Do you live for your next Theatre fix? Then you are up for a treat with an extraordinary autumn season in London’s West End. Theatreland is so abuzz with rehearsal gossip it feels like Eros might spontaneously combust! Forget Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – the wizarding world had better get ready to cry “stupefy!” with the flurry of fantastic shows swooping in for their London openings. Here is what you need to know about the next big things:

1. Oslo

When? Playing a the National Theatre From 5 to 23 September, then transferring from 2 October to the Harold Pinter.
What is it? A Broadway smash which flies into the West End via the NT. This Tony-award winning play tells the tale of two maverick Norwegian diplomats who worked, hidden from the world in a forest-shrouded castle outside Oslo, to enable top secret talks between Israel and Palestine – one of the most explosive relationships in history.
Where is it?
National Theatre and then transferring to the Harold Pinter Theatre
Who’s in it?
Toby Stephens (BBC’s Jane Eyre) and Lydia Leonard (Wolf Hall)
How do I get tickets?
Buy tickets here for Oslo and choose your perfect seat

2. Heisenberg: The Uncertainty Principle

When? In Preview from 3 October
What is it? The UK Premiere from Tony and Olivier Award-winning director Marianne Elliott and playwright Simon Stephens (the creative team behind The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time). In a London train station, two strangers collide…and their lives will never be the same again. Heisenberg spins truth and lies like an infinite ball of string and ponders the question: what brings people together in this uncertain world?
Where is it?
Wyndham’s Theatre
Who’s in it? Anne-Marie Duff (Elizabeth I, Shameless) and Kenneth Cranham (An Inspector Calls)
How do I get tickets?
You can book tickets here for Heisenberg – choose your seats today and take advantage of great preview prices

3. Venus in Fur 

When? In Preview from 6 October
What is it? An adaptation of the 1870 novel, Venus in Furs by the Austrian author Leopold von Sacher-Masoch (hence the term “masochism”). When seductively beautiful actress, Vanda Jordan, appears unannounced for an audition with director Thomas Novachek, she’s determined to land the leading role in his new production – despite seeming totally wrong for the part. During a single evening in downtown Manhattan, their sexually charged meeting becomes a seductive dance to the very end.
Where is it?
Theatre Royal, Haymarket
Who’s in it?
Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) and David Oakes (Shakespeare in Love, Victoria) star, with direction by Patrick Marber
How do I get tickets?
Buy tickets here for Venus in Fur and choose your own seats
Best Quote
‘You don’t have to tell me about sadomasochism. I’m in the theatre’

4. A Woman of No Importance

When?  In preview from 6 October
What is it? Oscar Wilde’s glittering satire on English upper-class society with Wilde’s razor sharp wit shines a spotlight on social hypocrisy at the turn of the nineteenth century…but the upper classes haven’t reckoned on the arrival of Mrs Arbuthnot. Wilde gives snobbery a two-fingered salute with some of the best lines you’ll ever hear in a theatre.
Where is it?
Vaudeville Theatre
Who’s in it?
Eve Best (Hedda Gabler) and Anne Reid (Last Tango in Halifax)
How do I get tickets?
Buy tickets here for A Woman of no Importance and get unbiased seat reviews

 

5. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

When? In preview from 6 November
What is it? A modern fairy tale based on the real-life story of sixteen-year old Jamie New, struggling to fit in on a Sheffield council estate and bursting to tell his secret. The songs, by lead singer-songwriter of The Feeling, Dan Gillespie Sells and writer Tom MacRae (listen here on spotify) are instant classics. With the love of his loving mum and friends, Jamie beats the bullies and steps fearlessly out of the darkness into the spotlight.
Where is it?
Apollo Theatre, Shaftesbury Theatre
Who’s in it?
John McCrea (The Busker’s Opera), Josie Walker (Matilda), James Gillan (Wicked)
How do I get tickets? Buy tickets for Everybody’s Talking About Jamie and get best-seat advice from other theatre lovers

 

6. The Exorcist

When? In preview from 20 October
What is it? The perfect scare-fest for a dark autumn night. Forty-five years after William Peter Blatty’s best-selling novel left an entire generation paralyzed with fear, The Exorcist is unleashed on West End audiences for the very first time in a uniquely theatrical experience directed by award-winning film and theatre Director Sean Mathias (Bent, No Man’s Land). Guaranteed to leave you slightly hysterical.
Where is it? Phoenix Theatre
Who’s in it? Casting is yet to be announced
How do I get tickets?
Tickets for the Exorcist are on sale now – just don’t go alone!
Most likely thing to hear? “I’m telling you that ‘thing’ upstairs isn’t my daughter…” followed by the screams of a terrified audience ducking behind their seats.

7. Hamilton

(of course this is the most highly anticipated show opening in London, but it is already sold-out)

In Preview from 21 November
What is it? Pirates of the Caribbean meets American civil war as a penniless immigrant becomes US Treasury secretary. As is often the case with those rising to power, Hamilton was self-destructive and fallible, qualities that make for a perfect musical – with more riffing than a Christina Aguilera and Beyoncé diva-off. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop score gets under your skin so you’ll be humming it for weeks. Add in pistol fights, fisticuffs and affairs and you’re in for a real treat!
Where is it? Victoria Palace
Who’s in it? Newcomer Jamael Westman plays Alexander Hamilton supported by Giles Terera (Book of Mormon), Michael Jibson (Our House), Rachelle Ann Go (Miss Saigon)
How do I get tickets? Kill someone. If that fails, we’re promised a daily lottery in-person at the theatre prior to each performance and a weekly lottery online for performances taking place the following week. Follow Hamilton’s Twitter account or Facebook page for updates.

Further ahead

Is it too early to mention the C word? Yep… Christmas is only a few months away and we’re SO excited we’ve already booked tickets to see the Old Vic’s new stage production of A Christmas Carol starring Rhys Ifans, arriving in a new adaptation by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child stage writer Jack Thorne. Our other top stocking-filler for Christmas 2017 has to be booking tickets to see Dick Whittington at the London Palladium starring West End royalty Elaine Paige, Charlie Stemp, Nigel Havers and Julian Clary!