Darlington Hippodrome has announced its spring 2019 season, featuring theatre, music, stand-up, one-night stands and children’s shows. Theatrical highlights are:
Bing Live
19 and 20 January (various times)
Bing, Sula, Coco and Pando try to find out how to tell stories by pretending, dressing-up and singing songs. Flop and Amma are there to help, but in this magical world of make-believe things don't always go according to plan. (For pre-school children.)
Giselle
24 January
The Russian State Ballet of Siberia accompanied by the Orchestra of the Russian State Ballet.
Cinderella
25 January
The Russian State Ballet of Siberia accompanied by the Orchestra of the Russian State Ballet.
The Nutcracker
26 January at 2:30 and 7:30
The Russian State Ballet of Siberia accompanied by the Orchestra of the Russian State Ballet.
Swan Lake
27 January at 2:30
The Russian State Ballet of Siberia accompanied by the Orchestra of the Russian State Ballet.
The Verdict
5 – 9 February
Middle Ground Theatre presents the classic courtroom thriller made famous by the five times OSCAR nominated Sidney Lumet film with Paul Newman and James Mason, starring Ian Kelsey (Blue Murder, Emmerdale, Casualty, Down To Earth, Where The Heart Is, Doctors and Coronation Street). He is joined by veteran star Denis Lill (Only Fools & Horses, The Royal), Paul Opacic (Bad Girls, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks), Christopher Ettridge (Goodnight Sweetheart), Richard Walsh (London's Burning) and Karen Drury (Brookside) in a full cast of fifteen.
Rain Man
18 – 23 February
Based on the film starring Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman which won Oscars for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Actor, Bill Kenwright presents Rain Man, the inaugural Classic Screen to Stage Theatre Company production.
Octopus Soup
26 February to 2 March
A new farce from Simon Fielder and the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry. Meet Seymour, the safest man in Britain. An insurance consultant who wears a belt and braces (and another belt, just to be sure). He's in last chance saloon and everything rests on this one important conference call. What could possibly go wrong? Enter Marvin, a bungling burglar with bad knees...
Tom Gates Live on Stage
6 to 9 March (various times)
Presented by the Birmingham Stage Company. Tom's doing everything possible to stay out of trouble but somehow he's got three sad faces on the school achievement chart! And getting another sad face means Mr Fullerman won't let him go on the school trip! Moany Marcus Meldrew is making things worse and now Tom's annoyed his grumpy sister Delia. Even Amy Porter (who's smart) won't talk to him! Can his best friend Derek help? Will Rooster the dog stop eating his homework? Will his grandparents the Fossils ever make something he can actually EAT?
The Picture of Dorian Gray
26 to 30 March (various times)
By Oscar Wilde and presented by Tilted Wig Productions, Malvern Theatres and Churchill Theatre. In a society obsessed with youth and beauty, Dorian Gray is given the chance to keep his looks forever. But at what cost...?
Peter Pan
14 and 15 April (various times)
An Easter panto starring Bobby Davro as Smee with Danni Harmer as Wendy and Lloyd Warbey as Pan.
AniMalcolm
18 and 19 April (various times)
Malcolm doesn’t like animals, which is a problem because his family love them, in fact, they’re wild about them. Their house is full of pets of all shapes and sizes, but what it’s not full of is stuff he likes. Such as the laptop he wanted for his birthday. The only bright spot on the horizon is the Year Six school trip… but it’s to a farm. On a trip like no other, he begins to understand animals more deeply than anyone. But will he end up the same as before? Because sometimes the hardest thing to become is yourself. A vibrant, energetic and funny musical from Story Pocket Theatre combining physical theatre, puppetry and storytelling to bring David Baddiel’s story to the stage.
Menopause the Musical
25 to 27 April
Starring Cheryl Fergison (EastEnders), Maureen Nolan (The Nolans), Rebecca Wheatley (Casualty) and Hilary O'Neil (ITV's Copy Cats), Menopause the Musical is heading out on another UK-wide tour.
The Mousetrap
29 April to 4 May
Starring Gwyneth Strong. The scene is set when a group of people gathered in a country house cut off by the snow discover, to their horror, that there is a murderer in their midst. Who can it be?
All performances are at 7:30 unless otherwise listed.