John Major’s rise from obscure whip to PM part of new National Theatre season — SkimNews
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- James Graham will write a new play about John Major's rise from obscure whip to PM, directed by Jeremy Herrin — the duo behind the parliamentary drama This House — exploring leadership at times of political change and Britain's relationship with Europe at the moment Major took over from Thatcher.
- Indhu Rubasingham's 2027 season contains 18 productions including eight world premieres, united by what the National Theatre director called 'themes of resilience and hope' and intended to reflect 'the international spirit at the heart of our National Theatre.'
- World premieres also include Moira Buffini's The Great Indaba, dramatising a 1997 South Africa meeting between Mandela's national unity government and Northern Ireland rivals during Good Friday agreement negotiations; Carmen Nasr's Samira set during the Arab Spring; Oladipo Agboluaje's political family drama The Adeyemis starring Uzo Aduba; Natasha Gordon's stage adaptation of Bernardine Evaristo's Mr Loverman; and a new musical Glorious Madness featuring songs by Joan Armatrading.
- No Shakespeare appears on the National's three main stages for the first time in the season — Hamlet will instead join the National Theatre Collection streaming and education service, a notable break from the traditional theatrical canon.
- Revivals include West Side Story co-directed by Marianne Elliott and Miranda Cromwell, Death of a Salesman starring Paul Mescal and Tracy Letts, Plenty with Emilia Clarke, Suddenly Last Summer with Emma Corrin and Harriet Walter, and Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead with Mescal in a repertory double bill.
- Punchdrunk opens a new immersive production called Ghostlight, conceived by founder Felix Barrett and curated by writer Lucy Kirkwood, continuing the multi-award-winning company's signature format.
Why it matters: For a National Theatre traditionally anchored by Shakespeare, the deliberate absence of a main-stage Shakespeare production marks a significant programming departure — signalling Rubasingham's commitment to new writing and international perspectives over the classical canon. Audiences get a Graham-Herrin reunion on a Major-era political drama alongside star-driven revivals, while schools and streaming subscribers retain Shakespeare access through the NT Collection.
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