November Preview: The Best Shows To Light Up Your Month
- All That Dazzles
- Nov 1
- 8 min read
Halloween has been and gone, and you know what that means - it’s time to put up the Christmas tree! The theatrical equivalent of that sees November filled with festive shows opening and giving you a chance to have the first mince pie of the season. Fear not though, any Scrooge’s out there can enjoy some non festive shows to enjoy in November as well.
Here are 40 shows to light up your month:
PADDINGTON THE MUSICAL (Savoy Theatre)
From 1st November
The world premiere musical adaptation based on the iconic marmalade sandwich-loving bear features songs by Tom Fletcher and a cast including Bonnie Langford, Brenda Edwards, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt and Tarinn Callender.
ACORN ANTIQUES THE MUSICAL (Manchester Opera House/Shaftesbury Theatre)
2nd, 9th & 16th November
Victoria Wood’s musical parody returns for three special fundraising concerts across three Sundays, with two in Manchester and one in the West End. Ria Jones reprises her role as Mrs Overall, joined by a cast including Katherine Kingsley, Gina Beck, Anna-Jane Casey and Rob Madge.
CHRISTMAS CAROL GOES WRONG (UK Tour)
2nd November - 1st March
Ahead of a West End run beginning in December, the latest festive offering from Mischief Comedy kicks off a UK tour at The Lowry in Salford. Expect chaos as the Cornley Amateur Dramatic Society deliver a disastrous take on the much-loved classic Christmas story of Ebeneezer Scrooge.
Dates and tickets at www.ChristmasCarolGoesWrong.com
VIVIAN PANKA & RYAN KOPEL - BREAKING CHARACTER (The Other Palace Studio)
5th November
After starring together in the recent tour of Dear Evan Hansen, expect the unexpected in this new concert as the pair take on numbers from each other’s shows. Expect Mean Girls and Newsies but not from the person you might necessarily think, as well as a bit of Lady Gaga.
Listen to my podcast with them for more of an insight into the setlist on the night.
Tickets from www.theotherpalace.co.uk
LANDER 23 (Punchdrunk)
From 5th November
The latest offering from Punchdrunk is a live-action video game, blurring the boundaries between between theatre, gaming and live-action role-play.
Tickets from www.lander23.com
OLD FAT F**K UP (Riverside Studios)
5th November - 20th December
A darkly funny and deeply personal play from writer-performer Olly Hawes is a raw, shrewd, and sharply funny exploration of masculinity, fatherhood, and the brittle edges of middle age.
LIMP WRIST & THE IRON FIST (Brixton House)
6th - 29th November
Emmanuel Akwafo’s play is both a love letter and a call to arms—an honest, unapologetic celebration of Black, Queer resilience—and will leave you reflecting on your own perceptions of identity.
PORN PLAY (Royal Court)
6th November - 13th December
Will Close and Ambika Mod star in the world premiere of the Royal Court debut from writer Sophia Chetin-Leuner in this funny, unsettling and honest play.
Tickets from https://royalcourttheatre.com/events/porn-play/
AFTER SUNDAY (Bush Theatre)
10th November - 20th December
A funny and affecting debut play from Bush Writers’ Group alum Sophia Griffin is a searing examination of the intertwining lives of four people as they fight to find hope for a better future.
Tickets from www.bushtheatre.co.uk
BE MORE CHILL 5TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT (Arts Theatre)
10th & 17th November
Five years since coming to London, the original cast reunite for two special anniversary concerts, bringing back the songs that made this cult musical such a fan favourite.
PRECIPICE (New Diorama Theatre)
11th November - 13th December
The daring debut from boundary-blurring company Timelapse, Max Alexander-Taylor, Holly Freeman and Isabella Marshall star in this electro-folk musical.
Tickets from https://newdiorama.com/whats-on/precipice
SAMANTHA BARKS: THE CATHEDRAL TOUR (UK Tour)
11th - 21st November
The West End superstar and Queen of the Masked Singer invites you to an intimate, soul-stirring evening of music and storytelling, beginning in the West End at the Adelphi Theatre before heading to seven cathedrals around the UK.
Tickets from https://samanthabarkstour.tixculture.com/
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (Old Vic)
12th November - 10th January
The now traditional festive show at the Old Vic returns for a ninth year, with Paul Hilton taking on the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.
END (Dorfman Theatre)
13th November - 17th January
Following the critically acclaimed Beginning and Middle, End is the final play in David Eldridge’s trilogy exploring love and relationships.
Tickets from https://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/productions/end/
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM (Sam Wanamaker Playhouse)
13th November - 31st January
By the glow of candlelight, in the depths of winter, discover the magic of Shakespeare’s classic for the very first time in the indoor Sam Wanamaker Playhouse.
Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/play/midsummer-nights-dream-globe-tickets
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS (Birmingham Rep)
14th November - 11th January
With original songs by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, get ready for an unmissable, laugh-out-loud festive murder mystery.
Tickets from https://www.birmingham-rep.co.uk/whats-on/sherlock-holmes-and-the-12-days-of-christmas/
RIDE THE CYCLONE (Southwark Playhouse Elephant)
14th November - 10th January
Darkly funny, wildly imaginative, and surprisingly heartfelt, the international musical phenomenon crashes into London for the first time in this genre-defying journey through big dreams, dark secrets, and the search for what makes a life well-lived.
ALL MY SONS (Wyndham’s Theatre)
14th November - 7th March
Bryan Cranston, Marianna Jean Baptiste and Paapa Essiedu star in Ivo Van Hove’s take on Arthur Miller’s family epic.
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY (Riverside Studios)
15th November - 15th February
A new live version of Douglas Adams’ mind-blowingly imaginative comedy (mis)adventure draws from the best examples of immersive, musical theatre, dance and magic to deliver a truly out of this world experience and a complete night out.
Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/play/the-hitchhikers-guide-to-the-galaxy-live-tickets
BALLET SHOES (Olivier Theatre)
17th November - 21st February
Kendall Feaver’s acclaimed adaptation of Noel Streatfeild’s best-selling book returns for a second festive season.
Tickets from nationaltheatre.org.uk
THE SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD (@SohoPlace)
17th November - 21st February
A towering work of twentieth-century fiction, comes to the West End for what promises to be the theatrical event of the autumn: a journey through the fog-shrouded terrain of Cold War espionage, deception, and moral compromise.
Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/play/the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-cold-tickets
HUMBUG CHRISTMAS (The Vaults)
18th November - 28th December
A two-hour immersive Christmas blowout where Santa himself hosts the wildest festive part in town. Expect live music, outrageous cabaret, immersive storytelling, confetti cannons, hidden surprises and, of course, festive cocktails and street food to keep the cheer flowing.
Tickets from https://humbugchristmas.co.uk
JOBSWORTH (Park Theatre)
19th November - 6th December
This timely play looks at the ludicrous plate-spinning required to make ends meet, and how inter-generational conflicts can force people into financial distress. Inspired by the real life-experiences of writer and performer Libby Rodliffe, the play exposes the hilarity of being over-worked and under-paid in London today.
Tickets from https://parktheatre.co.uk/events/jobsworth/
PETTY MEN (Arcola Theatre)
19th November - 20th December
A radical reworking of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. Set in a dressing room, two understudies attempt to out-perform the show relay. But as worlds collide and reality warps, can they hold on to themselves?
Tickets from https://www.arcolatheatre.com/event/pettymen
DAVID COPPERFIELD (Jermyn Street Theatre)
20th November - 20th December
A new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved Victorian classic. Performed by three actors playing multiple roles, David Copperfield follows one young man’s journey through adversity, eccentric relatives, and cruel schoolmasters to become an author.
THE HORSE OF JENIN (Bush Theatre)
20th November - 20th December
Constructed from the fragments of Palestinian actor and comedian Alaa Shehada’s own memories, this is an ode to the power of imagination and the resilience it brings.
MY FAIR LADY (The Mill at Sonning)
20th November - 17th January
For their annual festive musical, the picturesque dinner theatre plays host to the Lerner and Lowe classic, with Simbi Akande leading the cast as Eliza Doolittle.
Tickets from https://millatsonning.com/Events/my-fair-lady/
A CHRISTMAS CAROL - A GHOST STORY (Alexandra Palace)
21st November - 4th January
Mark Gatiss’ retelling of Dickens’ winter ghost story returns to the hauntingly atmospheric Alexandra Palace Theatre. Filled with Dickensian, spine-tingling special effects, prepare to be frightened and delighted in equal measure as you enter the supernatural Victorian world .
Tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/play/christmas-carol-ghost-story-tickets
FALLEN ANGELS (Menier Chocolate Factory)
21st November - 21st February
First performed exactly 100 years ago, Noël Coward’s outrageous comedy returns to London for the first time in 25 years as passions are rekindled with explosive results in one of his funniest creations.
LOVERS ACTUALLY (The Other Palace)
21st November - 4th January
If you want belly laughs and to be wooed by some cardboard cue cards, then this hilarious new musical parody is one to put down on your Christmas list as Jodie Prenger and Neil Hurst follow up last year’s riotous Homo Alone with another musical parody of a Christmas classic.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC (Curve Leicester)
22nd November - 11th January
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic returns to the hills of… Leicester with Molly Lynch and David Seadon-Young leading the cast as Maria and Captain von Trapp.
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (King’s Head Theatre)
23rd November - 4th January
Panto season is upon us already. Oh yes it is! With both a family friendly and an adult version to check out in Islington this year, you can also expect a host of special guests including Cassidy Janson, Steven Webb, Georgina Onuorah and Danielle Steers.
Adult tickets from https://allthatdazzles.londontheatredirect.com/pantomime/jack-and-the-beanstalk-adult-tickets
TO SIR, WITH LOVE (Gillian Lynne Theatre)
24th November
This newly reimagined stage adaptation of E.R. Braithwaite’s powerful memoir has a cast including Wayne Brady making his West End debut and Lulu, who famously performed the title song in the 1960s.
THE NUTCRACKER NOIR (Protein Studio)
26th November - 21st December
A modern reimagining of the classic Christmas tale, expect a festive extravaganza combining world-class performances, mischief and theatrical storytelling with decadent dishes and immersive sets.
Tickets from https://nutcracker-noir.co.uk/
THE LITTLE MERMAID (Watermill Theatre)
26th November - 4th January
A new take on the story by Hans Christian Andersen with music and lyrics by Amie Parsons weaves together salty sea air, folk and sea shanty inspired songs, conjuring an ethereal world below the waves for this festive season.
Tickets from www.watermill.org.uk
THE GRIM (Southwark Playhouse Borough)
26th November - 6th December
This spine-tingling comedy delves into the bizarre world of dead bodies, before unwittingly taking a terrifying turn into the supernatural.
Tickets from southwarkplayhouse.co.uk/productions/the-grim/
FREAKY FRIDAY (HOME Manchester)
27th November - 31st December
The new musical based on the beloved 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers and the hit Disney films, which has captured the hearts of generations gets its UK stage premiere this year with Rebecca Lock and Jena Pandya leading the cast.
Tickets from https://homemcr.org/whats-on/freaky-friday-yhdl
THE FORSYTE SAGA PARTS 1 AND 2 (The Swan)
28th November - 10th January
John Galsworthy’s Nobel-winning saga about love, ownership and the end of Empire is retold by Shaun McKenna and Lin Coghlan across two plays, spanning over 40 years from 1886 to 1927.
Tickets from https://www.rsc.org.uk/the-forsyte-saga/
THE RIVALS (Orange Tree Theatre)
29th November - 24th January
Tom Littler gives this 250th anniversary revival of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s sparkling satire of love and language a jazzy new production, with Patricia Hodge, Robert Bathurst, Zoe Brough and Kit Young starring.
Tickets from https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/whats-on/the-rivals/
PINOCCHIO (Shakespeare’s Globe)
29th November - 4th January
A surprising, funny and heartfelt musical for the whole family enjoys its premiere as audiences experience this unforgettable story of self-discovery, freedom and family, and share in the wonder of what it means to be human.
What are you most looking forward to seeing in November?
Let me know in the comments or on all my socials - @ATDazzles on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and TikTok, and look out for reviews of many of them on the website over the next month as well as conversations with the stars of some of these shows on my podcast All That Chat, returning with new episodes this month.
To have your show included in the December preview or any other monthly post, send me an email with details of your show and I’ll include as many as possible.
See you in the theatre!