Rowan Atkinson brings Rowan Live to the Gillian Lynne Theatre in 2027

Rowan Atkinson is returning to the West End stage with a new comedy sketch show, Rowan Live at the Gillian Lynne Theatre (coming soon). The strictly limited season of 30 performances runs from 8 February to 13 March 2027, and the official first night is Tuesday 16 February.

The producers announced the engagement on Monday 5 October 2026. It will be Atkinson’s first West End comedy sketch show in 40 years, bringing familiar characters and sketches together with new writing.

Mr Bean, Blackadder and new material

The evening draws on characters and sketches that made Atkinson a household name, including Mr Bean, Blackadder and favourites from Not the Nine O’Clock News. New material has been created with long-term collaborators Richard Curtis, Ben Elton and Howard Goodall.

Atkinson said: “It is forty years since I last did a comedy sketch show in the West End, and I thought it would be fun to perform again the sketches that began it all for myself and Richard Curtis, and in which my most well-known characters originated; alongside some surprise new material written especially for this show.”

Curtis first saw Atkinson on stage in 1976. “It was instantly clear to all of us that we were watching a unique, once in a lifetime talent,” he said. “50 years later, this summer, we started putting this show together in front of a small audience, and all that magic, that unique accuracy and comic genius is there for all to see. It’s such a joy and honour for me to be part of a show that will include the very best of Rowan on stage - all his voices, shapes, faces and characters. I hope it will make people very happy.”

Creative team

Raz Shaw directs Rowan Live, with music by Howard Goodall. The billing reunites Atkinson with Curtis, Elton and Goodall, the writers and composer behind so much of the work theatregoers quote to this day.

Dates and venue

Performances begin on Monday 8 February 2027 and continue to Saturday 13 March, a run of 30 shows only. The official first night is Tuesday 16 February. Age guidance is recommended for ages 12 and over; the running time is yet to be confirmed.

Priority booking opened at 9am on Wednesday 7 October 2026, with public booking from noon the same day.

The Gillian Lynne Theatre stands at 166 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5PW, a short walk from Covent Garden and Holborn.

With only 30 performances and a cast of characters loved for decades, this is one of the West End’s most closely watched comedy dates of early 2027.

See Rowan Live dates: Rowan Live at the Gillian Lynne Theatre (coming soon).