Following 18 months of expectation and a multi-million pound restoration, the doors to Darlington Hippodrome are now open offering a fabulous season of theatre with some big-hitting shows on offer and even more in the pipeline.
Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without a pantomime, and this season we have the fairest of them all – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Starring boy band and soap star Lee Ryan, Darlington’s own West End leading lady Zoe Birkett, local funny-man Patrick Monahan, Eric Potts, Liam Mellor and Natasha Hoeberigs as Snow White, this year’s pantomime will be packed full of comedy, songs, dance numbers and the usual Darlington pantomime magic between Saturday 9 December and Sunday 14 January.
A series of week-long shows for all tastes kicks off with New Jersey Nights (Jan 16 to 20), a spectacular celebration of the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons. Son of a Preacher Man (Feb 6 to 10) is an all-new show directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood featuring the greatest hits of Dusty Springfield. We welcome back one of the all-time greats with Blood Brothers (20 to 24 February) followed by the David Walliams classic Awful Auntie (28 February to 4 March).
Hailed ‘a gut-busting hit’ by the New York Times, the West End and Broadway smash hit comedy The Play That Goes Wrong comes to Darlington from 5 to 10 March and if you like a spot of Disney music then you must not miss A Spoonful of Sherman (12 to 14 March). We welcome back Middle Ground Theatre Company and the world stage première from Ruth Rendell (writing as Barbara Vine) with the murder mystery Gallowglass (27 to 31 March). Following a sell-out production of Strictly Musicals 2, DarlingtonOS returns to the Hippodrome with the ultimate feel-good musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert (18 to 28 April) and for added glitz and glamour we welcome The Rat Pack Live (8 to 12 May) with one of the ring-a-ding-iest nights in town.
The Touring Consortium Theatre Company has presented some of the most thought-provoking theatre in Darlington including To Sir With Love, A View From The Bridge, Regeneration, Brassed Off, Brave New World and Of Mice And Men. This season they return with Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (15 to 19 May) starring Phil Daniels. Celebrating the world’s greatest entertainer, Thriller Live is a spectacular concert featuring the songs of Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 (28 May to 2 June). Broadway’s smash hit musical comedy, Thoroughly Modern Millie, starring Hayley Tamaddon comes to Darlington Hippodrome from 11 to 16 June swiftly followed by This Is Elvis (25 to 30 June) which recreates all the drama leading up to ‘the 1968 Comeback Special’ TV show – it’s the musical that puts the king back on the throne. For lovers of comedy we have one of the best as Joe Pasquale stars as Frank Spencer in an all-new stage show Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em (2 to 7 July) while All Or Nothing – the Mod Musical (10 to 14 July) follows the rise and demise of the Small Faces.
A whole host of star performers will be appearing at Darlington Hippodrome and The Hullabaloo (the new 170 seat studio theatre adjacent to the Hippodrome) over the next seven months including Patrick Monahan (26 January), Jimmy Osmond (12 February), That’ll Be The Day (13 & 14 February), The Russian State Ballet of Siberia (15 to 18 February), Tom Allen (24 February), The Hallé (26 February), Tony Law (4 March), Sing-a-ling-a Beauty & The Beast (11 March), The Illegal Eagles (19 March), Stewart Lee (20 March), Madama Butterfly (21 March), Smokie (22 March), Peppa Pig and Friends (25 & 25 March), Bobby Davro and Dani Harmer in the Easter Pantomime Beauty & The Beast (2 & 3 April), Russell Watson (4 April), Rumours of Fleetwood Mac (5 April), Ken Dodd (8 April), Steve Steinman’s Meatloaf Story (9 April), The BBC Big Band (10 April), The Carpenters Story (11 April), English Youth Ballet (13 & 14 April), Jason Cooke (28 April), Liza Pulman (30 April), Brian Conley (1 May), Balletboyz (2 May), Gilbert O’Sullivan (3 May), Dinosaur World Live (4 to 6 May), Pam Ayres (5 June), Jane McDonald (7 June) and The Teletubbies (9 & 10 June).
More big names and blockbuster shows are in the pipeline for 2018 and beyond.
For further information and to book contact the box office on 01325 405405, or visit www.darlingtonhippodrome.co.uk to choose your own seats online.