The Greatest Showman Tickets in London at Theatre Royal Drury Lane
This could be Disney's biggest stage musical since Frozen, which also starred Samantha Barks here at Drury Lane, and perhaps even since The Lion King. The Greatest Showman opens at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in spring 2027: the stage musical of the 2017 film, with every song from the film and new ones by the same songwriters, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. Tickets aren't on sale yet. Disney says they'll be released later this autumn, and you can sign up below to hear when. Below: what's been announced, who's in it, and where to sit for a show with circus and aerial routines in it.
At Theatre Royal Drury Lane, near Covent Garden
Who's The Greatest Showman For?
- Anyone who has played the soundtrack to death. "This Is Me", "Rewrite the Stars", "Never Enough" and "The Greatest Show" are all in it, sung live.
- Families who watched the film together, since the stage version follows the same story.
- People who like a big-spectacle night out. The production uses circus, magic and an incredible aerial routine for "Rewrite the Stars".
Not for you if you're hoping for a new story: this is the film's, told on stage.
What's The Greatest Showman About?
P.T. Barnum is a restless maverick, intolerable at times, who won't live the life everyone expects of him. Determined to build the greatest show on earth, he gathers the people the world has tried to ignore, and what he builds turns out far bigger than he imagined.
The stage version keeps the film's story but changes some of the detail. Several of the performers Barnum recruits are new characters, and in Bristol he started out working for a demolition company.
The Songs: All your favourites from the film
The songs are why most people will book, and every one from the film is in the show: "The Greatest Show", "A Million Dreams", "Come Alive", "The Other Side", "Never Enough", "This Is Me", "Rewrite the Stars", "Tightrope" and "From Now On". They're by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, whose soundtrack for the film won a Grammy, and "This Is Me" was nominated for an Oscar.
For the musical, Pasek and Paul have written five new songs. Disney's Anne Quart says they feel the new ones "could have been on the original album". One of them, "Skybound", is a romantic ballad sung as an aerial duet by Phillip Carlyle and the trapeze artist Anne Wheeler.
The staging is built around the music. The band plays from a "sky pit" above the stage, "Rewrite the Stars" is even performed in the air, and one of the new numbers has Barnum dodging hammers juggled around him. In Bristol, "Never Enough" drew the biggest applause of the night, according to the Times.
London's running order isn't out yet, so it may change a little from Bristol's.
Where to Sit
For a show that puts performers up in the air, book a seat that sees the full height of the stage. The rows to pick and the rows to avoid are in the Tickets and Best Seats tab.
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FAQs
Spring 2027, at Theatre Royal Drury Lane in the West End. The first performance and press night haven't been announced yet.
Disney says tickets will be released later this autumn. No date has been given. Sign up for our emails and we'll tell you when they go on sale, or ring us on 020 7193 9050.
Yes. The 2017 film is a movie musical, and this is a new stage musical based on it, with a book by Tim Federle. The songs are in The Songs section above. It had its world premiere at the Bristol Hippodrome in 2026 and comes to the West End in spring 2027.
It was, in Bristol, from 15 March to 10 May 2026, and that run has finished. The London production starts in spring 2027.
Not so far. Disney has named one venue, Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London, and there's no UK tour on the books, so no dates for Cardiff, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester or anywhere else.
Oliver Tompsett as P.T. Barnum, Samantha Barks as Charity Barnum, Ben Joyce as Phillip Carlyle, Vajèn van den Bosch as Jenny Lind and Malinda Parris as Lettie Lutz, all from the Bristol cast. More casting is still to be announced.
The running time for London hasn't been announced yet.
The production hasn't published age guidance for London yet. Theatre Royal Drury Lane doesn't admit babes in arms, and anyone 15 or under needs to sit with an adult.
No, they're two different shows built on the same film. Come Alive! is the official Greatest Showman circus spectacular, on now in a big top at the Empress Museum in Earls Court: the film's songs performed around circus acts, with a new, lighter story. The Drury Lane show tells Barnum's story as the film does, as a full book musical.
No. Barnum is an older stage musical about the same real showman, with its own score. It toured the UK and Ireland in 2026, with Lee Mead and then Matt Rawle as Barnum. The Greatest Showman is based on the 2017 film and uses Pasek and Paul's songs.
Yes. The details are in the Venue and Travel tab, and access bookings are handled by the venue's own access team rather than by us.
Where to Sit at Drury Lane for The Greatest Showman
The Greatest Showman hasn't been staged at Drury Lane yet, so this is advice about the theatre for a big musical. The production uses circus, magic and aerial work, which makes the height of the stage matter more than usual. Even though it hasn't opened, we can give you some solid advice:
- The best seats are in the middle of the Stalls, rows F to K, close to the action and near eye level, and the front of the Royal Circle in the centre, rows B to E, with the whole stage laid out below you.
- For value, the front of the Grand Circle in the centre, rows A to C, sees the whole stage for a lot less. The side blocks of the Stalls, rows K to P, are the other good buy.
- On a budget, the Balcony is the cheapest level and very high. Take the middle rows for the clearest view, or the front rows if you'd rather be closer and don't mind the safety rail.
- Be wary of the back of the Stalls from around row R and the back of the Royal Circle from around row J, where the level above cuts off the top of the stage. For a show with aerial routines, that's the part you'd miss.
For children, the Royal Circle and Grand Circle are the levels to book, because the rake keeps them clear of the heads in front. If you don't like heights, stay in the Stalls or the Royal Circle.
Row by row: the Drury Lane seating plan, the Stalls, the Royal Circle, the Grand Circle and the Balcony.
Tickets
Prices haven't been announced yet. Our pricing is all-in, so the price you see is what you pay. To hear the moment tickets go on sale, sign up for our emails, and for a hand choosing a seat once they do, ring 020 7193 9050.
Seating plan
Dates & tickets
Getting to Theatre Royal Drury Lane
The theatre is on Catherine Street, London WC2B 5JF, between the Aldwych and Covent Garden piazza. Covent Garden (Piccadilly line) is the nearest tube, 5 to 6 minutes on foot, and Holborn (Central and Piccadilly lines) is 8 to 10 minutes. Charing Cross is the nearest mainline station, 10 to 12 minutes along the Strand.
The nearest bus stops are on the Aldwych and at the bottom of Kingsway, a 1 to 2 minute walk. The 1, 59, 68, 91, 168, 171, 188, 243 and 521 stop on Kingsway and the Aldwych, and the 11, 13, 15, 26, 76, 139 and 341 run along the Strand and the Aldwych.
Arrive 15 to 20 minutes before the start, no later. There's a bag search on the way in, and the opening sequence is one of the show's big moments, so you'll want to be in your seat for it. If you're late, the theatre lets you in at a suitable break in the performance; the production hasn't said yet where those breaks fall.
Car parks and taxis are in getting to Drury Lane, and the building itself is in our Theatre Royal Drury Lane guide.
Access
No captioned, audio-described, BSL-interpreted or relaxed dates have been announced for The Greatest Showman yet. Access bookings are handled by the venue's own access team, not by us.
There's a step-free entrance on Russell Street and a lift to all four levels. Wheelchair spaces, step-free rows and accessible toilets are in the theatre's access guide.
Address
Catherine Street, London WC2B 5JF
Nearest Tube
Covent Garden
The Greatest Showman Cast
| Role | Performer |
|---|---|
| P.T. Barnum | Oliver Tompsett |
| Charity Barnum | Samantha Barks |
| Phillip Carlyle | Ben Joyce |
| Jenny Lind | Vajèn van den Bosch |
| Lettie Lutz | Malinda Parris |
All five played the same parts in the Bristol premiere. Samantha Barks was Elsa in Frozen at Drury Lane. The rest of the London company, including Anne Wheeler, is still to be announced.
Creative Team
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Music and lyrics | Benj Pasek and Justin Paul |
| Book | Tim Federle |
| Direction and choreography | Casey Nicholaw |
| Music supervision and orchestrations | Alex Lacamoire |
| Set | David Korins |
| Costumes | Gregg Barnes and Sky Switser |
| Lighting | Natasha Katz |
| Circus creation and design | Lorenzo Pisoni |
| Illusions | Skylar Fox |
| Producers | Disney Theatrical Group, with The Seelig Group |
Pasek and Paul wrote the songs for the 2017 film. Casey Nicholaw won a Tony for The Book of Mormon and directed Disney's Hercules at Drury Lane. The show is based on the 20th Century Studios film, with story by Jenny Bicks, and it's the first 20th Century Studios film Disney Theatrical Group has adapted for the stage.
About This Production
The London run was announced in August 2026. Before that, the show spent eight weeks at the Bristol Hippodrome, from 15 March to 10 May 2026, for its world premiere, and sold out. The five leads from Bristol are all coming with it. Tickets will be released later this autumn, and dates, prices and the rest of the cast are still to come.
What the Critics Said
The Times reviewed the Bristol premiere and gave it three stars. Clive Davis called it "big, brash and efficient", found Oliver Tompsett "a likeable Barnum", and said Tim Federle's book has "a tad more depth than the screenplay". The rest of the critics will have their say when it opens at Drury Lane.
The clearest audience signal so far is that the whole Bristol run sold out.