Oxford Events
Stage Watch: Cirque Berserk!, Heathers the Musical, The Guilty, Avenue Q, & Nevermore
Stage Watch brings together a curated selection of upcoming theatre, musicals and live performances from London and across the broader Oxfordshire region – from large-scale West End productions to inventive new writing and immersive shows.
This week’s line-up spans psychological thrillers, gothic musical theatre, high-octane circus, irreverent puppetry and a darkly comic take on high-school life. Whether you’re drawn to suspense, literary storytelling, spectacular live performance or musicals that challenge convention, these five productions offer a varied snapshot of what’s coming to the stage.
Cirque Berserk!
Garrick Theatre, London.
21 to 31 Oct 2026.
Britain’s biggest theatre-circus spectacular returns to the West End for a limited half-term season, combining contemporary circus artistry with traditional thrills and adrenaline-fuelled stunts. Presented by Zippos, Cirque Berserk! brings together an international troupe of more than 30 acrobats, aerialists and daredevil performers for a show created especially for the stage.
The production promises a succession of spectacular acts, from aerial performances to feats of acrobatic skill, with the legendary motorcycle Globe of Death among its headline attractions. Inside a metal sphere, motorcyclists perform high-speed manoeuvres in a display that brings the danger and excitement of the circus arena into the theatre.
Returning by popular demand, the show combines the physical precision of traditional circus with the scale and energy of a West End production. Its short October run also makes it a timely option for families looking for entertainment during the school half-term holiday.
Best for: Families, circus enthusiasts and anyone looking for spectacular live entertainment packed with acrobatics, aerial acts and daredevil stunts.
Good to know: Running time is listed inconsistently, so check with the venue before booking. A half-term promotion advertises half-price tickets for children.
Heathers the Musical
New Theatre Oxford, Oxford.
24 to 28 Nov 2026.
Following successful runs in London and New York, the WhatsOnStage Award-winning Heathers the Musical returns with its wickedly funny, darkly comic take on high-school life. Based on the cult film starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, the show combines sharp satire, memorable songs and a story in which the pursuit of popularity takes a dangerous turn.
Welcome to Westerberg High, where Veronica Sawyer is an outsider dreaming of a better life. Her fortunes change when she is welcomed into the circle of the three beautiful but ruthless Heathers, whose popularity comes at a considerable cost. Then J.D., a mysterious teenage rebel, arrives and challenges Veronica’s understanding of what it means to belong.
Balancing energetic musical numbers with a darker examination of bullying, social status and teenage alienation, Heathers offers a provocative alternative to the conventional coming-of-age story. Its blend of outrageous humour and unsettling themes has helped establish it as a favourite among fans of cult cinema and contemporary musical theatre.
Best for: Fans of cult films, dark comedy, energetic musicals and stories that explore the darker side of teenage popularity.
Good to know: Age guidance 14+. Contains haze, loud noises including gunshots, flashing lights and strobe effects, strong language and mature themes including murder, suicide, sexual violence and references to eating disorders.
The Guilty
Harold Pinter Theatre, London.
Booking from 18 Jan to 03 Apr 2027.
Following a sold-out run at the Donmar Warehouse, The Guilty transfers to the West End with Russell Tovey starring in a gripping psychological thriller directed by Felix Barrett, artistic director of Punchdrunk. Written by award-winning playwright Chloë Moss, the production builds its tension around a desperate emergency call and the unsettling secrets that emerge as the story unfolds.
Tovey plays Joe, a troubled police officer relegated to desk duties on the night shift. When he takes a 999 call from Emily, a woman apparently in danger, he must piece together fragmented clues to understand what is happening. As the conversation develops, Joe begins to suspect that the situation is not quite what it seems, setting the stage for a tense, real-time mystery.
Based on the Danish film Den Skyldige, written by Gustav Möller and Emil Nygaard Albertsen, the production promises a tightly focused theatrical experience in which every detail matters and the suspense builds with each new revelation.
Best for: Fans of psychological thrillers, crime dramas and suspenseful theatre that keeps audiences guessing.
Good to know: Running time 65 minutes, without an interval. Age guidance 14+. Contains flashing lights, loud noises and haze.
Avenue Q
Shaftesbury Theatre, London.
Booking until 03 Jan 2027.
The three-time Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q returns to the West End after two decades, bringing its irreverent humour, infectious songs and colourful puppet characters back to the Shaftesbury Theatre. With its unconventional take on the realities of adulthood, the show offers a mischievous alternative to more traditional musical theatre.
Fresh out of college and searching for purpose, Princeton moves into a shabby apartment on New York’s Avenue Q, where he meets a collection of neighbours navigating work, relationships and the challenge of paying the bills. Together, they confront the awkward realities of growing up, with comic results.
The production reunites original Broadway director Jason Moore and puppet designer Rick Lyon, while the music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx give the show its distinctive blend of wit and musical-theatre energy. Beneath the puppetry and humour lies a recognisable story about ambition, insecurity and the often uncomfortable transition into adult life.
Best for: Musical-theatre fans who enjoy satirical comedy, unconventional staging, catchy songs and an irreverent take on everyday life.
Good to know: Running time approximately 2 hours 15 minutes, including an interval. Age recommendation 13+. Contains strong language and adult themes; parental guidance is advised.
Nevermore
Charing Cross Theatre, London.
Booking from 19 Jul to 9 Oct 2027.
Following acclaimed performances in Canada and Off-Broadway, Catalyst Theatre’s haunting musical play Nevermore – The Imaginary Life and Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe arrives in London for a limited season. Blending gothic atmosphere with music and theatrical storytelling, the production explores the life and imagination of one of literature’s most enduring figures.
One rainy night in Richmond, Virginia, Edgar Allan Poe boards a steamship bound for New York. He will never reach his destination. Instead, the voyage takes him into the depths of memory and imagination, towards the unsettling possibility that the darkest story he ever told was his own.
Written, composed and directed by Jonathan Christenson, Nevermore offers an imaginative portrait of Poe, drawing on the themes of darkness, loss and obsession that run through his work. Rather than presenting a conventional biography, the production explores the boundary between an artist’s life and the stories that continue to shape his legacy.
Best for: Admirers of gothic literature, Edgar Allan Poe and atmospheric, visually inventive musical theatre.
Good to know: Age guidance 10+. Running time to be confirmed.
Stage Watch is The Oxford Magazine’s guide to theatre, performance and the performing arts, covering productions in Oxfordshire and selected shows further afield. While Oxford remains at the heart of our coverage, we also highlight productions in London and other nearby centres that can form part of a cultural day trip from Oxford.