Thomas Hopkins Productions 2026 Season Announcement

Written by Penny for Theatre and Tonic

Spring arrived in London this week – it may have been a fleeting visit, with an overnight return to the usual gloom, wind and rain, but for 24 hours the skies were blue, the sun was shining and all was right with the world. Perfect weather then for the launch of a new season of shows – touring productions, some fantastic regional venues and a special show moving into London’s Southwark Playhouse this summer.

The theatre crowd descended on Shaftesbury Avenue’s Crescent Club on this sunny Wednesday morning to find out all about what Thomas Hopkins Productions (THP) has got in store for us in the months ahead. 

Hopkins compered the event, speaking with pride that around 90% of the shows being announced are not in London. He’s passionate about creating work outside of London to bring talent and productions everywhere across the UK so that everybody has the opportunity to experience exceptional live theatre.

He started the reveal by announcing a new play and inviting its star and creatives to join him on stage. Written by Peter Quilter and directed and choreographed by Stephen Mear, Allegra will star Dame Maureen Lipman and tour before a West End run.

It’s a very new play, written last June and Peter was still editing it on the way to this event. He talked about his inspiration and what Allegra is all about:

“I’ve got some relatives living in residential homes and when I visited earlier this year, there was one woman who kept singing ALL the time. You’d suddenly hear her in the distance, she’d burst into song at completely random moments, in the middle of the night, at lunch …  I noticed that everybody reacted differently, some people would say ‘you’re wonderful, sing us another’, whilst others would be ‘would you shut the f*&k up!’   

But she was giving joy out, half of the people embraced it and half tried to shut her down. So this play is inspired by that woman, one who spreads joy all the time, she can’t stop singing. It’s a comedy entertainment but underneath is how we care for people who are losing their grip a little and how society copies with that. I hope it will touch people as well as being a good night out”.

The cast of Allegra

Dame Maureen Lipman added:

I’m a miserable bugger basically, so now you’re going to find out if I can act or not!

The world seems like a pretty scary and gloomy place at moment to me, ruled by despots and tyrants. So when this play came along I thought well, my late husband Jack used to say about me ‘If she’s not singing watch out!’  Although I can’t really sing but I can if necessary! So, this is a woman who is by nature just pleasant and happy and wants to make other people happy. It would get on my nerves (which are easily got on!). 

But it’s a good time to talk about good things which we never see on the news, to just stop with the nastiness online and the hatred and the shaming and the no platforming and just say, in the words of Louis Armstrong, It’s a wonderful world”

2026 also sees the 20th anniversary tour of Peter Quilter’s Glorious! starring Wendi Peters and Matthew James Morrison. Development is well underway for a new adaptation of Boy George’s Taboo with Jack Holden, which will be workshopped in October.

The tour of The Talented Mr Ripley continues until May, with a new production of Little Shop of Horrors, opening at Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre in September, moving to Liverpool Playhouse in November. Proving his point that once he’s got hold of an actor, he doesn’t let them go, both of these productions star Maisie Smith.

Maisie was joined on stage by Jed Berry (Seymour) and Jessie Elland (Audrey – Liverpool Playhouse), for a special performance of “Suddenly Seymour” – a preview that made it clear that audiences at both venues are in for a treat. The iconic plant (and true star of the show) Audrey II did not appear, but the production artwork shows that she’ll be as formidable as ever!

And finally …

Everybody’s Talking About Larson …

The event certainly offered an impressive and star-studded line-up. But one big name was conspicuous by his absence. The scheduling of this launch for 4th February was not a coincidence. This would have been the 66th birthday of Jonathan Larson, composter of Rent and Tick, Tick … Boom! 

But Larson tragically died in January 1996, the night before Rent started previews, so he didn’t get to see the huge impact that his work would have. 

Now, a new production of The Jonathan Larson Project will run at Southwark Playhouse from 13th July-22nd August, allowing London audiences to experience some of Larson’s work for the very first time. 

Tom read a statement from Larson’s sister Julie:

“It means so much to us to bring this show to a UK audience and to continue honouring Jonathan’s extraordinary work and legacy. This new celebration of my brother’s previously unheard music offers an intimate portrait of an artist who was truly ahead of his time, and we are deeply honoured to share it with you.”

Very much in the spirit of what Jonathan Larson would have wished, Tom announced that two Cover roles in the show will be cast via an open search – the criteria being that applicants must not have any professional musical stage credits. Contact casting@robkellycasting.com with a CV and for more information.

He then introduced Grace Mouat, who will be appearing in the production alongside Max Harwood and Marcus Collins. Backed by singers from Guildford School of Acting (GSA –Tom told us that this is where Grace herself trained but he did not get a place!), she performed a mesmerising rendition of “Love Heals”. If that is a taste of the show, it is likely to be the hottest ticket in town so book early, tickets are already selling fast!

For more information about the announced productions

The Talented Mr Ripley continues to tour until May 2026.
www.TheTalentedMrRipleyPlay.com

Glorious! starring Wendi Peters and Matthew James Morrison tours from February until June.
www.gloriousplay.com

Allegra, starring Dame Maureen Lipman is on tour from May 2026, ahead of a West End run.
www.allegraplay.com

Little Shop of Horrors plays in Manchester and Liverpool from September 2026 until January 2027.
www.hopemilltheatre.co.uk/event/little-shop-of-horrors/
www.everymanplayhouse.com 

The Jonathan Larson Project is at Southwark Playhouse for just six weeks, running from Thursday 9th July until Saturday 22nd August 2026.
www.jonathanlarson.co.uk 

With more announcements to come, watch this space (and don’t feed the plants!)