Key Openings in the South-East Region for Late August

OPENING 19 August 2009 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang flies in to the Theatre Royal, Norwich in a production redirected by Adrian Noble with technological wizardry, a cast of over 100 (including ten dogs and children’s teams drawn from schools in the area) as part of a national tour. The production runs until 5 September.

OPENING 24 August 2009 at the Churchill Theatre, Bromley. This revival of Willie Russell‘s classic has been keeping audiences at London’s Phoenix Theatre extremely happy and now launches itself on a new tour. It’s on until 5 September.

OPENING 28 August 2009 Porridge in its first stage excursion premieres at the Gordon Craig Theatre, Stevenage. The adaptation is by the original script-writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais and it stars Shaun Williamson as prisoner Fletcher dancing rings around his warders and fellow inmates. After Stevenage on 5 September goes to Westcliff (28 September-3 October), Colchester (19-24 October), Horsham (9-11 November), Portsmouth (12-14 November) and Eastbourne (23-28 November).

OPENING 28 August 2009 The Stripper is a new musical by Rocky Horror Show creators Richard O’Brien and Richard Hartley. It’s based on a classic detective story by Carter Brown and is set in California during the 1960s. The première at the Queen’s Theatre, Hornchurch is intended to lead to a West End transfer after the run ends on 19 September.