The Best Musicals in London | reviews, news & interviews
The Best Musicals in London
The Best Musicals in London
We recommend the top shows in musical theatre
Wednesday, 20 November 2019
'Dear Evan Hansen' at the Noël Coward Theatre will steal your heartMatthew Murray
Aladdin, Prince Edward Theatre ★★★ Disney's latest blockbuster film-turned-stage show remains airborne – just
Come From Away, Phoenix Theatre ★★★★ 9/11-themed musical crosses the Atlantic, capacious heart intact
Dear Evan Hansen, Noël Coward Theatre ★★★★ A stirring new musical that tackles missed connections in the internet age will steal your heart. Until 2 May
Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Apollo Theatre ★★★★ Triumphant West End transfer for this big-hearted, inclusive and utterly joyful British musical
Ghost Quartet, Boulevard Theatre ★★★★ Both mystical and alcoholic spirits infuse this wonderfully distinctive chamber musical. Until 4 Jan
Mary Poppins, Prince Edward Theatre ★★★ Everyone's favourite nanny returns, again, in a lavish but old-fashioned revival. Until 31 May
Matilda the Musical, Cambridge Theatre ★★★★ The RSC's production of Dahl's classic is a feast for eyes, ears - and heart
Only Fools and Horses, Theatre Royal Haymarket ★★★★ Rollicking remake of much-loved TV sitcom.
Lovely jubbly!
Preludes, Southwark Playhouse ★★★★ Dave Malloy's innovative musical immerses us in Rachmaninov's creative crisis.
School of Rock, New London Theatre ★★★★ Andrew Lloyd Webber's transatlantic transfer is a blast
The Book of Mormon, Prince of Wales Theatre ★★★★★ The dirty-talking, big-hearted musical from the talents behind South Park is satirical heaven
The Lion King, Lyceum Theatre ★★★★ Disney's anthropomorphic magic still holds its appeal for all the family
The Phantom of the Opera, Her Majesty's Theatre ★★★★ Does the most successful entertainment event of all time still have it?
Tina, Aldwych Theatre ★★★ Powerhouse Adrienne Warren is the saving grace of a new bio-musical that plays it safe
Wicked, Apollo Victoria Theatre ★★★★ Elphaba flies high for the ages in perennial audience favourite
The future of Arts Journalism
You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!
We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d
And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more Theatre
You Me Bum Bum Train, secret location review - a joyful multiverse of anarchic creativity
This latest incarnation of the show is a wild, spinning ride through different forms of reality
The Tempest, Theatre Royal, Drury Lane review - Sigourney Weaver's impassive Prospero inhabits an atmospheric, desolate world
Magic is minimised in Jamie Lloyd's pared-back version
Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812, Donmar Warehouse review - a blazingly original musical flashes into the West End
War and Peace - but not as you know it
The Invention of Love, Hampstead Theatre review - beautiful wit, awkward staging
Tom Stoppard’s evocation of Victorian golden age Oxford stars Simon Russell Beale
Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake, New Adventures, Sadler's Wells review - 30 years on, as bold and brilliant as ever
A masterly reinvention has become a classic itself
The Little Foxes, Young Vic review - timeshifted production blurs the play's focus
Lillian Hellman’s family feud set in 1900 Alabama doesn’t survive a confused updating
The Legends of Them, Royal Court review - reaching out for serenity
Gig theatre piece about the pain and redemption of a pioneer reggae artist
The Producers, Menier Chocolate Factory review - liberating taboo-busting fun for grown-ups
Director Patrick Marber does Mel Brooks's musical proud
A Midsummer Night's Dream, RSC, Barbican review - visually ravishing with an undercurrent of violence
This psychedelic mashup conveys a sci-fi-style alternate reality
The Devil Wears Prada, Dominion Theatre review - efficient but rarely inspired
Relaunch of Elton John musical needs further tinkering still
Hansel and Gretel, Shakespeare's Globe review - too saccharine a retelling for our times
Songs and sweeties, but insufficient sourness and sadism for fans of fairytales
The Importance of Being Earnest, National Theatre review - no shortage of acid-tipped delight
Oscar Wilde speaks just as strongly to the 21st century as he did to his own
Add comment