The Scottish Play at the fore of Theatre Royal’s bewitching new season

Our spectacular season opens with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (or “The Trocks”) playing 2-3 October ‘18. Loved world-wide for their sassy spoofs and hilarious homages to classical ballet, the company features 18 super-athletic male dancers who make every performance froth frivolously with a unique concoction of tutus and testosterone.

Opera North are incorporating a dance number into their double bill The Rite of Spring / Gianni Schicchi (16 March ’19) next year, pairing Stravinsky’s revolutionary pagan ritual ballet (a collaboration with Phoenix Dance Theatre) with Puccini’s comic masterpiece in which scheming relatives squabble over an inheritance.

The Opera North season in March ’19 offers a rich programme indeed, also featuring Mozart’s enchanting coming-of-age opera The Magic Flute (12-15 March ‘19) and Janacek’s deeply tragic but wildly beautiful Katya Kabanova (14 March ‘19).  A little closer to hand though is the famed Opera company’s exhilarating Autumn 2018 season featuring high octane thriller Tosca by Puccini (23,25,27 Oct ‘18) – an intense story of lust and love, of cruelty and self sacrifice accompanied by some of  opera’s best-loved, most recognisable music.

Macbeth, renowned as an unlucky show and so, for the superstitious, only ever referred to as “the Scottish play”, famously visited the Theatre Royal in November 1899, and played on the night the theatre was gutted by fire – 23 November 1899. One hundred and nineteen years later, almost to the day, this devastatingly good Shakespeare tragedy returns in a brand new production from creators of War Horse and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, The National Theatre.

For those looking for drama with a lighter touch, hilarious new comedy Vulcan VII brings a star cast to the Theatre 8-13 October’18. Written by and co-starring Adrian Edmondson and Nigel Planer (Comic Strip Presents..., Filthy, Rich & Cap Flap, The Young Ones), this rip-roaring new comedy takes a look at the actor’s life through the eyes of Gary Savage and Hugh Delavois –  ex-RADA students now in their sixties holed up in an Icelandic wasteland, on the set of a fantasy movie.

From new comedy to classic, as October brings a glorious show which pays homage to icons of British comedy Morecambe and Wise in An Evening with Eric and Ern on Sun 14 Oct 2018. Olivier Award-nominated duo Jonty Stephens and Ian Ashpitel star in a show full of those famous comedy sketches, most loved routines, songs… and of course a musical guest!

The final entry for the new season is an all-round family favourite, the musical extravaganza of Leslie Bricusse’s Doctor Dolittle (12-23 Feb ’19)Based on the popular 1967 film and from the producers of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the show is a delightful animal adventure featuring stunning visual puppetry.

Other highlights for the season (currently on sale) include Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s hit show Evita (22-26 May), landmark new show Dusty the Musical (17-21 July), Gary Barlow and Tim Firth’s award winning musical comedy Calendar Girls the Musical (18-29 Sep), gripping new stage show Sherlock Holmes – The Final Curtain (8-12 May) and for little ones the new live stage show from the YouTube sensation Little Baby Bum (10-11 July) and the return of everyone’s favourite piggy in Peppa Pig’s Adventure (22-23 Aug).  Not forgetting that nearly 25,000 tickets have already been sold for this year’s rip-roaring pantomime spectacular Goldilocks and the Three Bears 27 Nov ’18 – 20 Jan ’19 – an essential date for everyone’s calendar!

Tickets can be purchased online at www.theatreroyal.co.uk or from the Theatre Royal Box Office on 08448 11 21 21 (Calls cost 7p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge). 

Not only can Friends book before everyone else, but they also receive discounted tickets as well as other benefits – visit www.theatreroyal.co.uk/support/become-a-friend for more information.