In its 112th year, Darlington Hippodrome has announced shows right through to May 2020, a mixture of drama, musicals, ballet, comedy, children’s shows and, of course, pantomime.
Drama
A Murder Is Announced (10–14 September) is the classic Agatha Christie mystery staring Sarah Thomas, Kazia Pelka and Tom Butcher.
The Lady Vanishes (15–19 October) is a new stage adaptation based on the classic Hitchcock film, starring Gwen Taylor, Andrew Lancel, Denis Lill and Mark Wynter.
Classic chiller The Woman in Black returns to Darlington in November (18–23).
Kay Mellor’s TV drama Band of Gold starring Gaynor Faye and Shayne Ward arrives in the New Year (27 January to 1 February).
Gwen Taylor returns in The Croft (11–15 February), a thriller by Ali Miles.
After playing Dame in the theatre's panto, Eric Potts returns to the Hippodrome in a more serious role in By The Waters of Liverpool (9–11 April).
The Kite Runner, Matthew Spangler's adaptation of the best-selling novel by Khaled Hosseini ends the drama season (12–16 May).
Musicals
Buddy—The Buddy Holly Story, now in its 30th year, returns to Darlington (17–21 September).
The family show Madagascar The Musical is at the Hippodrome in October (9–13).
In Curtains (2–16 November), a musical comedy / murder mystery, comedian Jason Manford is joined by Carley Stenson, Rebecca Lock, Samuel Holmes, Leah West and Alan Burkitt.
Finally, Menopause The Musical 2 stops off in Darlington (5–7 February).
Children’s Shows
In the Night Garden comes to the Hippodrome (28–29 September) and David Walliams’s Billionaire Boy arrives in November (6–10).
The Tiger Who Came to Tea comes to the Hippodrome from 29 to 31 May.
Ballet
The Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of Siberia present Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and The Nutcracker in January (23–26).
The Lost Happy Endings, balletLORENT’s new fairytale, written by Carol Ann Duffy, narrated by Joanna Lumley and performed by the company with local schoolchildren, is on 22 and 23 February.
Opera
The Russian State Opera presents Carmen (1 April) and Aida (2 April).
For one night only
Pricks is a one-woman show by Teesside actor Jade Byrne telling the story of living with diabetes since diagnosis at the age of 4 (at the Hullabaloo, 8:00 on 14 October.)
Durham-based Elysium Theatre brings the Northern première of Athol Fugard's Playland to the Hullabaloo on 3 November.
Guy Masterson brings two of his one-man shows to the Hullabaloo, Under Milk Wood at 7:00 on 26 Nov and A Christmas Carol on 27.
Panto
As already announced, the Hippodrome pantomime this year is Jack and the Beanstalk (6 December to 5 January) which stars Strictly Come Dancing head judge Shirley Ballas, George Sampson and comedian Phil Walker.