The National Theatre has revealed a stunning line-up of productions for its 2025 season, featuring a mix of revitalized classics, ground-breaking musicals, and celebrated new works. From poignant explorations of cultural identity to gripping retellings of historical moments, this season promises something for everyone.
Whether you’re drawn to the humour and heart of Michael Abbensetts’ Alterations, the football-inspired drama of James Graham’s Dear England, or the satirical brilliance of Stephen Sondheim’s Here We Are, these productions showcase the finest in contemporary and classic theatre.
Alterations| 20 February- 5 April
Alterations follows Walker Holt, who runs a tailor shop and has just received a huge order he must complete within 24 hours. As the play goes on the story explores Holt’s life outside the shop and how his personal life and relationships are pushed to limit as he becomes more and more consumed with his professional work-life. Lynette Linton (Blues for an Alabama Sky, Shifters) directs Michael Abbensetts’ (Sweet Talk, Empire Road) era-defining comedy, with additional material by Trish Cooke, in its largest ever staging. This revitalised version of the award-winning writer’s seminal work shines a light on the Guyanese experience in 1970s London, highlighting the aspirations and sacrifices of the Windrush generation.
Dear England| 10 March – 24 May
The Olivier-winning play is making its return to the National Theatre stage after a successful run during 2023 and 2024. The play is a fictional retelling of the England football team as they work to comeback from a string of defeats. The story is pushed forward by their manager Gareth Southgate. Gwilym Lee (Bohemian Rhapsody 2018) has been announced as playing the lead role, Southgate, in this production, while the rest of the cast is yet to be confirmed. Playwright James Graham said after the England men lost the UEFA Euro 2024 final to Spain that he would rewrite the ending of Dear England to bring it up to date. So, if you’re a football fanatic or just a theatre buff this one could be for you.
Here We Are | 23 April- 28 June
Stephen Sondheim’s final musical is coming to the National Theatre in 2025! This will be the West End debut and second ever production of this musical. The show was a work in progress for over ten years, including numerous rewrites, workshops and a short run of previews at The Public Theatre in 2017. By April 2021 the production was initially no longer in development but that was soon overturned in September when Sondheim announced he was working on a musical with Ives titled, Square One, adapted from the Buñuel Films. The musical, then titled Here We Are, first premiered off-Broadway in 2023, almost two years after Sondheim’s passing. This new production at the National Theatre is chalked full of some real Broadway and West End stars, including Tracie Bennet, Jane Krakowski, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Denis O’Hare. Directed by the award-winning Joe Mantello, this satirical and absurd musical is one not to be missed.
London Road| 5 June- 21 June
The musical takes place in and around London Road in Ipswich, Suffolk during the events of the Ipswich serial murders and the subsequent trial of the killer, Steve Wright, from 2006 to 2008. Written in a verbatim style, the dialogue is performed by the cast exactly as it was recorded in interviews. The musical debuted at the Royal National Theatre in 2011 and has been revived in multiple school productions since then, including at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School and the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. This will be the first time the musical has returned to West End since it’s debut. London Road tells a powerful story of ordinary people uniting during an extraordinary time. This remarkable, award-winning verbatim musical marks the highly anticipated return of director Rufus Norris (Small Island), writer Alecky Blythe (Our Generation), and composer Adam Cork.
Nye | 3 July-16 August
Finally, to cap off the new 2025 season Michael Sheen is set to reprise his role as Nye Bevan in Nye by Tim Price. The play tells the story of the founder of the NHS as he relives his life while on the verge of his own death. The play first premiered at the National Theatre in March of 2024, which was also recorded and shown at numerous cinemas across the UK. This is the play’s first return to the stage, and it will be a limited 6-week run. This celebration of the life and legacy of the man who transformed Britain’s welfare state is one not to be missed.
To book tickets to any of the shows listed, visit the National Theatre website.
Words by Gemma McDonald
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