What's On

Heathers is the musical to die for. In my top 5 favourites and highly recommended. At Milton Keynes Theatre from 10 September. Are you ready for Big Fun?

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Winner of ‘BEST NEW MUSICAL’ at the WhatsOnStage Awards,  Following smash hit West End seasons at the Theatre Royal Haymarket and more recently an additional season at @sohoplace earlier this year, two national tours and record-breaking runs at London’s The Other Palace, the beloved Heathers the Musical is back in Milton Keynes this September as part of its third UK tour. 

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The 2024 class of Westerberg includes 13 cast members who have just made their West End debuts at @sohoplace in Heathers, with Jenna Innes (Les Miserables) making it beautiful in blue returning as Veronica Sawyer, having wowed audiences up and down the country last year when she first took on the role. She is joined by Keelan McAuley (Clueless; Grease) taking on the mysterious, Jason “J.D” Dean. Starring as the titular ‘Heathers’ are Esme Bowdler as the formidable Heather Chandler, Sedona Sky as Heather Duke and Daisy Twells as Heather McNamara.

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Tickets available here. 

A new musical version of Dodie Smith’s classic book 101 Dalmatians will be coming to Milton Keynes Theatre from Tue 1 - Sat 5 Oct.

 

When fashionista Cruella de Vil plots to swipe all the Dalmatian puppies in town to create her fabulous new fur coat, there’s trouble ahead for Pongo and Perdi and their litter of adorable, tail-wagging young pups.

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This classic canine caper is brought to life on stage with spectacular puppetry, show-stopping choreography, hilarious songs and irresistible puppies!

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Kym Marsh plays the iconic villain Cruella de Vil.  Kym said: “I’m over the moon to be joining the cast of 101 Dalmatians playing the iconic Cruella De Vil, has there ever been a more fabulous baddie?! Obviously she’s a million miles away from me in real life - and my dogs are very glad about that - but being able to bring to life my take on this renowned character is a real treat. Douglas and Johnny have written this brilliant new musical filled with songs I’m already finding myself humming under my breath. The 101 Dalmatians story spans generations and I'm sure young and old alike will absolutely love this production."

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Tickets available here

Calamity Jane is based on the much-loved Doris Day movie, this foot-stomping new production features all the sure-fire classic songs including The Deadwood Stage (Whip-Crack-Away), The Black Hills of Dakota, Just Blew in from the Windy City, and the Oscar-winning Secret Love.

 

Carrie Hope Fletcher is a three-time WhatsOnStage Best Actress in a Musical winner.  Carrie Hope Fletcher said “Calamity Jane is one of those roles that doesn’t come around all too often. She’s action, romance and comedy all packed into one character, and I can’t wait to take on the challenge of filling her shoes!”

 

Producer Jamie Wilson said “With this new version of Calamity Jane first opening at The Watermill Theatre in 2014, I am delighted to be collaborating with them again to finally bring this wonderful production back to theatres all over the country after a 10-year absence.  We have been waiting for the right moment and artist to step into Calamity's boots and bring this hilarious and joyful musical back to the nation, and we are thrilled that Carrie Hope Fletcher will be leading the company as the iconic Calamity Jane. Carrie is one of the UK’s most talented artists who’s broad fan base will introduce this much beloved musical to audiences across the country.
 

Meet the fearless, gun slingin' Calamity Jane – biggest mouth in Dakota territory and always up for a fight. She'll charm you hog-eyed though, especially when trying to win the heart of the dashing Lieutenant Gilmartin, or shooting insults at the notorious Wild Bill Hickok. But when the men of Deadwood fall hard for Chicago stage star Adelaid Adams, Calamity struggles to keep her jealousy holstered. Her heart's a thumpin'... but who for?

What are you waiting for, you wild coyotes?  Whip-crack-away!

Tickets available here. 

Award winning comedy actress and EastEnder's star Nina Wadia makes her Musical Theatre debut, joined on stage by special guest and 80s pop icon, Sinitta — performing her smash hit, So Macho!

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Celebrating 40 years of the iconic and chart-topping compilations brand NOW That's What I Call Music, which has sold an estimated 200 million copies worldwide. This fun-filled evening is bursting with hits from Whitney Houston, Wham! Blondie, Tears For Fears, Spandau Ballet and so many more.

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Written by award-winning comedian Pippa Evans, and directed and choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing legend Craig Revel Norwood, this heart-warming and funny story takes us on an uplifting journey down memory lane.

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It's Birmingham, 1989. Two school friends, Gemma and April, are busy with very important business - planning their lives based on Number One Magazine quizzes and dreaming of snogging Rick Astley.

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Cut to Birmingham 2009 and it's the most dreaded event of their lives— the school reunion. Drama, old flames and receding hairlines come together as friends reunite and everything from the past starts to slot into place. The biggest question is: what was with all that hairspray?

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So dust off your spandex, get your crimper out and press play and record at the same time. An unbeatable soundtrack,

show stopping choreography and an original story. Go back to the 80's and get your ticket here. 

A spectacular pantomime is set to sail the seven seas and anchor up in Aylesbury for a swashbuckling Christmas full of galleons of fun!

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Starring Bradley Riches, best known for playing James McEwan in Netflix’s Heartstopper. as well as appearing alongside Sharon Osbourne, David Potts and Louis Walsh on ITV's Celebrity Big Brother 2024, Bradley is flying into the Waterside in good company with panto favourite Andy Collins playing Smee and soapstar Mark Moraghan (Coronation Street, Holby City, Brookside) playing the villainous Captain Hook!

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Join Peter, Smee, Tinker Bell, Emily and Ethyl the Mermaid on a brand-new adventure full of audience interaction, incredible flying effects, giggles galore and…of course, crocodiles!

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After defeating the evil Captain Hook and his pirate crew, life has been pretty uneventful for Peter Pan. But when a stranger arrives in Neverland, he is forced to question his past and face his future. Will Peter ever grow up? Are the rumours true that Hook is back?!

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Further star casting to be announced so look out for updates!

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The Further Adventures of Peter Pan: The Return of Captain Hook promises an action-packed adventure not to be missed. At Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury from 6 December 2024. ​​

Milton Keynes Theatre announced earlier in the year that fab-u-lous TV judge and musical theatre star Craig Revel Horwood will lead this year’s panto as the dastardly Captain Hook in the strictly sensational pantomime adventure Peter Pan from 6 Dec 2024 to 5 Jan 2025.  Further casting has now been announced with Comedian and Ventriloquist Max Fulham joining the cast as Smee and West End star Ross Carpenter playing the title role of Peter Pan.

 

Comedian and ventriloquist Max Fulham brings a fresh and contemporary twist to a classic art. Max has wowed audiences with his one man show, entertaining thousands of people in theatres across the UK and internationally. On joining the cast of Peter Pan, Max said: “I'm thrilled to be at the wonderful Milton Keynes Theatre for the festive season in this year’s pantomime! Peter Pan is a show I’ve never done before so I’m incredibly excited and I’m delighted to be working with Craig Revel Horwood!”

 

There will be a range of Audio Described, Captioned, BSL interpreted and relaxed performances throughout the season, to find out more head to the access performance page.

 

Join Peter Pan in this high-flying swashbuckling adventure that will include all your favourites from Neverland including Tinker Bell, Wendy, John and Michael Darling. With amazing special effects, stunning sets, beautiful costumes and barrel-loads of laughter, Peter Pan will take your whole family on a magical trip to Never Land like never before!  

 

Peter Pan runs at Milton Keynes Theatre from Fri 6 Dec 2024 until Sun 5 Jan 2025. (Full casting to be announced later in the year.)

Don’t miss this hilarious, fun-filled 2024 panto, Cinderella, with a star-studded cast.

Strictly champion Joanne Clifton will be dazzling as the Fairy Godmother, alongside Cbeebies‘ favourite Andy Day, as Dandini, the Prince’s sidekick. Gordon Cooper and Matt Daines play the hilariously wicked Step Sisters, and are joined by the award-winning comedian Dave Bibby as Buttons, Rodney Vubya as Prince Charming (direct from Frozen, West End) and the wonderfully talented Marcavia McCarthy as Cinderella!

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This spectacular show will be written by Paul Hendy and produced by the award-winning Evolution Productions, the same team behind 2022’s smash-hit, Jack And The Beanstalk, and 2023’s brilliant Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs.

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It’s never too early to book, and with lavish sets, hilarious jokes and fun for the whole family, what’s not to love? So don’t be late for the ball… get your tickets now!

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Cinderella is at Derngate Theatre, Northampton from 6 December 2024. 

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After breaking box office records and delighting audiences in the West End, on Broadway and on the big screen since 1988, the timeless story of Hairspray centres around heroine Tracy Turnblad, who has big hair, a big heart, and big dreams to dance her way onto national TV, and into the heart of teen idol Link Larkin. When Tracy becomes a local star, she is able to use her newfound fame to fight for liberation, tolerance, and interracial unity in Baltimore. But can she win equality – and Link’s heart – without denting her ’do?

 

This iconic musical comedy features some of musical theatre’s best hit songs including Welcome To The 60s, You Can’t Stop The Beat and Good Morning Baltimore by Academy Award, Tony and Emmy-winning duo Marc Shaiman (music and lyrics) and Scott Wittman (lyrics).

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Its in my top five favourites (along with Heathers and Six) so go and see this fabulous show at Milton Keynes Theatre from 2 September. Tickets available here

THE FIVE STAR COMEDY SENSATION DIRECT FROM THE WEST END

Direct from its triumph in the West End where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is a unique and audacious retelling of Jane Austen’s most iconic love story.

Men, money and microphones will be fought over in this irreverent but affectionate adaptation where the stakes couldn’t be higher when it comes to romance. This multi-award-winning production features a string of pop classics including Young Hearts Run Free, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and You’re So Vain.

IT’S THE 1800S. IT’S PARTY TIME. LET THE RUTHLESS MATCHMAKING BEGIN.

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If you like Bridgerton you will love this. Tickets here. 

Big night out. Big. HUGE. Pretty Woman: The Musical is finally embarking on a UK and Ireland tour – so make a date to see Hollywood’s ultimate rom-com, live on stage, when this smash-hit musical visits Royal & Derngate in September 2024.

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Once upon a time in the late ’80s, Vivian met Edward and her life changed forever. Be swept up in their romance in this dazzlingly theatrical take on a love story for the ages – and get to know these iconic characters in a whole new way – in a sensational show that took London’s West End by storm, guaranteed to lift your spirits and light up your heart.

With a blazing rock score from Grammy® winners Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance direction and choreography by Tony Award® winner Jerry Mitchell and a book by the original movie’s director Garry Marshall & screenwriter J.F. Lawton, a powerhouse creative team representing the best of music, Hollywood and Broadway ensures you’ll have a pretty magical time at Pretty Woman: The Musical.

From 9 September... tickets available here. 

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Abigail’s mum is dead. But it turns out she can’t afford her to be.

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Did you know how expensive it is to die? It’s £4000 for the funeral. Extra for flowers. And even more if you want sausage rolls. Otherwise, she will get a council funeral and an unmarked grave.

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Then, when a theatre suddenly pulls out of Abigail’s new project, she is asked to write about something else. Something more raw, from her ‘unique working class lens.’ Something that will make the audience feel really, really bad about themselves. Audiences like that, apparently.

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Yep. To afford the funeral, she has to write about her mum.

With power and playfulness, Kelly Jones’s new play tackles the inequalities around death, and the cost of turning your loved ones into art.

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This production contains strong language and deals with the topic of bereavement

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The commissioning of My Mother’s Funeral: The Show was enabled by a grant from the New Play Commission Scheme, a project set up by the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, UK Theatre and the Independent Theatre Council, and funded by Arts Council England, the Theatre Development Trust and donations from actors, directors, playwrights and producers.

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My Mother’s Funeral: The Show was developed with the support of the National Theatre’s Generate programme.

Playing at The Royal Theatre, Northampton from 3 October. Tickets here. 

Today is going to be a good day. And here’s why…

Meet Evan: an anxious high school kid who wants nothing more than to fit in. The thing is, on his way to fitting in, he didn’t tell the whole truth. And now must give up on a life he never dreamt he’d have. As events spiral and the truth comes out, Evan faces a reckoning with himself and everyone around him.

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Packed with some of the biggest musical theatre songs of the last decade, Dear Evan Hansen has a score by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Oscar-winning composers for The Greatest Showman), book by Steven Levenson and more awards than can be listed here. Well ok, we’ll mention a few: its Tony® Award for Best Musical, Olivier Award for Best New Musical, Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Score… no big deal but the list goes on!

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With direction by Adam Penford (Artistic Director at Nottingham Playhouse), this brand-new production marks the first time that the Broadway and West End phenomenon will tour the UK and Ireland. So wherever you are, #YouWillBeFound, with the Dear Evan Hansen tour coming to the Derngate from 14 January 2025. You don't want to miss this. Tickets here. 

Q Dance company presents Re:Incarnation. 

The UK premiere tour of Qudus Onikeku and The QDance Company’s dazzling Re:INCARNATION comes to Milton Keynes for one night only on Sat 21 Sep.

This autumn, Nigeria’s ground-breaking The QDance Company led by choreographer Qudus Onikeku makes its UK debut with Re:INCARNATION, an explosive mix of dance, colour, sound, visuals and energy.

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“This is Afrodance, young Africans talking”

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Two live musicians on drums and electric guitar, often joined by trance-like vocals from the dancers, bring some of the wealth and profusion of Nigerian music to the stage. The score is a vibrant blend of hip-hop, contemporary music and Afrobeats, itself an ecstatic fusion of genres including juju music, jazz, soul and highlife.
Nigeria has the largest population of youth in the world - around 70% of the population is under 30 and 42% under the age of 15*. And by 2099 Lagos is set to be the biggest city in the world.
Qudus Onikeku says: “I am excited to introduce The QDance Company to audiences across the UK. The key thing for me is to show what dance can be in contemporary Africa, it feels like we are starting something. This is Afrodance, young Africans talking. Re:INCARNATION is about bringing Lagos on stage in a way that’s never been seen before – its groove, its history and what the city means to so many people.“
 

Tickets available here.