The West End has gone dark. The lights are off, and the auditoriums are empty. Across the country, audiences have moved online to watch streamed shows. These performances offer brilliant entertainment for everyone over lockdown, but there is no denying they offer a different experience to live shows. Many musical theatre fans miss sitting metres away from their favourite stars, hearing the magic as it is made. Fortunately, several productions have announced their plans for upcoming shows, including tours, when it is safe for musical lovers to come together again. Although we don’t know when theatres will reopen again, here are seven shows you can look forward to seeing post-lockdown.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Sheffield-grown Everybody’s Talking about Jamie, which is now housed at the Apollo Theatre, is the perfect feel-good show to see in celebration of life beginning to return to normal. With its joyous atmosphere, fabulous costumes, and upbeat songs, pick this show if you want to begin this new chapter with a bang. Since the film adaptation is due to be released this February, there is no better time to see the show that everybody’s going to be talking about this year.

Hamilton

There is never a bad time to see Hamilton. The show’s record-breaking 11 Tony Awards and Pulitzer Prize for Drama speak for themselves. If you were able to watch the original Broadway cast’s performance on DisneyPlus, you will know that getting the chance to see the real thing for yourself shouldn’t be passed up. Tickets are on sale now for May 2021, so don’t throw away your shot!

Moulin Rouge!

Although it is not set to open until autumn, this adaptation of Baz Luhrmann’s film, which was itself a theatrical spectacular, is not to be missed. From the director of Beetlejuice, Alex Timbers, and with choreography by Sonya Tayeh, of So You Think You Can Dance fame, this show promises to entertain bohemians, aristocrats, boulevardiers and mademoiselles alike.

Cinderella

This show looks set to be a critic’s favourite when it opens in spring; it’s difficult to imagine how any production combining the talent of Carrie Hope Fletcher and Andrew Lloyd Webber could not be. It’s the classic story, reimagined. Following a delayed opening because of COVID-19, excitement for the show has been building, so it’s likely everyone will be clamouring to see it.

Six

After becoming a firm favourite with musical fans when it first opened in 2017, Six has gone from strength to strength, with a perhaps unexpected triumph being the fame it gained on TikTok during the first lockdown. There are now over 200,000 videos featuring the song’s witty lyrics on the site. For any TikTokers that are eager to see the show for themselves, the musical can be seen on the West End or in Southampton, Salford and Plymouth, as part of a UK tour later this year.

The Prince of Egypt

DreamWorks’ The Prince of Egypt delivers enthralling music, a touching story, and powerful performances certain to move audiences. The stage show not only includes the well-loved tracks from the film but ten new songs, offering audiences this well-known story as they have never seen it before.

& Juliet

If you think you know what to expect from this musical based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, think again. Although & Juliet takes one of the world’s most famous plays as its starting point, this jukebox musical rejects Shakespeare’s tragic ending, offering its own spin on the tale, complete with pop songs. Following not one, not two, but three lockdowns, a nice change might be needed for many of us, so this innovative musical is one to get excited about.

Edited by Jemma Snowdon