Michael Sheen is to return to the West End for the first time in more than 20 years, to star in a revival of Amadeus opposite Callum Scott Howells.
Michael Sheen will make his long-awaited return to the West End next year, taking on the role of Antonio Salieri in a major revival of Peter Shaffer’s celebrated drama Amadeus, opposite rising Welsh star Callum Scott Howells as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The new production, directed by Jeremy Herrin, will open first at the New Theatre in Cardiff from 9 to 27 March 2027 before transferring to the Noël Coward Theatre for a limited 16-week West End run from 17 April to 7 August 2027. It marks Sheen’s first appearance in a West End production in more than 20 years and the first major London revival of Amadeus in over a decade.
Sheen, who previously played Mozart in the West End and on Broadway in 1998 and 1999 before taking on Salieri at the Sydney Opera House in 2022, described the project as a “full-circle moment.” He said returning to the play opposite a fellow Welsh actor made the experience feel “very special indeed.”
Howells, best known for It’s a Sin and Cabaret, will make his role debut as Mozart. The production reunites him with Sheen following their work together on the BBC drama The Way, which Sheen directed. Howells called the opportunity to play Mozart “a dream come true,” saying he had wanted to tackle the role for a long time.
In a notable first for the play, both Salieri and Mozart will be played by Welsh actors in the same production. The revival is being staged by Second Half Productions and Welsh National Theatre, the company founded by Sheen in 2025, and will mark its first West End presentation.
Set in Vienna in 1820, Amadeus follows the ageing Salieri as he reflects on his obsessive rivalry with Mozart, whose extraordinary musical genius he believes to be divinely inspired. Admiration soon turns to envy, and Salieri begins a destructive campaign against the younger composer in a story of ambition, jealousy and artistic torment.
Director Jeremy Herrin said he was thrilled to be working on the “legendary and beloved” play with Sheen, calling him “one of the world’s best,” and said he was excited to see him “go toe to toe” with Howells.
Tickets for Amadeus go on general sale on 24 April 2026 at 10am. Further casting is expected to be announced in the coming months.
Michael Sheen and Callum Scott Howells will star in Amadeus at the Noël Coward Theatre next year. Photo: Danny Kaan for Margo Jones Agency
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