Nottingham’s theatre line-up for 2023 is packed with West End hits, murder mysteries and more, here is a roundup of some of the hottest tickets in town you won’t want to miss out on.
January:
In the tail end of January, the Royal Theatre will be hosting Matthew Bourne’s “Sleeping Beauty,” which is celebrating its 10-year anniversary. It is the fastest-selling production in the company’s history, and there are only a few tickets left for each of the four performances.
“Handbagged,” a play exploring the meetings between Queen Elizabeth and Margaret Thatcher will be opening on the 30th of January in the Lace Market Theatre, and running until the 4th of February. The play is described as “Your chance to see what might have transpired between two giants of recent British history – Elizabeth II and Margaret Thatcher.”
February:
Nottingham Arts Theatre will be hosting the University of Nottingham’s Musical Theatre society for their performance of “Legally Blonde The Musical!” It will be running from the 9th to the 11th, with three evening performances and one matinee on the 11th.
Then, from the 21st to the 25th, the theatre will put on “Oliver,” Lionel Bart’s classic musical perfect for all the family, with well known-songs and charming characters.
Meanwhile, at the Playhouse, “The Beekeeper of Aleppo,” a play about a husband and wife forced to escape Syria during the war will be performed. This world premiere will be running from the 3rd to the 25th, directed by Olivier Award-winning Miranda Cromwell.
March:
The Lace Market Theatre will begin their run of “Lost” in March, a moving story about Jewish youth during the second world war presented by the Lace Market Theatre Youth Group. It will open on the 28th of March and close on the 1st of April.
Nottingham Arts Youth Theatre will be performing “Footloose” on the 16th, 17th and 18th of the Month at their home venue. Then, the next week the venue will be welcoming Spotlight Theatre for “Matilda Jr,” sure to be a hit after the film version of the musical was released.
April:
Nottingham Playhouse will be welcoming the international touring company Complicité for their performance of “Drive Your Plow Over The Bones of the Dead,” based on Nobel Prize-winning author Olga Tokarczuk’s novel of the same name. Described as a “darkly comic, anarchistic noir,” this story is both a murder mystery and a societal commentary on the treatment of women in Poland.
In the same venue on the 25th and 26th, Nottingham Trent University’s Drama Society will be performing Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None,” one of her most popular novels adapted into play format.
May:
Nottingham University’s New Theatre will be hosting Nottingham Trent University’s Drama Society for their production of “Carrie,” Stephen King’s debut horror novel brought to the stage with all the terror of the original novel. It will be running for two days on the 5th and 6th, with three performances altogether.
May contains more Agatha Christie, with the Lace Market Theatre presenting a production of “Towards Zero,” opening on the 29th and closing on the 3rd.
June:
Based on the acclaimed Neil Gaiman novel, the National Theatre production “Ocean At The End of The Lane” will be playing at the Royal Theatre. Rated 5 stars by the Telegraph, it is surely a must-see. It will be running from the 6th to the 17th.
In the Playhouse, director Matthew Xia presents “Family Tree,” a moving story about the black woman who posthumously helped find medical breakthroughs from HIV to Cancer. However, her cells were taken from her body without her family’s permission. This play attempts to rewrite her legacy as a woman exploited, just like the many other POC women in the medical field. This will be running from the 1st to the 3rd.
Back at the Royal Theatre, the classic musical “Annie” will be performed from the 12th to the 17th, featuring Craig Revel Horwood in the role of Miss Hannigan.
July:
The Lace Market Theatre will be putting on the musical “Salad Days,” the tale of a young couple leaving University and making their way in the world, a chance meeting drawing them even closer than they could have thought. This will be running from the 24th to the 29th. This is the last of their currently announced productions for the year.
The Royal Theatre will be showing two musicals this month, with “The Bodyguard” running from the 3rd to the 8th, and “Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story” running from the 25th to the 29th.
August:
August is looking to be another month of musicals for the Royal Theatre. “Rocky Horror” will be celebrating a 50-year anniversary from the 21st to the 26th of August. Keeping with the macabre yet musical theme, “Heathers” will be following after it from the 29th to the 2nd of September. For those looking for a more light-hearted show, “Dragons and Mythical Creatures” will be transferring from the West End and running from the 8th to the 10th, recommended for children three and up.
September:
Nottingham Arts Theatre continues the run of musicals with their production of “Grease” running from the 19th to the 23rd. It will have six showings, with two on the final day.
The Royal Theatre will be showing “Greatest Days,” the official Take That Jukebox musical. It will be running for five days, from the 4th to the 9th. Then, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will be making a return, with a five-day run from the 25th to the 30th.
October/November:
Not much has been announced yet for the final few months of the year, but we do know that the Theatre Royal will be showing “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” from the Nottingham Operatic Society. It will be running for three days from the 25th to the 28th. Then, in November, “SIX the Musical” will be running from the 21st to the 26th of November
December:
Just in time for the pantomime season, Nottingham Playhouse will be showing “Cinderella” from the 1st to the 13th of January next year. Similarly, the Theatre Royal will be showing “Dick Whittington” from the 9th to the 14th of January next year. Finally, the Nottingham Arts Theatre will be showing “Sleeping Beauty” from the 9th to the 17th of December.
