Sixteen new shows on sale at Theatre Royal Plymouth

29th November 2023

Theatre Royal Plymouth are thrilled to announce that a staggering sixteen new shows have gone on general sale today.

Shows across all three stages have gone on sale, across the next three years, including nine fantastic shows in The Drum, two tribute shows in The Lyric for Bob Marley and ABBA, plus a family favourite coming to TRP in 2025 in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – plus so much more!

Take a look at the new productions today to be among the first to book for the best prices and availability!

Tickets are on sale now on the TRP website.

Winter Lights, The Lab, 13 – 24 December 2023 (0 – 3 years only)

An interactive festive experience for 0-3 year olds and their grown-ups…

This Christmas join us on a magical, wintery adventure to remember! Join our festive adventurers on a journey through the ice, snow and lights of the Arctic.

You’ll encounter friendly snow beasts and stumbling reindeer on this enchanted, sensory adventure. Join us in The Lab this Christmas for a heart-warming, theatrical and festive experience with light, sound and sensory play.

Us Against The World, The Drum, 23 – 24 February 2024 (16+)

Ever been love-struck?

We have.

And it hurt.

This is about what happens behind closed doors when you love a little too much.

It is about the slippery slope between care and abuse, the colossal strength it takes to break free and the potential danger in doing so.

Us Against The World is an absurd and often funny reminder that the greatest betrayal is forgetting yourself.

Expect a riot of intoxicating dance-theatre, a very charming man, a much-loved chicken and a bit too much cake in this poetic portrayal of love gone wrong. (Based on the lived-experience of domestic abuse survivors).

Nanny, The Drum, 27 – 28 February 2024 (14+)

“She said to me this morning “everything you do fails’’ because I spent twenty minutes trying to work out how to fit her carseat. She just sat there just going “fail, fail, fail, fail, fail” while I was scrabbling away on You Tube looking up how you fit the Maxi Cosi 10. “Everything you do fails.” EVERYTHING? Who says that to someone? Who turns up to work and gets told that?!”

“Yeah, that’s brutal. And she’s backed it up with evidence.”

Meet Lea and Amy. Below average nannies with bigger than average ambitions.

Every week they take the kids they look after to a ‘Stay and Play’ class and seize a moment between the snacks, songs, snot and screaming to plot the twists and turns of their real careers as a comedy double act.

Protest, The Drum, 5 – 9 March 2024 (7+)

Running is Alice’s happy place – you might even say it’s in her DNA. She’s the best runner at her school but is struggling to prove her worth. Jade is slowly coming to realise that prejudices can be found everywhere, even in the most surprising places. Realising that her education is ill-equipped to encompass her own history and heritage, and taunted by bullies at school, she knows it’s time to tell her own story. Meanwhile, litter is piling up in the local forest, and all over the world an environmental crisis is looming. Chloe is determined to make a change, starting with the town.

Three girls prepare to stand up for what they believe in despite the injustices stacked against them in this new play exploring what it takes to make a difference, the power of friendship, and the importance of believing in your own voice.

An Evening with Dawn French & Dame Darcey Bussell DBE (...& James), The Lyric, 11 March 2024  

Join Dawn French, Dame Darcey Bussell DBE, and our CEO & Executive Producer, James Mackenzie-Blackman, in conversation, for one night only in The Lyric.

A multi-award winning actor and comedian, and a true national treasure, Dawn French has delighted audiences around the world whilst always being deeply proud of her Plymouth roots. Dame Darcey Bussell DBE, Chair of Trustees at TRP, is one of the greatest dancers of her generation. A former Principal dancer of the Royal Ballet, Darcey has recently established a base in Plymouth.

James will be in conversation with Dawn and Darcey reflecting on their careers and sharing stories that will likely lurch from the Royal Ballet, Strictly, Comic Relief, The Vicar of Dibley and back-again.

After the event Dawn will host a book-signing for her new book.

This is a very special, not to be repeated, fundraising event with all proceeds furthering the work of Theatre Royal Plymouth.

The Bar At The Edge Of Time, The Drum, 12 – 16 March 2024 (16+)

The glasses are polished, the lights are low, and time will be hopping.

The Bar at the Edge of Time waits only for you, so what are you waiting for?

Leave the hours, minutes, and seconds behind, step across the threshold and meet the bar’s maestro mixologists, crooners, and hosts. But a mystery lies at the heart of this place, a mystery hidden even from them. One that can only be solved when we spend our time together.

A multi-sensory spectacular for audiences with profound and multiple learning disabilities.

Fatherhood, The Drum, 21 – 23 March 2024 (12+)

Being a father in the 21st century is complicated. Being the father of a young son of mixed South Indian, Turkish & Austrian heritage, even more so.

Three very different stories of being and having a dad are brought together with humour and sensitivity, through physical theatre and multilingual text.

Centred around everyday, relatable experiences, this original new work explores fatherhood across generations from the 1960s to the present day.

Cassie and the Lights, The Drum, 24 – 27 April 2024 (12+)

Can kids be parents?

When Cassie’s mother disappears, the teenager wants to care for her sisters on her own. Is she the right person to parent them now, or should she let foster parents adopt her sisters and create a new family? Based on real life events and interviews with children in care and with live music, Cassie and the Lights examines our ideas of what makes a family. After critically-acclaimed runs in New York City, Australia, Edinburgh and London, Cassie and the Lights embarks on its first UK Tour in 2024.

Legend: The Music of Bob Marley, The Lyric, 26 April 2024  

When you think reggae, there is only one name that comes to mind. The legend that was Bob Marley.

Legend – the music of Bob Marley is an unforgettable evening celebrating this musical icon in one fantastic stage show extravaganza. Combining his superb, distinctive vocals with flawless musicianship, a supremely talented cast recreate the timeless hits Could You Be Loved, Is This Love, One Love, No Woman No Cry, Three Little Birds, Jammin’, Buffalo Soldier, Stir It Up, Get Up Stand Up, Exodus, Waiting in Vain, Satisfy My Soul, Iron Lion Zion, I Shot the Sheriff  and many more reggae classics.

Hotfoot from a sell out show at London’s Adelphi Theatre, It is a two-hour spectacular, showcasing the magic of Marley. It captures the charisma and culture of an icon gone too soon.

Thank You For The Music, The Lyric, 27 April 2024  

Calling all Dancing Queens, this is your night to say, Thank You For The Music!

This international smash-hit tribute show brings all ABBA’s number one hits to the stage in a production like no other. The hugely popular show, now in its 21st year, with a brand-new show for 2024, combines the unmistakable harmonies, colourful costumes, and dazzling performances by our all-star cast.

Join us for the party of the year as we bring you all the hits, including Waterloo, Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, and many many more!

Thank you for the Music! For without a song or a dance what are we.

Piece of Work, The Drum, 30 April – 4 May 2024 (14+)

James has been touring his storytelling theatre shows for half his adult life. This year was different though. Returning home after his first stint away, he received a letter that exploded his life, and the tour became a search: for the person who sent it, for a sense of home, and to maybe save a life.

Featuring James’ captivating mix of storytelling, comedy and music (as well as Shakespeare’s Hamlet) this remarkable road trip follows his critically acclaimed run at this year’s Edinburgh Festival, the sell-out show Learning to Fly and The Songs of Friendship Trilogy.

Hilarious and heart breaking this remarkable road trip will delight and surprise.

The Happiness Index / Ten Thankless Years, The Drum, 15 – 18 May 2024 (14+)

A double bill of two shows in one night, from cult multi-award winning musical-comedians Jonny & The Baptists. A brand new hour of songs and stories about why we are (or are not) happy; and a retrospective of our first decade making riotous, satirical (and silly) “work”.

The Happiness Index

Are you happy? We can help!

Five Prime Ministers ago, David Cameron started a ‘happiness index’ to measure how joyful the people of this nation are. Which is ironic, given what he then did. Anyway, we’ve picked up the baton and now are trying to find out what the hell we should do with it.

A new personal and political show about our desire, and the country’s struggle, to just be happy.

Ten Thankless Years

The country’s absolute best (but not most popular) musical comedians present our greatest hits, from a decade of being wildly under-appreciated.

After a sell-out, five-star run at Edinburgh Fringe 2023, we’ve understandably decided to take this cash-cow on the road.

Belongings, The Drum, 31 May – 1 June 2024 (7 – 11 years old)

We are all trying to work out our story. Who are we? How are we shaped? Where do we fit in?

Cleo arrives into a new home, unsure of what the future holds. She meets the playful Bertie, who brings her out of her shell, and Leila, who she has more in common with than she first thought.

Life has been unsettled for the trio: Bertie is pushing towards the future, Leila is trying to reconnect with her past and Cleo is searching for answers.

Together they balance, dance and climb to navigate imagined worlds, divided loyalties and loved ones far away. They unite to discover a place called home, the value of play, and together, learn how to own their own stories.

Developed through working creatively with young people in care over a period of years, this “inspiring, engaging, beautifully evocative production” (Everything Theatre) explores a fundamental need we all share – the need to belong.

& Juliet, The Lyric, 1 – 5 October 2024 (12+)

There is life after Romeo!

Get whisked away on a fabulous journey as Juliet ditches her famous ending for a fresh beginning and a second chance at life and love—her way. Created by the Emmy-winning writer from “Schitt’s Creek,” this hilarious new musical flips the script on the greatest love story ever told and asks, what would happen next if Juliet didn’t end it all over Romeo?

After a phenomenal run in London’s West End, & Juliet is heading on a national tour. Picking up three Olivier Awards and six WhatsOnStage Awards, & Juliet will have the audience up on its feet and ROARING for more.

Juliet’s new story bursts to life through a playlist of pop anthems as iconic as her name, including Britney Spear’s …Baby One More Time, Katy Perry’s Roar and chart toppers Since U Been Gone, It’s My Life, I Want It That Way, and Can’t Stop the Feeling! — all from Max Martin, the genius songwriter/producer behind more #1 hits than any other artist this century, and his collaborators.

Break free of the balcony scene and get into this romantic comedy that proves there’s life after Romeo. The only thing tragic would be missing it.

Dear Evan Hansen, The Lyric, 15 – 19 April 2025 (12+)

Today is going to be a good day. And here’s why…

Meet Evan: an anxious high school kid who wants nothing more than to fit in. The thing is, on his way to fitting in, he didn’t tell the whole truth. And now must give up on a life he never dreamt he’d have. As events spiral and the truth comes out, Evan faces a reckoning with himself and everyone around him.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Lyric, 6 – 10 May 2025

The most fantasmagorical musical of all time flies into Theatre Royal Plymouth for one week only!

Based on Ian Fleming’s timeless story for children and later made into the famous 1968 film, in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang we meet absent-minded inventor Caractacus Potts who restores a broken-down old racing car with the help of his children Jemima and Jeremy.

Soon the family discover the car has magical powers, and along with the delectable Truly Scrumptious, they end up on a hilarious fantastical adventure to far off lands. Their heart-warming journey makes Chitty Chitty Bang Bang a fun-filled hit for all the family.