Fantastic Mr Fox musical to premiere in Southampton

The Nuffield Theatre has announced two new plays as part of its autumn season.

Fantastic Mr Fox is a new adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic children's book by Sam Holcroft. It will run at the Nuffield between 22 November and 8 January.

Fantastic Mr Fox is a musical version of the book, which follows Mr Fox and his family who manage to outwit three idiotic farmers. The show runs in Dahl's centenary year and will be directed by Maria Aberg and designed by Tom Scutt.

The second world premiere is an as yet untitled play from Nick Dear. The play will be directed by Samuel Hodges, director of the Nuffield, and runs from 9 September. The drama looks at the mystery around Shakespeare's relationship with his patron the 3rd Earl of Southampton.

Dear, who was brought up in Southampton, wrote the adaptation of Frankenstein which ran at the National Theatre in 2011.

Hodges said: "I’m delighted to welcome Sam to the Nuffield with this fresh, witty adaptation of a much-loved family classic Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox… Nick's compelling new drama unpicks the mystery around Southampton's role in the life of our greatest writer. It’s a thrill to get to tell a story which has never been staged before."