Redcliffe – ticket and hotel packages by London Theatre Breaks
Theatre: Criterion Theatre, Piccadilly Circus (Piccadilly Circus Tube, right outside)
Dates: 28 January to 17 April 2027
Running time: about 2 hours 30 minutes, including an interval
Age guidance: 14+
Theatre breaks: Book your Redcliffe break
What’s it about?
William Critchard is a footman from a humble background. Richard Arnold is a sailor passing through Redcliffe, the busy harbourside district of Bristol. They meet, fall in love and, as gossip spreads and the town turns against them, have to decide how much they will risk for the chance to be together.
The real case is far darker. Newspapers of the day tells of Arnold as a 60 year old pub landlord and how his illicit liaisons with a 20 year old footman were exposed by a rival publican. So if you know the history, you will spot the artistic licence straight away. What the writer has done is take two real names and a real injustice and imagine the love story the records never told. Treat it as a musical inspired by history rather than a faithful account of it.
The team behind it
Jordan Luke Gage is best known as a West End leading man (Bonnie & Clyde, Heathers, & Juliet). Redcliffe is his first show as a writer, and he wrote the book, music and lyrics himself, winning Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer at the 2026 Stage Debut Awards. He also played William at Southwark; West End casting has not yet been announced. Paul Foster directs.
The score is lovely: big, rousing numbers, some genuinely funny ones and some fine choral writing. For a story that ends the way this one must, it is surprisingly warm. In a West End full of film adaptations and jukebox shows, it is also something rarer, a completely original new British musical, and the intimate Criterion suits it well.
Planning your break
Nearby hotels include the 4-star Thistle Trafalgar Square, a few minutes’ walk away just off Leicester Square, and the 5-star Dilly on Piccadilly. The theatre is literally yards from the steps down to Piccadilly Circus Underground station, so it is no trouble to stay anywhere in London.
My advice is to go early in the run. London hotel rates are usually at their lowest in January and early February. With only 12 weeks, the popular weekends will go first.
Before you book
Is Redcliffe suitable for teenagers?
It is recommended for ages 14 and over. It deals with prejudice and persecution, and the story ends tragically, so it suits older teenagers and adults best.
What time does Redcliffe finish?
Evening performances start at 19:30 and the show runs for about 2 hours 30 minutes with an interval, so expect to be out at about 22:00. There are also matinees at 14:30.
How do I get there by train?
From Euston, take the Victoria line to Oxford Circus and change to the Bakerloo line for one stop to Piccadilly Circus. From King’s Cross St Pancras, the Piccadilly line runs direct to Piccadilly Circus. The theatre is right beside the station exits.