and students.

Victor Alli (John Stirling)

In 2022, Victor Alli performed opposite Amy Adams in Jeremy Herrin’s production of The Glass Menagerie. Tennessee Williams’ seminal piece played in the West End, and Alli was The Gentleman Caller.

Julie Andrews (voice of Lady Whistledown)

Any avid fan of theatre, or the arts in general, will know Julie Andrews’ iconic career, which dates all the way back to her childhood, and truly kick-started when she made her Broadway debut on the eve of her 19th birthday. She’d go on to originate the role of Eliza Doolittle in Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady (later appearing in their Camelot as Queen Guinevere) and to feature in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, a part written for her. In the world of musical films, Andrews is the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious nanny Mary Poppins, the novice nun Maria von Trapp and a thoroughly modern Millie!

Lorraine Ashbourne (Mrs Varley)

Throughout the 1990s, Lorraine Ashbourne performed regularly at Manchester’s Royal Exchange before heading to London’s Royal Court and working at the RSC. She made a relatively recent return to the stage in Beth Steel’s Till The Stars Come Down (the same production as Ruby Stokes!), where our critic said “she powers every scene she appears in.”

Masali Baduza (Michaela Stirling)

Though she has yet to take to the UK stage, Masali Baduza has performed regularly in South Africa. In addition, she has worked with a collective who strive to create space and opportunities in the theatre industry for marginalised womxn, including appearing in Nasty Womxn – which examined Greek mythology’s tendency to turn strong women into monsters.

Jonathan Bailey (Anthony)

“Fiyerooooooo!” we hear you call! Jonathan Bailey has been dancing on stages as well as through life, having appeared in productions of The Last Five Years, American Psycho, Othello, Cock and much more. He picked up the Olivier Award for his role as Jamie in Marianne Elliot’s revival of Company and last year played Richard II at the Bridge Theatre – securing him a nomination for a WhatsOnStage Award!

Harriet Cains (Philippa Featherington)

Harriet Cains will be starring as Justine in the new Britpop comedy play The Battle, charting the rivalry between Blur and Oasis, premiering this year ahead of a planned stint in the West End.

Nicola Coughlan (Penelope)

To much excitement, Nicola Coughlan returned to the stage in The Playboy of the Western World at the end of 2025, and reunited with another of her screen companions – Siobhán McSweeney from Derry Girls! Before breaking out onto screens, Coughlan performed regularly on stage, including at the Orange Tree Theatre, the Old Vic, Traverse Theatre and at the Donmar Warehouse in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie in 2018.

Hannah Dodd (Francesca)

The toast of Mayfair, Hannah Dodd played Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the West End’s Kit Kat Club. For her professional stage debut, she’s up for a WhatsOnStage Award.

Daniel Francis (Lord Anderson)

One of Daniel Francis’s earliest roles was in the RSC’s Twelfth Night, which set him up nicely for performances across the UK and also in Singapore, where he played Othello! He was last in London as part of the cast of Tony Tortora’s Cops at Southwark Playhouse.

Ruth Gemmell (Violet Bridgerton)

The head of the Bridgerton household, Ruth Gemmell, has plenty of stage acting experience under her belt, having played in theatres across the regions in titles including Uncle Vanya, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Weir and various Shakespearean plays. She most recently appeared in the UK premiere of Samuel D Hunter’s comedy, The Whale.

Oli Higginson (John)

He’s as loyal to the stage as his character is to his job as the family’s Footman! Oli Higginson starred in the West End transfer of Southwark Playhouse’s critically acclaimed production of The Last Five Years. His other credits include Othello at the Sam Wanamaker, Smoke at Southwark Playhouse, and Soho Theatre’s touring production of Lava. Next up, he’s heading to the Almeida to play Timothy Price in the return of American Psycho.

Florence Hunt (Hyacinth)

The youngest Bridgerton child has already made her stage debut. She shared the role of Vera with Bo Bragason in Michael Longhurst’s production of Ruben Östlund’s Force Majeure at the Donmar Warehouse.

Martins Imhangbe (Will Mondrich)

Martins Imhangbe’s theatre credits have seen him perform at some of London’s most famed theatres – the National (Absolute Hell), Bush (An Adventure), Almeida (Richard II) and Young Vic (Death of a Salesman) in recent years.

Emma Naomi (Alice Mondrich)

Across the UK, Emma Naomi has performed on stage in various regions, including The Crucible at Bristol Old Vic and The Master Builder at Leeds Playhouse. In addition, she’s performed in London at the National Theatre in Dead Don’t Floss and in the West End in Don Juan in Soho.

Luke Newton (Colin)

Hello! Luke Newton made his stage debut as an understudy for Elder Price in The Book of Mormon. Since then, he returned to the stage as Adam in the 2023 revival of The Shape of Things at the Park Theatre and hopped over to New York to play designer Alexander McQueen off-Broadway in House of McQueen.

Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte)

Queen of the stage, Golda Roshuvel has appeared in much-loved musicals from Hair to Fame, Tommy to Jesus Christ Superstar and more. Only last year was she on stage in London opposite Letitia Wright, in Emma Dennis-Edwards’ two-hander, Not Your Superwoman, directed by Lynette Linton. She has also starred in more Shakespeare than you can shake a stick at.

Luke Thompson (Benedict)

Speaking of Shakespeare, as we so often do, do you remember when we challenged Luke Thompson and the cast of Love’s Labour’s Lost to a “Is it Shakespeare or is it Taylor Swift” challenge? Refresh your memory below!

@whatsonstage

Is it Shakespeare or is it Taylor Swift? We asked Luke Thompson and the cast of @Royal Shakespeare Company Love’s Labour’s Lost to celebrate the release of TSTTPD… #lukethompson

♬ original sound – WhatsOnStage

On stage, Thompson has performed in King Lear (Duke of York’s Theatre), Hamlet (Almeida Theatre and Harold Pinter Theatre), The Oresteia (Almeida Theatre and Trafalgar Studios), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare’s Globe) and more recently in A Little Life in the West End – where he bagged the WhatsOnStage Award.

Hugh Sachs (Brimsley)

Known mostly for his television appearances, Hugh Sachs performed as Harry Dangle in the West End in the stage production of One Man, Two Guvnors back in 2013.

Polly Walker (Portia Featherington)

A leg injury reportedly forced Polly Walker to focus on acting rather than dancing, and thanks to that, we’ve seen her appear regularly with the RSC and in the West End staging of Les Liaisons Dangereuses.

So far, there are unfortunately no signs of return from Bessie Carter, who plays Prudence Featherington, and recently starred opposite her mother, Imelda Staunton, in a West End production of Mrs Warren’s Profession.