Classics and favourites in new Bolton Octagon season
- Alan Hulme
- 53 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Bolton's Octagon Theatre's newly-announced summer and autumn season has classics and past favourites ranging from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to Calendar Girls The Musical.
The season starts with the murderously amusing musical comedy Murder For Two (June 5-27), a fast-paced whodunit in which two actors play 13 characters... and a piano! Lucy Keirl, who recently appeared in the Octagon's A Christmas Carol, and Tom Babbage (The Play That Goes Wrong's Peter Pan), play hunt the killer.
Over the summer the Octagon’s Young Company takes centre stage with a production of The Trials (August 20-22). Set in the near future, the play explores a world in which the climate emergency has reached a tipping point - and an entire generation is being held to account. A group of adult community actors will perform alongside Young Company members.
Ayub Khan-Din’s modern classic East is East opens the autumn season (September 4-October 3), returning to UK stages for its 30th anniversary. Set in 1970s Salford, this portrait of a British-Pakistani family navigating a line between tradition and modernity, blends comedy with moments of shocking honesty. A co-production with Glasgow's Citizens Theatre and Wiltshire Creative, in association with Derby Theatre, East is East will be directed by Kash Arshad, who was nominated for an Olivier award in 2021.
Calendar Girls, The Musical returns in October (October 8-31). This award-winning show by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth is based on the true story of members of a small Yorkshire Women's Institute, who created a tastefully-nude calendar to raise money for charity when one of their husbands fell ill.
The John Godber company arrives in November (3-7) with The Highwayman, an historical yarn set in 18th Century Yorkshire promising a mix of high adventure and soul-searing romance.
The Christmas show is Cinderella: A Fairytale (November 20-January 9) - a modern update of the traditional story created by Sally Cookson, Adam Peck and the Original Company.
The first production of 2027 will be Romeo and Juliet (February 4-27). After the recent production of Macbeth, this continues the Octagon’s successful partnership with Hull Truck Theatre and Derby Theatre. The production will feature a number of school-friendly show dates, to ensure students across the North West can experience on the stage the play they will be studying in class.
More info and tickets here