What We Know About the Yesterday Beatles Musical

What is the new Yesterday musical?

It is a stage adaptation of Yesterday, the 2019 film written by Richard Curtis and directed by Danny Boyle. Curtis and his wife, producer Emma Freud, are working on the theatre version, and Boyle is set to direct it too. ¹²

The film follows Jack Malik, a struggling musician who wakes after a global blackout and finds that he is the only person who remembers The Beatles. He performs their songs as if they were his own, and his new success affects his relationship with Ellie, his longtime friend and manager. ²

Will the musical use Beatles songs?

Yes. Freud confirmed that The Beatles have agreed to let their songs feature in the stage version. She described the agreement as a major step, saying the band had not previously allowed its music to be used in a West End musical. ¹³

The available reports do not name which songs will be included, how many there will be, or how the arrangements will differ from the film. So the confirmed point is that Beatles music is approved for the production, not a complete song list or a description of how each song will be staged. ¹³

Who is making the stage version?

Richard Curtis, who wrote the film, is developing the show with Emma Freud, its producer. Danny Boyle, who directed the movie, is returning to direct the stage adaptation. ¹²

Freud said the theatre has been selected but did not identify it publicly. The reporting describes the production as intended for the West End, but does not give a venue name or a date when tickets may go on sale. ¹⁴

How far along is the production?

The show is still being developed. Freud said the team had held two workshops and planned a third in October. Workshops bring actors together to test the script, songs and staging and help the team see what works on stage. ¹³

Freud also said the script had reached its 11th draft. She explained that adapting a film for theatre involves more than transferring the screenplay: the team has to reshape its moments and storytelling for a live performance. ³

When will the Yesterday musical open?

The sources do not provide an opening date, performance schedule, ticket details or confirmed theatre name. Freud said the venue had been chosen but could not yet be disclosed. ¹⁴

For now, the reliable update is that the show is in development, with workshops and script work underway. Until the production team announces more, a specific date or venue should not be treated as confirmed.

What does the Beatles music approval mean?

It means the stage production has permission to feature Beatles songs, according to Freud’s confirmation. That is notable because she said the band had not previously allowed its music in a West End musical. ¹³

It does not yet tell audiences which songs will be used or precisely how the stage story will handle them. The adaptation is still being shaped through workshops and script revisions, so further creative details remain outstanding. ¹³