From a riveting wartime thriller to a musical classic starring Imelda Staunton, here are some of the best shows to see in the West End this summer
Words: Jonathan Whiley
Hello, Dolly!
Four-time Olivier award-winner Imelda Staunton stars as meddlesome socialite turned matchmaker Dolly Levi as she travels to New York to find a match for the miserly ‘half-a-millionaire’ Horace Vandergelder. The musical is set to Jerry Herman’s unforgettable score, including ‘It Only Takes a Moment’ and ‘Put On Your Sunday Clothes’. The new production also stars Olivier Award winner Jenna Russell and Andy Nyman and sees a reunion for Imelda Staunton with director Dominic Cooke following their critically acclaimed production of Stephen Sondheim’s Follies at the National Theatre.
Until September 14 at The London Palladium, 8 Argyll Street
The 39 Steps
This comedy thriller – based on a novel by John Buchan and famously adapted into a 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock – features four actors playing 139 roles in 100 fast-paced minutes. Tom Byrne – who played Prince Andrew in the fourth series of The Crown – takes on the role of British adventurer Richard Hannay with his stiff-upper-lip, pencil moustache and gung-ho attitude. Adapted by Patricky Barlow, this spy thriller – with a parody plot that involves murder and double-crossing secret agents – ran in the West End for nine years before closing in 2015.
From August 16 to September 28 at Trafalgar Theatre, 14 Whitehall
Death of England
Three state of the nation plays are performed together for the first time following acclaimed seasons at the National Theatre. Watch as one standalone experience or discover the connections between two or three of the plays as Michael, Delroy, Denise and Carly navigate themes of family dynamics, race, colonialism, cancel culture and what it means to be British in 2024. Death of England: Michael, Death of England: Delroy and Death of England: Closing Time are directed by Clint Dyer, deputy artistic director of the National Theatre.
Now until September 28 @sohoplace, 4 Soho Place, Charing Cross Road
Fiddler on the Roof
The ever popular musical, based on a book by Joseph Stein and music by Jerry Bock, is one of the star attractions of the summer season at Regent’s Park. Set in 1905 Imperial Russia, Jewish milkman Tevye lives in a tiny village and living by proud traditions, tries to marry off his five daughters. But as each challenges his beliefs, is he prepared to bend to their will? This new production is directed by Jordan Fein, who co-directed the London transfer of Oklahoma! at The Young Vic, and will feature classic songs such as ‘If I Were a Rich Man’, ‘Matchmaker’ and ‘Sunrise, Sunset’.
Now until September at 21 Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Regent’s Park
The Devil Wears Prada
Based on the hit film and bestselling novel, this new musical sees Tony Award nominee Vanessa Williams – best known for her TV roles in Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives – step into the designer shoes of cutthroat magazine editor Miranda Priestly (famously played by Meryl Streep in the 2006 film). With an original score by Elton John and direction and choreography by three-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, it promises to strut its stuff on the stage this autumn.
October 24 until May 31, 2025 at Dominion Theatre, 268-269 Tottenham Court Road
Pride and Prejudice
Three actors bring Jane Austen’s characters to life in the London premiere of Guildford Shakespeare Company’s production of the classic 1813 novel. The beloved romantic comedy sees the Bennet family’s world upended when eligible bachelors descend and set tongues wagging and hearts racing. At the centre of this whirlwind is a certain Lizzie Bennet and Mr Darcy. Their love story – one of literature’s most iconic – is inventively adapted in this production by Abigail Pickard Price.
August 19 to September 7 at 16B Jermyn Street
Farm Hall
An extraordinary true life story set in the summer of 1945. Hitler may be dead, but war in the Pacific rages on and the Allies have detained six of Germany’s best nuclear scientists at Farm Hall, a stately home just outside Cambridge. As the United States drops an atomic bomb on Japan, the scientists are unaware that their every move and reaction is being covertly recorded. Set between July 1945 and January 1946, this wartime thriller proved to be the the best-selling show in the history of Jermyn Street Theatre where it ran in spring last year.
August 7 to 31 at Theatre Royal Haymarket, 18 Suffolk Street
