Happy New Year! It is now officially 2025 but if you think you can ease in to the year before everything starts opening. Think again. January 2025 is much more full than other Januarys have been with new West End shows and tours ensuring this January is anything but dry. Here are 40 of my top picks to kick-start your 2025:
BAT OUT OF HELL (UK Tour)
6th January – 20th September
It’s time to go back into Hell as the musical featuring Jim Steinman and Meat Loaf’s greatest hits kicks off a new tour in Edinburgh and travelling to 26 venues this year. Glenn Adamson, Rob Fowler and Sharon Sexton return to the show joined by Katie Tonkinson.
Dates and tickets at BatOutOfHellMusical.com
TARANTULA (Arcola Theatre)
8th - 25th January
Having been performed online in 2021, the gripping monologue from Philip Ridley receives its live premiere in a startling exploration of identity, memory, love, and the lengths it takes someone to free themselves from the web of their past.
Tickets from https://www.arcolatheatre.com/whats-on/tarantula/
THE DEVIL MAY CARE (Southwark Playhouse Borough)
8th January – 1st February
Exploring the origins of US military and political power through a setting in the Philippine-American War, this original adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s The Devil’s Disciple stars Callum Woodhouse as it addresses the thorny question of the line between good and evil.
10 NIGHTS (Riverside Studios/UK Tour)
8th January – 8th February
Shahid Iqbal Khan’s Olivier Award-nominated play kicks off a UK tour with a run at London’s Riverside Studios before dates in Derby, Manchester, Huddersfield and Birmingham.
THE MAIDS (Jermyn Street Theatre/Reading Rep Theatre)
9th – 22nd January/28th January – 8th February
Martin Crimp’s glittering translation of Jean Genet’s classic masterpiece that has scandalised audiences since 1947. Inspired by the real murders committed by the Papin sisters, the loose lines between fantasy and reality blur with breathtaking consequences.
Tickets from https://www.jermynstreettheatre.co.uk/
FIREBIRD (King’s Head Theatre)
9th January – 9th February
Coming to the stage for the first time after a multi-award winning film, this play draws on a true-life Cold War story following a handsome, soulful young soldier who embarks on a clandestine affair with a charismatic fighter pilot on an Air Force Base in Soviet-occupied Estonia at the height of 1970s Communist rule.
Tickets from www.kingsheadtheatre.com
REVENGE: AFTER THE LEVOYAH (The Yard)
9th – 25th January
Nick Cassenbaum's outrageous comedy-heist about two twins, one ex-gangster, and a very messy plot to kidnap Jeremy Corbyn heads to London after wowing audiences at the Edinburgh Fringe.
Tickets from theyardtheatre.co.uk
CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: CORTEO (Royal Albert Hall)
9th January – 2nd March
A captivating Cirque du Soleil production where Clown Mauro envisions his farewell as a joyous carnival attended by tender angels. This unique show masterfully blends grandeur with intimacy, humour with emotion, and perfection with imperfection. Through poetic, playful music, Corteo invites audiences into a timeless celebration that reflects the humanity in us all.
Tickets from www.cirquedusoleil.com
KYOTO (@SohoPlace)
9th January – 3rd May
Following an acclaimed run at the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon, the politically charged thriller comes to the West End telling the extraordinary story of an unlikely group of international diplomats, scientists, politicians and activists working together to reach the first global agreement on climate change
Tickets from www.sohoplace.org
THE LONELY LONDONERS (Kiln Theatre)
10th January – 15th February
The critically acclaimed adaptation of Sam Selvon’s iconic novel transfers to Kiln Theatre following a sold out run at Jermyn Street Theatre, opening a window into the hopes, dream and realities of generation Windrush.
Tickets from www.KilnTheatre.com
CYMBELINE (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse)
10th January – 20th April
Shakespeare’s late, tragic comedy of love and rebellion, heads to the candlelit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. As Rome readies for war, can Innogen bridge her two worlds to bring peace and reconciliation?
A GOOD HOUSE (Royal Court)
11th January – 8th February
Offering a satirical view of good neighbourliness and the pressures that come with wanting to fit in, acting as a microcosm of community politics in South Africa.
Tickets from royalcourttheatre.com
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN (UK Tour)
13th January – 30th August
The international phenomenon has been a number one best-selling book and a movie. Now the stage adaptation returns for a new tour, kicking off in Richmond. Giovanna Fletcher leads the cast as Rachel Watson until March when Laura Whitmore takes over the role.
Dates and tickets at www.thegirlonthetrain.com
JONNY WOO: SUBURBIA (Soho Theatre)
14th – 25th January
The Drag icon brings his most personal cabaret extravaganza yet. This heartfelt and hilariously entertaining show journeys through the formative moments that shaped one of the most vibrant voices in the LGBTQ+ scene.
Tickets from https://sohotheatre.com/events/jonny-woo-suburbia/
ELEKTRA (Theatre Royal, Brighton/Duke Of York’s Theatre)
13th – 18th January/24th January – 12th April
Brie Larson makes her West End debut in this revival of Sophokles’s Greek tragedy directed by Daniel Fish. It plays a week in Brighton before moving to the West End
Tickets at www.ElektraPlay.com
CALAMITY JANE (UK & Ireland Tour)
14th January –27th September
Carrie Hope Fletcher stars in the lead role in the whip crackin’ musical touring the UK in a production kicking off in Aylesbury and marking 10 years since the show last hit the road.
Dates and tickets at www.calamityjanemusical.com
COPLA: A SPANISH CABARET (The Other Palace)
14th – 26th January
Queer migrant performer Alejandro Postigo brings the wow-factor as he de-constructs these traditional Spanish songs and shares their historical significance for queer collectives. Drawing upon his personal experience, this electrifying performance of English Copla will delight audiences through Alejandro’s rebirth into his fabulous alter ego, La Gitana.
LOOKING FOR GIANTS (King’s Head Theatre)
14th – 26th January
A one-woman show about gender, sex, and the stories we tell ourselves – this monologue is split in three parts and sees our narrator enter the minds of the men she can’t stop thinking about, inhabiting the objects of her obsession. When the boundaries between self and other start to blur, who’s in control of the narrative?
CAROUSEL: A THEATRE SHOW BY IVO GRAHAM (Park Theatre)
14th – 25th January
Ivo Graham steps away from the frivolity of his stand-up and invites you onto his own carousel: to the places he aches to go again. A searingly direct, exquisitely soundtracked story of a life.
THE EMPLOYEES (Southbank Centre)
16th – 19th January
Łukasz Twarkowski makes his hotly anticipated London debut with this adaptation of the dystopian sci-fi epic by Olga Ravn, combining theatre, film and installation with flair in a visually stunning dark satire.
Tickets from southbankcentre.co.uk
CANNED GOODS (Southwark Playhouse Borough)
16th January – 8th February
Bringing to stage a gripping story of hidden history, this thrilling production explores the chilling and intense story of deception, power, and survival on the eve of a Nazi invasion.
Tickets from www.southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
ONE MAN MUSICAL (Underbelly Boulevard)
16th January – 2nd March
Following sell-out runs and rave reviews, this new, never-before witnessed one-man show about a renowned gentleman who you will know and recognise transfers to Underbelly Boulevard
Tickets from onemanmusical.com,
A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (UK Tour)
16th – 15th March
One of the greatest, most powerful and dangerous figures who shaped English history is brought vividly to life in Robert Bolt’s award-winning play. Kicking off a tour at Theatre Royal Bath, you can then catch it at Chichester, Malvern, Cheltenham, Oxford, Guildford, Canterbury, and Richmond.
Tickets for Theatre Royal Bath at theatreroyal.org.uk
A LITTLE BAWL OF PAIN (UK Tour)
16th – 25th January
This heartwarming new show is designed to bring audiences to tears in the best possible way as it is packed full of the best ballads musical theatre has to offer. Catch it at Old Joint Stock in Birmingham from 16th – 19th before dates in London, Norfolk and Manchester.
AN INTERROGATION (Hampstead Theatre)
17th January – 22nd February
Inspired by real events, this gripping new play from Writer Jamie Armitage uses live-stream cameras to manipulate the audience’s point of view in an innovative exploration of technology versus truth.
KINKY BOOTS (UK and Ireland Tour)
17th January – 26th July
A brand new production of the iconic musical featuring a score by Cyndi Lauper tours the UK and Ireland starring Dan Partridge as Charlie, Johannes Radebe as Lola and Courtney Bowman as Lauren.
Dates and tickets at https://kinkybootstour.com/
INSIDE No. 9 – STAGE/FRIGHT (Wyndham’s Theatre)
18th January – 5th April
Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith star in the world premiere stage adaptation of their award winning BBC Two series. Featuring comedic, spooky and dramatic moments from familiar characters and stories mixing with brand new material.
Tickets from www.Insideno9onstage.com
JEFFREY BERNARD IS UNWELL (Coach & Horses)
19th January – 10th February
After two sold-out seasons, Robert Bathurst returns to star in this immersive staging in the bar of The Coach & Horses pub in Soho.
Tickets from www.jeffreyplay.com
WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ANNE FRANK (Marylebone Theatre)
20th January – 15th February
After an acclaimed season in late 2024, the new serious comedy from Nathan Englander returns for four weeks only with the full cast including Joshua Malina, Caroline Catz and Gabriel Howell reprising their roles.
OEDIPUS (Old Vic)
21st January – 29th March
Rami Malek and Indira Varma star in Ella Hickson’s adaptation of Sophocles’ play, co-directed by Matthew Warchus and Hofesh Shechter.
Tickets from oldvictheatre.com
THE GIFT (Park Theatre)
22nd January – 1st March
A comedy about the extraordinary lengths one man is prepared to go to in order to unmask the anonymous sender of a disgusting present, it is written by Dave Florez and directed by Adam Meggido, the co-creator of Showstopper!
Tickets from www.parktheatre.co.uk
BROWN GIRL NOISE (The Glitch)
22nd January – 10th February
This new South Asian coming-of-age tale sees 4 girls meet at an audition for Priti Patel’s biopic and realise they’d prefer to tell their own stories.
THE DOUBLE ACT (Arcola Theatre)
23rd January – 22nd February
An outrageous dark comedy by Mark Jagasia,combining gothic madness with biting humour, exploring the price of ambition, the value of laughter and the demons we can never outrun.
SCISSORHANDZ: A MUSICAL REINVENTED (Southwark Playhouse Elephant)
23rd January – 29th March
Co-producers Lance Bass and Michelle Visage bring the European premiere of this fresh and funny reinvention of Edward Scissorhands. This pop-musical parody extravaganza is packed with a killer soundtrack.
Tickets from southwarkplayhouse.co.uk
THE SHARK IS BROKEN (UK Tour)
23rd January – 17th May
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the iconic blockbuster Jaws, this brilliantly funny play peeks behind the scenes to imagine what happened on the set of the movie with co-writer Ian Shaw starring as his father.
Dates and tickets at TheSharkIsBroken.com
THE YEARS (Harold Pinter Theatre)
24th January – 19th April
The critically acclaimed sell-out production transfers from the Almeida Theatre to the West End as a cast of five play one woman in this mesmerizing, personal and political story, set against the backdrop of our rapidly changing world.
Tickets from www.theyearsplay.com
SECOND BEST (Riverside Studios)
24th January – 22nd February
Asa Butterfield makes his stage debut in this one-man-play. A fictional story about the boy who came second to play Harry Potter, it is based on David Foenkinos’ best-selling novel and has been written by Barney Norris.
Tickets from riversidestudios.co.uk
INFERNA (Riverside Studios)
28th January – 5th February
The World Premiere of a powerful new drama based on a true story, exploring bodily autonomy and perseverance through the impossible.
Tickets from https://riversidestudios.co.uk
ANTIGONE (ON STRIKE) (Park Theatre)
30th January – 22nd February
Set within an all-white replica of the UK House of Commons, this modern reimaging of Sophocles' Greek tragedy is inspired by the true stories of the 'ISIS Brides' .This new drama invites audiences to participate in the unfolding narrative by casting real-time votes and comments with wireless keypad devices.
Tickets from parktheatre.co.uk
MRS PRESIDENT (Charing Cross Theatre)
31st January – 16th March
Exploring the turbulent life of Mary Todd Lincoln through personal; tragedy, the assassination of her husband Abraham Lincoln and her legacy as the United States’ most misunderstood first lady.
What are you most excited to see? Let me know in the comments or on all my socials - @ATDazzles on all of them, and look out for reviews of many of them on the website over the next month.
To have your show included in the February preview or any other monthly post, send me an email with details of your show and I’ll include as many as possible.
See you in the theatre!