Classic stories of the stage and screen will be reimagined at the Belgrade Theatre next season, as an eclectic mix of shows revisit unforgettable stories from across the decades.
Travel back to the interwar years when Bill Kenwright’s The Classic Thriller Theatre Company take on Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes. Showing in Coventry 24-28 September,this new production stars former Corrie duo Andrew Lancel and Gwen Taylor as the disappearing Miss Froy and the mysterious Dr Hartz. EastEnders’ Lorna Fitzgerald plays Iris, a socialite whose travelling companion suddenly vanishes en route to their destination.
Bewildered to find her fellow passengers denying all knowledge of ever having seen her, Iris turns detective with the help of musician Max, as played by Downton Abbey’s Matt Barber.
Meanwhile, from 17-21 September, Bill Kenwright and Robert Stigwood invite you to relive the hits of the disco era in a musical production of Saturday Night Live. Setting hot new choreography to one of the best selling movie soundtracks of all time, this new stage version retells the story of Tony Manero’s journey from the backstreets of Brooklyn to the bright lights of dancing fame with more music and more drama than ever before.
Finally, from 15-19 October, Shane Richie, Diana Vickers and Sara Crowe star in a bold new production of The Entertainer, directed by Sean O’Connor. For the first time since its premiere in 1957, John Osborne’s acclaimed play is given a vibrant new setting, retold against the backdrop of the Falklands War in 1982.
Chosen by Guardian theatre critic Michael Billington as one of the greatest plays of the 20th century, The Entertainer tells the story of Archie Rice – a washed-up comic whose personal and professional lives collide with devastating consequences, as he struggles to find his place in a changing world.