There’s a fresh new wind blowing through the West End. Time to take a look into the future. 2019, what’s in store for the musical theatre lover? Let’s kick off 2019 with some new shows. Starting with Come From Away. In case you missed it, or have been living under a rock, Come From Away was the first to announce it’s opening in the west End late January next year and they will be kicking of a great season 2019/20. On September 11 2001, when 38 planes have to land, due to security reasons, in a remote community, the small town of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, the residents suddenly find themselves in a mass of people and even bigger struggle to accommodate those nearly 7,000 ‘plane-people’ as they and the world are reeling in the days following the attacks.

October is the month. We have had the utmost luck at the end of September to witness the official launch of Waitress The Musical in the West End. Heading into the velvety soft hues of sultry red at Ronnie Scott’s in Soho, we were swept away by a life performance of singer/ songwriter extraordinare Sara Bareilles.

Waitress is the highly anticipated and long awaited Broadway hit we have been waiting for.

Jenna doesn’t have much, she doesn’t mind her job as a waitress at the local diner but it isn’t going anywhere. Her husband Earl is abusive, their marriage at the end. To escape it all she bakes, but soon her pies aren’t the only thing the town’s talking about. Shortly after discovering she is pregnant, the very last thing she wants to be, Jenna begins an affair with her new OBGYN, Dr Pomatter, who is also married. Jenna needs a way out and a pie baking contest might be exactly that but things don’t go exactly as planned. The musical made history as the first show with an all-female creative team.

We simply cannot wait until it opens it’s door early February next year, still tickets are already on sale, so book them while they’re hot.

Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 musical is hitting London next year in late January. The girls around Doralee are moving into the Savoy Theatre. Consolidated Industries is managed by the sexist and self-important Franklin Hart Jr. Violet, a long time employee, she’s always on top of things, Doralee is Mr Hart’s secretary, he makes advances to her which she constantly rebuffs while Judy has just started working at Consolidated but is struggling as she has no work experience. The women come together to teach Mr Hart a lesson and improve the company all around, so naturally they leave him hanging at home and decide to run the office their way! We think a worthy follow up to it’s pre-successor smash hit for over two years; Dreamgirls.

And can we please talk about the reopening of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Mary Poppins? Ah, we’re already making notes in our diaries, old and new, so we won’t miss a thing.

The Curious Incident is back for a limited 12 week run at the Piccadilly Theatre in late November 2018 after coming abck from a fantastic World Tour.

Another lady’s coming home. Mary Poppins will be back in autumn 2019. After years of being away from the West End, the revival of the popular musical will hit town early October next year in perfect sync with the new movie coming out Mary Poppins 2. It will move back into it’s old home at the Prince Edward theatre.

Last week only it has been confirmed that Dear Evan Hansen will jump over the big pond and will land in the West End November 2019. Well, Waitress had us ecstatic, this one leaves us near catatonic. The season 2019/20 is waiting with many a gem for the theatregoer.

Still, with so many new shows opening it is also a time of heartfelt fare wells and teary goodbyes. The earliest one is strictly Ballroom which closes its doors at the end of this month as well as Eugenius. This gem of a show got sadly cancelled last minute for their West End run as an investor pulled out. Crowdfund or Kickstarter anyone? There is something we could do, is there not?

So hurry if you want to see them both.

Meanwhile the Royal Drury Lane theatre will close for a bit after 42nd Street ends early January 2019. They will undergo a beauty makeover, you can apply for their lottery to give one or more of the old theatre seats a new home from late November onwards. Others will swap in and out in true West End fashion.

 Let us tell you a few shows you should catch before it’s too late;

 Eugenius

 Strictly Ballroom

 Foxfinder

 The Importance of Being Earnest

 Heathers The Musical

42nd Street

Chicago

Dreamgirls

Kinky Boots

Motown

Just a hint for all play lovers; The Pinter at the Pinter season is progressing nicely. David Suchet and Russell Tovey are filling the house and we will expect nothing less of Tamsin Greig, Meera Syal and Penelope Wilson for the next instalment. A note to all Martin Freeman fans out there; hurry. His Pinter at the Pinter part sells fast, and there are only so many days in a month. Book now to see him in February 2019.

We’ll see you next month and then we will see what the new season 2019/20 has in store for us on the play side of the West End. Gillian Anderson anyone? Oh yes please.

Until then.

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