Curve Leicester announces new shows in 2024 season including The Mountaintop and SuperYou musical

Exclusive: Curve in Leicester has unveiled new productions slated for 2024.

The announcement, made during the venue’s season preview event this evening, introduces four shows that celebrate both local stories and international narratives.

First up is a new telling of Jane Austen’s timeless classic, Pride and Prejudice, directed and adapted by Cara Nolan. Presented as a Made at Curve and De Montfort University co-production, the show will run from 13 to 15 June 2024.

Following in July is Fantastic Foxes, a community production inspired by the remarkable journey of Leicester City Football Club. Written by Curve resident creative Rob Ward, auditions for community members to take part in the piece will take place in April, with the production running from 26 July to 3 August.

In September, audiences can experience The Mountaintop, Katori Hall’s Olivier Award-winning play, which is set during the final night of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s life. Directed by Nathan Powell and presented as a Made at Curve and MAST Mayflower Studios co-production, the drama will run from 21 September to 5 October at Curve before heading to MAST Mayflower Studios.

Rounding off the year is a family-friendly festive show Pirates Love Underpants, a world premiere adaptation of Claire Freedman and Ben Cort’s beloved picture book. Directed by Cara Nolan, the swashbuckling adventure will run from 2 December 2024 to 5 January 2025, alongside the venue’s festive revival of My Fair Lady.

Chief executive Chris Stafford and artistic director Nikolai Foster said today: “We are proud to announce these upcoming Curve shows, which reflect the theatre’s ambition to continue presenting great plays and works which celebrate stories close to home and from across the globe. We were blown away by the power of Katori Hall’s great play The Mountaintop and director Nathan Powell’s inspired work on a staged reading of this mighty homage to Martin Luther King last year. We are now thrilled to be presenting the play in a full production – in collaboration with our friends at MAST in Southampton- and that Nathan and [cast members] Ray Strasser-King and Justina Kehinde will return to play in this extraordinary theatrical event.

“Equally extraordinary is the story of Leicester City Football Club and we are excited rising star writer Rob Ward returns to Curve to present his new play, Fantastic Foxes with our community ensemble. Having spent time in the city chatting to fans and hearing stories of people’s experiences and how football has been a major part of their lives, Fantastic Foxes is a joyous celebration of our city and our fabulous foxes.

“And looking further ahead, we are thrilled our new associate director Cara Nolan directs and adapts our De Montfort University co-production of Jane Austin’s Pride and Prejudice and is also captain of our festive Studio show for the little ones, Pirates Love Underpants. Following her huge success with The Owl Who Came For Christmas, Pirates Love Underpants promises to be a raucous festive family theatrical feast.”

In addition to the new Made at Curve productions, the theatre has announced the arrival of the musical SuperYou, scheduled to run from 22 October to 9 November. Lourds Lane’s show has been seen on both sides of the Atlantic, including a concert in the West End led by Lucie Jones. Casting and creatives for the Leicester run are to be revealed.