See these West End shows over a bank holiday weekend

Enjoy a trio of May bank holidays in 2023. Plan West End theatre trips to popular shows, including Back to the Future, ABBA Voyage, and Moulin Rouge! The Musical.

We are awash with Bank Holidays in May: not one, not two, but three Bank Holiday Mondays! There are the usual spring Bank Holidays (on 1 May and 29 May), plus an extra one for the Coronation (on 8 May). That means three long weekends to spend time with family or friends, and perhaps — British weather depending — attempt the year’s first barbecue or picnic.

How about an activity that you can enjoy even if April showers turn into May downpours? This is a great opportunity to catch up on some fantastic London shows, whether it’s revisiting a favourite West End musical, checking out a hot new theatre production, or enjoying a show that caters to the whole family.

So, read on for our recommendations for Bank Holiday shows in London.

Back to the Future

Use your Bank Holiday Monday to take a thrilling sci-fi trip. Back to the Future is the perfect theatre choice for a family outing, as there’s something here for everyone — whether it’s nostalgia for the original film, the excitement of the special effects and a flying car, or the joy of a big-hearted, rock ‘n’ roll musical spectacular.

Join Marty McFly and scientist Doc Brown as they endeavour to return Marty from the 1950s to the 1980s, after he accidentally travels back in time. But he also needs to help his parents fall in love and change his family’s destiny. Oh, and also fit in a killer guitar solo. Bet on “The Power of Love” this Bank Holiday weekend.

Book Back to the Future tickets on London Theatre.

Oklahoma!

If you haven’t yet seen Daniel Fish’s award-winning, revolutionary version of the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, then this is the perfect chance to catch up with it. The sold-out Young Vic production is now in the West End, and this is Oklahoma! reborn as a moody, sexy, provocative piece of theatre with striking new musical arrangements and powerful drama.

Olivier-winning Arthur Darvill leads the cast as cowboy Curly McLain, alongside Patrick Vaill as Jud Fry, Anoushka Lucas as Laurey Williams, Georgina Onourah (with Paige Peddie taking over on 15 May) as Ado Annie, and Liza Sadovy (then Sally Ann Triplett) as Aunt Eller. This Bank Holiday, experience the exciting production that everyone is talking about — you just cain’t say no!

Book Oklahoma! tickets on London Theatre.

ABBA Voyage

There’s no entertainment outing quite like this in London — or anywhere. ABBA Voyage is the closest you can come to seeing the band perform in their heyday, combined with astonishing cutting-edge technology which creates their digital avatars via motion capture and seamlessly integrates them into a concert with a 10-piece live band and jaw-dropping lighting effects.

As for the setlist, it’s all your ABBA favourites – like “Mamma Mia,” “Knowing Me, Knowing You,” “Fernando,” “Lay All Your Love On Me,” “The Winner Takes It All,” and “Waterloo.” If you want to make your Bank Holiday show experience even more special, check out the dance floor tickets and get closer to the action.

Book ABBA Voyage tickets on London Theatre.

Guys & Dolls

You can also get fully immersed in this incredible new production of the beloved musical Guys & Dolls at the Bridge Theatre. Nicholas Hytner’s inventive revival places a section of the audience in the centre of the auditorium, and has platforms whooshing up and down around them to create different staging areas. You’re right in the heart of New York, Havana, or down in the sewers with the gamblers.

This Guys & Dolls also boasts a phenomenal cast, led by Daniel Mays as Nathan Detroit, Marisha Wallace as Miss Adelaide, Celinde Schoenmaker as Sarah Brown, Andrew Richardson as Sky Masterson, and Cedric Neal as Nicely-Nicely Johnson. Will luck be a lady tonight? You can bet on it — making this the perfect Bank Holiday treat.

Book Guys & Dolls seated tickets.

Book Guys & Dolls standing tickets.

Pretty Woman: The Musical

It’s your last chance to catch the stage musical version of the iconic movie: the West End production is coming to the end of its run in June. So, get together a group of Pretty Woman fans and revisit all your favourite moments and lines from the Julia Roberts and Richard Gere-starring romcom – plus there are great new songs and scenes.

Aimie Atkinson stars as Vivian Ward, alongside Courtney Bowman as best pal Kit de Luca: two SIX queens now ruling the Savoy Theatre. Excitingly, Oliver Tompsett (whose many leading roles include & Juliet, Kinky Boots and Wicked) joins the cast as Edward Lewis for its final few weeks — an extra incentive to choose this as your Bank Holiday theatre trip.

Book Pretty Woman: The Musical tickets on London Theatre.

Les Misérables

If you need an excuse to make a return visit to Les Mis, or if it’s always stayed on your must-see list but you haven’t managed it yet, then the advent of a fantastic new cast should do the trick. The West End company now boasts Josh Piterman as Jean Valjean, Stewart Clarke as Javert, Lucie Jones as Fantine, and Claire Machin as Madame Thénardier.

Of course, the show still features all those stirring songs like “I Dreamed A Dream”, “Bring Him Home”, “On My Own”, and “Do You Hear the People Sing?”, plus an evocative staging with design inspired by Victor Hugo’s own paintings — all in the gorgeously refurbished Sondheim Theatre. Locate your inner revolutionary this Bank Holiday Monday.

Book Les Misérables tickets on London Theatre.

The Mousetrap

Or perhaps you’d like to test your crime-solving prowess over the long weekend? Instead of passively bingeing another streaming drama, why not watch a murder mystery play out live — and try to solve its fiendish twists and turns, as cooked up by none other than the Queen of Crime herself, Agatha Christie.

The Mousetrap is the longest-running play of all time, yet it still bamboozles audiences today. It’s a classic set-up, with a group of strangers trapped together in a guest house in the countryside, and a killer on the loose. Can you guess their secrets and figure out whodunit, before it’s too late? Make this Bank Holiday Monday a detective special.

Book The Mousetrap tickets on London Theatre.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Truth, beauty, freedom, love… and spectacular entertainment. That’s the stage version of Baz Luhrmann’s beloved movie in a nutshell, and this West End musical provides glorious escapism. Join Satine and Christian as they fall in love at the Moulin Rouge nightclub in Paris. While Christian’s bohemian friends try to mount a new show, a wealthy duke pursues Satine.

Just like the film, there are numerous creative mash-ups of contemporary pop songs — including the dramatic “El Tango de Roxanne” sequence and plenty of new additions. The Tony Award-winning musical also features incredible costumes, sets and dance routines, making you feel like you really are heading to the Moulin Rouge this Bank Holiday Monday.

Book Moulin Rouge! The Musical tickets on London Theatre.