January – August 2018
/ 01284 769505
WELCOME TO SPRING 2018
I hope you like the exciting range of work we have programmed at Theatre Royal. We have some real classics on stage including Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and Hard Times, the ultimate tribute to the First World War, Birdsong, Whisky Galore, and Edgar Alan Poe’s thriller, The Case of the Frightened Lady. There are also productions from contemporary British writers including Anthony Horowitz, Michael Morpurgo and we are delighted that John Godber will perform in his new play The Scary Bikers. There is new work from The Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, based on the best seller Sweet Mandarin and two new musical productions, Teddy and Judy and Liza. For dance lovers we have ballet, tap and flamenco and I am delighted that Swansea City Opera return with The Barber of Seville. Alongside comedy, magic, music and our extensive programme for families, we hope you will find many reasons to enjoy a performance at our beautiful and iconic theatre. In 2019, Theatre Royal will be 200 years old. We know that the work we do in our building, in the schools and out in the community is about building for the future and contributing to people’s lives. I would like to thank our local authorities, Patrons, Sponsors, Friends and the volunteers of all ages that also play a key role in our success. If you would like to be more involved in our work please do not hesitate to get in touch. There are so many ways you can be part of our future and of course we look forward to welcoming you and your friends for a night out.
KAREN SIMPSON, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
A MESSAGE FROM OUR SPONSOR
Gross & Co. Solicitors are delighted to be once again supporting Theatre Royal and sponsoring the 2018 spring season. Woolnough Gross, who opened the firm in 1848, I am sure would agree that Theatre Royal is and should always be a crucial part of the heritage of Bury St Edmunds. Today it reflects the diversity and vibrancy of the historic town where we nurture develop and showcase the best of new artists and their work; reflecting local, national and international communities and encouraging the diversification of artists and artistic leadership in the UK. We are very proud to be a part of this community and look forward to the exciting new season.
Graeme Kirk, Senior Partner
| 01284 763333 |
Established in Bury St. Edmunds since 1848, Gross & Co. Solicitors have earned a reputation for providing clients professional advice with a personal service. Today we have teams who specialise in Property, Family & Divorce, Wills, Trusts & Probate, Immigration, and Company, Commercial & Employment.
THEATRE ROYAL MEMBERSHIPS
registered charity number: 242977
Help us by supporting the Theatre’s work both on stage and in the community. We rely on individual supporters, Friends, Patrons, Business Sponsors, Fundraising Events and applications to Charitable Trusts. We are also delighted to meet new people and build new relationships. If you are interested in helping us, explore our membership offers and get in touch Julia Read - Head of Development, l Emma Suckling – Development Manager,
FRIENDS BENEFITS
Save on tickets.
Get 5% off tickets (excluding Fundraising and Community & Panto) Priority booking.
Access a 7 day priority booking period at the beginning of each season and you will be notified and eligible for any additional pre-season sale events.
Regular news and updates.
Friends receive Theatre Royal’s programme hot off the press.
From £47 PER YEAR.
PATRONS BENEFITS
Your name on the supporters board in the main bar and the season brochure.
Invitation to a First Night of a Theatre Royal production.
Invitation to the ultimate Dress Tech rehearsal of the Panto before it goes public.
Benefit from being the first to hear about a new season and a priority booking period.
Regualr updates from Theatre’s Development Team.
Your own personal tour upon request.
Invitations to the new season launch to learn about what’s on offer over a glass or two of wine.
FROM £250 PER YEAR.
JOIN TODAY BY VISITING THEATREROYAL.ORG/SUPPORT
SEASON SAVER DISCOUNT
Book multiple shows and make big savings! Take advantage of the Season Saver Discount this spring to see more shows for less. Booking 4+ shows will save you 10%, 6+ shows 15% and 8+ shows a massive 25% off! Book early to secure your favourite seats and see more for less this spring.
Book 4+ shows SAVE 10% Book 6+ shows SAVE 15% Book 8+ shows SAVE 25%
Valid on all shows excluding Children’s Shows, Fundraising and Community Events & Panto. Season Saver Discount can only be used on seats in Price Bands A & B and cannot be used in conjunction with other discounts except the Friends Saver. BECOME A FRIEND AND SAVE EVEN MORE! Friends receive an additional 5% off
BOOKING INFORMATION
ONLINE:
BY PHONE: 01284 769505
BY EMAIL:
IN PERSON: Westgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP33 1QR
UNDER 21 SAVER
Tickets are £10.50 for all shows excluding Fundraising Events, Community Events and Pantomime.
GROUPS & SCHOOLS SAVER
Groups of 8+ receive £1 off full price tickets in Bands A, B & C. Panto groups of 10+ recieve £1 off and groups of 25+ receive £1.50 off full price tickets in Bands A, B & C. School groups are £10.50 per ticket with buy 10 get 11th free. For more information contact our Groups & Schools Coordinator on 01284 829947 or email
TERMS & CONDITIONS
We do not charge booking or credit card fees. Exchanges or returns are available up to 7 days before a performance with a £1.75 admin charge per ticket. Schools’ discounts are subject to availability. All ticket prices are starting at prices and can change based on demand so book early to secure the best seats at the best prices. Please note information is correct at time of going to print, for the latest information visit our website.
SEATING PLAN
SIGHTLINES
Theatre Royal is an historic horseshoe-shaped Georgian auditorium; if you are unfamiliar with the sightlines please talk to our Box Office staff or take a guided tour.Seats in Dress Circle Boxes A B C / Q R S, Upper Circle Boxes A B C / N P Q and Gallery Row C & D are marked as restricted viewing for many theatre and dance productions.
ACCESS
Spaces for wheelchair users are available in Dress Circle Boxes F, H, K and M subject to availability. We askyou to book in person or over the phone to ensure we can fully accommodate your visit. There is step free access to the front of the theatre, Box Office, Greene Room Bar, Dress Circle and toilets. Please note The Pit, Upper Circle and Gallery are only accessible by stairs.
Wed 31 Jan - Sat 3 Feb
DRAMA / BIRDSONG PRODUCTIONS LTD
BIRDSONG
STAGE VERSION BY RACHEL WAGSTAFF
Marking the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, Birdsong is the hit, critically acclaimed stage show based on the world famous novel by Sebastian Faulks.In pre-war France, a young Englishman Stephen Wraysford embarks on a passionate and dangerous affair with the beautiful Isabelle Azaire that turns their world upside down.As the war breaks out over the idyll of his former life, Stephen must lead his men through the carnage of the Battle of the Somme and through the sprawling tunnels that lie deep underground.Faced with the unprecedented horror of the war, Stephen clings to the memory of Isabelle as his world explodes around him.A mesmerising story of love and courage. Set both before and during the Great War.Following on from the 2013/14/15 National tours, seen by over 200,000 people, now it is your chance to experience this stunning piece of theatre live on stage.
“Moving, gripping, dramatically electrifying and outstanding” The Times
“A moving and stunning performance” HHHHH WhatsOnStage
TICKETS Wed 31 Jan - Sat 3 7.30pm, Thu 1 Mat 2pm, Sat 3 Mat 3pm £30 - £10.50
Wed 7 - Thu 8 Feb
COMEDY / OFF THE KERB PRODUCTIONS
MICHAEL MCINTYRE: WORK IN PROGRESS
Michael McIntyre revisits Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds with Work In Progress.
Sponsored by Ashtons Leagl
TICKETS Wed 7 & Thu 8 8pm £26
Fri 9 - Sat 10 Feb
MUSICAL / LIVERPOOL’S ROYAL COURT
JUDY & LIZA
Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli are back together again in this amazing new musical experience.An emotional rollercoaster of photographs, movie clips and live performances of all of your favourite hits including Cabaret, Maybe This Time and The Man That Got Away.Uncover the uncanny parallels between their most iconic songs and the personal lives of the mother and daughter who put the ‘show’ into showbiz.
TICKETS Fri 9 & Sat 10 7.30pm, Sat 10 Mat 3pm £26 - £10.50
Sat 17 - Sun 18 Feb
FAMILY / NORWELL LAPLEY PRODUCTIONS LIMITED
DEAR ZOO
The timeless children’s classic book makes its stage premiere. Rod Campbell’s best-selling lift-the-flap book has delighted generations of young readers since it was first published in 1982 and has sold more than 8 million copies worldwide. This production will delight all those who have read the book, (both young and old) as it unfolds with child-engaging puppets, music and lots of audience interaction.
TICKETS Sat 17 1.30pm & 3.30pm, Sun 18 11am & 1.30pm £14 - £10.50
Mon 19 - Sat 24 Feb
MUSICAL / SARAH LOADER FOR SNAPDRAGON PRODUCTIONS IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE WATERMILL THEATRE
TEDDY
Elephant and Castle, London. 1956. Saturday night. Teddy and Josie are about to hit the streets of London for a good time. Hair quiffed. Red lipstick. Dressed toe to head in the latest threads. So what if it’s pouring down, they’re totally skint and someone wants them dead? A little trouble never stopped a Ted from having a good time.Desperate times call for rock ‘n’ roll.From the writer-director team behind Boudica at the Globe, Frankenstein at The Watermill Theatre and Wilton’s Music Hall in London comes Teddy, an award-winning, punchy new musical that races through the dark and damaged world of post-war London: a brand new Britain bombed to bits by the Blitz, belts tight with austerity, but ripe and ready for revolution.With electrifying original songs plus some of the hugest hits from the 1950s performed by the on-stage live band Johnny Valentine and the Broken Hearts, Teddy is the ultimatestory of teenage rebellion and the birth of a new musical era. Bursting with the energy of a live gig, this is theatre that leaves you on a high and jiving all the way home.
HHHH “A game changer that pushes the music integrated play forwards.” The Stage
HHHH “An absolute blast of a night, a fun, punchy, poignant homage to London’s past and an evening that will have you jiving on your way out.” Time Out
TICKETS Mon 19 - Sat 24 7.30pm, Wed 21 Mat 2pm, Sat 24 Mat 3pm £26 - £10.50
Thu 22 Feb
FUNDRAISER
CALL MY BLUFF WITH CHIRSTOPHERBIGGINS
Join the mighty Christopher Biggins and a panel of ‘experts’ for a game of bluff and double bluff – there will be a lot of guessing and a lot of quaffing! Enjoy a riotous evening of laughs, fun and fine wine. Hosted by Nethergate Wines and providing all the wine you need for a wonderfully fun night out. Bread and cheese will also be served throughout (all included in the ticket price). This event is at the Unitarian Meeting House on Churchgate Street, Bury St Edmunds, IP33 1RH.
This is a Theatre Royal Friends Committee fundraising event to support Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds (Registered Charity Number 242977)
TICKETS Thu 22 7.30pm £25
Thu 1 - Fri 2 Mar
DANCE / BALLET THEATRE UK
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM
Be transported to a fantastical world of dazzling dance, music and enchantment. Lovers, fairies, mischief and moonlight conspire in Shakespeare’s classic tale brought to you by Ballet Theatre UK. Through the vision of Artistic Director Christopher Moore, this innovative production gives the old tale a new life. With stunning original choreography set to the iconic Mendelssohn score and breath-taking costume you will be transported to the magical woodland of old where you will rediscover the magical charm of this classic comedy.
TICKETS Thu 1 - Fri 2 7pm, Fri 2 Mat 2pm £26 - £10.50
Sat 3 Mar
OPERA / SWANSEA CITY OPERA
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE
Swansea City Opera presents a revival of their hugely successful 2011 production of The Barber of Seville, Rossini’s most famous opera; razorsharp and full of twists and turns. From Figaro’s famous entrance aria ‘Largo al Factotum’ to the frenzy of the Act I finale, The Barber of Seville makes for a rollicking evening’s entertainment. Swansea City opera is known across the UK for its high quality and engaging performances of comic opera and this sparkling performance will be no exception.
Sung in English with Chedburgh Community Choir.
TICKETS Sat 3 7.30pm £26 - £10.50
Tue 6 - Sat 10 Mar
DRAMA / TITLED WIG PRODUCTIONS AND MALVERN THEATRES
CHARLES DICKENS’
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Adapted by Ken Bentley Directed by Sophie Boyce Couzens Designed by James Turner Sound Design by Max Pappenheim The team who delighted audiences here with Travels with my Aunt and Our Man in Havana is back with Dickens’ timeless classic in a powerful new stage adaptation. Following a terrifying encounter with an escaped convict, young Pip is given an unexpected chance to better himself by visiting the reclusive and mysterious Miss Havisham. In the decaying grandeur of her house, Pip falls in love with Estella and helped by an anonymous benefactor, he moves to the bustling city to pursue his dream of winning Estella’s heart and of becoming part of the educated elite. Olivier Award-winning actress, Nichola McAuliffe, leads the cast as the iconic Miss Havisham. Nichola is best known for her roles in the TV series, Surgical Spirit, the films Tomorrow Never Dies and Chéri and many stage appearances including Kiss Me Kate for the Royal Shakespeare Company. Peopled by some of Dickens’ most colourful and memorable characters and painted in rich, vivid colours across a vast landscape of people and locations, this stunning new version promises a powerful and theatrical telling of Dickens’ universally loved masterpiece.
TICKETS Tue 6 - Sat 10 7.30pm, Wed 7 Mat 2pm, Sat 10 Mat 3pm £26 - £10.50
Mon 19 - Wed 21 Mar
COMEDY / THEATRE ROYAL WAKEFEILD & JOHN GODBER COMPANY
THE SCARY BIKERS
A new comedy about life, love and staying on your bike! Starring the double BAFTA and Olivier Award-winning partnership of John Godber and Jane Thornton.When retired miner Don and former private school teacher Carol meet at a bereavement group, they thought they’d found a new beginning. But a bike ride through Europe would test their budding romance, and the road to love is rocky when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Join them on their hilarious and heartfelt journey, as they reconcile the past, debate the present and worry about the future. Whether they’re saddle sore in Southampton, blistered in Bordeaux or frazzled in Florence, one thing is for sure – it takes two to tandem!
TICKETS Mon 19 - Wed 21 7.30pm £26 - £10.50
Thu 22 - Sat 24 Mar
DRAMA / ANGELA BROWNE LTD IN ASSOCIATION WITH TABS PRODUCTIONS
ANTHONY HOROWITZ’S
MINDGAME
A mind-bending psychological thriller from the pen of Anthony Horowitz – creator of Foyle’s War, the BBC’s New Blood, Alex Rider, the Sherlock Holmes novels House of Silk and Moriarty… and the James Bond novel Trigger Mortis. When Mark Styler, a writer of glossy ‘true crime’ paperbacks, tries to get an interview with Easterman, a notorious serial killer, he has no idea what he’s walking into. First he has to get past Dr Farquhar, the quixotic head of Fairfields - the asylum where Easterman is kept. But soon he discovers that nothing is what it seems. Who is the mysterious Borson?
Where did he get the meat in the fridge?
And why isn’t the skeleton in the closet?
TICKETS Thu 22 - Sat 24 7.30pm, Sat 24 Mat 3pm £26 - £10.50
Tue 27 Mar
DANCE / MI FLAMENCO
INCOGNITO
A show with all the spirit of authentic, pulsating flamenco, intertwined with the unexpected. Mi Flamenco is an international flamenco company with artists of the highest calibre, bringing quality and entertaining performance to UK audiences and beyond. Exciting, moving flamenco dance, powerful song, virtuoso guitar and cello, with lots of charm, imagination and theatre thrown in. A passionate spectacle for dance, music and theatre-lovers everywhere.
TICKETS Tue 27 7.30pm £21.50 - £10.50
Thu 29 - Fri 30 Mar
FAMILY / WIZARD PRESENTS
I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS
by Michael Morpurgo
This intimate show is set in a library full of books that hold more than stories within their pages. It is a tale of the power of books and the bravery of a young boy called Tomas. Tomas hates reading and school, but his world is turned upside down the day he meets the Unicorn Lady... An enchanting and interactive production, I Believe in Unicorns sparks imagination in both young and old. We challenge you not to believe in unicorns after joining Tomas’ spellbinding journey. Suitable for ages 6+