As the sun finally seems to be beating the wind and rain into submission, it seems to early to be looking at autumn season announcements, but the New Wolsey Theatre is one of two autumn seasons reported on this week alone.
Headlining the season is sixties hit musical Sweet Charity with iconic songs, "Big Spender", "If My Friends Could See Me Now" and "The Rhythm of Life".
The show has music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon; it was first produced in 1966 and subsequently made into a 1969 film with Shirley MacLaine as Charity.
New Wolsey's artistic director, Peter Rowe, will direct a cast of actor-musicians for this production which runs through September.
This is followed by The Edge, which plays in October. It is a Transport–New Wolsey co-production that poses vital questions about our future in a rapidly changing environment as it travels forward in time.
Amongst the tours visiting Ipswich are Jeeves And Wooster In Perfect Nonsense, Terence Rattigan’s Flare Path, Sell A Door's musical adaptation of Ian Serraillier's novel The Silver Sword, Maxine Peake’s celebration of sporting legend Beryl Burton, Beryl, and Alan Ayckbourn’s Absent Friends.
The New Wolsey Theatre’s Young Company will present Henry James’s ghost story The Turn Of The Screw and the Youth Theatre will present Through The Looking Glass (And What Alice Found There).
For even younger audiences there is Little Angel Theatre’s Paper Dolls adapted from Julia Donaldson's book and for families the rock’n’roll pantomime The Sword In The Stone.
Booking opened last month for The Sword In The Stone and a fifth of the tickets are already sold, so booking is strongly recommended.
In addition to this programme the New Wolsey runs an extensive Creative Learning programme providing access to innovative, high quality arts and helping individuals develop their creative, personal and social skills.
- Sweet Charity – 3 to 26 September
- The Edge – 8 to 10 October
- Jeeves And Wooster In Perfect Nonsense – 13 to 17 October
- The Turn Of The Screw – 13 to 17 October
- Flare Path – 19 to Sat 24 October.
- Through The Looking Glass (And What Alice Found There) – 27 to 31 October,
- The Silver Sword – 2 to 4 November
- Beryl – 5 to 7 November
- Absent Friends – 9 to 14 November
- Paper Dolls 1 December to Saturday 2 January
- The Sword In The Stone – 26 November to 30 January