Looking for what’s on at Southwark Playhouse in September 2026? This month’s programme stretches across both Southwark Playhouse Borough and Southwark Playhouse Elephant, with true-crime folk theatre, a Frankenstein-inspired pop musical workshop, a major literary musical, new writing about London’s gig economy and a Jazz Age adaptation of Patrick Hamilton.
Important: Southwark Playhouse has two venues in the Elephant & Castle area. Check the venue on your ticket before travelling: the productions below are split between Borough (SE1) and Elephant (SE11).
What’s On at Southwark Playhouse This September
- Bury the Hatchet — Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Little — until 5 September
- Mona Loser: A Workshop Presentation — Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Large — 2–5 September
- Jane Eyre: A Musical — Southwark Playhouse Elephant, Main Space — running throughout September (28 August–24 October)
- Night City — Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Little — 9 September–3 October
- Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky — Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Large — 10 September–17 October
Bury the Hatchet
Venue: Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Little
Dates: 12 August–5 September 2026
Running time: approximately 1 hour 15 minutes, no interval
Age guidance: 12+
Tickets: standard from £22; concessions from £18
Out Of The Forest Theatre re-examines the infamous Lizzie Borden murder case through a lively three-person actor-musician ensemble. It mixes historical evidence and courtroom storytelling with banter, folk music and murder ballads rather than simply handing the audience a neat guilty-or-innocent answer.
Who might enjoy it? True-crime fans, lovers of darkly comic theatre and anyone who likes history retold through live music should have this on their September list.
I’ve already seen this one at Southwark Playhouse, so you can also read my full Bury the Hatchet review. For the practical production guide, see Bury the Hatchet at Southwark Playhouse.
Check Bury the Hatchet tickets with Southwark Playhouse.
Mona Loser
Venue: Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Large
Dates: 2–5 September 2026
Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes including interval
Age guidance: 12+
Tickets: £25 standard
Mona Loser returns to Borough as a workshop presentation from writers Kit Buchan and Jim Barne. Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the new musical uses a high-energy pop score to explore fame, fakery and what happens when a manufactured viral sensation begins to take on a life of her own.
Who might enjoy it? Musical-theatre fans who like seeing new work develop, pop-driven scores, contemporary satire and clever twists on classic literature. As this is a workshop presentation, it is also a chance to catch the show while it is still evolving.
Clarissa’s Corner also has a Mona Loser 2025 archive page, preserved separately from this new 2026 workshop.
Check Mona Loser tickets with Southwark Playhouse.
Jane Eyre: A Musical
Venue: Southwark Playhouse Elephant, Main Space
Dates: 28 August–24 October 2026
Running time: approximately 2 hours 30 minutes including interval
Age guidance: 10+
Tickets: standard from £25; concessions from £20
Charlotte Brontë’s novel gets a musical retelling in the UK premiere of the five-time Tony-nominated musical by John Caird and Paul Gordon. The production combines Jane’s story of independence, ambition and passionate love with the novel’s gothic mystery and an expansive musical score.
Who might enjoy it? Fans of classic novels and adaptations, sweeping musicals and gothic romance. It is also the only production in this September round-up playing at Southwark Playhouse Elephant, rather than Borough.
Check Jane Eyre tickets with Southwark Playhouse.
Jane Eyre Production Images
Production photography: Victoria Davies.
Night City
Venue: Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Little
Dates: 9 September–3 October 2026
Running time: approximately 1 hour 40 minutes, no interval
Age guidance: 14+
Tickets: standard from £22; concessions from £18
Written by Max Wilkinson and based on his own experiences, Night City follows three London workers whose lives collide within the pressures of the gig economy. An eclectic soundtrack and sharp humour sit alongside a story about precarious work, ambition, exploitation and the cost of staying silent.
Who might enjoy it? Anyone drawn to urgent contemporary drama, new writing and plays that put recognisable modern London life on stage.
Check Night City tickets with Southwark Playhouse.
Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky
Venue: Southwark Playhouse Borough, The Large
Dates: 10 September–17 October 2026
Running time: approximately 2 hours 20 minutes including interval
Age guidance: 12+
Tickets: standard from £35; concessions from £28, subject to availability on matinees
Patrick Hamilton’s trilogy is adapted for the stage by Simon Reade in this world-premiere production directed by Matthew Iliffe. Set in London in 1929, it follows three lonely people orbiting the Midnight Bell pub as love, longing and obsession pull them through the city’s grimier Jazz Age streets.
Who might enjoy it? Fans of literary adaptations, period drama, atmospheric London stories and darker character-led theatre. Hamilton also wrote Gaslight and Rope, so there is an especially nice connection here for readers who like psychological classics.
Check Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky tickets with Southwark Playhouse.
Which Southwark Playhouse Show Should You See?
If you only have room for one Southwark Playhouse trip this month, the programme is varied enough to choose by mood. Pick Bury the Hatchet for true crime and folk storytelling; Mona Loser for a Frankenstein-inspired new musical in development; Jane Eyre for a big gothic literary musical; Night City for contemporary London drama; or Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky for an atmospheric Jazz Age literary adaptation.
Accessible Performances at Southwark Playhouse
Southwark Playhouse’s current September 2026 access listings confirm the following performances:
- Bury the Hatchet — Captioned: Thursday 3 September at 7.30pm — Borough
- Jane Eyre — Relaxed Environment Performance: Saturday 26 September at 2.30pm — Elephant
- Night City — Captioned: Wednesday 23 September at 7.30pm — Borough
- Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky — Captioned: Wednesday 30 September at 7pm — Borough
No dedicated September access performance is currently listed for Mona Loser on Southwark Playhouse’s access page. This does not mean the venue itself is inaccessible.
Southwark Playhouse offers access tickets for every performance and a free companion ticket where required through its free Access Membership scheme. Borough has step-free access to all areas and an accessible toilet. At Elephant there is ground-level access to the mezzanine bar and box office, with lift access to the basement level of the Main Space.
Because access arrangements and technical guidance can be updated, check Southwark Playhouse’s current access information before booking if you have specific requirements.
Southwark Playhouse Borough or Elephant?
Southwark Playhouse Borough is at 77–85 Newington Causeway, London SE1 6BD. It contains The Large and The Little. In this September guide, Bury the Hatchet, Mona Loser, Night City and Twenty Thousand Streets Under the Sky are all at Borough.
Southwark Playhouse Elephant is at 1 Dante Place, London SE11 4RX. Its Main Space hosts Jane Eyre: A Musical.
The venues are both around Elephant & Castle but they are separate buildings, so give yourself enough time and double-check the venue printed on your booking.
Tickets
At the time of this September update, I have not found a confirmed Clarissa’s Corner affiliate ticket link for these five productions, so the booking links above go directly to the official Southwark Playhouse production pages. Southwark Playhouse states that its listed ticket prices have no booking fee.
Prices and availability can change, particularly as performances fill, so use the official production page for the latest ticket options.
More Theatre on Clarissa’s Corner
For more from the venue, browse the Southwark Playhouse archive on Clarissa’s Corner. You can also read my Bury the Hatchet review, including my own experience of the production.
