Northampton Royal and Derngate’s first production of 2023 will be Roy Williams’s adaptation of Michael Rosen’s children’s story Unexpected Twist, a retelling of Dickens’s Oliver Twist.
It will be the last production directed by the venue’s artistic director James Dacre before he leaves after ten years in the role to set up his own production company. Unexpected Twist will run from Saturday 11 until Saturday 25 February.
The season also includes Shakespeare’s Henry V, co-produced with Shakespeare’s Globe, Headlong and Leeds Playhouse. It will run from Tuesday 7 until Saturday 18 March.
A new version of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, reimagined by theatre company Inspector Sands, can be seen from Monday 24 April until Saturday 6 May while audiences can look forward to Lucy Bailey’s new production of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None from Friday 8 until Saturday 16 September.
Musicals touring to Northampton include The Cher Show (Tuesday 10 until Saturday 14 January), Strictly Ballroom the Musical (Monday 27 February until Saturday 4 March), Jersey Boys, celebrating the life and music of Franki Valli and the Four Seasons (Tuesday 21 March until Saturday 1 April), The Commitments (Monday 10 until Saturday 15 April) and Shrek The Musical (Monday 9 until Saturday 14 October).
Visiting drama productions include Northern Broadside’s production of J M Barrie’s regency comedy Quality Street (Tuesday 4 until Saturday 8 April) and the comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (Tuesday 9 until Saturday 13 May).
Varna International Ballet will present three ballet classics, Giselle, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake as part of its UK debut tour from Thursday 16 until Saturday 18 February while dance company Rambert takes its new show Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby to Northampton from Tuesday 21 until Saturday 25 February.
The full programme is available at the Royal and Derngate web site.