Best new theatre shows: London, November 2023

Stranger Things: The First Shadow, Phoenix Theatre

One of the most highly anticipated productions of the year, a stage spin-off of hit Netflix sci-fi series Stranger Things is coming to the West End. Set decades before the 80s TV show in 1959, Stranger Things: The First Shadow follows the youthful years of the show's chief adults: Jim Hopper, Joyce Maldonado and Bob Newby. The action unfolds in the series' fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana, and we've a feeling all the troubles of the Upside Down won't be far away.

The House of Bernarda Alba

Alice Birch ([BLANK]) is behind this new adaptation of Federico García Lorca's play about a grieving, domineering mother who forces her five daughters into an extended period of mourning. What's more, Rebecca Frecknall (A Streetcar Named Desire) is directing it. Topping off what's already set to be an exciting production is the fact that Harriet Walter (Succession, Killing Eve) is leading the cast as the titular matriarch.

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Backstairs Billy, Duke of York's Theatre

Penelope Wilton (Downton Abbey) and Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast) star in this new comedy imagining the Queen Mother coming head-to-head with striking workers in 1979. Former royal family steward William ‘Billy’ Tallon plays a pivotal role. It sounds quirky, doesn't it? Hopefully director Michael Grandage steers it in the right direction.

Ghosts, Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

It's not only director Joe Hill-Gibbins making a Globe Theatre debut with Ghosts. The production marks the first time any work by Henrik Ibsen has played the candle-lit Sam Wanamaker Playhouse. The modern tragedy caused a stir when it premiered 150-odd years ago with its themes of incest and euthanasia. See what fresh eyes bring to the tale of family secrets and forbidden desire.

The Witches, National Theatre

A musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Witches is the National Theatre's Christmas show this year. With a stellar team comprising Lucy Kirkwood (book and lyrics), Dave Malloy (music and lyrics), and director Lyndsey Turner behind it, we're expecting a classy take on the story of a little boy out to save the nation's children from evil, plotting witches.

Will it be scary? Possibly! The theatre's pitching this one at those aged 8+.

My Neighbour Totoro, Barbican Theatre

Following a sell-out, critically acclaimed world premiere last autumn, the Royal Shakespeare Company's production of the much-loved Studio Ghibli movie My Neighbour Totoro returns to the Barbican Theatre this autumn/winter.

Christopher Eccleston in A Christmas Carol, Old Vic Theatre 2023

The Old Vic Theatre's production of A Christmas Carol, adapted by Jack Thorne and directed by Matthew Warchus, has become a festive tradition since it opened to glowing reviews in 2017. Each year, the production is fronted by a new, and for 2023, it's Doctor Who star Christopher Eccleston shouting 'bah humbug!' at Dickens' merrymakers.