The National Theatre has unveiled more details about its upcoming 2026 season, with casting and artistic teams announced for four new productions: Summerfolk, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Man and Boy and The Authenticator.
Summerfolk
Olivier Theatre, March 6 – April 29, 2026
Written by Nina Raine and Moses Raine from Maxim Gorky
It’s a hot, beautiful summer in 1905, and Russia’s elite retreat to the countryside to swim, sip champagne and start affairs. When they’re having this much fun, why care about anything else? But Varvara just can’t shake the feeling that their holiday idyll is built on borrowed time. As the party continues, how long can they ignore the storm on the horizon?
Director Robert Hastie is joined by set and costume designer Peter McKintosh,lighting designer Paul Pyant, sound designer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite, composer Nicola T Chang, associate set designer Joseph Bisat Marshall, casting director Bryony Jarvis-Taylor and staff director Lilac Yosiphon.
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Lyttelton Theatre, March 21-June 6, 2026
Adapted by Christopher Hampton from Pierre Choderlos de Laclos’s novel
Among the glittering salons of the super-rich, patriarchy equals power, reputation is everything – and for women, one misstep can mean ruin.
Marquise de Merteuil, master in the art of survival, wields her influence with intelligence and control. Alongside the magnetic Vicomte de Valmont, they turn seduction into strategy and weaponise desire. But when their alliance collapses into rivalry, the battle between them threatens to destroy everyone in their path.
Monica Barbaro as Madame de Tourvel, Gabrielle Drake as Madame de Rosemond, Lesley Manville as Marquise de Merteuil and Aidan Turner as Vicomte de Valmont are joined by Sharif Afifi as Azolan, Nandi Bhebhe as Julie, Ali Goldsmith as Major-Domo, Darragh Hand as Chevalier Danceny, Cat Simmons as Madame de Volanges and Hannah van der Westhuysen as Cécile Volanges.
Marianne Elliott directs, with set designer Rosanna Vize, costume designer Natalie Roar, choreographer Tom Jackson Greaves, composer Jasmin Kent Rodgman, lighting designer James Farncombe, sound designer Ian Dickson for Autograph, intimacy director Ingrid Mackinnon, fight director Sam Lyon-Behan, casting directors Alastair Coomer CDG and Naomi Downham, dialect coach Hazel Holder and voice coach Cathleen McCarron.
Man and Boy
Dorfman Theatre, January 30-March 14, 2026
Written by Terence Rattigan
Jazz, Broadway and the Great Depression. In 1930s New York City, international financier Gregor Antonescu’s luck has finally run out. As news of a catastrophic business deal ripples across the world, he flees to the apartment of his estranged son Basil. Truths are uncovered and relationships are tested as Gregor gets down to business, to save his reputation and keep his empire from collapse.
Ben Daniels and Laurie Kynaston play father and son, with Phoebe Campbell as Carol Penn, Isabella Laughland as Countess Antonescu, Malcolm Sinclair as Mark Herries and Leo Wan as David Beeston.
Anthony Lau directs with set and costume designer Georgia Lowe, lighting designer Elliot Griggs, movement director Aline David, composer Angus MacRae, sound designer Giles Thomas, casting director Martin Poile and staff director Rachel Lemon.
The Authenticator
Dorfman Theatre, March 26-May 9, 2026
Written by Winsome Pinnock
Soon after inheriting her family’s stately home, eccentric artist Fenella Harford discovers a stash of hidden diaries and enlists a young academic, Marva, to confirm their authenticity.
Joined by Marva’s brilliant but overlooked mentor, Abi, the three women come together to seek the truth, soon realising that secrets at the heart of Harford Hall were darker than they could have imagined.
Casting includes Rakie Ayola as Abi, Sylvestra Le Touzel as Fen and Cherrelle Skeete as Marva.
Miranda Cromwell directs with set designer Jon Bausor, costume designer Kinnetia Isidore, lighting designer Aideen Malone, sound designer Tingying Dong, composer Femi Temowo, movement director Shelley Maxwell, casting director Alastair Coomer, voice coach Hazel Holder and staff director Dubheasa Lanipekun.
Tickets for Summerfolk, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Man and Boy and The Authenticator will be on general sale from October 23. Tickets here.
Top image: Lesley Manville and Aidan Turner in Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the National Theatre. Photographer Alexandre Blossard (image supplied)