9 feel-good musicals and theatre shows to book in London in 2026
From Cynthia Erivo’s highly anticipated turn in Dracula to a heart-warming musical version of the 2014 film Pride, here are 9 of the best feel-good musicals and theatre shows to book this year in London.
As any regular theatregoer will tell you, there’s nothing quite like the thrill of watching a live performance. Luckily for those of us in London, there are plenty of theatre shows and musicals to pick from across the West End, including lots of exciting new productions slated for 2026.
There’s nothing worse than hearing chatter about a fantastic new musical or seeing that a huge actor is taking to the stage in a dramatic new play, only to look online and see that tickets sold out months ago. So, to help you stay ahead of the cultural curve, we’ve found nine of the best new feel-good musicals and theatre shows that are coming to London’s theatres in 2026. Get ready to sing, laugh and cry along in the stands.
The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry
Author Rachel Joyce bring her multi-million-selling novel to life in this deeply moving and uplifting new musical. With an original score by indie musician Passenger, follow Harold Fry as a letter from an old friend sparks an unlikely pilgrimage, leading him to meet a whole company of lost souls along his way.
Dracula
First, she took on the Wicked Witch Of The West in Wicked. Now, Tony, Emmy and Grammy winning Cynthia Erivo takes on another infamous baddie, Count Dracula. In fact, never one to make things easy for herself, Erivo will play all 23 characters in this intoxicating and fresh reimagining of the immortal gothic horror story. An unmissable theatrical event.
Shadowlands
Hugh Bonneville and Maggie Sif take to the stage in this acclaimed play that tells the touching and life-affirming story of the beloved children’s author, CS Lewis, and his relationship with American poet Joy Davidman. A moving tale of love, loss and the fragility of life.
Teeth ’N’ Smiles
Rebecca Lucy Taylor, aka Self Esteem, stars in this 50th anniversary revival of David Hare’s Teeth ‘N’ Smiles. Set at Jesus College, Cambridge, in the summer of 1969, Maggie Frisby (Taylor) is the lead singer of a once famously anarchic band whose youthful dreams of rebellion have collapsed into bitterness. Now, as the band takes to the stage at the college’s May Ball, Maggie tears through the night fuelled by booze, fury and a voice that refuses to die.
Romeo & Juliet
Fresh from the finale of Stranger Things, Sadie Sink makes her West End debut as Juliet in none other than the most famous love story of all time. Noah Jupe (star of the award-scooping Hamnet) also makes his first West End appearance as Romeo, in Shakespeare’s electrifying and timeless tale of love and innocence.
Inter Alia
From Suzie Miller, the writer and director of global phenomenon Prima Facie, comes a new legal drama starring Rosamund Pike as a maverick London Crown Court judge. Sharp, compassionate and determined to change a system she knows isn’t always just, she’s also balancing her career alongside motherhood, friendship and the elusive notion of having it all.
Beetlejuice
Based on the iconic 1988 film starring Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder, Beetlejuice arrives as a musical stage extravaganza full of supernatural chaos. Making its way from Broadway for the first time, the Tony-nominated musical promises to be a visual delight, as Tim Burton’s world, of ghoulish surprises and dark humour is brought to spectacular life.
Pride
If you enjoyed the 2014 film, make space in your diary to catch the heart-warming new musical version. Pride tells the unlikely but remarkably true story of a group of lesbian and gay activists who joined the miners’ strike campaign of 1984 – and how two oppressed but startlingly different communities united in their hour of need, as they discover they have more in common than they ever imagined.
Cats
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s legendary feline musical returns in a brand-new open-air production this summer. Featuring all your favourite songs, including the global hit, Memory, this fresh re-imagining in a stunning natural setting promises to be one of London’s most spectacular theatre events of the year.
Images: courtesy of shows
