National Theatre announces UK premiere of final musical by Stephen Sondheim

The National Theatre has announced it will be premiering Stephen Sondheim’s final musical Here We Are.

The play, directed by American Horror Story actor, Joe Mantello, is accompanied by a book by Tony Award nominee David Ives. It had its off-Broadway premiere in New York in October 2023 and is now set for its UK debut.

Here We Are follows a group of people who are unable to leave a dinner party, while other guests constantly arrive for dinner but are unable to eat. The cast includes Tracie Bennett, Rory Kinnear, and Denis O’Hare and will be performed from 23 April to 28 June 2025.

The show – based on Luis Buñuel films The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and The Exterminating Angel – was initially workshopped in 2016 with plans for a production at The Public Theater, which did not happen.

The staging of Sondheim’s final work follows the success of Follies, which was first performed at the National Theatre in 2017. The musical by the late legendary composer, who died aged 91 in 2021, follows a reunion between a group of showgirls, which takes place in a crumbling Broadway theatre.

Rosamund Pike is among the stars making their National Theatre debuts during the forthcoming season. The Gone Girl actor will be starring in Inter Alia, as an eminent High Court judge forced to reckon with her professional life, as well as her role as wife, mother, friend and feminist. Others include Adeel Akhtar who plays a politician in The Estate and Arinzé Kene in Alterations.

Rufus Norris, director and co-chief executive of the National Theatre, who is hosting his final season with the organisation, said: “Leading the creative powerhouse that is the National Theatre over the past decade has been a profound privilege.

“I am humbled by the commitment, dedication and passion shown day in and day out by the extraordinary people who have joined me in the mission to make the NT a representative, sustainable, world-class theatre, reaching far beyond its concrete walls.

“From establishing the New Work department, which has sparked an explosion of new voices on and off stage, to creating NT at Home, now streaming in nearly every county in the world, I am beyond thrilled that NT now has a global audience reach of 19 million.

“There is simply nowhere else like it on earth. I can’t wait to watch from the wings as it flourishes and grows for future generations to enjoy under the brilliant leadership of Indhu Rubasingham and Kate Varah.”