The award-winning company brings its bold, music-filled reimagining of the festive favourite to St Martin’s Theatre for a limited season.
London’s West End will welcome The Nutcracker,, a fresh twist on a beloved Christmas classic. The Olivier Award-nominated company will stage its audacious retelling at St Martin’s Theatre from 10 December 2025 to 4 January 2026, following a record-breaking run at Polka Theatre.
Little Bulb, known for its inventive productions that blend original music, humour, and handcrafted theatre, first premiered the show in 2024. It went on to become Polka Theatre’s best-selling Christmas production in the venue’s 45-year history and was later nominated for the 2025 Olivier Award for Best Family Show.
This new staging transports the familiar story to a distinctly London setting, reinventing the ballet as a comic, musical quest filled with cardboard creations, mischievous mice, and theatrical surprises. The show is aimed at families and particularly suited for children aged 5–12.
Audiences will follow two bickering siblings who receive a mysterious nutcracker from their flamboyant aunt. Their gift launches them into the “Mousey Realm,” where they must unite to face the many-headed Mouse King and save Christmas.
The production features performances by Clare Beresford, Dominic Conway, Lakeisha Lynch-Stevens, Caroline Partridge, and Shamira Turner. It was devised and written by Beresford, Conway, and Alexander Scott in collaboration with the wider cast and is directed by Scott. Set and costumes are designed by Sam Wilde, lighting by Joshua Pharo, and sound by Sharon Tsang. Music direction is shared between Beresford and Conway.
This West End run marks a first for the acclaimed company, which has built a reputation for inventive and genre-defying theatre across the UK and internationally, including productions at the Salzburg and Brisbane festivals. Their previous work includes Wolf Witch Giant Fairy, which won the 2022 Olivier Award for Best Family Show, and Orpheus, co-produced with Battersea Arts Centre to five-star reviews.
Polka Theatre
Speaking about the new season, Little Bulb said:
“We are beyond excited to bring our madcap, ‘80s action film-inspired version of The Nutcracker to the iconic St Martin’s Theatre for our West End debut. It’s such a beautiful and intimate space bursting with theatre history, making it the perfect place for families to feel festive. But here’s a twist, our version is told by the mice! A chorus of cheeky mice playing in the home of the world’s most famous Mousetrap. What could possibly go wrong?”
Producer Brian Fenty added:
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be bringing Little Bulb’s brilliant production of The Nutcracker to the West End this Christmas. Their wildly inventive, joyously mischievous take on this beloved classic bursts with music, laughter, and heart; it is theatre at its most alive, making it a holiday treat that promises to surprise, delight, and utterly charm audiences of all ages.”
Performance Information
The Nutcracker will open on 10 December 2025, with press performances scheduled for 12 December. Performances take place daily with varying schedules, and tickets are now available from £12.50 to £42.50 via the official ticketing site.
Social Handles
Instagram: @nutcrackerlondon / @littlebulbtheatre Facebook: Nutcracker London / Little Bulb Theatre TikTok: @nutcrackerlondon
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