What theatre productions are you looking forward to booking for 2026?

[FatCatSkinnyRat]

My DH and I have started going to the theatre Saturday matinees more regularly now our kids are older teens and we can leave them home alone on Saturday afternoons!!

We have booked Dracula so far as Australian friends have raved about it but wondering what else is coming out that people are excited about?

@Cowsontheloose You and your daughter need to see 'Sylvia' the musical!!

I saw this last week at the Lowry and it blew me away - fantastic show. Standing ovations from a packed house. Word gets around...

Some of the cast have been in Hamilton, but Beverly Knight was amazing in it - what a voice..

I have got 'Cats' booked for November for me and my 21 year old DD - we saw it in the summer at Regents Park theatre, but this time will be indoors in Manchester.

I have a few shows planned for the rest of this year.

Later this week I’m seeing the matinee of Martin Guerre at the Old Vic and in the evening I’m seeing Tru at the Menier Choc Factory. I’ve really enjoyed reading about them both and watching some programmes about Truman Capote.

Then -
Phantom of the Opera
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Rent
Hay Fever
The Lives of Others - I can’t decide whether to watch the movie beforehand.

i might be able to squeeze in another matinee somewhere.

Coming to have a grumble about booking systems that don't allow booking that leaves a single seat reservation so you have to phone the box office even when your only option is to leave a single seat. I don't get this at all.

I understand why if there is a run of 3 seats that you should be forced to pick one on either end rather than the one in the middle so you leave a two rather than two ones. Fine but where there are only twos left so you can't actually book one, systems should let you do it. It's a simple technical fix.

Considering the state of theatre funding and income putting obstacles in the way of booking is mad. I have just done this and been on hold waiting but I could have just decided not to bother and they'd have lost the sale. It makes even less sense when if you phone them up they will sell you the single seat anyway.

grumble grumbling.

I’ve just booked Brixton Calling at Southwark Playhouse. It sounded quite interesting.

I completely agree @rumtumtuggeris, it's infuriating. I go to rhe theatre alone a lot and have been thwarted by the ridiculous booking rules so many times. There are some theatres, ( West Hampstead springs to mind ), where they seem to think that two unsold seats are preferable to unaccompanied women turning up at mid week matinées ...

I’m assuming we all know the sneaky trick to booking a single seat? Open up another browser window and put the other two seats in your basket. Go back to your original window and you should be able to book the single seat.

Sneaky, but love it!

@Elevenseconds
I’m assuming we all know the sneaky trick to booking a single seat? Open up another browser window and put the other two seats in your basket. Go back to your original window and you should be able to book the single seat.

I didn't know this! Does it actually work? I thought the seat doesn't disappear until the sale is completed?
If it works, this is the most useful thing I've learnt on the internet!!

Yes it usually works, you usually have something like 10 minutes to complete the transaction so the seat is not shown for those 10 minutes. We have used this method and it usually works

I'd love to hear this too. I fancy seeing it but it's SO expensive. I know no one's personal opinion is a guarantee that I'd like it/not like it, but I'd love to get some idea of what people think before I shell out for it.

Talking of 'so expensive', I was interested in going to the Lost Estate Sherlock Holmes experience next year. I had a pre-sale link and I was actually shocked at the prices. It does include dinner but even so. The cheapest for a weekend are about £170 and the top price premium tickets are about £265 (this includes speedy avoid the queue access)

This is for a dinner theatre experience rather than named-actor or named-director theatre so you aren't even guaranteed good acting let alone good food. I was really shocked at the price and wondered who can afford to go with say a family of four or even a group of friends. I've had a look at some reviews of their stuff previously and the comments about the standard of food has really put me off.

Has anyone been to a Lost Experience dinner performance?

I've just booked Hunger Games on stage. Mostly for DD's birthday as she in currently reading the books and loves the films.

The reviews look rather mixed so fingers crossed it's enjoyable. I've also just realised that the seats I've booked are in a section that moves and changes position during the course of the show. Interesting....

Is this the Keynes Play. My daughter (29) has seen it and loved it., really triggered her interest in the Bloomsbury group. We are planning a trip to the National Portrait gallery to see the Lytton Srachen portrait.

Yes, that's the one; thanks.
There's a big show on Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant coming at Tate Britain, this month I think.
Charleston in Lewes also has two exhibitions now/soon about the Bloomsbury Group. I think they're both centred on illness/'madness'.

I saw The Standard of Living a couple of weeks ago @AlwaysExtraHot. I really enjoyed it. I thought that Rory Kinnear and Thomas Flynn were fantastic, and I loved Natalia Osipova. Also the staging was brilliant, lovely. That said, I think the first half was better than the second and found some of the parts oddly underwritten so I wouldn't say I loved it unreservedly, (to be fair this might just be because I studied Hayek and Keynes, many years ago, and the narrative in the second half was very familiar to me). On the whole I would definitely recommend this one. I enjoyed it, didn't look at my watch once and left the theatre feeling strangely uplifted and optimistic.

Pride at the National looks fab

Thank you! I know little about Keynes and less about Hayek, so none of it will be that familiar to me.

It just moved in and out it’s not too bad, but weird to get used to, unlike the show which is an abomination.

I’ve got One day and 14 again coming up.
Excited for both, loved One day in Edinburgh.

Oh dear. It does seem like the show is very marmite. You either love it or hate it. Hopefully DD will enjoy it. It's an expensive mistake if not. 😬