Little Shop of Horrors musical revival announced

Ipswich’s New Wolsey Theatre has announced its spring season for 2024.

Little Shop of Horrors, the famed sci-fi musical, will run between 1 and 23 March in co-production with Octagon Theatre Bolton, Hull Truck Theatre, and Theatre By The Lake. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken’s cult classic follows a man who nurtures an unusual plant that develops a taste for human flesh. It will play Theatre By The Lake from 27 March to 20 April, with further dates to be confirmed.

The theatre’s commitment to younger audiences is cemented with two original productions: Hare and Tortoise, a climate-focused adaptation of Aesop’s fable, touring primary schools in early spring 2024, and Romeo & Juliet (1 to 9 February), specially created for students and teachers of English and Drama, performed by emerging Ipswich talent.

Martha Loader’s darkly funny world premiere, Bindweed (28 to 29 June), explores the lives of men in a perpetrator program, in a co-production with Colchester Mercury Theatre and HighTide. The New Wolsey will join forces with Vamos Theatre for Boy On The Roof (13 to 14 February), a wordless, cross-generational friendship tale, created through Community Conversations.

A selection of visiting shows, from comedy to drama, will grace the stage, including Hags – A Musical Extravaganza, King Arthur, and family favourites like Dear Zoo and Gruffalo’s Child. Before spring, rock ‘n’ roll pantomime, Dick Whittington and His Cat runs this winter, penned by award-winning comedian Vikki Stone.