A great season ahead at Royal & Derngate for spring 2024 and beyond

Through the spring and beyond, Royal & Derngate brings another wide-ranging programme of drama, music, comedy, dance and family entertainment to Northampton.

The theatre’s Made in Northampton season brings two great new productions to the Royal stage this spring, starting in January with The Frogs, Spymonkey’s tragically funny attempt to pull off a classic Greek comedy. Shot through with Spymonkey’s uniquely surreal comedy, The Frogs is a delirious trip through Greek theatre, a monster-filled Underworld and classic vaudeville double acts. Then in April, Royal & Derngate’s new Artistic Director Jesse Jones directs a stunning new retelling of Moby Dick, as the hunt for the most famous whale on earth is ingeniously brought to life, in collaboration with Simple8.

There are also some smash hit West End dramas coming to the Derngate stage, including the multi-award-winning Life of Pi, the 70th anniversary tour of The Mousetrap and Danny Robin’s 2.22 A Ghost Story, with star cast now announced as Jay McGuinness, Vera Chok, Fiona Wade and George Rainsford. Original Theatre return to the Royal stage, bringing their entertaining new comedy, The Time Machine, loosely adapted from H G Wells’ classic novel.

There are also plenty of plays coming for more limited runs including the 60th anniversary tour of the satirical classic Oh What a Lovely War, hilarious 39 Steps-esque thriller Houdini’s Greatest Escape from New Old Friends and Le Navet Bete’s King Arthur, a brand-new comedy for all ages.

There is a bumper crop of musicals touring to Northampton this spring and summer, including Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, Shrek The Musical, a new tour of Grease, the ever joyful Sister Act and the hilarious Madagascar The Musical. The autumn brings Pretty Woman The Musical and Bonnie and Clyde.

The line up of family shows for the spring features many children’s favourites including Zog and the Flying Doctors, Fireman Sam: The Big Camping Adventure, There’s a Monster in My Show, Bluey’s Big Play and Peppa Pig: Fun Day Out.

Dance lovers can look forward to a wonderfully diverse selection of shows ranging from ballet classics from Varna International Ballet, Chinese music and dance from Shen Yun, ballroom and Latin from Strictly stars Anton Du Beke and Giovanni Pernice, high energy tap and acrobatics from Tap Factory, to brand new family show Supernova from Britain’s most successful street dance group Diversity.

A jam-packed comedy line-up includes gigs in Derngate auditorium by Sarah Millican, Romesh Ranganathan, Phil Wang, Stewart Lee, Jonathan Pie, Ross Noble and Lucy Beaumont, with performances on the Royal stage from Rosie Jones, Axel Blake, Pierre Novellie, Babatunde Aleshe, Miles Jupp, Rosie Holt and Ray Bradshaw, to name but a few.

For something a bit different audiences can enjoy Yippi Ki Yay, a joyfully funny parody of the iconic movie Die Hard, Buffy Revamped, a hilarious and satirical romp through the hit ‘90s show Buffy The Vampire Slayer, or the new parody musical Stranger Sings, an irreverent twist on the hit Netflix series. The Dazzling Diamonds bring their comedy variety drag show, and Britain’s raciest and the sassiest musical cabaret trio Fascinating Aida return with their wickedly funny show.

Royal & Derngate continues its exciting orchestral season, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing Dvořák’s New World Symphony and Verdi’s Requiem. Other musical highlights include gigs by legendary Manchester band Happy Mondays, Moody Blues singer-songwriter Justin Hayward, and celebrated folk singer Cara Dillon, along with performances from the acclaimed Grimethorpe Colliery Band and the latest in the NC Jazz series.

Other events this spring include appearances from explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, presenter of history and science documentaries Professor Alice Roberts (first seen on Time Team), and author and comedian Marc Burrows with The Magic of Terry Pratchett, based on his biography of the well-loved writer. There are also two brilliant theatrical circus shows to look forward to, with Cirque Enchantment in January and Cirque The Greatest Show to follow in the summer.

There is still time to book for Royal & Derngate’s spectacular Christmas pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, starring Strictly winner Ore Oduba, Coronation Street’s Wendi Peters and panto legend Bob Golding, while the Royal stage plays host to a festive run of Stick Man.

For more information about any of these events, call Box Office on 01604 624811, or visit the theatre’s website, www.royalandderngate.co.uk. Information about creative activities and projects, including youth theatre classes, can be found in the Get Involved section of the website.

The Made in Northampton season is sponsored by Michael Jones Jeweller.