Royal and Derngate Theatre

Brian Bilston and Henry Normal appear together for the first time in a show which one critic has described as ‘two people reading some poems’. Along the way, they will be drawing on their vast catalogue of crowd favourites – and throwing in new poems, to prevent becoming their own tribute bands. Not ones to overpromise, Brian and Henry are prepared to commit to delivering the greatest poetry show in the history of the world: an evening of poems to be enjoyed, not endured. Brian Bilston has been described as the Banksy of poetry and Twitter’s unofficial Poet Laureate. With over 200,000 followers on social media, Brian has become truly beloved by the online community. Henry Normal is a writer, poet, TV and film producer, founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Literature Festival) and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival. Please note that this performance contains some swearing and light sexual references.

Due to popular demand, following his sell-out tour, Sir Tim Rice, the multi-award-winning,internationally renowned lyricist, will return to theatre stages with his extraordinary live musical theatre event: My Life In Musicals, I Know Him So Well. The show will see Tim Rice reflect on his illustrious career at the heart of musical theatre, sharing anecdotes behind the songs–the hits and the misses along with stories of his life and live performances from the wonderful catalogue of songs that are synonymous with his name and that of his collaborators. Musical accompaniment will be from an array of some of the UK’s leading West End singers and musicians led by Musical Director Duncan Waugh. Tim is associated with writing the lyrics for so many of the world’s much-loved hit musicals: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Chess and the Disney productions The Lion King, Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast. His work has not been limited to musical theatre alone with Evita transferring to the big screen and theme music for the James Bond movie Octopussy. With the show packed full of songs including Don’t Cry For Me Argentina, Any Dream Will Do, A Whole New World, Can You Feel The Love Tonight, I Don’t Know How To Love Him, Circle...

Star of Taskmaster, Ghosts and The Great British Sewing Bee, Kiell Smith-Bynoe is heading out on tour with an all-star cast of comedians and some very special guests to turn stories from the audience into completely improvised comedy scenes. Fresh from sold-out shows in Edinburgh, London and Brighton, Kool Story Bro is the unmissable improvised comedy show that spins unscripted sketches out of the audience’s weirdest and wildest anecdotes. Together with a surprise celebrity host, these “world-class improvisers” (Corr Blimey) are about to create a totally unique and utterly ridiculous show from scratch. Kiell will be joined by members of Kool Story Bro’s rotating cast of improvisers,  including Starstruck favourites Lola-Rose Maxwell and Nic Sampson, Afterlife and Austentatious’s Graham Dickson, Big Boys’ Robert Gilbert, Mock The Week’s Emily Lloyd-Saini, Shadow and Bone’s Anna Leong Brophy, Taskmaster’s Emma Sidi, and more. Previous special guest hosts have included Lily Allen, Jamie Demetriou, Mo Gilligan, Charlotte Ritchie, Mathew Baynton, Guz Khan, and Munya Chawawa.

MC Hammersmith is the world’s leading freestyle rapper to emerge from the ghetto of middle- class west London. He presents an evening of improvised comedy raps based on your suggestions. Featuring brand-new routines for 2025, you’ll leave astounded at the speed of his brain, the spontaneity of his punchlines, and the stability of his upbringing. ‘Stomach-achingly funny raps‘ EdFringeReview.com ‘An improvised hip hop masterpiece‘ VoiceMag.uk. Tour support for Jason Manford and John Bishop. 100 million views online. As heard on BBC Radio 4, as seen on Beta Squad.