British Theatre News: 12 January to 16 January 2026

The second week of January brings Gerry and Sewell to the Aldwych Theatre, marking a West End debut for the comedy duo whose theatrical work has generated substantial anticipation. English National Ballet opens Giselle at the London Coliseum, and the announcement is confirmed that Arcadia will open at the Bridge Theatre on 24 January, completing a January programme of genuine variety. Gerry and Sewell have opened at the Aldwych Theatre, bringing the comedy partnership's first theatrical production to the West End stage. The duo, whose work has developed a devoted following across other performance contexts, now brings that following into a traditional theatrical setting that places different demands on a comedy act than the forms in which they have built their reputation. The Aldwych Theatre is one of the West End's most historically significant venues, with a programme that has included some of the most celebrated theatrical productions of the past century. For a comedy act making its West End debut, the choice of the Aldwych signals both ambition and confidence, and the production will be assessed against the standards of that history as well as on its own terms. West End debuts by performers whose primary reputation lies outside theatrical forms are always interesting tests of how theatrical skills and other performance skills relate to each other. The disciplines that make a performer successful in other contexts do not automatically translate to the demands of the stage, but the best performers who make this transition bring something to the theatrical form that purely theatrical experience cannot always generate. The opening week's critical and audience responses will establish whether Gerry and Sewell have made the transition successfully, and the production will be one of the more closely watched events of the January programme. English National Ballet has opened its production of Giselle at the London Coliseum, one of London's largest theatrical venues and one that provides a particular kind of setting for classical ballet. Giselle is one of the central works of the classical ballet canon, its combination of romantic narrative, technical demands and theatrical pathos making it a production that any major ballet company must address. ENB's approach to Giselle will be assessed in the context of the full history of the work's staging, including previous ENB productions and the many productions by other companies that have established interpretive precedents. Classical ballet in 2026 exists in a complicated relationship with its own history: the pressure to preserve the traditions of the form exists alongside the imperative to make work that speaks to contemporary audiences, and the choices made in this production about how to navigate that tension will be among the subjects of critical discussion. The London Coliseum is one of the West End's largest spaces, and the experience of watching ballet in this venue has a different quality from seeing the same work at a smaller venue. The scale of the Coliseum can work in a ballet production's favour when the staging exploits its possibilities, and ENB's track record at this venue suggests they are well equipped to do so. The announcement is confirmed that Arcadia will open at the Bridge Theatre on 24 January, bringing Tom Stoppard's play about mathematics, time and romantic obsession back to the West End stage. Arcadia has been one of the most consistently admired plays of the past thirty years, its combination of intellectual ambition, theatrical invention and genuine emotion placing it in a category of serious dramatic achievement that very few plays of its era have reached. The Bridge Theatre is a particularly appropriate venue for Arcadia, its design flexibility allowing staging approaches that conventional proscenium venues cannot accommodate. Stoppard's plays benefit from theatrical imagination in their presentation, and the Bridge's history of innovative staging makes it a compelling home for the revival. The second week of January establishes a programme that will sustain into the spring season, as productions from across the autumn and the early new year find their audiences and settle into their runs. Hadestown continues to provide one of the programme's most consistently admired options, its themes of the underworld and the loss of hope carrying particular resonance in the winter months. Les Misérables maintains its position as the programme's most enduring production, its continued capacity to fill the Sondheim Theatre in the typically quieter January period a reflection of the show's remarkable ability to sustain audience enthusiasm across every month of the year. For comprehensive listings across London theatre venues, BritishTheatre.com provides details of current and upcoming productions. For tickets with real-time availability, tickadoo covers all major West End shows with seat maps and current pricing. tickadoo also offers theatre gift vouchers.