Darlington
Civic Theatre announces Winter 2014/Spring 2015 Season
Darlington Civic Theatre lifts the curtain to unveil a
spectacular Winter/Spring Season packed with more delights than a Christmas
stocking.
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without
pantomime, and this year we’re off to see the wizard – or should that be the Chuckles of Oz! Join stars of
children’s TV The Chuckle Brothers and follow the yellow brick road to a world
of surprises between Sat 6 December
and Sun 11 January.
On Monday 5 January, we usher in
the New Year in style with New Year
in Vienna 2015 which will whisk you away to a fairy-tale world as the London Gala Orchestra alongside
singers and conductor showcase the very best of popular Viennese music, from
waltzes and polkas to uplifting marches.
Then there’s a whole jukebox of musical treats as we welcome
Steve Steinman’s classic rock show Vampires
Rock on Thu 15 January,
folk entertainers The Houghton
Weavers on Fri 16 January, and
stars of hit film Brassed Off, The Grimethorpe Colliery Band, on Sat 17 January.
From Mon 19 - Sat 24 January,
the dark winter nights provide the perfect backdrop to chilling thriller The Woman in Black – an evening of
unremitting drama which will transport the audience into a terrifying and
ghostly world.
Just because it’s January it
doesn’t mean it’s too late for a party! By popular demand, That'll Be The Day returns with a brand new show for 2015 for two
nights only on Mon 26 & Tue 27
January. This hugely entertaining line-up of classic gold hits from the 50s,
60s and 70s provides both laughs and nostalgia.
We are delighted to welcome The Russian State Ballet & Orchestra of
Siberia back to Darlington with three great ballet masterpieces:
light-hearted Coppėlia (Thu 29 Jan),
tragic Swan Lake (Fri 30 Jan) and family favourite The Nutcracker (Sat 31 Jan & Sun 1
Feb).
If you saw The Play That Goes Wrong last summer, you’ll love Peter Pan Goes Wrong (Tue 3 – Sun 8 Feb) – and if you missed it you’ll want to come and see what all the
fuss was about! The Play That Goes Wrong has
successfully transferred into the West End and Mischief
Theatre returns with another riotous comedy.
Middle Ground Theatre Company is
delighted to present Richard Harris’ acclaimed psychological thriller The Business of Murder, which comes to
us Tue 10 - Sat 14 February and stars Robert Gwilym, known by millions for his
role as Dr Max Gallagher in Casualty,
alongside Paul Opacic (a regular in Bad Girls, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks)
and Joanna Higson, who played Maxine Donnelly for two series of Shameless and is currently appearing as Vicky
Hall in BBC TV's WPC5.
February brings a selection of
shows which stop off in Darlington for one night only. On Tue 17 February The
Russian State Ballet and Opera House presents classic opera Rigoletto, a tragic tale of
misunderstanding, revenge and sacrifice. On Wed 18 February there’s a fantastic
line-up of former members of the legendary band The Kinks as the Kast Off Kinks rock into town to
re-live the good times with all their greatest hits. On Thu 19 February we’ve a
date with Richard and Adam as they take us to the movies! Following their
success on Britain’s Got Talent, Richard and Adam at the Movies brings
you a night of silver screen classics performed with flawless technique.
On Sat 21 and Sun 22 February, we embark on an exciting new mission with Octonauts and the Deep Sea Volcano,
while on Mon 23 February comedian Omid
Djalili brings us Iranalamadingdong.
We present a brilliant evening of stories and music with An Evening with Julian Lloyd Webber on Tue 24 Feb, and there are
appearances from original members of Emerson Lake and Palmer, Wishbone Ash and The Strawbs with The Classic Legends of Rock and Folk ‘Super
Tour’ 2015 on Wed 25 February.
On Sat 28 February we’re pleased
to be throwing our doors wide open for two days of fun, free family activities,
with competitions, workshops, performances, guides tours and lots more in our Family Open Weekend.
The Daily Express dubs it ‘the best rock ‘n’ roll show in town’ –
it’s the 25-year anniversary tour of Return
to the Forbidden Planet, which blasts into Darlington Mon 2 - Sat 7 March.
Based on the award-winning novel
by Sebastian Faulks, and coming to Darlington
Tue 10 - Sat 14 March, Birdsong is a
mesmerising story of love and courage set both before and during the First
World War.
For those aged five and under and their families, Where Caterpillars Go is a playful adventure set in a wild and
magical paper garden, where the audience will be seated onstage alongside the
performers on Sun 15 March.
The Royal Geographical Society returns to the Dolphin Centre on Mon 16 March
with Professor Iain Stewart
presenting Planet Oil: The Story of a
Modern Addiction.
Following recent productions of To Sir, With Love, Brassed Off and Regeneration, The Touring Consortium
Theatre Company presents A View From The
Bridge by Arthur Miller in celebration of the centenary of the playwright’s
birth from Tue 17 – Sat 21 March.
March is a musical month as we welcome Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly (Wed 25 March), and a host of top tribute acts: The Elvis Years (Thu 26 March), Rumours of Fleetwood Mac (Fri 27
March), Sinatra and Friends (Sat 28
March), and Steve Steinman’s The Meat
Loaf Story (Mon 30 March). The month ends with a flourish of magic as the
team of tricksters that is Champions of
Magic bring their show to us on Tue 31 March.
If you and
your family can’t wait until next Christmas for another pantomime, we have the
solution with our Easter pantomime, which this year on Wed 1 & Thu 2 April
is Beauty and the Beast starring
Bobby Davro. April also sees the return of The
Essence of Ireland on Sat 4 April – a heart-breaking, heart-warming story
brought to life with the music and dance of the Emerald Isle.
If it’s laughter you’re after, this will be supplied in ample measure by Tim Vine (Tue 7 April) and the Return of the Grumpy Old Women – Fifty
Shades of Beige (Thu 9 April). For something a little more gentle, The Good Old Days of Variety will take
you back in an afternoon filled with classic songs on Wed 8 April. For more
golden oldies, come and see The Hollies on
Fri 10 April.
Currently dancing up a storm in BBC1’s
Strictly Come Dancing, Pasha Kovalev
comes spinning into Darlington
for one night only on 11 April. Pasha
Kovalev’s Life Through Dance is an amazing new show, a non-stop
action-packed journey through life and love, expressed through the language of
dance.
From Tue 14 – Sat 18 April we host English Touring Theatre as they present the
Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Thomas Middleton’s Jacobean drama A Mad World My Masters. A hit with audiences and critics alike
in Stratford Upon Avon, this riotous and rollicking comedy now explodes onto
the stage at the Civic Theatre prior to a London season.
Local heroes Darlington OS return between Wed 22 April – Sat 2 May in what has
long been a firm favourite in the calendar. This season they bring their
production of Hairspray which is
guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a spring in your step.
Round up the girls (and the men, if they dare!) for The Naked Truth (Wed 6 – Sat 9 May), a poignant and uplifting comedy
about sisterhood in which five very different women struggle to conquer pole
dancing in aid of a breast cancer charity. With star casting to be announced,
you’ll be splitting your sides and moved to tears.
Tickets:
Tickets for the new
Winter/Spring Season are on sale now, and brochures are available from the box
office and in venues across the region. For further information and to book contact
the box office on 01325 486 555, or visit www.darlingtoncivic.co.uk
to choose your own seats online.
