NC Jazz

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

Allison Neale/Colin Oxley Quartet Tribute to Paul Desmond and Jim Hall American born altoist Allison Neale‘s beautifully crafted lines evoke the spirit of Paul Desmond and Art Pepper with whom she has a particular affinity. As a strong advocate of the melodic West Coast style she has performed alongside leading international artists such as Adelaide Hall and Bud Shank, US tenorist Scott Hamilton and more recently in collaboration with New York guitarist Peter Bernstein who appears on her critically acclaimed new CD Quietly There. For this special project, altoist Allison Neale and guitarist Colin Oxley recreate the magical pairing of Paul Desmond, best known for his long standing association with Dave Brubeck, and Jim Hall, guitarist with Sonny Rollins. Drawing from these influences, they explore their own unique musical partnership, while staying true to the nature of the original recordings, beautiful in their simplicity and elegance. They are joined by wonderful bassist Simon Read and superb drummer Matt Fishwick to complete the lineup

Recurring

Tom Davis: Underdog

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

Sweet sweet soul Tom Davis is best known for hit shows King Gary, The Curse, Murder In Successville, Live At The Apollo and his hugely popular podcast Wolf and Owl with Romesh Ranganathan. Embarking on his biggest tour to date with his brand new show, ‘Underdog’, Tom will be exploring life as the longshot. From leaving school with no qualifications to years working on building sites, all the way to the difficult road to fatherhood, acting in blockbuster films and yet still being told he’s punching by a waiter. Big Tom Davis’ return to stand up should not be missed.

Crimes on Centre Court

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

New Old Friends in association with MAST Mayflower Studios present Crimes on Centre Court Lord Knows the chair of The Whombledun International Invitational Tennis Tournament has died and his son, Hugh, is suspicious. The police won’t take the case so Hugh calls in Perry & Penny Pink, private investigators. What transpires has all the hallmarks of multi-award-winning New Old Friends particular brand of theatrical hilarity: a cast of four performers play countless characters with quick-fire changes and quicker wits. Expect mirth, murder and mayhem, with a side of tennis. Crimes On Centre Court, based on a story from the award-winning podcast (#2 in iTunes fiction chart), toured to great acclaim in 2021 and is an ace of a show which you’re sure to (fifteen) love. This deucey treat will rally the spirits and leave you wanting a second serve-ing of the volley of gags and visual delights. You won’t see it game set and matched anywhere else. New Old Friends have built a national reputation with their wildly inventive set-pieces, twisty plots and commitment to unadulterated entertainment.

Recurring

NMTC: Kinky Boots

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

Northampton Musical Theatre Company continue to build on the success of Calendar Girls, Made In Dagenham and Shrek, and are delighted to bring their fantastic new production of Kinky Boots to the stage. With wonderful music by Cyndi Lauper, this tale about a struggling shoe factory, based on a true story, will lift your spirits and have you dancing in your seats. NMTC are once again proud to be making the Derngate auditorium their home for Kinky Boots, coinciding with its 40th birthday year.

Recurring

Wow! Said The Owl

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

Explore the wonderful world of colours with a curious little owl, who is determined to stay awake and see what day light brings.From the warm, pink glow of dawn through to a day filled with the bright colours of green leaves, blue sky, white clouds and, finally, a stunning rainbow — ‘WOW!’. But despite the beauty of the daytime world, the little owl decides that the night-time stars are the most beautiful of all.WOW! Said the Owl, the acclaimed children’s book by award winning author, Tim Hopgood, is brought to life through a blend of beautiful storytelling, puppetry and music. Directed by Joy Haynes, this show will delight and excite very young audiences.Based on the book by Tim HopgoodAdapted and directed by Joy HaynesCreative Producer: Miranda PitcherSet and costumes designed by Fiammetta HorvatPuppets designed and made by Keith FrederickMusic and lyrics by Dominic Sales

Sh!t-faced Shakespeare® – Much Ado About Nothing

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

“I do love nothing in the world so well as BOOZE- is not that strange?”  Stumbling out of their London local (Leicester Square Theatre) and straight onto a UK wide theatre crawl, hoping to not get BARD along the way, Sh!t-faced Shakespeare® go on tour with an all new production of their hit show Much Ado About Nothing. When the sinister bastard Don John and his troupe of bachelor soldiers arrive in Messina, love is in the air as old flames are re-ignited and new desires begin to burn. Maybe some giggle juice will help lubricate the process? Sh!t-faced Shakespeare® is the classic combination of a hacked-to-bits Shakespeare script, half a dozen professional actors and a bucket load of booze! Sounds classical to us. Warning: Sh!t-faced Shakespeare® is an adult show for big sensible grownups and therefore contains rude stuff!

Recurring

Murder in the Dark

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

by Torben Betts Directed by Philip Franks A spine-chilling ghost story, turned psychological thriller starring TV and stage favourites Tom Chambers (Holby City, Casualty, Waterloo Road, Father Brown and Strictly Come Dancing champion) and Susie Blake (Victoria Wood’s As Seen on TV). What happens when the lights go out? It’s New Year’s Eve, when a car crash on a deserted road brings famous but troubled singer Danny Sierra and his dysfunctional family to an isolated holiday cottage in rural England. From the moment they arrive, a sequence of inexplicable events begin to occur… and then the lights go out… As the tension rises and deeply buried secrets come to light, you’ll find nothing is quite as it seems. From the mind of acclaimed writer Torben Betts and produced by the award-winning Original Theatre, who brought you the smash hit production of The Mirror Crack’d by Agatha Christie, Murder in The Dark will have you on the edge of your seats until the final chilling twist. Are you brave enough to uncover the truth?

Recurring

RDCC: Send Me The Pillow – Celebrating Windrush 75

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

From Our Community It’s been 75 years since HM Empire Windrush arrived at Tilbury Docks and Royal & Derngate invite you to join us for this vibrant and poignant new piece that will reflect and celebrate the positive impact of Windrush here in Northamptonshire and nationally. Part verbatim, part theatre and part musical, join the wonderful multicultural Royal & Derngate Community Choir, joined by additional singers and actors from the local community, in this brand new show with a collection of songs including original works inspired by local people. Directed by Sharon De Leonardis (Spectacularts) and created with Musical Director Gareth Fuller and artist Weekes Baptiste, this will be a significant opportunity for all members of the community to celebrate, discuss and reflect together.

Recurring

CIRQUE: The Greatest Show

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

It’s time to step into the light. Escape with us for a night like no other, where we take you into a world where the very best of musical theatre showstoppers meets jaw-dropping circus spectacular. A world that explodes into colour as everyone’s favourite West End and Broadway hits combine with breath-taking, amazing aerialists, incredible contortionists, fabulous fire jugglers and thrilling feats of agility and flair. It’s the brand-new variety spectacular everyone is talking about for 2023. . . welcome to Cirque: the award-winning, smash-hit sensation that is fun for all the family. Let the music lift you on a truly wondrous journey bursting with kaleidoscopic colour. Stars of the West End combine with incredible circus performers as the biggest hits from your favourite theatre shows are brought to the stage in unique, spellbinding style. An all-star cast performing the big, big numbers from your favourite shows are joined by mesmerising circus stars – making for an enchanting production that is charming and astonishing in equal measure. Enter the extraordinary world of Cirque. Roll up, roll up and book your seats now for an unforgettable night out – truly like no other.

Recurring

Dancing Schools UK – The Final

Royal and Derngate Theatre 19-21 Guildhall Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 1DP

This is the 10th year of this fabulous Ballroom and Latin dance event designed to encourage school children from across the region to have a try at dancing and nurture team work. From its early days as Strictly Junior, the show has now evolved to Dancing Schools UK and seen over 3000 children having braved the stage, stepped out into the spotlight and done something they never thought they would do – dance in front of hundreds of people. In this Grand Final, finalists of the regional school heats across Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire will compete against each other to win the coveted Dancing Schools UK title and Glitter

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