NHS: The Musical revival further details revealed

More details have been revealed for the upcoming NHS The Musical, exploring more than 70 years of the revered health service.

Directed by Stephen Fletcher, Nick Stimson and Jimmy Jewell's piece first ran at Theatre Royal Plymouth back in 2006, and now returns to the same venue for a subsequent run from 17 to 25 September, with plans for a tour in 2022.

The musical starts at the origins of the NHS and takes audiences through to present day, with a cast of seven as well as a further seven band members. Cast and creatives are to be revealed.

Stimson told WhatsOnStage: "We've met with dozens of doctors, nurses, porters, administrators and managers, politicians even. We've researched all the facts and figures to see how the NHS has changed – boy has it changed. The conversations we're having now are obviously different – not just because of the pandemic – but also the massive knock-on effect on the waiting list – with millions and millions of operations now waiting to take place: which wasn't there before. There are different clinical priorities and, of course, we've got a different Health Secretary now!"

Jewell told WhatsOnStage: "The NHS as a body and an idea hasn't changed – the passion, drive and determination has remained. The application and the way the pandemic made the NHS feel so much more personal and closer to a lot more people. That said, the manifestos from political parties haven't changed at all – the ideas didn't need an awful lot of updating – apart from the new words…It's surprising how much people learn from the show. For newer generations, the NHS has been a given – there's been an expectation that it's always been there. But it's important that people remember that that isn't always the case."

Tickets go on sale today, with discounted tickets across the run for NHS staff.