Musical Theatre Must-See List 2019

pippa sitting in theatre seat, holding up hamilton programme and smiling

New year, new idealistic musical theatre plans…

I haven’t done a post like this before, but after sharing quite a scrappy note of my must-see list on my Instagram stories and seeing people’s curiosity (which made my heart warm: you lot are my FAVES), I decided to share my 2019 must-see musicals list here as well. Everything’s linked by the title, and I hope you find some potential new favourites on there for yourselves too.

I’ll tell you right now that there’s no chance I’m going to see everything on this list, but I’m sure as heck giving it a good go. I’ve known for a while that 2019 was going to be a Good Theatre Year for me, with so many of my all-time favourites heading out on tour and some much-anticipated musicals transferring to the West End. So, if you too are one of the lucky souls living in Yorkshire surrounded by incredible regional theatre, you can find my top picks below. And keep scrolling for some West End highlights (and deals and discounts!) too… 

Regional Theatre

Abigail’s Party*

York Grand Opera House (28th January- 2nd February)

Perhaps a bit of a random one to start with, and not one I’d heard of myself before, but the press release landed in my inbox and I knew instantly it sounded right up my street. Described as one of Britain’s best celebrated comedies, any production that features ‘classic disco and cheese and pineapple sticks’ in the synopsis is an automatic yes from me. Hailed as ‘One of the greatest plays about the human condition ever written’ by The Guardian, I cannot wait to see if this one lives up to its reputation.

AND, just before I set this post live, York Grand Opera House revealed they’ve partnered with City of York Council to offer £5 tickets for Abigail’s Party for people aged 26 and under. Just head to this page* and use promo code ‘ABIGAIL5’ to redeem (and be sure to bring ID!).

 

Blood Brothers

Sheffield Theatres (5th-9th Feb)

If I catch Blood Brothers this year, it’ll be my sixth time seeing it. I feel like it’s a production that’s been slightly lost on our generation but it has to be one of the greatest musicals of all time. And if you’re going to see it, don’t read the plot or any spoilers. I’d give anything to experience that ending again for the first time: let the shock of it take your breath away like it does me, even after seeing it multiple times and knowing exactly what’s going to happen. Nyaghhhh.

 

Matilda The Musical

Bradford Theatres (19th Feb-23rd March)

This will be the first ever Matilda UK Tour and you BET I’m going to witness it for myself if it’s the last thing I do. Every time you see it, you appreciate the witty score and lyrics even more, and I’d challenge anybody not to be blown away by the cleverness and charm of this production. But in case you need further convincing, here’s my review of the West End production.

matilda production shot, featuring children holding balloons behind table that reads 'birthday' in big red letters

Fame The Musical*

York Grand Opera House (4th-9th March)

If you danced as a child and never danced to Fame, were you really a dancer? I’ve never seen this one before, nor do I fully know the story (I know, theatre blogger who…?), but the casting alone was enough to convince me to book tickets and witness those iconic routines for myself.

 

Standing At The Sky’s Edge

Sheffield Theatres (15th March- 6th April)

I’ve been ridiculously excited for this one ever since I first heard about it, a good year ago. Sheffield Theatres put on cracking productions, and I cannot wait to see what they do with the story of the infamous Park Hill flats in the city.

 

Annie

Sheffield Theatres (22nd-27th April)

I was gutted to miss Annie in the West End, so it’s a complete blessing that it’s going on tour. Having only ever seen clips of the older movie and productions, I’m beyond excited to see what could be a more modern twist on a timeless classic. If you’ve seen this one, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

 

Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet

Bradford Theatres (22nd-25th May)

Tickets to this one were my mum’s Christmas present from me, and it means the world that we’re going to catch the world premiere of Matthew Bourne’s latest production relatively early on in its debut tour. SQUEEEE. Bourne is one of the most iconic choreographers of our time, and I’ll be counting down the sleeps until we see what he does with this classic tale. The last MB production I saw was The Red Shoes and it damn near broke me, as you may *just* be able to tell from my 2017 review.

 

Comedy About A Bank Robbery

Sheffield Theatres (29th May – 1st June)

I’d originally hoped to catch this one in Leeds towards the end of last year, but hopefully life won’t get in the way this time and I’ll get to witness it this year instead. Mischief Theatre are utter comedic geniuses, and it’s appalling I haven’t seen any of their productions in person yet; let’s hope 2019 is the year we rectify that. And if you’re not local, there’s currently a beauuutiful 49% off discount off tickets for the Comedy About A Bank Robbery West End production on the Encore Tickets website*.

 

Little Miss Sunshine*

York Grand Opera House (3rd-8th June)

Oh guys. Little Miss Sunshine is one of my all-time favourite films, so you can imagine the state of shock/disbelief I was in when it was announced that it was to become a musical in 2019. I do have fears that it won’t live up to the hype I’ve created in my head, but I am SO excited for this one regardless.

 

kinky boots production shot featuring charlie kissing lauren, wearing the red kinky boots

Kinky Boots The Musical

Sheffield Theatres (10th-22nd June)

And just when you thought I couldn’t get any more excited, we have the Kinky Boots UK Tour. Now, Kinky Boots is one of my favourite musicals and cast recordings of all time: I challenge you to listen to just one song on there and not feel all warm and glowy inside. I’m fully debating booking multiple tickets during its time in Sheffield and then following them to Bradford too… that’s how next level fabulous it is.

 

Life Of Pi

Sheffield Theatres (28th June -20th July)

I’m in two minds about Life Of Pi, but I hope to read the book beforehand and make a decision on this one. Again, it’s a brand new production from Sheffield Theatres that will be a world premiere, and I have no doubts that it’ll be of the highest standard and if I don’t see it, I’ll likely live to regret it.

 

Young Frankenstein

TBC… (September 2019)

Now, I never thought I would be fangirling over Young Frankenstein. But after I saw it on the West End last year, I was a changed woman… it was genuinely one of the best pieces of theatre I have ever seen. The UK Tour is coming but dates and locations are yet to be announced. If you want to keep up to date, I’m sure you can do that on their website. Alternatively, you could just follow me on social media and I’m sure you’ll be witness to some kind of meltdown when that news comes through. Theatre fans, I beg of you, see this one on my blessing. Words can’t do justice to how awesome it is.

West End Theatre

Six The Musical* (from January)

Six absolutely blessed the UK theatre scene. I was lucky enough to catch the show last year, and you BET I’m going back again with my best friend in tow to experience it all over again. You can read my thoughts on those six sassy queens in my review here, and get all the tickets your heart desires for the most competitive prices here.

 

Come From Away* (from January)

Although I can’t claim to know a great deal about Come From Away, I really value the views of my theatre blogger friends, and the anticipation for this one is next level. It’s a true story based on a small community which takes in 7000 air passengers who’ve been grounded in the aftermath of 9/11. It sounds so unique and intriguing that if I can possibly squeeze it in, it’s absolutely happening.

 

waitress promotional image featuring katharine mcphee in costume, holding a pie

Waitress* (from February)

Ohhh, Waitress has been such a long time coming. Following the story of a small town waitress hoping to bake her way into bigger and better horizons, it’s been described as a ‘little slice of heaven’… and from the gorgeous songs I’ve heard, it’s certainly not my place to disagree. Katherine McFee is starring, Sara Bareilles’ music is featuring, and I’m hoping to book tickets for April, ASAP. Have you got yours yet?

 

Dear Evan Hansen (from November)

And this is the big one of 2019 for me: Dear Evan Hansen. Theatre fans have patiently waited For Forever (not sorry) the West End Transfer and would you look at that, it just happens to fall upon the month of my 25th birthday. No surprises what I’ll be asking for this year…  and yes, it does still feel like a lifetime and a half away, but there is a novel adaptation by Penguin you can be getting stuck into in the meantime, and I reviewed it here. Yay!

It’s no secret that January is the best time of year to book your theatre tickets for the next 12 months. There’s sales and offers all over the place, and I tend to tweet about these as I see them, but I couldn’t finish this post without mentioning Encore Tickets’ January Giveaway*: for every £50 you spend on tickets this month, you’ll get a free £10 voucher. And given they also have their January Sale on with £10 tickets up for grabs*, that free voucher could get you tickets for another show at no extra cost. It’d be rude not to treat yourself or a loved one, right?

Now tell me about your stagey plans for the year. What’s on your theatre must-see list for 2019? I’d love to hear all about it on social media or in the comments below!

Links marked with * are affiliate links: I earn a small commission from any purchase made from following these affiliate links, at no extra cost to you.

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