Royal Variety Performance 2026: Idina Menzel and Sam Ryder lead the West End line up

The West End will be out in force at the Royal Variety Performance on Friday 20 November 2026, when Idina Menzel, Sam Ryder and numbers from six musicals take to the stage of the Royal Albert Hall. Jason Manford returns to host for a third time, and the evening will be broadcast on ITV1 and ITVX in December.

King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be in the audience, the first time Queen Camilla has attended as The Queen. The night is staged in aid of the Royal Variety Charity.

What will musical theatre fans see at this year's show?

Ryder leads a supersized medley from the current revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Jesus Christ Superstar, in which he plays Jesus at Theatre Royal Drury Lane.

Menzel, the original Elphaba, is flying in from the United States to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Wicked in London. She will sing "The Wizard and I", accompanied by the show's composer, Stephen Schwartz.

The cast of Billy Elliot the Musical will perform "Electricity", 21 years after the show first opened and ahead of its return to the West End at the Adelphi Theatre in February 2027.

Viewers will also get an early look at The Greatest Showman, the new stage adaptation heading to Theatre Royal Drury Lane in spring 2027, with a world television exclusive performance of "The Greatest Show".

Surprise famous faces will make cameos in specially rewritten versions of "For Now" and "It Sucks To Be Me" from Avenue Q, now playing at the Shaftesbury Theatre. Finally, current and original members of the Operation Mincemeat company will be joined by the Royal Naval Association Choir, members of The Band of His Majesty's Royal Marines, The Band of the Irish Guards and the Band of the Welsh Guards Fanfare Team.

Who else is on the bill?

Andrea Bocelli marks three decades as an international star, and James Blunt and Jack Savoretti are also among the singers. Vanessa Williams will perform her 1992 hit "Save The Best For Last", while Alfie Boe leads the national anthem.

Comedy comes from Milton Jones and Phil Wang. The Hawkstone Farmers' Choir, who this year became the first choir to win Britain's Got Talent, will also perform, and acrobatic duo The Ramadhani Brothers and head balancer Veronika Ivanova, from the circus show Cirque Alice, will make their European debuts.

What has the host said?

This will be Manford's sixth appearance at the Royal Variety Performance overall. He said: "What a huge privilege to be asked to host The Royal Variety Performance for a third time. It's an amazing line up, in aid of a wonderful charity so I can't wait for everybody to see what surprises we have up our sleeves this year."

Where can theatregoers see these shows?

Sam Ryder stars in Jesus Christ Superstar at Theatre Royal Drury Lane until 9 January 2027. Wicked plays the Apollo Victoria Theatre, Avenue Q is at the Shaftesbury Theatre with dates running to 3 January 2027, and Billy Elliot the Musical plays the Adelphi Theatre from 12 February to 31 July 2027. Operation Mincemeat is also out on a UK tour.

What else should readers catch up on?

See the rehearsal photos from the Billy Elliot UK and Ireland tour, meet the full cast for the Adelphi run, read about the Greatest Showman's West End plans and Glenn Close joining Jesus Christ Superstar, or catch up on Wicked's 20th anniversary cast and Cynthia Erivo's Nollywood Wicked sketch.

Header photo: Matt Crockett. Inline image: official artwork.