Storyhouse Chester has revealed the final programme for its very first Spring Season – with a line-up packed with show-stopping entertainment promising audiences a fantastic start to 2018.
The £37million new Chester arts venue is bringing a whole host of big names in comedy and dance and must-see shows to the city’s cultural hub during Spring 2018.
The New Year of entertainment at Storyhouse Chester starts on Monday 29th January when the hilarious The Play That Goes Wrong pays its first visit to the city. The multi award-winning West End and Broadway smash hit is a slapstick delight which promises to leave its audiences in stitches. The show runs until Saturday 3rd February.
Dance theatre company Motionhouse brings its incredible new multi-media dance circus production Charge to Storyhouse Chester for one night only on Tuesday 6th February. This unique collaboration between art and science sees six performers use dance and acrobatics to delve deep in to the human body, telling the important story of energy in our lives.
Andy Kirkpatrick is one of the world’s most accomplished mountaineers, big wall climbers and Winter expedition specialists. Now he’s written a book about his adventures and is heading for Chester. Join him on Wednesday 14th February for Andy Kirkpatrick- Psychovertical: A Higher Education, when Andy will be sharing tales of his daring ascents in locations where other climbers fear to tread.
Dance enthusiasts will be thrilled to see a stunning double bill from the Saint Petersburg Classic Ballet. Firstly, on Friday 16th February they present Giselle, one of the few 19th Century romantic ballets to survive intact, the quintessential story of unrequited love. Then on Saturday and Sunday (17th and 18th February), the company present Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece, a tragic tale of love and betrayal with an instantly recognisable score.
Get ready to set sail on Tuesday 20th February for a pirate adventure with Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs 2: The Magic Cutlass. Flinn, Pearl and Tom are in the middle of their school play when their old nemesis, Mr T the T-Rex, appears and kidnaps the children forcing them to hunt for the secretive Magic Cutlass; a sword that grants the holder any wish.
Comedy fans are in for a triple treat with the appearance of three household favourites in mid-February. First up is Sarah Millican on Thursday 22nd February with her show Control Enthusiast. She is followed by writer and comedian David Baddiel, who presents his Olivier Award-nominated show, My Family: Not the Sitcom, on Friday 23rd February. And it’s a return to Storyhouse Chester for 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown star Jon Richardson on Saturday 24th February with The Old Man tour. The life of Liverpool songbird Cilla Black is celebrated with Cilla – The Musical from Tuesday 6th March to Saturday 10th March. The acclaimed musical stars Kara Lily Hayworth as the Scottie Road songstress Priscilla White, and soap favourite Andrew Lancel as Brian Epstein.
Television historian Dr. Lucy Worsley pays a visit on Thursday 15th March to take listeners on a journey into the life of one of the greats of English literature. At Home With Jane Austen coincides with the publication of a new biography by Worsley of the author of Pride and Prejudice and Emma.
Dust off those dancing shoes and ballgowns when Strictly Come Dancing professional Brendan Cole brings his own sizzling touring production All Night Long to Storyhouse Chester on Saturday 17th March. A matinee show has now also been added.
Opera fans have two shows they won’t want to miss this Spring at Storyhouse Chester. A fantastic double bill from the English Touring Opera will see the company firstly present an energetic new production of one of the world’s most beloved operas, Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro on Tuesday March 20th. This will be followed on Wednesday 21st March by Puccini’s one act operas Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi. There will be pre-show talks at 6.30pm ahead of each performance.
Comedian Russell Kane and Friends heads for Chester on Saturday 24th March for an evening of sterling stand-up. Award-winning comic Russell Kane has become a favourite on the comedy circuit with appearances on B.B.C.’s Live At The Apollo, B.B.C.3’s Stupid Man, Smart Phone, and B.B.C.3’s Live At The Electric.
Michelle Gayle and Alice Barlow lead the cast for the heart-warming new musical Son of a Preacher Man, which features a host of songs made famous by the late, great Dusty Springfield. The show runs from Tuesday 27th March to Saturday 31st March
Edinburgh Fringe favourites and Ireland’s top comedy trio Foil, Arms & Hogg bring their sketch show Oink to Chester on Friday 6th April. Expect fast-paced gags and plenty of energy from the team, who boast more than 50 million YouTube views to their name; the show is aimed at aged 14 and above.
Dinosaur World Live is a new interactive show for all the family and it’s roaring into Storyhouse Chester for two days of prehistoric fun on Saturday 7th April and Sunday 8th April. Grab your compass and join our intrepid explorer across unchartered territory to discover a pre-historic world of astonishing inhabitants.
Another family favourite visits in April with the arrival of Birmingham Stage Company’s David Walliams’ brilliant Gangsta Granny from Wednesday 11th April to Saturday 14th April. It’s Friday night and Ben knows that means only one thing; staying with Granny! There will be cabbage soup, cabbage pie and cabbage cake to eat and Ben knows one thing for sure, it’s going to be so boring. But what Ben doesn’t know is that Granny has a secret, and Friday nights are about to get more exciting than he could possibly imagine.
Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s hit musical Evita will move and entertain Chester audiences from Tuesday 17th April to Saturday 21st April. Returning to the role of Eva Perón is Madalena Alberto, who is considered as one of the West End’s prominent leading ladies. Fresh from the recent West End production in July 2017, Madalena is joined by leading Italian performer Gian Marco Schiaretti as Che, a character who reflects the voice of the Argentine people. The show features a host of memorable songs, from Oh What a Circus and Another Suitcase in Another Hall to the famous Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.
And rounding off an exciting Spring Season are the Grumpy Old Women 2018, starring Jenny Eclair, Dillie Keane and Lizzie Roper on Monday 23rd April. The Grumpy Old Women have put their knobbly old feet up in glorious retirement, free at last to practise their extreme colouring-in, ukulele orchestra and novelty fudge-making. Join them for 90 minutes of brand new comedy from the mistresses of grump.
Storyhouse Artistic Director Alex Clifton said, “We’ve had an amazing response to our Autumn season, audiences are loving the theatre space and the amazing public spaces we offer too. So I’m really proud of the calibre of performers and must-see shows we’re attracting to Storyhouse, ensuring the Spring Season 2018 is equally exciting, with a brilliant mix of big stage musicals, household comedy names, family favourites, pioneering contemporary dance and fascinating human tales.”
To book tickets call 01244 409113, online at www.storyhouse.com or visit the ticket kiosks at Storyhouse on Hunter Street in Chester.