What's opening in London theatres this month? (June 2023)
Posted on 31 May 2023
Can you believe that we’re almost halfway through 2023? It seems like only yesterday that Big Ben was chiming across the capital! June flying around so quickly may seem daunting, but fear not - it's one of the most interesting months of the year!
Fact time: June has the most daylight hours of any month, 34 babies were named June in the UK last year, June is named after Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage (not the movie, unfortunately), oh, and a whole new host of West End shows are opening in June, including...
We Will Rock You (2 June)
Forget the King's coronation - it's all thing's Queen on this stage! We Will Rock You reigned supreme at the Dominion Theatre for 12 years (the longest of any theatre musical), and is now making its eagerly anticipated return to the West End. Be quick though, at just 12 weeks long, this run is only slightly lengthier than one of Brian May’s guitar riffs!
Imagine a future without musical instruments, that's the story you'll find in We Will Rock You. The show tells the story of a globalised dystopian future ruled by the all-powerful Globalsoft company and its iconic boss, the Killer Queen. Join a group of rock rebels, the Bohemians, as they fight against the totalitarian state in a desperate fight for freedom, individuality, and the rebirth of rock!
The Crucible (7 June)
Starring House of Dragon's Milly Alcock as Abigail Williams, Arthur Miller's powerful fable of judgment and justice returns to London for a strictly limited run.
An accusation is as powerful as confirmation...when fear grips a small community in Massachusetts, personal vendettas fuel public accusations as the infamous Salem witch trials dominate the daily lives of all its inhabitants, and a group of young women, who have been raised to be seen and not heard, suddenly find their words hold a terrible power.
No one is safe from speculation. No one is safe from persecution. No one is safe from being branded a witch, and soon even the truth finds itself on trial. There’s no need to (witch)hunt for tickets for this gruesome affair, you can get yours below!
The Pillowman (10 June)
Postponed due to Covid, the highly anticipated new revival of Martin McDonagh's darkly comedic play is finally opening in the capital this month and we cannot wait!
Starring Brit award winner Lilly Allen as Katurian (the first time this role has been played by a woman in an English-speaking country), alongside Inside Number 9’s Steve Pemberton as Tupolski, The Pillowman is a twisted tale of interpretations and accusations.
Set in an unnamed totalitarian dictatorship, fiction writer Katurian is being interrogated. Detectives want to know why the authors' stories depict scenes of horrific child murder and torture, and more importantly, why they seem to mirror a series of recent child killings in the area.
The line of questioning from the power-hungry police force takes a turn for the worse when Katurian’s mentally handicapped brother, Michal, confesses to the barbaric crimes and implicates Katurian in the process. With the threat of execution looming, can Katurian defend himself and all that has caused so much destruction?
A Strange Loop (17 June)
A theatre usher takes centre stage in this multi-award-winning Broadway transfer! Plagued by his thoughts and inner criticisms, Usher finds himself stuck in a strange loop indeed, as he (a fat, black, queer writer) attempts to pen a musical about a fat, black, queer writer who writes a musical about a fat, black, queer writer who… well, it's always good to write from what you know.
Intent on escaping his own self-image, Usher wrestles with the thoughts in his head, brought to life on stage by a hysterical, blunt, and bold ensemble.
Produced by Jennifer Hudson, Mindy Kaling and Alan Cumming, and endorsed by Bette Miller, Whoopie Goldberg and Cynthia Nixon, A Strange Loop is the Pulitzer Prize-winning phenomenon that took Broadway by storm. Don’t miss your chance to see this feel-good musical, playing at The Barbican for 12 weeks only.
The Wizard of Oz (23 June)
We’re off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz! The family favourite musical has followed the yellow brick road down to the London Palladium for 10 weeks only. Nikolai Foster’s re-imagined technicolour production sees Dorothy and her friends delve through the menacing Dark Forest and the bright neon lights of the retro-futuristic Emerald City, as the unlikely gang battle the Wicked Witch of the West and follow their heart’s desires.
The all-star cast includes multi-award-winning stand-up comedian, actor and singer Jason Manford as the Cowardly Lion. Founder, creative director and choreographer of Diversity, Ashley Banjo as the Tin Man, and award-winning singer, actor, and comedian Gary Wilmot as The Wizard. Don’t miss your chance to see this magical show, after all, there’s no place like the West End, there’s no place like the West End…
Crazy For You (24 June)
The ultimate musical comedy for those obsessed with theatre, Ken Ludwig’s magical production is returning to the West End!
Bobby Child (Charlie Stemp) is torn between his dreams of making it in showbiz and his mother and fiancée's demands for him to settle down and run the family bank in New York. His two worlds collide when he is forced to travel to Nevada to foreclose on a mortgage of a dilapidated Victorian theatre. There he meets the woman of his dreams, the theatre owner’s daughter, Polly (Carly Anderson), and his own personal drama begins.
Desperate to prove himself as the producer he knows he can be, and in an attempt to impress Polly, Bobby plans to host an unforgettable show to save the theatre. But what will happen when Polly discovers his real reason for the spectacle? There’s only one way to find out.
Also opening in London Theatres this month:
Es and Flo opens at the Kiln Theatre on 5 June 2023
Fury & Elysium opens at the Other Palace Studio on 6 June 2023
School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play opens at the Lyric Hammersmith on 9 June 2023
The Third Man opens at the Menier Chocolate Factory on 10 June 2023
Penn & Teller opens at the Eventim Apollo on 13 June 2023
Robin Hood The Legend. Re-Written opens at the Open Air Theatre on 17 June 2023
Scouts! The Musical opens at the Other Palace Studio on 20 June 2023
Song From Far Away opens at Hampstead Theatre on 28 June 2023
The Tempest - reimagined for anyone aged six and over opens at the Open Air Theatre on 30 June 2023
Modest opens at the Kiln Theatre on 30 June 2023
