The King and I (2 March)
With just six weeks at the Dominion Theatre, it feels like we’re still getting to know this Rodgers and Hammerstein's epic! The multi award-winning musical completed its royal tour of the UK earlier this year, with its final engagement in the capital coming to an end this month.
A celebration of the golden age of musical, The King and I is a classic tale of love, friendship, and community. Featuring an iconic score including Whistle A Happy Tune and Shall We Dance, adaptations of the hit show have been wowing audiences since its premiere in 1951.
Helen George (Call the Midwife) stars as Anna, a schoolteacher hired by the King of Siam to help educate his children and wives in western ways. A tale beyond its years, this enchanting teaches us that love and acceptance can transcend the greatest of differences.
The Little Big Things (2 March)
This joyous British musical has been painting the town red (and blue, and yellow, and green) since it opened last year, and its initial run was more than doubled due to phenomenal demand and critical acclaim.
This inspirational story follows Henry Fraser as he learns to embrace his new life after being involved in an earth-shattering accident. A former Saracens academy member, now paralysed from the shoulders down, the teenager is used to tackling difficult obstacles. However, no amount of training could prepare him for the new world he inhabits.
Adapted from the Sunday Times bestselling memoir, this heartfelt and funny musical highlights the transformative power of friendship and family. A WhatsOnStage winner, don’t miss your chance to see this uplifting show.
The Unfriend (9 March)
Following a critically acclaimed sold out run at the Chichester Festival, and a highly successful run in the West End last year, The Unfriend starring Lee Mack (Would I Lie To You), Sarah Alexandra (Smack the Pony) and Frances Barber (Doctor Who) will be packing its suitcase this month.
The effortlessly entertaining farce follows married couple, Pete and Debbie, as they unwittingly invite a serial killer to stay at their family home. What began as an innocent holiday encounter quickly turns into a deadly game of cat and mouse, as their new ‘friend’ Elsa, forces her way into the couples, and their children’s, lives. Can the extremely British couple commit the ultimate crime, and ask the unwanted guest to leave?
Written by Steven Moffat and directed by Mark Gatiss, the collaborative team behind BBC’s cult series Sherlock. It doesn’t take a detective to work out that this is a must see.
The Merchant of Venice 1936 (23 March)
Following a critically acclaimed UK tour, the WhatsOnStage nominated show stars Tracy-Ann Oberman (Eastenders) as Shylock. The first woman in the plays 400-year history to play the role.
Ambition, power and prejudice fuel Brigid Larmour’s adaptation of the Bard’s classic. A fierce and fascinating reminder of a key moment in recent British history, The Merchant of Venice 1936 follows Shylock, a widow, mother and Jewish refugee, as she faces the rise of the British Union of Fascists.
This electrifying and timely production celebrated a sold out run at The Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon last year. Don’t miss your chance to see this bold and brave new piece of theatre.
Just For One Day (30 March)
It seems like it has only just opened, but the clues in the name, the strictly limited run was never going to last forever!
Simultaneously held at London’s Wembley Stadium and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Live Aid brought the world together in 1985. A record-breaking concert spanning 16 hours (only slightly shorter than the portaloo queue at Glastonbury) the gig raised more than £150 million for famine relief. Over three decades later, the concert is still considered one of the biggest music events in history – until the Old Vic's critically acclaimed musical adaptation came along that is.
Featuring the best songs from the 70 artists that performed at the historic concert, including numbers from Queen, David Bowie and Bob Dylan. This five star show is not to be missed.
Also closing in London theatres this month:
The Enfield Haunting closes at the Ambassadors Theatre on 2 March 2024
Cirque Du Soleil: Alegria closes at the Royal Albert Hall on 3 March 2024
Chiten Theatre – GOOD-BYE closes at The Coronet Theatre on 9 March 2024
West End Musical Love Songs closes at the Apollo Theatre on 9 March 2024
New York City Ballet – Mixed Bill closes at Sadler’s Wells on 10 March 2024
We’ll Have Nun of It closes at the Other Palace Studio on 10 March 2024
Lost in Music closes at the Adelphi Theatre on 12 March 2024
Hir closes at the Park Theatre on 16 March 2024
Duke Bluebeard’s Castle closes at the London Coliseum on 23 March 2024
The Motive and the Cue closes at the Noel Coward Theatre on 23 March 2024
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie closes at the Peacock Theatre on 23 March 2024
Karen closes at the Other Palace Studio on 24 March 2024
My Neighbour Totoro closes at the Barbican on 24 March 2024
Wild About You closes at the Theatre Royal Dury Lane on 26 March 2024
Jenufa closes at the London Coliseum on 27 March 2024
Shakespeare’s Macbeth closes at Dock X on 30 March 2024