Theatre Royal Bath announces Spring 2025 programme and casting updates for Autumn 2024

Theatre Royal Bath has released a brand-new brochure with details of productions confirmed to appear in the Main House in spring 2025, newly announced shows appearing in the Ustinov Studio and The Egg, plus casting updates for the programme over the next five months.

With details of more than 70 shows, the brochure features 20 newly announced productions and events, including the world premiere staging of Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Musical, A Man For All Seasons starring Martin Shaw, The Merchant Of Venice 1936 starring Tracy-Ann Oberman, The Girl On The Train starring Giovanna Fletcher, Alan Bleasdale’s Boys From The Blackstuff, The Shark Is Broken, Ghost Stories, Pride and Prejudice* (* sort of), Oklahoma! and The Gruffalo. Additional shows have also been announced for the Ustinov Studio’s Visiting Company Season this autumn and at The Egg. Newly announced shows are on sale now to members, with general booking opening on 10^th August.

Martin Shaw (Judge John Deed, Inspector George Gently, The Professionals) will star as Sir Thomas More in a new production of A Man For All Seasons, which opens at the Theatre Royal appearing from 16 to 25 January, directed by Jonathan Church. Presented by Theatre Royal Bath Productions and Jonathan Church Theatre Productions, the greatest, most powerful and dangerous figures who shaped English history are brought vividly to life in Robert Bolt’s award-winning play.

Theatre Royal Bath Productions in association with Universal Theatrical Group is set to present the world premiere of Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Musical appearing from 22 March to 12 April. This new musical will take audiences on a unique theatrical journey inside the mind of Alfred Hitchcock, the creative genius behind iconic films including Psycho, Vertigo, The Birds, North by Northwest, Rear Window, and many, many more. Alfred Hitchcock Presents is directed by Tony Award winner John Doyle (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Company), with an original jazz-infused score by Steven Lutvak (Best Musical Tony Award Winner for A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) and an inventive book by Jay Dyer (Showtime’s Californication).

Spring 2025 sees the welcome return of Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s supernatural spectacular when Ghost Stories visits the Theatre Royal from 28 January to 1 February. After exhilarating audiences for two years in the West End and across the globe, and a smash hit film adaptation, the worldwide phenomenon promises to be more fantastically terrifying than ever. A sensory and electrifying encounter, full of thrilling twists and epic turns, Ghost Stories remains a theatrical experience like no other.

From 4 to 8 February, Bath Operatic and Dramatic Society return to the Theatre Royal to stage Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein’s ground-breaking classic Oklahoma! performed by a large cast of local talent. With a rousing score featuring the songs Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, People Will Say We’re in Love, and the title number Oklahoma!, this lively musical adventure embraces hope, determination and the promise of a new land.

Direct from the RSC and London’s West End, The Merchant of Venice 1936 tours to Bath from 10 to 15 February starring Tracy-Ann Oberman (EastEnders, Doctor Who) as Shylock, directed by Brigid Larmour. Tensions in London’s East End are rising and Shylock, a resilient single mother and hard-working businesswoman, is desperate to protect her daughter’s future. When the charismatic merchant Antonio comes to her for a loan, a high-stakes deal is struck. Ambition, power and political unrest explode onto the stage as Shakespeare’s classic play is transported to 1930s Britain in this “striking and impactful” (Guardian) new production that “makes theatre history” (Daily Telegraph).

A half term treat visits the Theatre Royal when The Gruffalo takes to the Main House stage from 17 to 23 February. Children aged 3 years and over are invited to join Mouse on a daring adventure through the deep, dark wood in Tall Stories’ magical, musical adaptation of the classic picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Songs, laughs and monstrous fun for youngsters and their grown-ups are in store in the much-loved show that has toured the world.

Multi-talented actor, novelist and podcaster Giovanna Fletcher (2:22 A Ghost Story, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) stars in a new stage production of The Girl On The Train which appears at the Theatre Royal from 18 to 22 February. Adapted from Paula Hawkins’ bestselling novel – an international hit which sold over twenty million copies - this gripping play will keep audiences guessing until the final moment.

Alan Bleasdale’s Boys From The Blackstuff will tour to the Theatre Royal from 25 February to 1 March. 80s Liverpool - Chrissie, Loggo, George, Dixie and Yosser are used to hard work and providing for their families. But there is no work and there is no money. What are they supposed to do? Work harder, work longer, buy cheaper, spend less? They just need a chance. Life is tough but the lads can play the game. Find jobs, avoid the ‘sniffers’ and see if you can have a laugh along the way. James Graham’s powerful new adaptation of Alan Bleasdale’s BAFTA award-winning TV series is directed by Kate Wasserberg and comes to Bath direct from the National Theatre and the West End.

From 3 to 8 March, audiences are invited to dive into the drama behind-the-scenes of JAWS, when The Shark Is Broken tours to Bath for the first time, direct from Broadway. Written by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon, this fascinating play celebrates movie history as it takes a peek at the choppy waters behind Hollywood’s first blockbuster. Fade in: the open ocean, 1974. Filming is delayed… again. The lead actors - theatre veteran Robert Shaw and young Hollywood hotshots Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider - are crammed into a too-small boat, entirely at the mercy of foul weather and a faulty mechanical co-star. Alcohol flows, egos collide and tempers flare on a chaotic voyage that just might lead to cinematic magic… if it doesn’t sink them all. This Olivier Award-nominated show, described by the Sunday Express as “hilariously brilliant and pure genius”, stars Ian Shaw (War Horse, Common) as his real-life father, Robert Shaw.

Also, newly announced for spring 2025, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) is set to return to the Theatre Royal from 14 to 19 April by popular demand, following its triumph in the West End, where it won the Olivier Award for Best Comedy and garnered a host of five-star reviews. Men, money and microphones will be fought over in this irreverent but affectionate adaptation where the stakes couldn’t be higher when it comes to romance. Isobel McArthur’s audacious retelling of Jane Austen’s most iconic love story, features a string of pop classics including Young Hearts Run Free, Will You Love Me Tomorrow and You’re So Vain.