2013 IN PREVIEW: A Look At The UK's Planned Openings And Hot Tickets For Next Year!

2013 is the year when some of the big Broadway hits of recent years head to the West End.

A Chorus Line moves into the Palladium in February, with a cast headed by John Partridge and Scarlett Strallen.

That's followed by The Book of Mormon in March at the Prince of Wales Theatre. The Tony-winning hit from the creators of South Park has been selling brilliantly since it was announced early in 2012.

Then Once, which was a big winner at the Tonys, will be playing at The Phoenix Theatre from April. It'll be interesting to see how this does in London - it's based on the Oscar-winning film, but no casting has been confirmed as yet.

There are also some interesting plays in the first quarter of the year - David Hare's The Judas Kiss begins previews at the Duke of York's this month, starring Rupert Everett; Rowan Atkinson stars in Quartermaine's Terms at the Wyndhams from the end of January; the tour of Great Expectations spends a spell at the Vaudeville Theatre from February; and the Marianne Elliott-directed National Theatre adaptation of The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time transfers to the Apollo from March.

Two of our great theatrical dames also return to the West End - Helen Mirren in The Audience (at the Gielgud from February for a limited run) and Judi Dench in Peter and Alice (at the Noel Coward from March, ditto).

There's another revival of Ibsen's A Doll's House, this time at the Young Vic from April, starring Hattie Morahan.

At the Donmar Warehouse, Patrick Marber is adding 'ornamentation' to Arthur Wing Pinero's Trelawny of the Wells, which opens in February, and that's followed by Conor McPherson's The Weir, from April.

As always, there's a packed programme at The National Theatre - including Port, a new play written by Simon Stephens; The Captain of Köpenick in a new English version by Ron Hutchinson starring Antony Sher; and This House transfers to the Olivier stage from 23 February following a successful run in the Cottesloe.

Heading into the summer, the big show will be Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring multiple Olivier-winner Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka. It begins previews at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from May.

If the weather's good, the Open Air Theatre is always the place to be - its 2013 season comprises To Kill A Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice, A Winter's Tale and The Sound of Music. The company has yet to be announced.

And at the end of the year, we're expecting Tim Rice's new project From Here To Eternity to move into the Shaftesbury, with previews currently scheduled for October onwards.

Looking a little further afield to the London fringe theatres, Julie Atherton stars in Lift at the Soho Theatre from the end of January; and Betty Buckley leads a terrific cast, including Paul Nicholas and Phantom alumni Rebecca Lock and Katy Treharne, at the Charing Cross Theatre in Dear World.

Outside of London, there's the first UK tour of War Horse, while the RSC's 2013 season includes The Winter's Tale, Hamlet, Titus Andronicus, A Mad World My Masters, All's Well That Ends Well, Antony and Cleopatra, The Empress, and Mark Ravenhill's response to Voltaire's Candide.

And that's not all. Over the next few days, we'll also be previewing exactly what our reviewing team and some of our favourite West End stars are looking forward to...check back here for their thoughts!

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