A feast of drama for the Royal stage this spring

The coming months see a veritable feast of drama coming to the Royal auditorium for short runs or one night visits, with something to offer for all ages and tastes.

This smorgasbord of plays includes two performances of Oh What a Lovely War, on Tuesday 27 February, brought by Blackeyed Theatre as part the 60th anniversary tour of Joan Littlewood’s iconic show. Wildly satirical, visually stunning and deeply moving, this classic of modern theatre is a fusion of live music, movement, songs and sketches bringing to life the folly, farce and tragedy of the First World War.

Coming to Royal & Derngate on Thursday 29 February and Friday 1 March, Bert’s House takes audiences inside the ‘delightful’ above of Dunedin Guest House, run by the tight-fisted but kind-hearted Bert. It would be his coastal paradise, if wasn’t for the guests. On its debut tour, this hilarious sea-side splitting comedy is written by award-winning comedian Lou Chawner, who also stars, and is directed by Dan McGarry.

Shôn Dale-Jones’s new dark comedy Cracking can be seen for one night only on Tuesday 19 March. This story about love and hatred celebrates how searching for connection beats disconnecting. Part stand-up, part theatre Cracking is a funny, touching and thought-provoking solo performance that sews together fact and fiction into one seamless whole making us wonder what’s real, what’s not and what’s gone wrong.

Local theatre company White Cobra returns to Royal & Derngate from Friday 22 to Saturday 23 March, with a production of Florian Zeller’s acclaimed play The Father (recently made into an Oscar and BAFTA-winning film). Seen through the eyes of a man with dementia, the play exposes the emotional toll it has on him and his family. Blisteringly honest but ultimately uplifting, it’s a story of our times.

The kings of comedy, Le Navet Bete, return to the stage with a brand-new comedy for the ages, King Arthur, which can be seen from Thursday 25 to Saturday 27 April. This hilarious retelling of the Arthurian legends, suitable for the whole family, will have audiences crying with laughter as they become part of the legend themselves!

In addition to these shorter running shows, longer running dramas coming up include new comedy The Time Machine, coming to the Royal stage from Tuesday 26 to Saturday 30 March, West End and Broadway hit Life of Pi taking to the Derngate stage from Tuesday 2 to Saturday 6 April, and, of course, Royal & Derngate’s next Made in Northampton production Moby Dick, in association with Simple8, which opens in Northampton from Friday 5 to Saturday 13 April before touring nationally.

More information about all these productions can be found on the theatre’s website www.royalandderngate.co.uk. Tickets can be booked online or by calling Box Office on 01604 624811.