This week’s biggest musical theatre news: The Fantasticks, the longest-running musical ever, finally began Broadway previews, The Notebook announced a West End home for 2027, and Andrew Lloyd Webber said his Mona Lisa musical should be open in London by next autumn. Here is the week of October 22, 2026, each item linked to the original report.
What began previews on Broadway this week?
The Fantasticks reaches Broadway after 66 years
It ran Off-Broadway for 42 years, from 1960 to 2002, and never once played Broadway. That changed on October 22, when Second Stage’s production of The Fantasticks began previews at the Hayes Theater, ahead of an official opening on Monday, November 16. Tom Jones has revised his own book and lyrics to Harvey Schmidt’s music, and the plotting parents are now two mothers scheming to make their sons fall in love. Christopher Gattelli directs and choreographs. Maxim Chlumecky and Nathan Levy play the boys, Matt and Lewis, with Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer and Ruthie Ann Miles as their mothers and Zane Phillips, in his Broadway debut, as El Gallo.
Source: Broadway.com, published October 22, 2026; cast from BroadwayWorld, October 22, 2026
What’s changing Off-Broadway this week?
Little Shop of Horrors swaps its Audrey, keeps its Seymour
T.R. Knight is no longer taking over as Seymour at the Westside Theatre on October 27, so Ethan Slater has extended his run in the role. The Audrey does change: Hannah Cruz, a 2026 Tony nominee for Chess, takes over on October 27 from Betsy Wolfe, whose final performance was October 25. The revival began previews in September 2019 and is already the longest-running production in the show’s history.
Source: Playbill, published October 22, 2026
Benjamin Button extends at the Public a final time
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which won the 2025 Olivier Award for Best New Musical in London, has extended for a third and final time at the Public Theater, now through December 20. It officially opened on October 21. Darren Clark’s music tells the story of a man who ages backwards, with a book by Jethro Compton and lyrics by Clark and Compton, and Andrew Durand plays Benjamin.
Source: Playbill, published October 23, 2026; also BroadwayWorld, October 23, 2026
Which cast albums arrive this week?
Cats: The Jellicle Ball drops its Broadway album on October 30
The Broadway reimagining of Cats releases its original Broadway cast recording digitally on Friday, October 30, through Atlantic Records. The same day, The Lost Boys gets its CD and vinyl release; its digital album has been out since July 24. If you only know the 1981 score, this is the cheapest way to hear how differently it can move.
Source: Playbill, published October 23, 2026; also Andrew Lloyd Webber Musicals
How can theatregoers give back this season?
The red buckets are back
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS launched its fall #RedBuckets appeal on October 23, with more than 20 shows collecting after curtain calls through December 6. The money supports 494 organizations. If a cast member steps forward with a bucket after the bows, that’s what it’s for. Bring small bills.
Source: Playbill, published October 23, 2026
What’s new in the West End and London this week?
The Notebook will open the newly renamed Judi Dench Theatre
Ingrid Michaelson and Bekah Brunstetter’s The Notebook makes its UK premiere at the Shaftesbury Theatre, which is being renamed the Judi Dench Theatre. Previews begin March 10, 2027, ahead of an April 13 opening, and booking runs to December 11, 2027, with tickets from £20. Michael Greif and Schele Williams, who staged the Broadway run, direct again. That production earned three Tony nominations and closed on December 15, 2024.
Source: Playbill, published October 23, 2026; also Variety
Lloyd Webber wants Mona Lisa “fully open” by next autumn
Andrew Lloyd Webber told The Independent’s podcast that his new musical about the theft of the Mona Lisa should be “fully open” in London by around autumn 2027. He gave no theatre or casting. Fans of his gothic side can warm up with our Phantom of the Opera complete fan guide.
Source: WhatsOnStage, published October 23, 2026
Lloyd Webber’s songs are cut from his Tim Rice Christmas show
Sherlock Holmes and the 12 Days of Christmas, which reunited Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice at Birmingham Rep last year, will arrive at Alexandra Palace Theatre without Lloyd Webber’s music. Rice is reworking the songs with composer Howard Goodall. The two men tell it differently. Rice told The Times that Lloyd Webber chose to withdraw. Lloyd Webber says the producers, Rice’s children, wanted his music for five years without giving him approval over its use, and that he wishes the show well. It runs November 24 to January 17, 2027.
Source: BroadwayWorld, published October 22, 2026; also The Stage, October 22, 2026
Critics split on the reworked Martin Guerre
Boublil and Schönberg’s 1996 musical is back at the Old Vic, cut to 90 minutes with no interval and staged in the round as Matthew Warchus’s last production as artistic director. The Guardian’s Arifa Akbar found that the sleeker shape brings momentum while the songs, too alike in tone, slow it down again. Across the reviews, the one thing nearly every critic agrees on is Liv Andrusier’s Bertrande, especially in the new song “Someday.” It runs until October 31. New to the team? Start with our Les Misérables vs Phantom of the Opera comparison, then our Miss Saigon songs explained guide.
Source: The Guardian, published October 22, 2026; reviews tallied by Best of Theatre, October 21, 2026
Where is the tour headed next?
SIX relaunches its North American tour in Baltimore
A new company of SIX’s “Boleyn Tour” began at Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre on October 25 and plays there through November 1. The queens are Christina Jones (Catherine of Aragon), Brittany Smithson (Anne Boleyn), Melina Savannah Cruz (Jane Seymour), Shelby Griswold (Anne of Cleves), Thabitha Moruthane (Katherine Howard) and Nina Ann Nelson (Catherine Parr). With the Broadway production closing on January 3, 2027, the road is about to become the main place Americans can see it.
Source: WBAL-TV, published October 23, 2026; tour dates from SIX official site
Frequently asked questions
Why has The Fantasticks never played Broadway before?
It was built small and never needed to move. The Fantasticks opened Off-Broadway in 1960 and ran there for 42 years, until 2002, long enough to become the longest-running musical of all time without a Broadway stop. Second Stage’s production at the Hayes Theater is its first Broadway run, with Tom Jones revising his own book and lyrics.
When does The Notebook open in the West End?
The Notebook begins previews on March 10, 2027, and opens on April 13, 2027, at the Shaftesbury Theatre, which is being renamed the Judi Dench Theatre. Booking currently runs to December 11, 2027, with tickets from £20. Michael Greif and Schele Williams, who directed the Broadway production, direct in London.
What is Andrew Lloyd Webber’s next musical?
Lloyd Webber is writing a musical about the theft of the Mona Lisa, and he has said he hopes it will be fully open in London by around autumn 2027. No theatre, cast or creative team has been announced yet, so treat that date as an ambition rather than a booking.
Where can I see SIX after Broadway closes?
SIX plays its final Broadway performance on January 3, 2027, at the Lena Horne Theatre, but the North American “Boleyn Tour” continues with a new company that started in Baltimore on October 25. Check the official SIX tour page for upcoming cities, because dates are added and changed through the season.
What are Broadway’s red buckets for?
The red buckets are Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS fundraising. After the bows, cast members ask for donations and audiences drop cash into buckets. The fall 2026 appeal runs from October 23 to December 6 at more than 20 shows and supports 494 organizations. For a show with its own AIDS-era story, see our Rent songs explained guide.
That’s the week in musicals. Come back next Friday for another roundup of Broadway, West End and touring news.
