Mayflower have released their new Autumn/Winter 2026 What’s On brochure, covering an exciting season of shows from late 2026 right through to the new year and beyond at Mayflower Theatre and Mayflower Studios.
Key shows to highlight are:
Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man
16 – 19 September 2026 at Mayflower Theatre
Matthew Bourne’s award-winning The Car Man comes to Southampton for the first time! Loosely based on Bizet’s ever-popular opera Carmen, The Car Man has one of the most thrilling and instantly recognisable scores in New Adventures’ repertoire. Matthew Bourne’s vivid storytelling combines with one of the most passionately dramatic scores ever written. With music by Terry Davies, and featuring Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite, it creates a dance thriller like no other.
Moulin Rouge! The Musical
24 September – 24 October 2026 at Mayflower Theatre
Enter a world of splendour, of eye-popping excess, of glitz, grandeur and glory! A world where Bohemians and aristocrats rub elbows and revel in electrifying enchantment. Winner of 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Director, and Best Choreography Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary film comes to life onstage, remixed in a new musical mash-up extravaganza. A celebration of truth, beauty, freedom and – above all – love, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is more than a musical; it is a state of mind.
Jeeves Takes Charge
29 September – 3 October 2026 at Mayflower Studios
Adapted by James Duke, Edward Duke and Hugh Wooldridge, and starring Sam Harrison, this dazzling one-man adaptation of P.G. Wodehouse’s beloved Jeeves and Wooster stories sees Harrison play all twenty-two characters, including the indefatigable Jeeves, the much-loved Bertie Wooster, Florence Craye, Gussie Fink-Nottle, Bingo Little, Uncle Willoughby and Aunt Dahlia, in a bravura tour-de-force performance.
SIX
27 – 31 October 2026 at Mayflower Theatre
The crowning glory of Broadway, the West End and beyond, the international smash hit musical SIX makes its royal return to Southampton following five consecutive sell-out years! From Tudor queens to pop princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII take to the mic to tell their tales, remixing five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an 80-minute celebration of 21st century girl power. These queens may have green sleeves but their lipstick is rebellious red.
Christmas Lights
25 – 28 November 2026 at Mayflower Studios
Snow is falling and the nights are drawing in, winter is here and Christmas is just around the corner. Join friends, Alvie and Kit as they embark on a playful mission to light up their house in time for Christmas. But what happens when your Christmas lights seem to have a mind of their own?
Join award-winning company Filskit Theatre for this festive performance that shows us how the power of friendship can light up the dark.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Christmas Show
2 – 12 December 2026 at Mayflower Studios
Share a joyful Christmas with The Very Hungry Caterpillar Christmas Show as Eric Carle’s timeless classics leap from the page to the stage. Created by Jonathan Rockefeller, the critically acclaimed show features a menagerie of over 75 magical and larger-than-life puppets, including the star of the show – The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Peter Pan – A BIG Musical Adventure
20 – 31 December 2026 at Mayflower Studios
Featuring over 50 talented young amateur performers, this wonderful musical brings J.M. Barrie’s classic story to life. Packed with versions of songs we know and love, such as Counting Stars, Grace Kelly and Hooked on a Feeling, as well as original music, this show will get you in the festive mood, One Way or Another! Celebrate the season with a heart-warming adventure the whole family will treasure!
Robin Hood
12 December 2026 – 3 January 2027 at Mayflower Theatre
Join Ashley Banjo & Diversity and Max Fulham as they return to Southampton for the most heroic panto of them all, Robin Hood! With stunning scenery and dazzling costumes from The London Palladium, Robin Hood promises all the ingredients of a perfect pantomime: laugh-out-loud comedy, bundles of audience participation, astonishing special effects, and plenty of boos and hisses for the whole family to enjoy.
Oh Zeus!
9 – 13 February 2027 at Mayflower Studios
Kings of Comedy, Le Navet Bete, are back! For lovers of Fawlty Towers, Bottom and The Play That Goes Wrong, Oh Zeus! is a riotous, all-out hilarious ride through Greek mythology. In this brand-new show, one of the UK’s most-loved comedy theatre companies and creators of Dracula: The Bloody Truth, King Arthur and Treasure Island have teamed up with one of the country’s best comedy writers and directors, Olivier Award-nominated John Nicholson (The Time Machine: A Comedy), promising ‘a non-stop evening of entertainment from a company who have a bottomless pit of talent at their disposal’.
Pip and Posy Live On Stage
18 – 20 February 2027 at Mayflower Studios
From the producers of The Smartest Giant in Town comes a brand-new theatre show bursting with friendship and fun, Pip and Posy Live on Stage. Inspired by the BAFTA-nominated animated series from Magic Light Pictures and based on the picture books by multi-award-winning illustrator Axel Scheffler (The Gruffalo) this exciting new live stage show celebrates the power of imagination, kindness, and creativity for little ones and families everywhere.
Mrs. Doubtfire
2 – 28 February 2027 at Mayflower Theatre
Helloooo, poppets! Mrs. Doubtfire, the West End’s hit comedy musical based on the beloved film, is heading to Southampton! Out-of-work actor Daniel (played by the critically acclaimed Gabriel Vick, original London company) will do anything for his kids. After losing custody in a messy divorce, he creates the alter ego of Scottish nanny Euphegenia Doubtfire in a desperate attempt to stay in their lives. As his new character takes on a life of its own, Mrs. Doubtfire teaches Daniel more than he bargained for about how to be a father.
The Mousetrap
19 – 24 April 2027 at Mayflower Theatre
Since 1952, Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap has captivated the world with silent clues, shifting shadows and the best-kept secret in theatre history. Now, the record-breaking classic embarks on its 75th Anniversary Tour, coming to Southampton. Step into Monkswell Manor and solve the great British murder mystery that has kept the world guessing for generations.
Rambert Dance in It’s A Sin
20 – 22 May 2027 at Mayflower Theatre
Rambert’s new dance work It’s a Sin, inspired by the landmark, award-winning Channel 4 series by Russell T Davies, directed and choreographed by Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer.In the heart of 80s London, Ritchie, Roscoe, Colin and Jill are chasing identity, connection and a life on their own terms. When day spills into night, they find a world of abandon, music and friendship, where bodies move freely and life feels limitless.
Dog Man: The Musical
4 – 5 June 2027 at Mayflower Theatre
Dog Man: The Musical is the hilarious new musical based on the worldwide bestselling book series from Dav Pilkey, the creator of Captain Underpants and Cat Kid Comic Club. Best friends George and Harold have been creating comics for years but, now that they’re ten, they figure it’s time to level up and write a musical based on their favourite character, Dog Man, the crime-biting sensation who is part dog, part man and ALL HERO! How hard could it be?
Back to the Future The Musical
8 June – 3 July 2027 at Mayflower Theatre
Strap in for the smash hit Back to the Future The Musical, landing at Mayflower Theatre as part of its first ever UK tour with rising Australian star Axel Duffy returning as Marty McFly. Winner of Best New Musical at the Olivier Awards, WhatsOnStage Awards and Broadway World Awards, this ‘perfect musical escapism’ (Metro) is ready to take you on an electrifying journey through time.
Jesus Christ Superstar
1 – 11 September 2027 at Mayflower Theatre
The record-breaking West End production of Jesus Christ Superstar, starring Sam Ryder in the iconic role of Jesus, is now coming to Mayflower Theatre for two weeks only. Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Jesus Christ Superstar follows the events of the last days of the life of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Judas. Reflecting the rock roots that defined a generation, the legendary score includes I Don’t Know How to Love Him, Gethsemane and the iconic title number Superstar.
Starlight Express
15 – 25 September 2027 at Mayflower Theatre
Seen around the world by over 30 million people, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Starlight Express is heading to Mayflower Theatre in 2027, following a record-breaking revival in London. An electrifying experience for all ages, feel the rush in this ‘jaw-dropping’ (Daily Telegraph) production as an incredible cast whizzes by, performing some of musical theatre’s most beloved songs, including AC/DC, Make Up My Heart, Light at the End of the Tunnel and the iconic Starlight Express.
Tickets for all shows listed are on sale at mayflower.org.uk.
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