Stage shows to see in July 2025

This summer, there’s no better place than an air-conditioned, dark room!

We’re joking. Or are we? Whether it’s catching a matinee before some al fresco dining or finishing off a day in the sun with an evening show, there are a bunch of theatre shows opening this month.

Why not pair one with a trip to the River Avon, a potter around Bath, a stroll down the South Bank? From Scotland to the Cotswolds to the capital, here are our top picks.

Till the Stars Come Down

You’re invited to the West End staging of Beth Steel’s highly-acclaimed play! Portraying a family’s dynamics during a wedding in a former mining town, when it was first seen at the National Theatre, our chief critic gave it a five-star write-up, describing the piece as an “utterly unmissable play” and “a theatrical event to remember.”

Plays at Theatre Royal Haymarket from 1 July 2025

Sing Street: A New Musical

The long-awaited UK premiere of Sing Street has finally arrived, and our rehearsal room footage has been racking up numbers on TikTok! Following a 16-year-old Dubliner trying to form a band in the 1980s, this new version of the show features much-loved hits from the film as well as original additions. It’ll light you up!

Plays at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre from 8 July to 23 August

The Estate

Adeel Akhtar stars as ambitious politician Angad in the debut play by Shaan Sahota. Described as a razor-sharp exploration of family, power, and the lies we tell about ourselves, the world premiere will be directed by Daniel Ragget.

Plays at the National Theatre’s Dorfman theatre from 9 July until 23 August 

Inter Alia

Rosamund Pike leads a new play from the team behind the WhatsOnStage Award-winning Prima Facie. In it, she plays a smart maverick at the top of her career as an eminent London Crown Court Judge. When an event threatens to throw her life completely off balance, she tries to keep her family upright… Can’t make it to London? The play will be broadcast live in UK cinemas.

Plays at National Theatre’s Lyttelton theatre from 10 July to 13 September

The Addams Family

Some famous faces will play the world’s favourite kooky family in a new, but rather short, tour. Snap snap up those tickets to see the much-loved but rarely staged musical this summer.

Tour opens at Birmingham Hippodrome on 10 July

Nessie

Honestly, we’re surprised that it has taken this long for a musical about the Loch Ness Monster to reach UK stages. But with book, music, and lyrics by Shonagh Murray, Nessie will see audiences take the plunge into the rich waters of a fantastical tale of a monster revealed to the wider public. Pitlochry Festival Theatre puts remarkably few steps wrong, so this looks very exciting.

Plays at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 9 July to 16 August

The Winter’s Tale

It may not be the most natural first fit for a staging in summer, but we trust the RSC knows exactly what they’re doing. Yaël Farber’s revival will star Bertie Carvel, Kathryn Hunter, Madeline Appiah and more.

Plays at Royal Shakespeare Theatre from 12 July to 30 August

Friends the Musical Parody

There have been a fair few musicals based on the tale of that coffee-obsessed sextet that occupied our TV screens in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the Barn Theatre now adds to the list with this touring musical. An audience favourite in the US, it features original music. Get to know the cast.

Plays at the Barn Theatre from 14 July to 23 August, before touring

Top Hat

Pop on your “Top Hat White Tie and Tails” and get ready to be “Puttin’ on the Ritz”! Preparing to “Face the Music and Dance” in Chichester is an all-star cast, featuring Phillip Attmore, Lucy St. Louis, Clive Carter and Sally Ann Triplett.

Plays at Chichester’s Festival Theatre from 14 July to 6 September, before touring (with casting to be revealed)

101 Dalmatians the Musical

Cruella de Vil is back in the capital and continuing to put a large number of Dalmatian puppies in danger – this time, with songs! We’re dotty about this com-paw-ny, which features Sydnie Christmas, Jeff Brazier, Aston Merrygold, Laura Baldwin, and more!

Plays at Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith from 18 July to 30 August 

Alice in Wonderland

Audiences can fall into a rabbit hole of surreality and intrigue as the kaleidoscopic classic arrives in London. First seen in Australia, the stage adaptation uses original music and puppetry to bring Carroll’s characters and Alice’s caper to life.

Plays at Marylebone Theatre from 19 July to 31 August

Maiden Voyage

Get familiar with the story of the first all-women racing crew of Maiden! The new musical by Mindi Dickstein and Carmel Dean will star Chelsea Halfpenny, Naomi Alade, and Laura Tyrer as the courageous and unexpected heroes.

Plays at Southwark Playhouse Elephant from 19 July to 23 August

Fiddler on the Roof

It matched a record amount of nominations at this year’s Olivier Awards and was one of the night’s top winners. Last month it started a blockbuster victory lap London season indoors at the Barbican, and next up, Jordan Fein’s Fiddler on the Roof is heading out on a mammoth tour, with some new and familiar faces returning.

Tour opens at Bromley Churchill Theatre on 24 July

Hedda

WhatsOnStage Award-winner Lily Allen returns to the stage in a new adaptation of Hedda Gabler. The production, which will run in Bath, reunites Allen with Matthew Dunster, who adapts and directs.

Plays at Theatre Royal Bath’s Ustinov Studio from 25 July to 23 August 

The Diana Mixtape

Five members of drag royalty will all star as Princess Dianas in the new concert/biopic/musical! Featuring music originally performed by artists including Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Kylie Minogue, and others, the world premiere will debut in London before heading north.

Plays at HERE at Outernet in London from 28 July to 10 August before visiting the Lowry in Salford from 19 to 24 August

Club NVRLND

This immersive musical is for the “Peter Pan generation”! It follows Wendy, who is about to get married, but with one night in NVRLND, where she is reunited with Peter, everything changes. Featuring 2000s hits from the likes of Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, and more, the musical will receive its world premiere in Edinburgh.

Plays at Assembly Checkpoint, Edinburgh from 30 July to 24 August

Good Night, Oscar

Sean Hayes will reprise his Tony Award-winning role in Good Night, Oscar at the Barbican this summer, alongside stage favourite Rosalie Craig. Set in 1958, it revolves around a notorious late-night talk show appearance…

Plays at the Barbican Theatre from 31 July 2025