London's critics are not unanimous in their praise (but that's nothing unusual). The Financial Times suggests the play occasionally gravitates into "cultural grumbling" when it tackles modern issues such as cancel culture and university politics, and argues that the material feels more reflective than razor-sharp satire. notes that while the humour "simmers gently," its plotting is uneven and its engagement with contemporary politics sometimes feels cursory rather than incisive.
Getty Images Footfall in London's West End reached its highest level since 2020 over the 2025 festive season, new figures show. The Heart of London Business Alliance (HOLBA) said visitor numbers in December were up 19% on the same month in 2024 across its central London district. The area, which includes Piccadilly, Leicester Square and Haymarket, also recorded longer visits, with people staying an average of 42 minutes more than in December 2024.
Anyone who was burnt badly by the news that tickets to see Gary Oldman in Beckett's Krapp's Last Tape' are already sold out, knows that you can never be too hasty in securing next year's theatre tickets. Although 2026 still feels like a lifetime away, star-studded productions, promising new shows and long-loved revivals are already beginning to sell fast on London's West End theatre scene.
Lily Allen's first album in seven years "fuses fact and fiction" as it traces the breakdown of an open marriage. Recorded over ten days following her 2024 breakup from Stranger Things actor David Harbour, whom she married in 2020, it's hard not to picture him as the subject of the lyrical cheating allegations. "I made this record in December 2024 and it was a way for me to process what was happening in my life," Allen told British Vogue in an October 17 profile.
Having opened on Broadway in 2019, part of the reason it's taken a while to cross the pond is that a big theatre is needed to contain it and there aren't many of those free over here. Fellow US smash MJ the Musical previously nipped in to claim the Prince Edward Theatre, but the Michael Jackson jukebox joint will be offski in the new year.
Following a five-star sold-out run at the Menier Chocolate Factory, The Producers, directed by Tony Award-winner Patrick Marber and starring Andy Nyman, Marc Antolin, Trevor Ashley, Raj Ghatak, Harry Morrison and Joanna Woodward, has transferred to the Garrick Theatre.
Foremost among them is undoubtedly Jamie Lloyd's production of , which is effortlessly the most talked about theatre production of 2025. If star Rachel Zegler stayed on board it could easily have run at the huge London Palladium for a year. But she's a busy woman, and Lloyd rarely if ever recasts musicals: Evita will complete its scheduled run on Saturday.
Johannes Radebe will make his West End debut as Lola in Kinky Boots at the London Coliseum starting March 17, 2026. He previously reached the final on Strictly Come Dancing.
The proposals include making Regent Street St James's traffic-free and enlarging the pedestrian space at Piccadilly Circus. The introduction of safer cycling routes on the main section of Regent Street and two-way traffic on Haymarket, plus the improvement of pedestrian crossings on Regent Street and the removal of the road's central island have also been presented.
