It’s been an especially prolific year for London’s theater scene. A very funny musical about an intelligence operation during World War II is garnering five-star reviews, as is an immersive, fresh take on the classic, Guys and Dolls. A powerful one-man show with national treasure Lenny Henry addresses the Windrush scandal, in which people from the Caribbean who had been encouraged to settle in the UK later met bureaucratic indifference that wrecked many lives. There’s even something for football fans: The National Theatre is staging a show about the England men’s national football team and its manager Gareth Southgate.
May brings the opening of a musical version of Brokeback Mountain, starring American actors Mike Faist and Lucas Hedges, and the fantastically talented Ruth Wilson (Luther; The Affair) in The Second Woman, a 24-hour marathon of a play at the Young Vic on May 19-20. She’ll do the same scene 100 times with a different man opposite her every time—a massive endeavor for one of Britain’s finest actors. It’s sold out, but there will be tickets on the door, probably with best availability in the late-night hours.
Even if you don’t feel like waiting in line at 10 p.m., there are fantastic productions to see on the West End and in smaller venues. Here are our recommendations for the best theater and musicals to see in London this summer.