ROAD
• Theatre: Royal Court Theatre- Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
• First Preview: July 21, 2017
• Opening: July 28, 2017
• Playwright: Jim Cartwright
• Director: John Tiffany
• Cast: Michelle Fairley, Mark Hadfield, Faye Marsay, Mike Noble, Dan Parr, Lemn Sissay, June Watson, Liz White, Shane Zaza,

A Road, a wild night, a drunken tour guide, a journey to the gutter and the stars and back. “Why’s the world so tough? It’s like walking through meat in high heels.” Jim Cartwright's seminal play, gives expression to the inhabitants of an unnamed northern road in Eighties Britain. "Road is coming round us". Jim Cartwright’s 1986 game changing play Road returns to the Royal Court in a new production directed by Royal Court Associate Director John Tiffany.

THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK
• Theatre: Vaudeville Theatre
• First Preview: July 26, 2017
• Opening: July 28, 2017
• Playwright: Annabel Wigoder, adapted from the poem by Lewis Carroll
• Director:Gemma Colclough
• Cast: Will Bryant, Ben Galpin, Jordan Leigh-Harris, Simon Turner, Pollysmith

Enter the imaginative world of Alice in Wonderland creator, Lewis Carroll, in this brand new, highly original, ultra-modern adaptation inspired by his beloved classic poem. The show features five high-energy actors, a life-like puppet, fantastical characters, and lashings of daft humour. A riotous ragtag gang of bold adventurers including The Boy, The Banker, The Butcher, The Baker, The Bellman and The Knitting Beaver set off on a quest to catch the mythical Snark… on the journey they encounter the Jub Jub Bird, the sly Bandersnatch and the dastardly Boojum… Can a Snark be caught with soap? Will the Beaver escape the hungry Butcher’s clutches? Will the Baker remember his name? Does anyone know what a Snark actually looks like?

YERMA
• Theatre: Young Vic
• First Preview: July 26, 2017
• Opening: July 29, 2017
• Playwright: Simon Stone after Federico Garcia Lorca
• Director: Simon Stone
• Cast: Billie Piper, Maureen Beattie, Brendan Cowell, John MacMillan and Charlotte Randle

Billie Piper plays a woman whose inability to have a child tears her life apart. Simon Stone’s contemporary version of Lorca’s tragedy of yearning and loss won plaudits from audiences and critics alike when it premiered in the Young Vic’s Main House in July 2016, with Billie Piper receiving the Natasha Richardson Award for Best Actress at the 2016 Evening Standard Theatre Awards. Maureen Beattie, Brendan Cowell, John MacMillan and Charlotte Randle return to join Billie in the company.

GANGSTA GRANNY
• Theatre: Garrick Theatre
• First Preview: July 26, 2017
• Opening: August 1, 2017
• Playwright: Neal Foster, adapted from the book by David Walliams
• Director: Neal Foster
• Cast: Gilly Tompkins, Ashley Cousins, Rachel Stanley, Ben Martin, Devesh Kishore, Louise Bailey, Liz Garland, Richard James, Sophie Gibbs, Matt Barkley

The Garrick Theatre hosts the West End debut of the stage adaptation of David Walliams’ bestselling book, Gangsta Granny. Direct from an extensive UK tour, this production of Walliams’ story follows young Ben on a Friday night, which can only mean one thing – staying with Granny, and putting up with her horrible cabbage soup, cabbage pie and cabbage cake! Boooooring! But Granny has a secret, a secret that is about to make Friday nights more exciting than Ben could ever imagine. And so he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime – with his very own Gangsta Granny! The Birmingham Stage Company mark their 25th anniversary with this West End transfer of their critically acclaimed production.

EVITA
• Theatre: Phoenix Theatre
• First Preview: July 28, 2017
• Opening: August 2, 2017
• Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Lyrics by Tim Rice
• Director: Bob Thompson and Bill Kenwright
• Cast: Emma Hatton, Gian Marco Schiaretti, Oscar Balmaseda, Sarah O’Connor, George Arvidson, Lewis Barnshaw, Jessica Ellen, Callum Fitzgerald, Kellie Gnauck, Dominic Adam Griffin, Joe McCourt, Jude Neill, Jordan Oliver, Chrissie Perkins, Oliver Slade, Matias Stegmann, Yuval Zoref

Andrew Lloyd Webber's extraordinary musical story of an ordinary women's meteoric rise to power captivates West End audiences in the 65 year anniversary of the death of Eva Perón. Telling the story of Eva, wife of former Argentine dictator Juan Perón, Evita follows the journey which ultimately led her to be heralded as the ‘spiritual leader of the nation’ by the Argentine people, and features songs such as "Don’t Cry For Me Argentina", "On This Night Of A Thousand Stars", and "You Must Love Me".

APOLOGIA
• Theatre: Trafalgar Studios/Studio 1
• First Preview: July 29, 2017
• Opening: August 3, 2017
• Playwright: Alexi Kate Campbell
• Director: Jamie Lloyd
• Cast: Stockard Channing, Freema Agyeman, Desmond Barrit, Laura Carmichael, Joseph Millson

Hollywood and Broadway icon Stockard Channing returns to the London stage this summer to star in a new production of Olivier Award-winner Alexi Kaye Campbell’s acclaimed drama Apologia, directed by the multi-award winning Jamie Lloyd. A compelling drama about the importance of family and the pressures commitment and principles exert on it, Apologia sees Channing play Kristin Miller, a firebrand liberal matriarch of a dynamic family, who is presiding over her birthday celebrations. An eminent art historian, Kristin’s almost evangelical dedication to her career and her political activism has resulted in her sons - Peter, a merchant banker, and Simon, a writer - harbouring deeply rooted and barely suppressed resentments towards her. The fissures in her relationship with them are brought to the fore by the recent publication of her memoir. Apologia is a witty, topical and passionate play about generations, secrets, and warring perspectives.

HORRIBLE HISTORIES: MORE BEST OF BARMY BRITAIN
• Theatre: Garrick Theatre
• First Preview: August 4, 2017
• Opening: August 7, 2017
• Playwright: Terry Deary
• Director: Neal Foster
• Cast: TBA

This August, Birmingham Stage Company takes over the Garrick Theatre in London’s West End to present Horrible Histories – More Best Of Barmy Britain, celebrating the company’s 25th anniversary. We all want to meet people from history. The trouble is everyone is dead! So it’s time to prepare yourselves for a special production of Horrible Histories featuring more of your favourite characters from our barmy past – and a brand new scene with wordy Will! Find out why the Romans were revolting! Could you survive the vicious Vikings? Can evil Elizabeth entertain England? Would you party with the Puritans? Clap along with crazy King Charles! Dare you stand and deliver to dastardly Dick Turpin? Vomit with the vile Victorians and prepare to do battle in the frightful First World War! It’s history with the nasty bits left in!

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR
• Theatre: Regent's Park Open Air Theatre
• Opening: August 11 , 2017
• Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Lyrics: Tim Rice
• Director: Timothy Sheader
• Cast: Declan Bennett, Tyrone Huntley, David Thaxton, Peter Caulfield, Maimuna Memon, Philip Browne, Sean Kinglsey, Tim Newman, Phil King, Josh Dever, Rhys Whitfield, Charlotte Riby, Sinead Long, Mark Dugdale, Ivan De Freitas, Stevie Hutchinson, Javar Parker, Nuno Queimado, Cleve September, Tinovimbanashe Sibanda, Kirstie Skivington, Christopher Tendai, Tara Young, Dale White, Kayleigh McKnight, Lauran Rae, Nicholle Cherrie

Following its overwhelming sell-out success in 2016 in a six-time Olivier Award-nominated run (winning Magic Radio Best Musical Revival), Jesus Christ Superstar returns to Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. Best Actor in a Musical nominee Tyrone Huntley returns as Judas, with Declan Bennett (Jesus), David Thaxton (Pilate) and Peter Caulfield (Herod) also reprising their roles. Loosely based on the Gospels’ accounts of the last week of Jesus’ life, the show details the interpersonal struggles between Jesus and Judas Iscariot through rip-roaringly powerful and punchy music. With a renowned score including "I Don’t Know How To Love Him", "Gethsemane" and "Superstar", musical direction by Tom Deering and choreography by Drew McOnie, direction from Timothy Sheader, and spectacle, comedy and heart-breaking betrayal in abundance, this production promises an epic experience.Back for just over one month, this is one final chance to see the smash-hit production in its original home.

DANGLING
• Theatre: Southwark Playhouse
• First Preview: August 9, 2017
• Opening: August 12, 2017
• Playwright: Abigail Hood
• Director: Kevin Tomlinson
• Cast: Stephan Boyce, Charlotte Brooke, Philip D McQuillan, Ian Gain, Abigail Hood, Jasper Jacob, Christopher Lane, Maggie Saunders, Tracey Wilkinson

In London a teenage girl has gone missing. In Manchester another teenager is driven to the edge of what she can bear. This dark, compelling story explores the consequences of breaking the normal bonds of love. When two girls inexplicably disappear, two families are left dangling.This stark, contemporary play looks at the damage that happens when you can’t trust the people you love.

KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE
• Theatre: Southwark Playhouse
• First Preview: August 10, 2017
• Opening: August 15, 2017
• Playwright: Eiko Kadono, adapted for the the stage by Jessica Siân
• Director: Kate Hewitt
• Cast: TBA

Kiki is a 13 year old witch and, as tradition dictates, it is time for her to leave home and family to make a new life for herself. Equipped with her ability to fly and accompanied by Jiji, her faithful feline companion, she sets out to find a place where she can use her powers for the greater good and that one day she might call home. Following a critically acclaimed, sold-out run Kiki’s Delivery Service returns for just 4 weeks this summer – a magical tale of growing up and finding acceptance for everyone aged 7 and older! Kiki’s Delivery Service is adapted from the bestselling and award winning book by Japanese author Eiko Kadono. The book has previously been adapted in to a live action film and most notably an award winning animation by Studio Ghibli.

KING LEAR
• Theatre: Shakespeare's Globe Theatre
• First Preview: August 10, 2017
• Opening: August 16 , 2017
• Playwright: William Shakespeae
• Director: Nancy Meckler
• Cast: Emily Bruni, Louisa Beadel, Burt Caesar, Ralph Davis, Joshua James, Kevin R McNally, Chris Nayak, Loren O'Dair, Thomas Padden, Saskia Reeves, Sirine Saba, Faz Singhateh, Kenton Thomas, Buom Tihngang, Anjana Vasan

Kevin McNally stars as Shakespeare's renowned figure of tragedy, King Lear. Lear has three daughters, but no sons. Boldly he makes a decision to divide his kingdom among his children, but fails to anticipate the consequences of his actions. His generosity is cruelly repaid and Lear finds himself adrift, wandering homeless and destitute. As he comes to realize the false values by which he has lived, he finally encounters his own humanity. King Lear’s tempestuous poetry is shot through with touches of humour and moments of heart-rending simplicity, as the notion of familial love is questioned and torn apart. Best known as Artistic Director of Shared Experience for 22 years and with numerous credits including the RSC and National Theatre, Nancy Meckler brings her charismatic style to the Globe for the first time.

KNIVES IN HENS
• Theatre: Donmar Warehouse
• First Preview: August 17 , 2017
• Opening: August 22 , 2017
• Playwright: David Harrower
• Director: Yaël Farber
• Cast: Christian Cooke, Judith Roddy, Matt Ryan

The Donmar Warehouse presents David Harrower's hauntingly poetic thriller Knives in Hens, helmed by multi-award winning director Yaël Farber. The production marks the play’s first major London revival since its 1995 premiere. A ploughman and his wife live a simple existence in a pre-industrial time, until the hated local miller ensnares them in a struggle of knowledge, power and attraction. ‘I have no name for the thing which is in my head. It is not envy. It is more than envy. It does not scare me. I must look close enough to discover what it is.’

FOLLIES
• Theatre: National Theatre- Olivier Theatre
• First Preview: August 22, 2017
• Opening: September 6, 2017
• Book by James Goldman
• Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
• Director: Dominic Cooke
• Cast: Josephine Barstow, Tracie Bennett, Di Botcher, Janie Dee, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Peter Forbes, Bruce Graham,Fred Haig, Dawn Hope, Adam Rhys-Charles, Philip Quast, Gary Raymond, Zizi Strallen, Imelda Staunton, Alex Young.

New York, 1971. There’s a party on the stage of the Weismann Theatre. Tomorrow the iconic building will be demolished. Thirty years after their final performance, the Follies girls gather to have a few drinks, sing a few songs and lie about themselves. Including such classic songs as "Broadway Baby," "I’m Still Here,"and "Losing My Mind," Stephen Sondheim’s legendary musical is staged for the first time at the National Theatre. Tracie Bennett, Janie Dee, and Imelda Staunton play the magnificent Follies girls in this dazzling new production. Featuring a cast of 37 and an orchestra of 21, it’s directed by Dominic Cooke (Ma Rainey's Black Bottom).

DOUBT, A PARABLE
• Theatre: Southwark Playhouse
• First Preview: September 6, 2017
• Opening: September 8, 2017
• Playwright:John Patrick Shanley
• Director: Ché Walker
• Cast: Stella Gonet, Jo Martin, Jonathan Chambers, Clare Latham

John Patrick Shanley’s masterpiece is one of the most acclaimed plays in recent memory. Winning 4 Tony Awards including Best Play. Now Doubt, A Parable, in which a Catholic school principal questions a priest’s ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student, is to get its first London revival in 10 years. “What do you do when you’re not sure?” So asks Father Flynn, the progressive and beloved priest at the St. Nicholas Church School in the Bronx, in his sermon. It’s 1964, and things are changing, to the chagrin of rigid principal Sister Aloysius. However, when an unconscionable accusation is levelled against the Father, Sister Aloysius realises that the only way to get justice is to create it herself. And as for the truth of the matter? As Father Flynn says, “Doubt can be a bond as powerful and sustaining as certainty.” In stunning prose, John Patrick Shanley delves into the murky shadows of moral certainty, his characters always balancing on the thin line between truth and consequences.

THE KNOWLEDGE
• Theatre: Charing Cross Theatre
• First Preview: September 4, 2017
• Opening: September 11, 2017
• Playwright: by Jack Rosenthal, adapted for the stage by Simon Block
• Director: Maureen Lipman
• Cast: TBA

Set against the backdrop of the harsh economic times of 1979, The Knowledge is based on the iconic 1979 TV film comedy, written by Jack Rosenthal, and follows the hilarious struggles of four Londoners as they attempt to better themselves by attempting the fearsome “Knowledge” - the process of becoming a London black cab taxi driver. Standing between them and the coveted Green Badge is the eccentric Mr. Burgess, the examiner. Also known as “The Vampire”, he is on an obsessive mission to maintain standards.” Acclaimed actress and writer Maureen Lipman is to direct this world stage premiere

OSLO
• Theatre: National Theatre- Lyttelton Theatre
• First Preview: September 5, 2017
• Opening: September 12, 2017
• Playwright: J T Rogers
• Director: Bartlett Sher
• Cast: Toby Stephens, Lydia Leonard, Peter Polycarpou, Geraldine Alexander, Philip Arditti, Thomas Arnold, Nabil Elouahabi , Paul Herzberg. Karoline Gable, Anthony Shuster, Daniel Stewart, Howard Ward.

Having garnered every 'Best Play' award on Broadway in 2017, including those given by New York Drama Critics' Circle, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Drama League, Obie and Lucille Lortel Awards, Oslo transfers across the Atlantic and features a cast led by stage and screen star Toby Stephens (Black Sails, Die Another Day). In 1993, with the eyes of the world watching and the global press gathered for a momentous occasion, the leaders of Israel and Palestine shook hands on the lawn of the White House. But few observers could have known that the negotiations leading up to this iconic moment started secretly in a castle in the middle of a forest outside Oslo. This political thriller and story of struggle follows how one young Norwegian couple, Mona Juul (played by Lydia Leonard) and her husband Terje Rød-Larsen (Stephens), arranged and orchestrated high-level meetings between the State of Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, ultimately culminating in the historic signing of the 1993 Oslo Accords. Following its run at the National, Oslo will transfer to the West End's Harold Pinter Theatre from October 2 to December 30.

BOUDICA
• Theatre: Shakespeare's Globe
• First Preview: September 8, 2017
• Opening: September 13, 2017
• Playwright: Tristan Bernays
• Director: Tristan Bernays
• Cast: TBA

Boudica is a brand new ancient history play that tells the story of one of Britain's most infamous women: a queen, a warrior and a rebel. AD 61, Britannia. On the furthest outreaches of the Roman Empire – at the very edge of the known world – rebellion is brewing. The King of the Iceni has died and his widow Boudica has tried to claim her rightful throne. For her insolence in defying Rome, the queen has been flogged, her daughters have been raped, and they have been banished from their homeland. But now, Queen Boudica has returned. And this time she has an army. She will have revenge. She will have blood. She will make Rome quake in fear.

INK
• Theatre: Duke of York's Theatre
• First Preview: September 9, 2017
• Opening: September 19, 2017
• Playwright: James Graham
• Director: Rupert Goold
• Cast: Bertie Carvel, Richard Coyle

Ink is set in 1969 when Rupert Murdoch was far from the billionaire media mogul he is today. He bought The Sun, which at the time was a failing broadsheet newspaper, and had a vision to transform it into the publication as we know it today. He enlists Larry Lamb as the paper’s editor, and together they work on making a paper for the masses. The play tracks the history of the paper’s first year as they aim to overtake the Daily Mirror as the best-selling newspaper in the world.

WINGS
• Theatre: Young Vic
• First Preview: September 14, 2017
• Opening: September 20, 2017
• Playwright: Arthur Kopit
• Director:Natalie Abrahami
• Cast: Juliet Stevenson

Juliet Stevenson stars in the London premiere of Arthur Kopit’s illuminating play, directed by Natalie Abrahami. A woman who once walked on the wings of aeroplanes experiences a severe stroke and struggles to make sense of her world. Fragments of intangible memories replace old certainties and relationships: sensory overload. Originally a radio play written in response to his father’s stroke, Arthur Kopit’s Pulitzer-nominated drama traces a search for understanding in a bright and cacophonous new world.

LABOR OF LOVE
• Theatre: Noel Coward Theatre
• First Preview: September 15, 2017
• Opening: September 25, 2017
• Playwright: James Graham
• Director: Jeremy Herrin
• Cast: Martin Freeman , Sarah Lancashire

The Michael Grandage Company and Headlong present the world première of James Graham’s new play Labour of Love at the Noel Coward Theatre for a strictly limited season. Martin Freeman and Sarah Lancashire star in what is described as a razor sharp political comedy about the Labour Party, set in the party's traditional northern heartands where the clash and divide between party philosophy, class and culture couldn't be more divided. The production reunites writer James Graham with Headlong Artistic Director Jeremy Herrin following their previous collaboration on the National Theatre and West End hit play This House. No stranger to political plays, James Graham's works include The Vote which was broadcast on television on the night of the 2015 General Election, as well as Privacy which ran at the Donmar Warehouse and New York City.

JANE EYRE
• Theatre: National Theatre- Lyttelton Theatre
• Opening: September 26, 2017
• Based on the Novel by Charlotte Brontë, devised by the original company
• Director: Sally Cookson
• Cast: Hannah Bristow, Matthew Churcher, Nadia Clifford, Ben Cutler, Tim Delap, Alex Heane, Jenny Johns, Melanie Marshall, Evelyn Miller, Paul Mundell, Paul Mundell, Dami Olukoya, David Ridley, Lynda Rooke, Francesca Tomlinson, Phoebe Vigor.

Following a critically acclaimed season at the National Theatre and a UK tour, Jane Eyre returns this September. The classic story of the trailblazing Jane is as inspiring as ever. This bold and dynamic production uncovers one woman’s fight for freedom and fulfilment on her own terms. Jane Eyre’s spirited heroine faces life’s obstacles head-on, surviving poverty, injustice and the discovery of bitter betrayal before taking the ultimate decision to follow her heart.

B
• Theatre: Royal Court Theatre - Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
• First Preview: September 28, 2017
• Opening: October 2, 2017
• Playwright: Guillermo Calderón, Translated by William Gregory
• Director: Sam Pritchard
• Cast: TBA

Alejandra and Marcela are planting bombs in the middle of the night. They don’t want violence. They just want to be heard. Prison’s not much of a threat when most of your friends are inside. But José Miguel is from another generation, and he’s committed to change by any means possible. "We used to kill kings. We used to kill millionaires. And now all we do is make threats on the Internet. That’s why I’m offering you the chance to start a war." Acclaimed Chilean playwright Guillermo Calderón makes his Royal Court debut with the world premiere of his play B, written on a residency with the International Department. B is presented as part of International Playwrights: a Genesis Foundation Project. It will be directed by Royal Court Associate Director (International) Sam Pritchard.

A DAY BY THE SEA
• Theatre: Southwark Playhouse
• First Preview: October 4, 2017
• Opening: October 6, 2017
• Playwright: N C Hunter
• Director: Tricia Thorns
• Cast: TBA

Two’s Company is delighted to return to Southwark Playhouse for the fourth production in four years: What The Women Did (2014), The Cutting of the Cloth(2015), The Fifth Column (2016) and now A Day by the Sea: It is a fine day in May, 1953. A work-obsessed diplomat based in Paris makes a rare visit to his mother, who lives at the beautiful family home in Dorset. He is disconcerted to find an old childhood friend also visiting with her children, her life now blighted by scandal. His mother, heartily sceptical about politicians meddling in foreign affairs, would like him to calm down and get married. A family picnic on the beach might be just the thing but even there a work colleague brings him news he had not expected to hear.
Do we always see the past through rose-tinted spectacles? If, after years dominated by his work, he can discover what really matters in life, can he get it? Can we?

HEISENBERG
• Theatre: Wyndham's Theatre
• First Preview: October 3, 2017
• Opening: October 9, 2017
• Playwright: Simon Stephens
• Director: Marianne Elliott
• Cast: Kenneth Cranham and Anne-Marie Duff

After acclaimed New York engagements Off-Broadway in 2015 and on Broadway in 2016, Tony- and Olivier Award-winning playwright Simon Stephens' compelling two-hander drama is set to make its West End premiere at the Wyndham's Theatre in October 2017. Collaborating once again with multi-award winning director Marianne Elliott, Heisenberg will also mark the inaugural West End show for Elliott & Harper Productions, which she has founded with theatre producer Chris Harper. Celebrated stage veterans Kenneth Cranham and Anne-Marie Duff take on the roles of Alex and Georgie, respectively, in this intimate drama, which explores human connection against all the odds.

VICTORY CONDITION
• Theatre: Royal Court Theatre - Jerwod Theatre Downstairs
• First Preview: October 5, 2017
• Opening: October 9, 2017
• Playwright: Chris Thorpe
• Director: Vicky Featherstone
• Cast: TBA

“A thousand people are taking a sip of coffee within the city limits of Johannesburg, each unaware of the other doing it, each one necessarily thinking they are the only one.” An attempt to get to grips with the fact that everything happens at once.
And to see if there’s anything we can do about it. “Find the connection between where you are and where I am. Open up the space between us and do something.” Chris Thorpe returns to the Royal Court with new play Victory Condition directed by Royal Court Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone.

YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN
• Theatre: Garrick Theatre
• First Preview: September 28, 2017
• Opening: October 10, 2017
• Book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
• Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks
• Director: Susan Stroman
• Cast: Hadley Fraser, Ross Noble, Lesley Joseph, Dianne Pilkington, Summer Strallen, Patrick Clancy, Imogen Brooke, Matt Crandon, Nathan Elwick, Kelly Ewins-Prouse, Andrew Gordon-Watkins, Sammy Kelly, Richard Pitt, Harriet Samuel-Gray, Gemma Scholes, Emily Squibb, Aron Wild, Josh Wilmott

Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein - the new comedy musical based on the Oscar-nominated smash hit movie - opens in the West End this autumn starring Hadley Fraser, Ross Noble, Lesley Joseph and Summer Strallen. Young Frankenstein, the wickedly inspired re-imagining of the Mary Shelley classic, see’s Frederick Frankenstein (Hadley Fraser), an esteemed New York brain surgeon and professor, inherit a castle and laboratory in Transylvania - along with assistant Igor (Ross Noble) - from his deranged genius grandfather, Victor Von Frankenstein. He now faces a dilemma - does he continue to run from his family’s tortured past or does he stay in Transylvania to carry on his grandfather’s mad experiments reanimating the dead and, in the process, fall in love with his sexy lab assistant Inga (Summer Strallen)? Based on the hilarious 1974 film and co-written with Thomas Meehan, Brooks will once again collaborate with Broadway director and choreographer Susan Stroman for this all-singing all-dancing new production, bringing his and Gene Wilder’s classic movie to life on stage.

SAINT GEORGE AND THE DRAGON
• Theatre: National Theatre- Olivier Theatre
• First Preview: October 4, 2017
• Opening: October 11, 2017
• Playwright: Rory Mullarkey
• Director: Lyndsey Turner
• Cast: Tamzin Griffin, John Heffernan, Conor Neaves, Amaka Okafor, Daniel Ryan, Grace Saif

A folk tale for an uneasy nation. A village. A dragon. A damsel in distress. Into the story walks George: wandering knight, freedom fighter, enemy of tyrants the world over. One epic battle later and a nation is born. As the village grows into a town, and the town into a city, the myth of Saint George which once brought a people together, threatens to divide them.Making his National Theatre debut, Rory Mullarkey creates a new folk tale for an uneasy nation. Directed by Lyndsey Turner (Chimerica, Light Shining in Buckinghamshire), with John Heffernan as George (Oppenheimer, Edward II).

BEGINNING
• Theatre: National Theatre- Dorfman Theatre
• First Preview: October 5, 2017
• Opening: October 12, 2017
• Playwright:David Eldridge
• Director: Polly Findlay
• Cast: Justine Mitchell, Sam Troughton

Every story starts somewhere. It’s the early hours of the morning and Danny’s the last straggler at Laura’s party. The flat’s in a mess. And so are they. One more drink? Polly Findlay directs this new play by David Eldridge (Market Boy, Under the Blue Sky, In Basildon). Tender and funny, it’s an intimate look at the first fragile moments of risking your heart and taking a chance.

A WOMAN OF NO IMPORTANCE
• Theatre: Vaudevill Theatre
• First Preview: October 6, 2017
• Opening: October 16, 2017
• Playwright: Oscar Wilde
• Director: Dominic Dromgoole
• Cast: Eve Best, Eleanor Bron, William Gaunt

Set in the nineteenth century, Oscar Wilde's A Woman of No Importance follows a group of guests at party at Lady Hunstanton's estate in the lavish English countryside. The party's guests, which include the widow Mrs Arbuthnot, her son Gerald and American outsider Hester, uncover truths about themselves and each other that will alter their lives forever. Wilde's story explores class, family and double standards towards women as the guests grapple with unexpected visitors, their selfish actions and intentions. The play tackles the themes of money, which, as aristocrats, they consider an unlimited resource, and the innocence of the play's younger character

VENUS IN FUR
• Theatre: Theatre Royal, Haymarket
• First Preview: October 6, 2017
• Opening: October 17, 2017
• Playwright: David Ives
• Director: Patrick Marber
• Cast: Natalie Dormer, David Oakes

Natalie Dormer and David Oakes star in the West End premiere of David Ives' acclaimed seduction drama Venus In Fur at the Theatre Royal Haymarket. The critically acclaimed two-hander follows a meeting between enigmatic actress Vanda Jordan (Dormer) and director Thomas Novachek (Oakes). Vanda appears unannounced for an audition with Thomas, determined to land the leading role in his new production - despite seeming wrong for the part. Over one evening in downtown Manhattan their charged meeting becomes a seductive dance to the end, in an intoxicating dark comedy of desire, fantasy and the innate love of fur. The production is directed by Patrick Marber, and runs for a strictly limited nine week engagement.

ALBION
• Theatre: Almeida Theatre
• First Preview: October 10, 2017
• Opening: October 17, 2017
• Playwright: Mike Bartlett
• Director: Rupert Goold
• Cast: Victoria Hamilton

"It's England really, isn't it? A climate without cloud and rain isn't honest." In the ruins of a garden in rural England, in a house which was once a home, one woman searches for seeds of hope. Albion is a new play by Mike Bartlett, directed by Rupert Goold, their first collaboration following their international award-winning production of King Charles III.

THE LADY FROM THE SEA
• Theatre: Donmar Warehouse
• First Preview: October 12, 2017
• Opening: October 18, 2017
• Playwright: Henrik Ibsen, in a new version by Elinor Cook
• Director: Kwame Kwei-Armah
• Cast: Nikki Amuka-Bird

The Donmar Warehouse presents Elinor Cook's interpretation of Ibsen's classic drama, directed by Donmar Associate Kwame Kwei-Armah, following the Olivier Award-nominated success of One Night in Miami. Ellida, the lighthouse-keeper’s daughter, is trapped in her marriage and longs for the sea. When a former lover returns from years of absence, she is forced to decide between freedom and the new life she has made for herself. Ibsen’s emotional drama explores the themes of duty and self-determination.

DR. SEAUSS'S THE LORAX
• Theatre: The Old Vic
• First Preview: October 15, 2017
• Opening: October 24, 2017
• Playwright: David Grieg
• Director: Max Webster
• Cast: TBA

The Olivier Award-nominated and critically acclaimed family show about the moustachioed critter returns to The Old Vic stage. Dazzlingly funny, inspiring and moving, the show sees the go-getting Once-ler go toe-to-toe with the magical, big-hearted Lorax, competing for the beloved truffula trees – and the whole of Paradise Valley. Adapted for the stage by David Greig, with music and lyrics by Charlie Fink, Dr Seuss’s The Lorax explodes onto the stage with eye-popping colour, gorgeous puppetry and infectious music, enchanting audiences young and old alike.

YOUNG MARX
• Theatre: The Bridge Theatre
• First Preview: October 18, 2017
• Opening: October 26, 2017
• Playwright: Richard Bean and Clive Coleman
• Director: Max Webster
• Cast: Rory Kinnear, Oliver Chris

1850, and Europe’s most feared terrorist is hiding in Dean Street, Soho. Broke, restless and horny, the thirty-two-year-old revolutionary is a frothing combination of intellectual brilliance, invective, satiric wit, and child-like emotional illiteracy.
Creditors, spies, rival revolutionary factions and prospective seducers of his beautiful wife all circle like vultures. His writing blocked, his marriage dying, his friend Engels in despair at his wasted genius, his only hope is a job on the railway. But there’s still no one in the capital who can show you a better night on the piss than Karl Heinrich Marx.Rory Kinnear plays Marx and Oliver Chris, Engels. The production reunites the creative team behind Richard Bean’s smash hit One Man, Two Guvnors, with direction by Nicholas Hytner, design by Mark Thompson, music by Grant Olding, lighting by Mark Henderson and sound by Paul Arditti.

TRESTLE
• Theatre: Southwark Playhouse
• First Preview: November 1, 2017
• Opening: November 3, 2017
• Playwright: Stewart Pringle
• Director: Max Webster
• Cast: TBA

Harry feels like life is beginning to tick down, his autumn years spent quietly caring for the community he loves. Denise thinks life begins in retirement and she’s dancing like she’s still at high school. When their paths cross at the village hall, their understanding of the time they have left changes irrevocably. What do community, growing old, and falling in love really mean? And who gets to decide anyway? In its world premiere, Trestle tenderly but truthfully explores love and ageing, asking how we choose to live in the face of soaring life expectancies. It won the 2017 Papatango New Writing Prize from over 1000 entries, following in the footsteps of previous Prize-winners who have gone on to win BAFTAs and Off-West End Awards and premiere worldwide. Trestle follows 2016 Papatango Prize winner Orca and 2015 winner Tomcat, both Off-West End Award-nominated, in making its world premiere at Southwark Playhouse.

CORIOLANUS
• Theatre: Barbican Centre
• Opening: November 6, 2017
• Playwright: William Shakespeare
• Director: Angus Jackson
• Cast: Sope Dirisu, Haydn Gwynne, Paul Jesson, Charles Aitken; Tony Boncza; James Corrigan; Bally Gill; Robert Ginty; Ben Hall; Sean Hart; Martina Laird; Geoffrey Lumb; Justine Marriot; Christopher Middleton; Hannah Morrish; Jackie Morrison; Esther Niles; Katherine Toy; Rebecca Wingate; Simon Yadoo and Assad Zaman

A full-throttle war play that revels in the sweat of the battlefield, Coriolanus transports us back to the emergence of the republic of Rome. Caius Martius Coriolanus is a fearless soldier but a reluctant leader. His ambitious mother attempts to carve him a path to power yet he struggles to change his nature and do what is required to achieve greatness. Now he must decide who he really is and where his allegiances lie. Set in a new city state struggling to find its feet, where the gap between rich and poor widens every day, this visceral production opens the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Rome season in London. Following his sell-out hits of Oppenheimer (2014) and Don Quixote (2016) in Stratford-upon-Avon, Angus Jackson directs rising talent Sope Dirisu in the title role.

MOTHER COURAGE AND HER CHILDREN
• Theatre: Southwark Playhouse
• First Preview: November 2, 2017
• Opening: November 6, 2017
• Playwright: Bertolt Brecht, translation by Tony Kushner
• Director:Hannah Chissick
• Cast: Josie Lawrence

In a land ravaged by war, Mother Courage pulls her cart with her three children in the wake of the army, trading with soldiers and attempting to make profit from the war. Widely considered to be one of the greatest plays of the 20th century, Brecht’s Mother Courage And Her Children has been described as the greatest anti-war play of all time. In Pulitzer Prize-winning Tony Kushner’s (Angels in America) translation, Mother Courage remains a timely exploration of displacement, war weariness and invisible enemies. It mirrored then, as it does now, the growing fear at the ever-advancing threat of terror infiltrating our everyday lives and our desire to protect ourselves and what is ours at any cost.

NETWORK
• Theatre: National Theatre- Lyttelton Theatre
• First Preview: November 4, 2017
• Opening: November 13, 2017
• Playwright: Lee Hall, based on the Paddy Chayefsky film
• Director: Ivo van Hove
• Cast: Bryan Cranston

"I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore." Howard Beale, news anchorman, isn’t pulling in the viewers. In his final broadcast he unravels live on screen. But when the ratings soar, the network seize on their newfound populist prophet, and Howard becomes the biggest thing on TV. Network depicts a dystopian media landscape where opinion trumps fact. Hilarious and horrifying by turns, the iconic film by Paddy Chayefsky won four Academy Awards in 1976. Now, Lee Hall (Billy Elliot, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour) and director Ivo Van Hove (Hedda Gabler) bring his masterwork to the stage for the first time, with Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) in the role of Howard Beale.

THE SUPPLIANT WOMEN
• Theatre: Young Vic
• First Preview: November 13, 2017
• Opening: November 16, 2017
• Playwright: Aeschylus in a new version by David Greig
• Director: Ramin Gray
• Cast: Callum Armstrong, Oscar Batterham, Ben Burton, Omar Ebrahim, Gemma May Rees

A group of strong but scared women set sail from their home, leaving everything they have behind. Facing forced marriage, they seek sanctuary in Greece. When they arrive, the King and the people must decide their fate. An ancient story of self and other first performed at the birth of democracy, David Greig’s new English translation of Aeschylus’ text has fresh relevance in 2017. Part play, part ritual, The Suppliant Women reunites the team behind The Events and continues the Young Vic’s Horizons season, exploring the lives of refugees.

EVERYBODY'S TALKNG ABOUT JAMIE
• Theatre: Apollo Theatre
• First Preview: November 6 2017
• Opening: November 22, 2017
• Book by Tom MacRae, from an idea by Jonathan Butterell
• Music by Dan Gillespie Sells
• Lyrics by Tom MacRae
• Director: Jonathan Butterell
• Cast: John McCrea, Josie Walker, Mina Anwar, Tamsin Carroll and Daniel Anthony, Luke Baker, Courtney Bowman, James Gillian, Harriet Payne, Shiv Rabheru, Lucie Shorthouse, Kirstie Skivington

Sheffield Theatres' smash-hit coming-of-age musical is a modern day fairytale based on the true story of a 16 year-old with a secret to tell - and dreams to realise. With catchy new songs by Dan Gillespie Sells, lead singer-songwriter of "The Feeling", and writer Tom MacRae, Everybody's Talking About Jamie tells the tale of Jamie New: sixteen, not quite fitting in on a council estate in Sheffield - but with big aspirations. Supported by his brilliant loving mum and surrounded by his friends, Jamie overcomes prejudice, beats the bullies, and steps out of the darkness into the spotlight to become a sensation, in a fearless, funny, fabulous brand new musical sensation. John McCrea reprises his role of Jamie, alongside the majority of the original Sheffield Crucible cast, in the West End transfer of this spectacular new British musical.

THE GRUFFALO'S CHILD
• Theatre: Lyric Theatre
• First Preview: November 22 2017
• Opening: November 24 2017
• Playwright: Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler, adapted by the Tall Stories Theatre Company
• Director: Olivia Jacobs
• Cast: TBA

Join The Gruffalo’s Child on her adventurous mission in Tall Stories’ magical, musical adaptation of the much-loved picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. One wild and windy night the Gruffalo’s Child ignores her father’s warnings about the Big Bad Mouse and tiptoes out into the deep dark wood. She follows snowy tracks and encounters mysterious creatures – but the Big Bad Mouse doesn’t really exist... does he? Songs, laughs and scary fun for children aged 3 and up and their grown-ups, in the hugely popular show that’s toured Britain and the world! Following hot on the heels of The Gruffalo's monstrous West End success comes The Gruffalo's Child - with attitude! Just how brave is she? Find out for yourselves by joining her in the West End Christmas 2017.

JULIUS CAESAR
• Theatre: Barbican Centre
• Opening: November 24 2017
• Playwright: William Shakespeare
• Director: Angus Jackson
• Cast: Andrew Woodall, Alex Waldmann, Martin Hutson

Angus Jackson directs Shakespeare’s epic political tragedy, as the race to claim the empire spirals out of control. Caesar returns from war, an all-conquering hero, but mutiny is rumbling through the corridors of power. Although Brutus loves Caesar, he is persuaded to kill him for the greater good, and like all conspirators loses control of the consequences. Season Director Angus Jackson steers the thrilling action of the story that continues to define all political backstabbing, with spin and betrayal turning to violence. The cast includes Andrew Woodall in the title role alongside Alex Waldmann as Brutus and Martin Hutson as Cassius.

BARBER SHOP CHRONICLES
• Theatre: National Theatre- Dorfman Theatre
• Opening: November 29, 2017
• Playwright: Inua Ellams
• Director: Bijan Sheibani
• Cast: Fisayo Akinade, Hammed Animashaun, Peter Bankolé, Maynard Eziashi, Simon Manyonda, Patrice Naiambana, Cyril Nri, Kwami Odoom, Sule Rimi, Abdul Salis, David Webber, Anthony Welsh

Newsroom, political platform, local hot spot, confession box, preacher-pulpit and football stadium. For generations, African men have gathered in barber shops to discuss the world.This dynamic new play leaps from a barber shop in London to Johannesburg, Harare, Kampala, Lagos and Accra. These are places where the banter can be barbed and the truth is always telling.

ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA
• Theatre: Barbican Centre
• Opening: November 30, 2017
• Playwright: William Shakespeare
• Director: Iqbal Khan
• Cast: Josette Simon, Antony Byrne

One of Shakespeare’s greatest love stories, Antony & Cleopatra continues the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Rome season, picking up the story where Julius Caesar ends. Following Caesar’s assassination, Mark Antony has reached the heights of power. Now he neglects his empire for a life of decadent seduction with his mistress, Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Torn between love and duty, his military brilliance deserts him, and his passion leads the lovers to their tragic end. Known for his fresh and urgent interpretations of Shakespeare, Iqbal Khan directs Josette Simon and Antony Byrne in the title roles. Singer-songwriter Laura Mvula writes the music for the production.

HOW TO WIN AGAINST HISTORY
• Theatre: Young Vic- The Maria
• First Preview: November 30, 2017
• Opening: December 5, 2017
• Playwright: devised by the company, book, music and lyrics by Seiriol Davies
• Director: Alex Swift
• Cast: Matthew Blake, Seiriol Davies, Dylan Townley

The 5th Marquis of Anglesey, Henry Cyril Paget, was one of the world’s wealthiest men. By the time of his death in 1905, aged just 29, he had spent the family fortune on luxurious clothes and mounting lavish theatrical productions – casting himself in the lead role. Writer, composer and performer Seiriol Davies pieces together this little-known artistocrat’s glittering life and ignominious demise in an outrageously fun, satirical and mischievous musical.

GOATS
• Theatre: Royal Court Theatre- Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
• First Preview: November 24, 2017
• Opening: December 1, 2017
• Playwright: Liwaa Yazji, Translated by Katharine Halls
• Director:Hamish Pirie
• Cast: TBA

“They’re leading us on, they’re conning us. Open the coffins!” In a small town in Syria, soldiers are celebrated as heroes and grieving families are nourished on propaganda. As the coffins pile up, the local party leader decides on a radical compensation scheme: a goat for each son martyred. “Has anyone ever told the truth? Has anyone ever demanded it? Does anyone want it? Does anyone even need it?” Goats is a major new work by Syrian playwright and documentary filmmaker Liwaa Yazji developed as part of the Royal Court’s long term project with writers from Syria and Lebanon. Royal Court Associate Director Hamish Pirie (Violence & Son, Who Cares, Teh Internet is Serious Business) directs.

THE WOMAN IN WHITE
• Theatre: Charing Cross Theatre
• First Preview: November 20, 2017
• Opening: December 4, 2017
• Music: Andrew Lloyd Webber
• Lyrics: David Zippel
• Book: Charlotte Jones
• Director: Thom Southerland
• Cast: TBA
This brand new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Tony and Oliver Award-nominated musical will be directed by Thom Southerland, known for his extensive work at the Charing Cross Theatre. It will be the premiere of a revised score, which has music by Lloyd Webber and lyrics by David Zippel. With a book by Charlotte Jones, The Woman in White is based on the 1859 novel of the same name by Wilkie Collins. The story is about Walter Hartright, a drawing teacher who runs in to woman in distress, and desperate to share a secret with him. It is a haunting Victorian tale of love, betrayal and greed. It premiered in the West End at the Palace Theatre where it starred Maria Friedman and Michael Crawford before it transferred to Broadway. The Woman in White runs at the Charing Cross Theatre for a limited 12-week season.

MATTHEW BOURNE'S CINDERELLA
• Theatre: Sadler's Wells Theatre
• Opening: December 9, 2017
• Director: Matthew Bourne
• Cast: TBA

Matthew Bourne's interpretation of the classic fairy tale, has, at its heart, a true war-time romance. A chance meeting results in a magical night for Cinderella and her dashing young RAF pilot, together just long enough to fall in love before being parted by the horrors of the Blitz. With Lez Brotherston's sumptuous costumes and sets, which won an Olivier Award for his original designs, and lighting by Olivier Award-winning Neil Austin, Cinderella will be performed in surround sound, designed by Paul Groothuis and featuring a specially commissioned recording played by a 60 piece orchestra. Matthew Bourne's vivid storytelling has never been more heart-stopping and touching, and will take the audience into the heart of Prokoviev's magnificent score, and the sights and sounds of war-torn London.

HAMILTON
• Theatre: Victoria Palace Theatre
• First Preview: November 21 2017
• Opening: December 12, 2017
• Book, Music and Lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda
• Director: Thomas Kail
• Cast: Jamael Westman, Michael Jibson, Christine Allado, Rachelle Ann Go, Tarinn Callender, Rachel John, Jason Pennycooke, Cleve September, Giles Terera, Obioma Ugoala, Ash Hunter, Jade Albertsen, Curtis Angus, Jonathan Bishop, Courtney-Mae Briggs, Jack Butterworth, Jon-Scott Clark, Kelly Downing, Leslie Garcia Bowman, Lia Given, Greg Haney, Leah Hill, Barney Hudson, Waylon Jacobs, Miriam-Teak Lee, Phoebe Liberty, Alexzandra Sarmiento, Marsha Songcome, Christopher Tendai, Lindsey Tierney

Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-sweeping modern musical masterpiece Hamilton makes a long-awaited London premiere at the refurbished Victoria Palace Theatre. Following the story of America’s Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, a West Indies immigrant who became George Washington’s right-hand man during the Revolutionary War, going on to become America's first Treasury Secretary and forging the country's financial system. Hamilton’s score fuses hip-hop, jazz, blues, rap, R&B and Broadway to tell the tale of a leading figure at a crucial juncture for America. Winner of a record-setting 11 Tony Awards including Best Musical, the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the 2016 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album, Hamilton's juggernaut success has seen it garner swathes of critical and audience acclaim, with the show now re-opening the Victoria Palace Theatre to eager anticipation.

THE TWILIGHT ZONE
• Theatre: Almeida Theatre
• First Preview: December 5th, 2017
• Opening: December 12, 2017
• Playwright: Anne Washburn, Based on stories by Rod Serling, Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson
• Director: Richard Jones
• Cast: TBA

Between light and shadow, science and superstition, fear and knowledge is a dimension of imagination. An area which we call The Twilight Zone. Adapted by Anne Washburn (Mr Burns) and directed by Olivier Award-winner Richard Jones, this world premiere production of the acclaimed CBS Television Series The Twilight Zone lands on stage for the first time in its history. Or its present. Or its future. Stage magic and fantasy unite as the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

DICK WHITTINGTON
• Theatre: London Palladium
• First Preview: December 9, 2017
• Opening: December 13, 2017
• Playwright: Alan McHugh
• Director: Michael Harrison
• Cast: Julian Clary, Elaine Paige, Ashley Banjo & Diversity, Paul Zerdin, Nigel Havers, Gary Wilmot, Charlie Stemp

Hot on the heels of Cinderella, pantomime returns to the iconic London Palladium for Christmas 2017. This enchanting new production of Dick Whittington will open on Saturday 9 December, produced by Qdos Entertainment, the world’s biggest pantomime producer, and the team behind Cinderella. Elaine Paige (Queen Rat), Ashley Banjo and Diversity (The Sultan and his Entourage), Gary Wilmott (Sarah the Cook) and Charlie Stemp (Dick Whittington) will join the previously announced Julian Clary (Spirit of the Bells), Paul Zerdin (Idle Jack) and Nigel Havers (Captain Nigel) in the line-up, with the latter three all returning to the Palladium pantomime for 2017.With an all-star cast, spectacular sets and plenty of laughs, you’ll need to book early to secure the best seats for the greatest pantomime adventure of them all!

PINOCCHIO
• Theatre: National Theatre- Lyttelton Theatre
• First Preview: December 1, 2017
• Opening: December 13, 2017
• Playwright: Dennis Kelly, with songs and score from the Walt Disney film by Leigh Harline, Ned Washington & Paul J Smith,
adapted by Martin Lowe
• Director: John Tiffany
• Cast: Stuart Angell, Trieve Blackwood-Cambridge, Audrey Brisson, Stephanie Bron, James Charlton, Joe Idris-Roberts, Chris Jarman, Rebecca Jayne-Davies, Sarah Kameela Impey, David Kirkbride, Anabel Kutay, David Langham, Michael Lin, Annette McLaughlin, Jack North, Dawn Sievewright, Clemmie Sveaas, Michael Taibi, Scarlet Wilderink, Jack Wolfe

On a quest to be truly alive, Pinocchio leaves Geppetto’s workshop with Jiminy Cricket in tow. Their electrifying adventure takes them from alpine forests to Pleasure Island to the bottom of the ocean.This spectacular new production is brought to the stage by an extraordinary team including the director of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and the writer of Matilda the Musical. Featuring unforgettable music and songs from the Walt Disney film including "I’ve Got No Strings", "Give a Little Whistle" and "When You Wish upon a Star" in dazzling new arrangements, Pinocchio comes to life as never before.

THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR SHOW
• Theatre: Ambassadors Theatre
• Opening: December 13, 2017
• Playwright: Jonathan Rockefeller, adapted from the books by Eric Carle
• Director: Jonathan Rockefeller
• Cast: TBA

The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by author and illustrator Eric Carle has delighted generations of readers since it was first published in 1969 selling more than 43 million copies worldwide. Eric's well-known books captivated readers with his iconic colorful hand-painted tissue paper collage illustrations and distinctively simple stories, introducing generations of children to a bigger, brighter world - and to their first experience of reading itself. The timeless classic has now made its way off the page and is back onto the West End stage this December. Created by Jonathan Rockefeller, this critically acclaimed production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show features a menagerie of 75 lovable puppets, faithfully adapting four of Eric Carle's stories: The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse, Mister Seahorse, The Very Lonely Firefly and of course, the star of the show - The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

THE JUNGLE
• Theatre: Young Vic
• First Preview: December 7, 2017
• Opening: December 15, 2017
• Playwright: Joe Murphy & Joe Robertson
• Director: Stephen Daldry & Justin Martin
• Cast: TBA

Okot wants nothing more than to get to the UK. Beth wants nothing more than to help him. Meet the hopeful, resilient residents of “The Jungle”– just across the Channel, right on our doorstep. Join refugees and volunteers from around the world over fresh baked naan and sweet milky chai at the Afghan Café. From Good Chance Theatre, an immersive new play where worlds collide. In the worst places, you meet the best people. A Young Vic and National Theatre production, commissioned by the National Theatre

RITA, SUE AND BOB TOO
• Theatre: Royal Court Theatre, Downstairs
• First Preview: January 9, 2018
• Opening: January 11, 2018
• Playwright: Andrea Dunbar
• Director: Max Stafford-Clark
• Cast: James Atherton, Taj Atwal, Sally Bankes, Gemma Dobson, Samantha Robinson, David Walker

Best friends Rita and Sue get a lift home from married Bob after babysitting his kids. When he takes the scenic route and offers them a bit of fun, the three start a fling they each think they control. Andrea Dunbar wrote her semi-autobiographical play for the Royal Court Theatre in 1982 when she was just 19. It’s a vivid portrait of girls caught between brutal childhood and an unpromising future, hungry for adult adventure. Told with wicked humour, startling insight and a great ear for dialogue, Rita Sue and Bob Too became a hit film. Max Stafford-Clark, the play’s original director, directs this major new production.

LADY WINDERMERE'S FAN
• Theatre: Vaudeville Theatre
• First Preview: January 12, 2018
• Opening: January 22, 2018
• Playwright: Oscar Wilde
• Director: Kathy Burke
• Cast: TBA

Multi-award-winning actor, director, comedian and playwright Kathy Burke directs hilarious marital comedy Lady Windermere’s Fan in Classic Spring's Oscar Wilde season. ‘You gave me this fan today; it was your birthday present. If that woman crosses my threshold, I shall strike her across the face with it.’ The day of Lady Windermere’s birthday party, and all is perfectly in order. Until her friend Lord Darlington plants a seed of suspicion. Is her husband having an affair? And will the other woman really attend the party? Kathy Burke has previously starred in Gary Oldman’s film Nil by Mouth, for which she won Best Actress at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival, as well as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Dancing in Lughnasa, Absolutely Fabulous and French and Saunders. She has directed at many of London’s leading venues, including the Donmar Warehouse, the Royal Court and the Hampstead Theatre.

AMADEUS
• Theatre: National Theatre- Olivier Theatre
• First Preview: January 11, 2018
• Opening: January 18, 2018
• Playwright: Peter Shaffer
• Director: Michael Longhurst
• Cast: Adam Gillen, Lucian Msamati

Music. Power. Jealousy. Following its sold-out run in 2016/17, Amadeus returns to the Olivier in 2018. Vienna: the music capital of the world. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a rowdy young prodigy, arrives determined to make a splash. Awestruck by his genius, court composer Antonio Salieri has the power to promote his talent or destroy it. Seized by obsessive jealousy he begins a war with Mozart, with music and, ultimately, with God.

MARY STUART
• Theatre: Duke of York's Theatre
• First Preview: January 13, 2018
• Opening: January 25, 2018
• Playwright: Friedrich Schiller
• Director: Robert Icke
• Cast: Juliet Stevenson, Lia Williams

Two queens. One in power. One in prison. It's all in the execution. Following a critically acclaimed, sold-out season at the Almeida Theatre in 2016-17, Robert Icke’s new adaptation of Mary Stuart transfers to the Duke of York’s Theatre in London’s West End from 13 January 2018 for a limited run. Schiller's political tragedy takes us behind the scenes of some of British history's most crucial days. Playing both Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart, Juliet Stevenson (Hamlet) and Lia Williams (Oresteia) trade the play's central roles, decided at each performance by the toss of a coin. Robert Icke previously directed Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, Oresteia, Mr Burns and 1984 for the Almeida, and The Red Barn for the National Theatre.

THE BROTHERS SIZE
• Theatre: Young Vic
• First Preview: January 19, 2018
• Opening: January 26, 2018
• Playwright: Tarell Alvin McCraney
• Director: Bijan Sheibani
• Cast: TBA

Ritual and reality intertwine in the sparkling, award-winning debut play by Oscar-winning writer of Moonlight Tarell Alvin McCraney. The African-American working class meets Yoruba mythology when the Brothers Size reconnect after a spell in prison. Bijan Sheibani directs the long-awaited revival of this deeply moving fable about the rarely spoken bond between brothers.

THE DIVIDE
• Theatre: Old Vic Theatre
• First Preview: January 13, 2018
• Opening: January 30, 2018
• Playwright: Alan Ayckbourn
• Director: Annabel Bolton
• Cast: Clare Burt, Jake Davies, Erin Doherty, Thusitha Jayasundera, Richard Katz, Joanne McGuiness, Sophie Melville, Clare Lawrence Moody, Weruche Opia, Martin Quinn, Letty Thomas, Sian Thomas, Finty Williams

The Divide, presented in two parts, is a tale that unflinchingly explores a dystopian society of repression, insurrection and forbidden love. The show is directed by Annabel Bolton, an Associate Director of The Old Vic. The Divide is set in the aftermath of a deadly contagion which, a century from now, has decimated the English population and rendered contact between men and women fatal. Under the dictates of an elusive Preacher, an unthinkable solution is enforced. Separated by the Divide, the adult survivors are segregated by gender, as men wear white as a mark of their purity, and women – still infected – are clothed in black as a sign of their sin. Brother and sister Elihu (Jake Davies) and Soween (Erin Doherty) grow up learning the ways of their tightly controlled society. As they begin to glimpse the cracks in the system, Elihu falls for Giella (Weruche Opia), the daughter of two radical mothers, risking fatal disease and threatening to ignite a bloody revolution. The Divide is a vision of a dystopian future defined by brutal repression and forbidden love.

JULIUS CAESAR
• Theatre: The Bridge Theatre
• First Preview: January 20, 2018
• Opening: January 30, 2018
• Playwright: William Shakespeare
• Director: Nicholas Hytner
• Cast: David Calder, Michelle Fairley, David Morrissey, Ben Whishaw

Caesar returns in triumph to Rome and the people pour out of their homes to celebrate. Alarmed by the autocrat's popularity, the educated élite conspire to bring him down. After his assassination, civil war erupts on the streets of the capital. Nicholas Hytner’s production will be in promenade, thrusting its audience into the street party that greets Caesar's return, the congress that witnesses his murder, the rally that assembles for his funeral and the chaos that explodes in its wake. Ben Whishaw and Michelle Fairley play Brutus and Cassius, leaders of the coup, David Calder plays Caesar and David Morrissey is Mark Antony, who brings Rome back under control after the conspirators’ defeat.

GIRLS & BOYS
• Theatre: Royal Court Theatre- Jerwood Theatre Downstairs
• First Preview: February 8, 2018
• Opening: February 14, 2018
• Playwright: Dennis Kelly
• Director: Lyndsey Turner
• Cast: TBA

“I met my husband in the queue to board an easyJet flight and I have to say I took an instant dislike to the man.” An unexpected meeting at an airport leads to an intense, passionate, head-over-heels relationship. Before long they begin to settle down, buy a house, juggle careers, have kids – theirs is an ordinary family. But then their world starts to unravel and things take a disturbing turn. “I don’t remember exactly when things with us started to go properly wrong – I just remember suddenly finding myself in it.” Girls & Boys marks the first collaboration between writer Dennis Kelly and director Lyndsey Turner.

SUMMER AND SMOKE
• Theatre: Almeida Theatre
• First Preview: February 24, 2018
• Opening: March 7, 2018
• Playwright: Tennessee Williams
• Director: Rebecca Frecknall
• Cast: Patsy Ferran

"The girl who said 'no' — she doesn't exist anymore, she died last summer — suffocated in smoke from something on fire inside her." In the heat of summer – under the wings of an angel – Alma meets John. Trapped between desire and fear in a life of obligation, her world turns upside down in the search for salvation. Featuring an ensemble cast, Rebecca Frecknall directs Summer and Smoke, Tennessee Williams’ intoxicating classic about love, loneliness and self-destruction.

THE INHERITANCE
• Theatre: Young Vic
• First Preview: March 2, 2018
• Opening: March 28, 2018
• Playwright: Matthew Lopez
• Director: Stephen Daldry
• Cast: TBA

You have to wonder why there isn't a word in the English language for the fireworks that go off in your brain when you finally kiss someone you've wanted for years. Or for the intimacy and tenderness you feel as you hold the hand of a suffering friend. A generation after the worst of the AIDS crisis, what is it like to be a young gay man in New York? How many words are there now for the different kinds of pain, the different kinds of love? Stephen Daldry directs this hilarious and profound heart-breaker – a major world premiere in two parts by New York playwright Matthew Lopez.

NIGHTFALL
• Theatre: The Bridge Theatre
• First Preview: April 28, 2018
• Opening: May 8, 2018
• Playwright: Barney Norris
• Director: Laurie Sansom
• Cast: TBA

On a farm outside Winchester, Ryan struggles to make a living off the land. His sister Lou has returned home after the death of their father to support Jenny, their formidable mother. Not so long ago, when a neighbour's Labrador strayed onto the farm, their dad reached for his shotgun. Now, when Lou's boyfriend Pete reappears, flush with money from his job at an oil refinery, Jenny fights to hold her children to the life she planned for them.

FUN HOME
• Theatre: Young Vic
• First Preview: June 18, 2018
• Opening: June 27, 2018
• Music: Jeanine Tesori
• Book and Lyrics: Lisa Kron
• Director: Sam Gold
• Cast: TBA

Winner of 5 Tony Awards, this electrifying Broadway version of Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel took America by storm. Meet Alison at three stages of her life. Memories of her 1970s childhood in a funeral home merge with her college love life and her coming out. Looking back on her complex relationship with her father, Alison finds they had more in common than she ever knew...