Date night: the best London shows for two

His Majesty's Theatre · 2hr 30min (incl. 1 interval) · from £23

A haunting love story in a Paris opera house, in London since 1986. The candlelit lake and the falling chandelier are as good as their reputation, and The Music of the Night is the song people mean when they say a show is romantic.

Worth knowing. More gothic than sweet: the love story has a dark side, and the Phantom is not a gentle man.

Seats for two. The mid-Stalls are the best seats. The centre of the Royal Circle has a panoramic view, but the shallow rake and sharp curve catch out the side seats, so keep to the middle.

Dinner. Piccadilly Circus and St James’s are a short walk.

Piccadilly Theatre · 2hr 45min (incl. 1 interval) · from £20

A composer falls for a nightclub star in 1899 Montmartre, to a score made of pop songs you will know. The auditorium is dressed for it and the pre-show is part of the evening, so the date starts before the curtain goes up.

Worth knowing. Age guidance is 12 and over.

Seats for two. The Royal Circle has excellent elevated views, especially near the front, but check for side-on angles. Whatever you book, be in your seats 15 minutes early: the pre-show is part of the experience.

Dinner. Soho and Piccadilly Circus are minutes away.

Lyric Theatre · 2hr 30min (incl. 1 interval) · from £25

The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, sung through folk, jazz and blues, with a love story you know will end badly and watch anyway. It is a good choice for a couple who would rather be moved than dazzled.

Worth knowing. Uses smoke, haze and strobe-like effects.

Seats for two. The Dress Circle is often the best in the house, particularly Rows A to F. In the Stalls, the overhang from Row M can clip the top of the stage.

Dinner. Soho and Chinatown are on the doorstep.

Garrick Theatre · From 17 Nov · 2hr 40min (incl. 1 interval) · from £30

David Nicholls’s novel as a musical: two people who keep meeting on the same day each year, and keep missing each other. A new musical, so book early if you want a seat in the first weeks.

Worth knowing. It is bittersweet, as the book is, and not purely a happy evening.

Seats for two. The Dress Circle is prime viewing at the Garrick, though the Row A rail can get in the way if you are shorter. In the Stalls, aim for Row D or E and back; Rows A to C mean craning your neck.

Dinner. Leicester Square, Chinatown and Seven Dials are all close.

Novello Theatre · 2hr 35min (incl. 1 interval) · from £17.50

A wedding on a Greek island and the ABBA songs to go with it. It is the most relaxed ticket on this list, and the one where you will end the evening on your feet, with or without meaning to.

Seats for two. The centre of the Dress Circle is prime. Avoid its far sides and the rear rows.

Dinner. Covent Garden and the Strand are a short walk.

Adelphi Theatre · 14 Oct – 9 Jan · from £33

Keira Knightley, Luke Thompson and Stephen Dillane in a new stage version of the film about East Berlin in 1984, where a Stasi officer listens to a couple through the ceiling and becomes drawn into their lives. It is tense and humane, and about how much of yourself you hand over to the person you love.

Worth knowing. Recommended for 14 and over. The first performances are previews.

Seats for two. The Dress Circle has the best elevated views at the Adelphi, though the rear rows get warm. The Upper Circle is clear and cheaper, but it is a steep climb and a tight fit.

Dinner. Covent Garden and the Strand are minutes away.

Apollo Theatre · 10 Oct – 30 Jan · from £25

Mind-reading, psychological illusion and storytelling, in a show whose content is being kept under wraps. Whatever happens, you will spend dinner trying to work out how, and comparing what each of you thought you saw.

Worth knowing. Not suitable for children under 12, and audience members may be filmed during the performance.

Seats for two. The Dress Circle is prime from Rows A to E, though the Row A rail can be a nuisance. In the Stalls, avoid the front rows and the back under the overhang.

Dinner. Soho and Chinatown are on the doorstep.

Playhouse Theatre (Kit Kat Club) · 2hr 45min (incl. 1 interval) · from £31

The Playhouse is rebuilt as the Kit Kat Club, and the pre-show entertainment starts before the curtain does. It is the most theatrical night out here: seductive, funny and then, slowly, not at all.

Worth knowing. The story turns dark. It is set in Berlin in 1930 and does not look away from where that leads.

Seats for two. This is an immersive production, so where you sit changes the evening. Table seats beside the stage come with the option of a pre-ordered meal, or a cocktail and snack package; the Dress Circle has great views and a clearer look at the musicians. Arrive before the doors open for the pre-show entertainment.

Dinner. Embankment and Charing Cross are close, on the river side of Trafalgar Square.

County Hall · 2hr 20min (incl. 1 interval) · from £19

Agatha Christie’s courtroom drama, staged in the old council chamber of County Hall and dressed as the Old Bailey, with the trial unfolding around you. You will each have a different theory about who is lying, and the walk along the river afterwards is for settling it.

Worth knowing. Age guidance is 10 and over. There are stairs to the galleries.

Seats for two. The Galleries give a panoramic view, but watch for columns, heat and stairs, and some of the cheapest seats have a very restricted view, so do not book those for two.

Dinner. The South Bank and the river are right outside.

Vaudeville Theatre · 1hr 20min (no interval) · from £34.50

The six wives of Henry VIII as a pop concert, with a band of women on stage and no interval to break the spell. It finishes early, it is gloriously loud, and it is hard to be awkward at.

Worth knowing. Loud, with flashing lights. It touches on some serious subjects among the jokes.

Seats for two. The Vaudeville is a tiny theatre, and the Dress Circle is its sweet spot. The box seats beside the Dress Circle, or the front row, are the budget choice for a pair, but they book up months ahead. There are very few toilets, so go well before the show.

Dinner. Covent Garden and the Strand are a short walk.

Trafalgar Theatre · 1hr 20min (no interval) · from £25

Cole Escola’s Olivier-winning comedy about a foul-tempered Mary Todd Lincoln who wants only to be a cabaret star. It is outrageous, ridiculous and over before the laughing has stopped.

Worth knowing. An adult comedy about a hard-drinking, unhappily married First Lady, with no interval.

Seats for two. In the Stalls, Rows D to M give excellent views; the front three rows mean craning your neck. The Dress Circle has premium elevated views, particularly Rows A to C, though Row A’s safety rail can be a minor issue.

Dinner. Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross are a few minutes’ walk.

Vaudeville Theatre · 1hr 50min (incl. 1 interval) · from £21.50

An improvised Jane Austen novel, made up in front of you from a title the audience shouts out, in period costume with live music. Every night is different, and you will be quoting it to each other for a week.

Seats for two. The Dress Circle is the Vaudeville’s sweet spot for views and comfort, though Row A has a rail. The Stalls have a good rake but tight legroom and an overhang.

Dinner. Covent Garden and the Strand are a short walk.

Barbican Theatre · 31 Oct – 23 Jan · 1hr 40min (no interval) · from £18

Shakespeare’s tragedy and Radiohead’s album collide in a fast, frenetic distillation, with the music part of the story. It is not a comfortable evening, but it is a short and gripping one, and there is plenty to say afterwards.

Worth knowing. A tragedy, set in a surveillance state, told through movement and music rather than a conventional staging.

Seats for two. In the Upper Circle, central Row A is highly recommended and smart value. The Stalls are the best in the house for legroom and views.

Dinner. The Barbican has its own bars, and Smithfield and Clerkenwell are a short walk away.

Fortune Theatre · 432 seats · from £60

A musical comedy about the Second World War deception that planted fake plans on a dead body. It is fast, smart and surprisingly tender, and it plays in a theatre of a few hundred seats, so you are never far from the cast.

Seats for two. The Dress Circle is the level to aim for, with an excellent elevated view of the whole stage. In the Stalls, sit from Row D back; Rows A to C mean a high stage and a stiff neck.

Dinner. The theatre is in Covent Garden.

Sam Wanamaker Playhouse · 340 seats · 6 Nov – 14 Feb · from £5

Shakespeare’s political thriller in the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, a small candlelit theatre with galleries and a pit. It is the most atmospheric room on this list, and the play is about betrayal and ambition rather than romance, so it is for a couple who like their date a little tense.

Worth knowing. The Globe’s page warns of depictions of war, suicide and violence. Under-16s must be accompanied by an adult. Cast and running time have yet to be announced.

Seats for two. The Lower Gallery has intimate views, but watch for the many pillars and backless benches. The Upper Gallery is the best value for a view of the whole theatre, though comfort and detail suffer. The Pit is a famously demanding sit.

Dinner. Bankside and the river are outside the door.

Donmar Warehouse · 251 seats · 10 Oct – 28 Nov · from £15

A new play at the Donmar Warehouse about a teenager in 1990s East London whose life is changed by a new friend. The Donmar calls it funny and moving, in a room where the stage is close enough to touch.

Worth knowing. A short run, so the window is narrow.

Seats for two. The Stalls have excellent views and comfort. In the Dress Circle, Row B is the best.

Dinner. Seven Dials and Covent Garden are on the doorstep.