Bristol Old Vic announces new season including Jack Thorne adaptation of Let the Right One In, plus Treasure Island and Starter for Ten musicals

Exclusive: Bristol Old Vic has today unveiled a wad of shows as part of its 2025 season.

The venue is looking forward to autumn and winter by celebrating its city with local stories and writers.

Kicking off the season is the previously announced return of Starter for Ten starring Mel Giedroyc. The new musical will open at Bristol Old Vic on 10 September and play until 11 October, before visiting Birmingham Rep Theatre from 22 October to 1 November.

Next is classic comedy Private Lives, directed by Bristol-based award-winning director Tanuja Amarasuriya. This co-production of Noël Coward’s timeless piece comes from Octagon Theatre Bolton, Mercury Theatre and Rose Theatre, in association with Northern Stage, supported by a grant from the Royal Theatrical Support Trust. It’ll play in Bristol from 28 October to 1 November.

Amarasuriya will also direct Tim X Atack’s queer sci-fi heartbreaker Delay which opens in the Weston Studio this summer from 19 June to 5 July.

In November, the venue will host Jack Thorne’s (Adolescence, Toxic Town) adaptation of the vampire hit Let the Right One In. Based on the Swedish novel and film by Jon Ajvide Lindqvist, it follows the lonely and bullied Oskar, who only has a Rubik’s Cube and his imagination for company. That is until Eli moves in next door. The production is a Royal Exchange Theatre revival of their 2022 production, directed by Bryony Shanahan, and presented in association with Marla Rubin Productions Ltd. It runs from 4 to 15 November.

For Christmas, Bristol Old Vic will present Robert Louis Stevenson’s adventure novel Treasure Island. The new musical, created by The Great British Bake Off Musical creators, Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary (who met at Bristol University), has been reimagined based on their love of the city. It’ll dive into the venue from 3 December 2025 to 10 January 2026, and will be directed by Paul Foster.

Little Bulb will also return with some festive fun. Antarctica, suitable for ages three and up, plays in the Studio from 5 December 2025 to 10 January 2026.

Frantic Assembly will mark their 30th anniversary in the new year in a co-production with Curve, Mayflower Southampton and Lyric Hammersmith Theatre. Lost Atoms is written by Anna Jordan and directed by Scott Graham. It’ll stop off in Bristol from 13 to 24 January 2026 as part of its tour.

Further highlights include Margaret Thatcher Queen of Soho (15 October to 18 October), Yippee Ki Yay (22 October to 25 October), The Paper Dolls (28 October to 1 November) and Uncanny: Afraid of the Dark (18 November to 22 November).