Sinatra The Musical Tickets

Frank Sinatra has been a puppet, a pauper, a pirate, a poet, a pawn and a king, and now he’s the subject of his very own musical. But who will be playing the iconic singer in Sinatra: The Musical at the Aldwych Theatre? Read on, and we’ll start spreading the news…

Joel Harper-Jackson (Standing at the Sky’s Edge) will star as the charismatic crooner, he will star opposite Ana Villafañe (On Your Feet!) as Ava Gardner and alongside Phoebe Panaretos (Strictly Ballroom) who reprises her role as Frank’s first wife, Nancy Sinatra.

As Sinatra The Musical prepares to arrive at the Aldwych Theatre in June this year, it’s the perfect moment to look beyond the legend and discover some lesser-known facts about the man who changed music forever. Written by Tony Award-winning Joe DiPietro and directed and choreographed by Olivier and Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall, the musical charts Sinatra’s rise, fall and extraordinary comeback. Here are ten things you might not know about Frank Sinatra.

1. He was born with significant birth complications
Frank Sinatra’s birth in 1915 was so traumatic that he almost didn’t survive it. Born weighing over 13 pounds, doctors used forceps that injured his cheek, neck and ear, leaving him not breathing at birth. As doctors focused on his mother, it was Sinatra’s grandmother who intervened, holding the newborn under cold water until he began to breathe — a moment that ultimately saved his life.

2. He never learned to read music
Despite becoming one of the most influential singers of all time, Sinatra couldn’t read or write musical notation. He learned songs by listening and relied on phrasing and instinct rather than technical theory — luckily he had such a brilliant natural musicality.

3. His early career was almost derailed by vocal problems
In the early 1950s, Sinatra suffered severe vocal haemorrhaging that temporarily damaged his voice and nearly ended his career — a low point explored in Sinatra The Musical.

4. He was obsessed with phrasing, not power
Sinatra revolutionised popular singing by treating songs as emotional narratives. He studied horn players, especially trombonists, to shape his breathing and legato style.

Sinatra: The Musical is set to light up London’s Aldwych Theatre this summer, bringing the extraordinary life of Frank Sinatra to the West End in a stylish new production.

When Is It Coming?

Previews begin on 3 June 2026, with the press night taking place on 24 June 2026.

What Is Sinatra The Musical About?

Set against the backdrop of New Year’s Eve, 1942, the musical follows a young Frank Sinatra as he steps onto the stage of New York’s Paramount Theatre for the performance that changed everything. As his fame explodes, Sinatra battles to balance marriage, fatherhood and the overwhelming pressures of becoming America’s most adored singer. His affair with Hollywood star Ava Gardner sends both his personal life and career spiraling, but with his unwavering commitment to family and a voice unlike any other, Sinatra fights his way back to deliver one of the greatest comebacks in entertainment history