Aliya Al-Hassan

At this time of year, theatregoers are tripping over versions of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The story of redemption and hope over greed and despair is one that never ages, but one that creatives often want to reinvent. However, sometimes the old ways are the best. Immersive storytellers The Lost Estate return for the eighth year with their glorious version of a show to fill your soul- and your stomach.

For many, Christmas cannot begin until The Old Vic is staging Jack Thorne's A Christmas Carol. This year's iteration shows yet again why it is a festive must-see. Brimming with emotion, but never tipping into mawkishness, it will make you laugh, cry and gasp with child-like wonder, no matter what your age. What more could you want from a Christmas show?

Community choirs and performers from all around the Liverpool city region and Halton have been working hard with Jay McWinen over the past few months for a collaborative festive concert which celebrates diversity, culture, age, ethnicity, ability or disability coming together as one to show how our region of the Northwest of England can example community inclusion through the art of group singing.

The Vaults will launch the new immersive parody musical Ancient Grease on March 4, 2026, expanding the venue’s repertoire into original musical theatre. Inspired by Grease and set on Mount Olympus, the adults-only production will feature an original script and score by emerging writer Lady Aria Grey.

Based on the original Hunger Games story, this gripping tale of courage, defiance and unbreakable human spirit, follows the fearless heroine Katniss Everdeen on her journey of self-discovery, as she emerges as a beacon of rebellion and hope. Multi award-winning playwright Conor McPherson (Girl from the North Country, The Weir) and Director Matthew Dunster (2:22 – A Ghost Story, Hangmen, The Pillowman), will bring this powerful story to life on stage, using extraordinary stunts and illusions in an epic, unforgettable, theatrical experience.

Patricia Highsmith's psychological thriller The Talented Mr Ripley was published 70 years ago, but remains fascinating due to her brilliant writing, but also movie and Netflix versions that have kept the story alive. This excellent new stage adaptation, written and directed by Mark Leipacher, strips back the story and takes us to the dark heart of Highsmith's most famous character.

'O, beware, my lord, of jealousy' Tom Morris’s new West End production of William Shakespeare’s Othello is now open, starring David Harewood as Othello, Toby Jones as Iago and Caitlin Fitzgerald as Desdemona. Directed by Tony Award-winner Tom Morris with music by PJ Harvey, this epic story of manipulation, jealousy and toxic masculinity explores the darker side of power, rage and desire. What did the critics think?

Director Tom Morris has been busy running the Bristol Old Vic, but now returns to the capital to start a five year partnership with Chris Harper Productions to direct Shakespeare plays for the West End. His Othello looks impressive, is well acted, thoughtful and glossy, but lacking in sufficient darkness.

Composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and his partner Rachael Hewer eschewed making banana bread during the Covid lockdown and decided to write an opera. After the pandemic, they went on to work on other projects, but unexpectedly Glyndebourne agreed to stage their new work, which made its world premiere last week.

There can be a tendancy to eye-roll at the prospect of a new interpretation of a classic play. However, Tanika Gupta's new take on Ibsen's Hedda Gabler at the Orange Tree is a genuinely innovative and fascinating take on the tale of the destructive nature of manipulation and the complexities of marriage.

Directed by Daniel Raggett, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s brings a new version of Macbeth to the small studio space in Stratford-upon-Avon. Starring Sam Heughan, best known for his role in the series Outlander, and Lia Williams as Lady Macbeth. This staging imagines the play in a gangland pub in 20th-century Glasgow, with its characters as violent criminals.

Just missing 'Back to the Future Day' on 21 October (the date Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel to in the sequel), the iconic film Back to the Future film is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. A re-release is coming to cinemas at the end of this month and the stage version keeps on growing, showing the public appetite for this beloved film shows no signs of slowing down.

Celebrated choreographer and director Lynne Hockney has been involved in Sir Peter Hall’s iconic version of Benjamin Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Glyndebourne since 2001. Now playing for the first time in the venue’s Autumn season, the production has been revived regularly since its premiere in 1981, bringing Shakespeare’s enchanting story of magic and mayhem to life. BroadwayWorld spoke to Hockney about her long association with the production, Sir Peter Hall’s enduring vision and how no one involved in the production is more important than anyone else.

Sir Peter Hall's iconic production of Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream has achieved legendary status since its premiere in 1981. In 2025, it has lost none of its magic, with the Glyndebourne audience still wide-eyed at the visual feast on stage.

PucciniAs the nights draw in, it seems highly appropriate to return to Glyndebourne for the start of its Autumn season and the chilly streets of Puccini’s La bohème. Floris Visser’s production, beautifully revived by Rachael Hewer, has the spectre of death ever-present. In this case, quite literally as a pale man dressed in black (Christopher Lemmings) appears to stalk Mimì, making her fate even more inevitable than usual.

Mary Page Marlowe is an accountant from Ohio. She's led an ordinary life, making the difficult decisions we all face as we try to figure out who we really are and what we really want. As Tracy Letts brings us moments-both pivotal and mundane-from Mary's life, a portrait of a surprisingly complicated woman emerges. Intimate and moving, Mary Page Marlowe shows us how circumstance, impulse and time can combine to make us mysteries...even to ourselves. Susan Surandon makes her London stage debut, alongside Andrea Riseborough, who returns to the stage after 15 years.

1969 was a time of seismic social change. Attitudes towards religion, sex and female emancipation were shifting. Sarah Shelton's Blessings introduces us to the Deacon family who gather at Easter, conflicted by traditional Catholic influences and the new social norms. This potentially interesting premise is unfortunately undermined by a stuttering structure and meandering plotlines.

No one could accuse Max Webster's flamboyant production of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest of being subtle. A new cast takes the reins from the National Theatre's hugely successful production last year and moves onto the intimate Noël Coward stage, bringing with them the biting wit, vibrant costumes and sexual fluidity that made this show such a hit.

It’s over 40 years since English National Opera staged Rossini's Cinderella (La Cenerentola) and they open their 2025-26 season with a vibrant new production of the sparkling comedy. After the rocky time the company has had in recent times, it is great to see them having such fun on stage.

Adapted by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan from Brooks’ 1968 film of the same name, with lyrics by Brooks and music by Brooks and Glen Kelly. As in the film, the story concerns two theatrical producers who scheme to get rich by overselling interests in a Broadway flop. Complications arise when the show unexpectedly turns out to be successful. What did the critics think of the show's transfer to the West End, after sell-out run at the Menier Chocolate factory?