York Theatre Royal has lots of treats lined up for theatre-lovers this summer.
Following the success of York Theatre Royal’s ‘Travelling Pantomime’ this past Christmas, the theatre is once again on the move.
A fresh adaptation of the Jules Verne classic story ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ will kick off the theatre’s ‘Summer of Love’ season.
The show will tour to three outdoor venues in York and end the tour on stage at the Theatre Royal between 6 and 28 August.
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The production will be staged outdoors on playing fields at Carr Junior School (6-8 August), Archbishop Holgate School (14-16 Aug) and Joseph Rowntree School (18-21 Aug), and then indoors at York Theatre Royal from 25-28 Aug.
A fourth outdoor venue will be confirmed soon.
The adaptation is by the theatre’s Creative Director Juliet Forster, who directed the ‘Travelling Pantomime’ and ‘Love Bites’ – the show that reopened the theatre after the easing of Covid restrictions on 17 May.
‘We are here to bring the world to you!’
Juliet said: “As one of the characters in the play says: ‘If you can’t travel to exciting parts of the globe this summer, don’t despair – we are here to bring the world to you!’ That is the spirit of this production really.
“Many of us are feeling disappointed that there are still a lot of restrictions around travelling this summer, so this show is the perfect opportunity for some armchair tourism – or rather, picnic blanket tourism.”
‘Around the World in 80 Days’ will be designed by Sara Perks.
Also coming up in the ‘Summer of Love’ season, audiences can travel to Africa as ‘Mugabe, My Dad and Me’ has its delayed world premiere from 9 to 18 September.
The production was originally scheduled to debut in May 2020 but postponed after theatres closed as a result of the Covid pandemic.
The play, presented by York Theatre Royal and English Touring Theatre in association with Alison Holder, is written and performed by Tonderai Munyevu. It charts the rise and fall of controversial leader Robert Mugabe through the personal story of Tonderai’s family and his relationship with his father.
Directing is York Theatre Royal Artistic Associate John R. Wilkinson.
Audiences can also catch Stephen Tompkinson and Jessica Johnson in the critically-acclaimed production of Willy Russell’s ‘Educating Rita’, from 31 August to 4 September.
It follows married Liverpool hairdresser Rita and her encounters with university tutor Frank while studying on an Open University course.
Directing is Max Roberts, Emeritus Artistic Director at Newcastle’s Live Theatre.
For more information and to book your tickets, please visit the York Theatre Royal website.