London

<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-outdoor-theatre">OUTDOOR THEATRE </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="512" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Unknown-2-1-1024x512.jpeg" alt="Regent's Park Open Air Theatre" class="wp-image-22399" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Unknown-2-1-1024x512.jpeg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Unknown-2-1-300x150.jpeg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Unknown-2-1-768x384.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Unknown-2-1.jpeg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Regent&#8217;s Park Open Air Theatre</figcaption></figure>



<a href="https://openairtheatre.com/whats-on" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Open Air Theatre</a>&nbsp;at Regents Park is arguably the hottest spot for picnics and al fresco shows in the capital, and there&#8217;s the usual fabulous line up this summer. Things kicked off earlier this month with&nbsp;A Life In Four Seasons&nbsp;(11-14 June),&nbsp;which will be followed by A Midsummer Night’s Dream&nbsp;(20 June-18 July) and&nbsp;CATS&nbsp;(25 July-19 Sept).&nbsp;



Not to be out done,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Shakespeare’s Globe</a>&nbsp;on the South Bank has launched a strong programme for its open air theatre this summer including&nbsp;<a href="https://muddystilettos.tixculture.com/london/shows/46231-mother-courage-and-her-children-globe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mother Courage and Her Children</a>&nbsp;starring Michelle Terry (runs until 27 June) ,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/a-midsummer-nights-dream/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Midsummer Night’s Dream</a>&nbsp;(runs until 29 Aug) and&nbsp;<a href="https://muddystilettos.tixculture.com/london/shows/24622-much-ado-about-nothing-or-globe" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Much Ado About Nothing</a>&nbsp;(11 June-24 Oct).&nbsp;



<a href="https://chiswickhouseandgardens.org.uk/whats-on/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Chiswick House &amp; Gardens</a>&nbsp;makes for an enchanting outdoor theatre experience and the summer programme includes&nbsp;Othello&nbsp;(30 June),&nbsp;Love’s Labour’s Lost&nbsp;(11 July) and&nbsp;The Tale of Peter Rabbit&nbsp;(2 Aug).&nbsp;



If music be the food of love, play on at <a href="https://www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-on/theatre-on-kew-24" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Theatre on Kew</a> in Kew Gardens, where&nbsp;Twelfth Night&#8216;s being performed&nbsp;(25 July-12 Aug) alongside Wind in the Willows&nbsp;(18 July-23 Aug) and an&nbsp;Encanto&nbsp;sing-a-long (18-21 June). Meanwhile, Mozart’s&nbsp;Così fan tutte&nbsp;(28 May-13 June) and Lewis Carroll’s&nbsp;Alice in Wonderland&nbsp;(19-27 June) are the summer highlights at al fresco&nbsp;<a href="https://operahollandpark.com/season-and-events/2024-season/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Opera Holland Park</a>&nbsp;in Holland Park.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-indoor-theatre">INDOOR THEATRE </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="594" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-16-at-12.09.01-1024x594.png" alt="The Misanthrope " class="wp-image-22401" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-16-at-12.09.01-1024x594.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-16-at-12.09.01-300x174.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-16-at-12.09.01-768x445.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Screenshot-2026-06-16-at-12.09.01.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Misanthrope </figcaption></figure>



Summer&#8217;s hot ticket? <a href="https://muddystilettos.tixculture.com/london/shows/46246-the-misanthrope" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Misanthrope</a> at the Lyttelton Theatre (16 June–1 Aug), starring Emmy and Golden Globe nominated Sandra Oh (Killing Eve). This will be the A-lister’s debut at the National Theatre and she’ll be leading the cast of Martin Crimp’s blistering new version of Moliere’s greatest comedy about the shallowness and vanity of celebrity directed by Indhu Rubasingham (The Father and the Assassin). 



Other new plays opening this summer include <a href="https://muddystilettos.tixculture.com/london/shows/46821-arcadia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Arcadia</a> at the Old Vic (20 June-12 Sept), Tom Stoppard’s masterpiece linking 1809 and present day via maths, history, truth and sex. Catch Arron Sorkin&#8217;s brilliant adaptation of Harper Lee&#8217;s <a href="https://muddystilettos.tixculture.com/london/shows/46321-to-kill-a-mockingbird" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">To Kill A Mockingbird</a> (25 June-12 Sept) at Wyndham&#8217;s Theatre, and don&#8217;t miss <a href="https://www.londontheatre.co.uk/show/46613-the-oresteia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Oresteia</a> at the Bridge Theatre (2 July-19 Sept), a haunting story about a modern family who wake up in a Greek myth and can&#8217;t find their way out of a hellish destiny (sounds like an average day to Muddy). 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="512" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Unknown-3-2-1024x512.jpeg" alt="Death Note: The Musical " class="wp-image-22400" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Unknown-3-2-1024x512.jpeg 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Unknown-3-2-300x150.jpeg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Unknown-3-2-768x384.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/06/Unknown-3-2.jpeg 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Death Note: The Musical </figcaption></figure>



Big new musicals to make a song and dance about include <a href="https://muddystilettos.tixculture.com/london/shows/46365-death-note-the-musical" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Death Note: The Musical</a> (30 July-12 Sept) at the Barbican Centre, based on the legendary Manga books. We&#8217;re also looking forward to being transported back to the 90s when <a href="https://muddystilettos.tixculture.com/london/shows/46540-trainspotting-the-musical" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Trainspotting The Musical</a> (15 July-5 Sept) opens at Theatre Royal Haymarket. And, if you want to do it your way, go see <a href="https://muddystilettos.tixculture.com/london/shows/46142-sinatra-the-musical" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sinatra The Musical</a>&nbsp;(3 June-1 Aug) at the&nbsp;Aldwych Theatre&nbsp;which will be filled with favourite tunes interwoven into a dramatic plot his love for wife Nancy and movie goddess Ava Gardner. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-theatre-for-kids-amp-teens">THEATRE FOR KIDS &amp; TEENS </h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="731" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-09.20.29-1024x731.png" alt="Beeltjuice the musical " class="wp-image-20765" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-09.20.29-1024x731.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-09.20.29-300x214.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-09.20.29-768x548.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-29-at-09.20.29.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Beetlejuice The Musical </figcaption></figure>



Theatre ticket prices can be a bit punchy when you&#8217;re suddenly paying for the whole family to go, so check out <a href="https://officiallondontheatre.com/kids-week/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Kids Week 2026</a> (20 July-31 Aug) where children under 17 go FREE when accompanied by an adult at many top shows, plus you can take an additional two kids for half the price. For example, tickets for <a href="https://sohotheatre.com/events/the-cat-in-the-hat/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cat in the Hat</a> at Soho Theatre Walthamstow are from £12 (adult &amp; child) while <a href="https://beetlejuicemusical.co.uk" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Beetlejuice The Musical</a> costs just £40 (adult &amp; child).&nbsp;Mega savings. 



Other stand out shows to see with the kids this summer include <a href="https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/whats-on/a-world-elsewhere/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A World Elsewhere</a> (25 July-30 Aug) at Shakespeare’s Globe, which follows the story of a boy named Cass who finds real life tricky so takes refuge in his imagination. Inspired by tales from Shakespeare, read to him by his gran, expect to see witches, shipwrecks, ghosts and ghouls.&nbsp;



<a href="https://zogonstage.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Zog</a> at Cadogan Hall (ends 23 Aug) is another win if the kids are in their Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler phase, in which case you might also want to check out <a href="https://thelyrictheatre.co.uk/tickets/the-gruffalo-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Gruffalo</a>, which is playing at The Lyric Theatre (17 July &#8211; 6 Sept).&nbsp;



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="878" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-30-at-10.23.43-1-1024x878.png" alt="Dog Man the musical" class="wp-image-20812" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-30-at-10.23.43-1-1024x878.png 1024w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-30-at-10.23.43-1-300x257.png 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-30-at-10.23.43-1-768x658.png 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/london/wp-content/uploads/sites/24/2026/04/Screenshot-2026-04-30-at-10.23.43-1.png 1500w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Dog Man: The Musical </figcaption></figure>



Last but not least, <a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/kids/dog-man-the-musical/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dog Man: The Musical</a> (29 July-16 Aug) is on at the Southbank Centre this summer and an absolute must-see for any kids obsessed with Dav Pilkey&#8217;s multi-million selling books about a half-dog, half-man superhero who protects his city from all kinds of hilarious antics. 



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-looking-for-more">LOOKING FOR MORE? </h2>



<ul>
<li><a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/best-art-exhibitions-2026/">5 unmissable London exhibitions to see in 2026</a></li>



<li><a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/june-guide/">June guide to London&nbsp;</a></li>



<li><a href="https://london.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/arts-culture/stars-on-stage-celebrity-theatre-to-book-now-and-later-in-the-year/">Celeb theatre to book now</a></li>
</ul>

Curtain up: The best London theatre to book this summer

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