Nightclubbing, Summer Holiday, Sarah Kendall, I Am A Tree, Space Rabbit, 84 Charing Cross Road, Kiss Me Kate
Nightclubbing – tour starts 8 May
Rachael Young’s Nightclubbing takes its name from Grace Jones's album of the same name which, together with Afrofuturism, has inspired her new show.
Nightclubbing imagines a different future for women of colour combining elements of science fiction, magical realism, African history and visceral live music, and looks at the prejudices faced by trans women, disabled women, women of colour and black women.
Nightclubbing is created and performed by Rachael Young with leading LGBTQ musicians and DJs to create sounds inspired by the Nightclubbing album. The directorial collaborator is Nadia Latif.
Nightclubbing opens at Camden People’s Theatre before touring to Brownton Abbey Brighton Dome (excerpt only), Watch Out Festival Cambridge and Latitude Festival.
Summer Holiday – tour starts 8 May
Summer Holiday is based on the 1960s film of the same name that starred Cliff Richard and The Shadows.
The show features songs from the film plus other hits; these include "In the Country", "Summer Holiday", "Travellin’ Light", "Bachelor Boy"," Move It", "Living Doll", "The Young Ones" and "On the Beach".
In the story, Don and his fellow London Transport mechanics as travel across Europe in a red double-decker meeting a girl singing group and a young American pop star.
Ray Quinn takes the role of Don. Quinn's stage credits include Grease, Dirty Dancing, Legally Blonde and The Wedding Singer but he will be known to television audiences for The X Factor and Dancing on Ice: Champion of Champions.
Bobby Crush plays long-suffering agent Jerry for the first eight weeks of the tour. Sophie Matthew plays runaway singer Barbara, Taryn Sudding Barbara's mother, Gabby Antrobus, Alice Baker and Laura Marie Benson are the girl group and Billy Roberts, Joe Goldie and Rory Maguire are the mechanics.
The cast is completed by Hannah Barr, Becky Bassett, Caroline Bateson, William Beckerleg, Adam Crossley, Sam Gallacher, Leanne Groutage and Matt Trevorrow.
The stage adaptation is by Michael Gyngell and Mark Haddigan from the film's screenplay by Ronald Cass and Peter Myers.
Racky Plews is the director and choreographer; the orchestrations are by Keith Strachan.
Summer Holiday opens at Liverpool Empire followed by Milton Keynes Theatre, New Victoria Theatre Woking, Grand Opera House York, Churchill Theatre Bromley, New Alexandra Theatre Birmingham, Edinburgh Playhouse, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Theatre Royal Brighton, Blackpool Winter Gardens, Leeds Grand Theatre, Wales Millennium Centre, Cliffs Pavilion Southend, Orchard Theatre Dartford, New Wimbledon Theatre, Darlington Hippodrome, Chester Storyhouse, Regent Theatre Stoke, Aylesbury Waterside Theatre and Kings Theatre Glasgow. Further dates will be announced.
Sarah Kendall: One-Seventeen – tour starts 15 May
Australian comic Sarah Kendall tours her hit Edinburgh show One-Seventeen.
An eclectic mix of connected short stories, One-Seventeen is a show about a number, and all the people contained inside it combining comedy and tragedy in equal measure.
Kendall won the 2018 Writers' Guild Award for Best Radio Comedy for BBC Radio 4 series Australian Trilogy.
Sarah Kendall: One-Seventeen plays Soho Theatre then visits Norwich Playhouse, Warwick Arts Centre Studio, The Basement York, Georgian Theatre Royal Richmond, Alhambra Studio Bradford, Mac Arts - Foyle Studio Birmingham, Komedia Studio Brighton, The Marlowe Theatre Studio Canterbury, South Street Arts Centre Reading, Colchester Arts Centre, Arts Centre Swindon and Discovery Centre Winchester.
I Am A Tree – tour starts 18 May
Jamie Wood's Edinburgh Fringe Sustainable Practice Award shortlisted show is a dance party with ghosts, in a forest, in a theatre.
Also part of National Rural Touring Forum's spring programme, I Am A Tree visits (amongst others) Croyde & Georgeham, George Nympton, West Antsey and Exeter.
Rufus Longbottom And The Space Rabbit – tour starts 21 May
Filament Theatre and Stratford Circus Arts Centre present Rufus Longbottom and the Space Rabbit on tour.
This family show for those over age six was developed by Filamant Theatre with over 600 school children from Derbyshire, Oxfordshire and East London.
It uses theatre, music and on-stage sound design with storytelling and puppetry in telling the story of a friendship between an elderly care home resident and a rabbit from space.
The production in particular uses Mi.Mu Gloves: wireless, sensor-enabled gloves for creating and performing music through movement and gesture.
Charles Angiama, Josh Considine, Claire Greenway, Lula Mebrahtu, Simon Prag are in the cast, directed by Sabina Netherclift. Music and lyrics are by Osnat Schmool.
Rufus Longbottom And The Space Rabbit visits Derby Theatre, Stratford Circus Arts Centre, Stantonbury Theatre, Greenwich Theatre, Norden Farm, South Street Arts Centre and Pegasus Theatre.
84 Charing Cross Road – tour starts 23 May
84 Charing Cross Road tours with Stefanie Powers as Helene Hanff Clive Francis as Frank Doel.
The play is based on the book of the same name by American novelist and screenwriter Helene Hanff adapted by James Roose-Evans.
A bittersweet comedy, the heart-warming story is of a transatlantic friendship between a vivacious New York writer and a London bookseller, that reveals a profile of Britain from the 1940s to the 60s.
The director is Richard Beecham and the composer and musical director is Rebecca Applin.
84 Charing Cross Road visits Darlington Hippodrome, Wolverhampton Grand Theatre, Malvern Festival Theatre, Richmond Theatre, Oxford Playhouse and Cambridge Arts Theatre.
Kiss Me, Kate – tour starts 23 May
Opera North’s award-winning co-production with Welsh National Opera of classic Kiss Me, Kate tours with Quirijn de Lang as Fred / Petruchio and Stephanie Corley as Lilli / Kate.
Zoë Rainey plays Lois / Bianca and Alan Burkitt plays Bill / Lucentio. Also in the cast are Jack Wilcox, Aiesha Pease, Stephane Anelli, Joseph Shovelton, John Savournin, James Hayes, Malcolm Ridley, Claire Pascoe Michelle Andrews, Rachael Crocker, Freya Field, Kate Ivory Jordan, Harrison Clark, Jordan Livesey, Ben Oliver and Ross Russell.
Kiss Me, Kate has music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Bella and Samuel Spewack, critical edition by David Charles Abell and Seann Alderking. Based on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, the show includes the songs "Another Op'nin', Another Show", "So In Love", "Always True to You (In My Fashion)", "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" and "Too Darn Hot".
The show is conducted by James Holmes, assistant conductor Oliver Rundell, and directed by Jo Davies, revival director Edward Goggin. Choreography is by Will Tuckett, associate choreographer David Hulston and assistant choreographer Alex Newton.
Kiss Me, Kate plays Leeds Grand Theatre, London Coliseum, Festival Theatre Edinburgh and international dates.
Check web sites for information regarding post–show Q&As, captioned, signed and relaxed performances, and age suitability. At the time of going to press, some dates may not yet be on sale.