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August is, hands down, the slowest month of the year for theatre in London. Lots of venues are closed, lots of people have buggered off to the Edinburgh Fringe – including us! – there are weeks in September with more openings than the whole of August.
But still: this is London, and there’s a non-negligible amount of cool summer stuff happening, from a starry West End debut for cult show Every Brilliant Thing to the long-awaited return of Secret Cinema. Here, then, is the very best of the month.
The best new London theatre openings in August 2025
1. Every Brilliant Thing
What is it? Duncan Macmillan’s much-loved depression monologue Every Brilliant Thing has been a cult hit across the world, translated into every language from Arabic to Mandarin. The drama about an unnamed protagonist compiling a gigantic list of everything good about the world always seemed too intimate for the West End – but finally here it comes in a supercharged production that deploys a wild array of celebrities to take turns performing it over the course of its run: Lenny Henry, Ambika Mod, Sue Perkins, Minnie Driver plus Johnny Donahoe, its original performer and co-creator.
@sohoplace, Aug 1-Nov 8. Book tickets here.
2. Brigadoon
What is it? Lerner & Loewe’s Brigadoon is widely regarded as one of the great 20th century musical scores: it’s just a shame about the plot, which originally revolved around some American game hunters stumbling across a magical disappearing Scottish village and finding love with the fey, romantic folk within. In other words, it’s very offensive to the Scots and thus hasn’t been seen in this country for decades. But new Open Air Theatre boss Drew McOnie has found a solution: the composers’ estates have mercifully agreed to let top Scottish playwright Rona Munro give the book a fairly hearty rewrite. It’s an exciting prospect.
Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, Aug 2-Sep 20. Buy tickets here.
3. Secret Cinema’s Grease the Immersive Movie Experience
What is it? Secret Cinema is back! And after three years away it sounds like they’ve come up with something a little different. Where most of their shows of yore involved an immersive theatre experience based around a film followed by a screening of said film that could almost feel like an afterthought, this ‘immersive movie experience’ sets you on a journey in which you watch the film as you traverse the immersive bits. We’ll have to see it to get our heads around it, but it sounds like a good idea. Grease is the start of a projected three-summer stand at Evolution London in Battersea Park.
Evolution London, Aug 1-Sep 7. Buy tickets here.
4. Good Night, Oscar
What is it? Post-pandemic the Barbican has given up its summers to a succession of big budget musicals. But with Fiddler on the Roof having already fulfilled that role this season, the summer show is a transfer of this hit Broadway drama about a dramatic night in the life of pianist and noted wit Oscar Levant, a mainstay of mid-twentieth century US talk shows. Will & Grace man Sean Hayes will reprise his Tony-winning title performance, starring opposite our own Rosalie Craig.
Barbican Centre, now until Sep 21. Buy tickets here.
5. Juniper Blood
What is it? Announced scarcely a month before it opened, this new drama from the mercurial Mike Bartlett is an intriguing one, following a couple as they attempt to escape the urban rat race and retreat to a farm – at considerable cost to themselves. Is it Mike Bartlett does The Good Life? Maybe - and would that be such a bad thing? Whatever the case, James Macdonald’s production looks very promising, with a great looking cast that includes Hattie Morahan’s first stage role in a couple of years.
Donmar Warehouse, Aug 16-Oct 4.
6. Twelfth Night
What is it? The most straightforward piece of programming in a somewhat eccentric Globe summer season is a production of the beloved Twelfth Night that will see Robin Belfield – who directed last year’s Princess Essex – get a crack at a Shakespeare play. There’s a suggestion it might have a carnival theme of sorts, but essentially it looks like a good vibes take on a comedy that can come across as rather melancholy. Ronke Adékoluéjó will play Viola, with reliably hilarious Globe regular Pierce Quigley as Malvolio.
Shakespeare’s Globe, Aug 6-Oct 25. Buy tickets here.
7. Interview
What is it? An interesting bit of late summer programming from Riverside Studios, with a two-hander stage adaptation of this tense drama about a jaded veteran reporter forced to do an interview with a starlet he sees as beneath him. If this is sounding a bit familiar, that’s because there have already been two screen versions: the original, by Theo van Gogh in 2003, and a Steve Buschemi English language remake that came along in 2007. A 2025 update for the age of influencers and smartphones makes a lot of sense and it’ll be on stage this August, with US actors Robert Sean Leonard and Patten Hughes starring.
Riverside Studios, Aug 23-Sep 27.
8. A Man for All Seasons
What is it? Before there was Wolf Hall there was… A Man for All Seasons. This relatively rare chance to see a production of Robert Bolt’s classic drama about Thomas More, the polymath chancellor to Henry VIII, whose days became numbered after he failed to support the king in his schism with Rome. Transferring to the West End for a short stint after an acclaimed run in Bath, it stars veteran actor Martin Shaw as More.
Harold Pinter Theatre, Aug 6-Sep 6. Buy tickets here.
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
What is it? Sally Cookson’s sweepingly psychedelic take on CS Lewis’s iconic kids’ fantasy novel was a big hit for the Bridge Theatre back in the day and is still doing the rounds to this day, albeit in slightly redirected form. If you’re running low on things to do with kids at the tail end of the hols, this short stint at the tail end of the summer hols should get them back on side.
Sadler’s Wells, Aug 20-Sep 7. Buy tickets here.
10. Camden Fringe
What is it? The Camden Fringe is vastly more ramshackle, DIY and ‘early career’ than its more famous Edinburgh equivalent. But we wouldn’t have it any other way: it’s a thoroughly loveable phenomenon that instils a sense of community and drive to London’s increasingly fragmented fringe scene. Also tickets are cheap as chips – dip in and support a little local art, and you might just come across an unexpected gem.
Various Camden venues, now until Aug 24.
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