10 theatre shows to see in 2026, from Broadway hits in Toronto to two classics at Stratford and Shaw

Unlike previous years, this preview list could easily be twice or even three times as long. But here are just 10 productions, listed in order of their opening dates, that I’m most looking forward to seeing (or catching again) this year in Toronto and at the surrounding major festivals. 

Kimberly Akimbo

This Tony Award-winning musical by Jeanine Tesori and David Lindsay-Abaire might initially sound like a morbid downer: it tells the story of a 16-year-old girl with a rare genetic condition that makes her age four times faster than her peers, and who is only expected to live for several more months. But “Kimberly Akimbo,” a carpe diem story in every sense of the term, is ultimately much more about living than dying. And Lindsay-Abaire’s sweet, surprisingly droll script, based on his play of the same name, left me walking out with the biggest smile on my face when I saw it on Broadway. This new Canadian production, which originated at Montreal’s Segal Centre, is led by Canadian musical theatre legend Louise Pitre. Jan. 15 to Feb. 8 at the CAA Theatre, 651 Yonge St.

Some Like It Hot

If you’re craving a song-and-dance extravaganza later this winter, look no further than “Some Like It Hot,” the new musical adaptation of the classic Billy Wilder flick of the same name, which follows two musicians on the lam passing as women after they’re implicated in a mob hit. Matthew López and Amber Ruffin have beautifully updated the story for a new era, leaning into its inherent themes of self-acceptance, while Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman’s big-band score marks a glorious return to form for the songwriting team best known for “Hairspray.” Oh, and director Casey Nicholaw’s production, which I saw on Broadway, features what might be the best chase sequence I’ve ever seen onstage. Feb. 10 to March 15 at the CAA Ed Mirvish Theatre, 244 Victoria St.

Flight Pattern

Crystal Pite’s “Flight Pattern,” a contemporary work for the full National Ballet of Canada company, is a meditation on human displacement. More specifically, for the Canadian star choreographer it serves as an artistic response to the global refugee crisis. Set to the music of Henryk Górecki’s “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs,” the piece moves between large ensemble work, juxtaposed with intimate solos and duets. The show’s premiere in 2017 at England’s Royal Ballet was acclaimed and earned Pite an Olivier Award for best new dance production. Its Canadian premiere later this winter is part of a double bill featuring the return of Serge Lifar’s striking “Suite en Blanc.” Feb. 27 to March 6 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W.

Clyde’s 

Time and again, the two-time Pulitzer winner Lynn Nottage has demonstrated her remarkable touch for giving voice to those most marginalized by society. “Sweat,” set in a bar in suburban Pennsylvania, paints an unflinching portrait of blue collar America teetering on the brink. In “Ruined,” she charts the journey of a group of women in war-torn Congo. And in “Clyde’s,” which arrives at Canadian Stage this spring, Nottage follows a group of ex-convicts all working at a sandwich shop and trying — desperately — to rehabilitate themselves. Critical reception and word-of-mouth out of New York, where this play premiered, was strong. And this Canadian company features an illustrious cast, including Sophia Walker and rising star Jasmine Case. April 11 to 26 at the Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 

Guys and Dolls

When people ask me to name my favourite classic Broadway show, I usually offer up “Guys and Dolls.” The 1950 musical is a near-perfect work: a romantic comedy set in Prohibition-era New York City, filled with wit, just the right amount of charm, plus a bevy of exhilarating songs. The Stratford Festival’s upcoming revival, directed and choreographed by Donna Feore, and starring Dan Chameroy and Jennifer Rider-Shaw, has a tough act to follow. The company’s last staging of the show in 2017, also helmed by Feore, ranks among the best musicals I’ve seen at the festival over the past decade. But if there’s one person you should never count out on one-upping herself, it’s Feore. April 22 to Nov. 1 at the Stratford Festival’s Festival Theatre, 55 Queen St. 

The Caged Bird Sings

This radical retelling of the ancient text “Masnavi,” by the Sufi mystic Rumi, left me in awe when I saw it in 2024, staged outdoors in the courtyard of the Aga Khan Museum. Surrealism is a challenging genre to get right onstage. But “The Caged Bird Sings” nailed it — equally thought-provoking, philosophical and gorgeously acted. The show, on one level, centres on two lovers and a king who are trapped in a cage. But the show, at its heart, is a study about the psychological cages in which we ensnare ourselves. Transferring to Tarragon Theatre this spring, “The Caged Bird Sings” is not to be missed for anyone who enjoys challenging, stimulating live theatre. June 9 to 21 at Tarragon Theatre’s Extraspace, 30 Bridgman Ave. 

10 Days in a Madhouse

Composed by the American Rene Orth, and with a libretto by Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch, “10 Days in a Madhouse” arrives in Toronto this spring as one of the most talked about contemporary operas in recent memory. Its world premiere at Opera Philadelphia in 2023 was met with critical acclaim, even drawing the attention of the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. The production also won the highly coveted award for best new musical, bestowed by the Music Critics Association of North America. The one-act chamber work tells the true story of Nellie Bly, an American journalist who chronicled her experience living undercover in a women’s asylum, where she documented the inhumane conditions inside. June 16 to 21 at the Bluma Appel Theatre, 27 Front St. E. 

Medusa

Playwright Erin Shields, one of Canada’s foremost voices in theatre, whose subversive pen is like a surgeon’s scalpel — sharp, probing and always incisive — has a dizzyingly busy year ahead. At the end of January, she’ll mark the world premiere of “You, Always,” an intimate two-hander about sisterhood at Canadian Stage. Then, at Crow’s Theatre in March, comes “Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary.” But the show I’m most keen to see is Shields’ “Medusa,” a contemporary reimagining of the ancient Greek myth. Among the draws of this production at Soulpepper: it’s directed by Mitchell Cushman, of the immersive theatre company Outside the March, whose work always impresses. June 16 to July 19 at the Young Centre for the Performing Arts’ Baillie Theatre, 50 Tank House Lane 

The Outsiders 

“The Outsiders,” a musical adaptation of S.E. Hinton’s seminal novel of the same name, has — bar none — the most memorable fight sequence I’ve ever witnessed in any medium. This scene, staged under pelting rain, switches from expressionistic movements to hyper-naturalism, and depicts a bloody rumble between the two feuding gangs in Hinton’s tale, set in 1960s Oklahoma. Choreographed by Toronto brothers Jeff and Rick Kuperman, it’s worth the show’s price of admission alone. But the rest of Danya Taymor’s production, staged with the boundary-pushing imagination of an art house film, is equally ravishing. And if this upcoming touring production is even half as good as the one I saw on Broadway, which won the Tony for best musical, Toronto is in for a doozy. June 17 to July 26 at the Princess of Wales Theatre, 300 King St. W. 

Amadeus

Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert. Jesus Christ and Judas Iscariot. The theatre has produced some great protagonist-antagonist rivalries over the years. But none, in my eye, can top that of Mozart and Salieri in Peter Shaffer’s “Amadeus,” a dramatization of the perceived feud between the classical composers of the same name. The show is perhaps best known for inspiring the Oscar-winning film adaptation of the same name. But the play is exceptional in its own right, though a technical beast and notoriously difficult to stage. So I’m curious as to how the Shaw Festival tackles it, with actors Tom Rooney and Michael Therriault at the helm. July 8 to Oct. 4 at the Shaw Festival’s Festival Theatre, 10 Queen’s Parade