The West End is the epicentre of theatre around the globe (sorry, Broadway). So, this May, why not check out some of the biggest theatrical productions treading the boards of the West End?

OPENING THIS MAY

👑 1536 (May 7 – August 1): The Ambassadors Theatre – three women in Essex in Tudor England see parallels in their own lives as rumours spread from the court of Henry VIII concerning the fall of Anne Boleyn.

🐦 CARE (May 12 – July 11): The Young Vic – a grandmother in a care home that she doesn’t want to be in, starts to notice the “unexpected joy in life’s everyday moments”.

🕵️ Sherlock Holmes (May 13 – June 6): Open Air Theatre, Regents Park – a Sherlock mystery traces its way around the city, to Regents Park.

🪦 BEETLEJUICE: The Musical (Previews start May 20): Prince Edward Theatre – the cult Tim Burton film gets the musical treatment.

🪖 Mother Courage and Her Children (May 21 – June 27): Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre – Brecht gets his first performance at the Globe with this anti-war play.

💃 High Society (May 27 – July 11): Barbican Centre – a new production of Cole Porter’s High Society with a full orchestra.

📹 Are You Watching? (May 29 – July 4): Royal Court – blurring the lines “between entertainment and abuse, technology and sex, violence and voyeurism”, ‘Are You Watching?’ asks who is complicit in a new world of ‘entertainment’.

ENDING SOON

👨‍⚕️ LIFELINE (Ends May 2): Southwark Playhouse Elephant – The London premiere of the new musical, which features West-End and Broadway actors as well as a chorus of real-life ‘singing’ healthcare workers

🎨 A Mirrored Monet (Ends May 9): Charing Cross Theatre – Painter Claude Monet gets the musical treatment as he “struggles to complete the commission that will define his legacy: The Water Lilies”.

✍️ Shadowlands (Ends May 9): Aldwych Theatre – a meeting between C.S. Lewis and American poet Joy Davidman develops into something more.

😡 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Ends May 23): Old Vic Theatre – Ken Kesey’s novel takes to the stage.

🧛‍♂️ Dracula (Ends May 30): Noel Coward Theatre – Cynthia Erivo plays all 23 roles in a one-person reimagining of the gothic horror.

🧺 Into the Woods (Ends May 30): Bridge Theatre – the Olivier Award-winning production ends its run at the Bridge Theatre before transferring to the Noël Coward Theatre.