News: Sunderland Empire Reveals Brand-New Bumper Season Of Productions

 Sunderland Empire Reveals Brand-New Bumper Season Of Productions

Sunderland Empire’s new season is here and it’s big. HUGE!

 

Ready for a thrilling night at the theatre? It doesn’t get much more chilling than 2:22 A Ghost Story (Tue 21 – Sat 25 May) - the stage phenomenon fresh from record-breaking seasons at five West End theatres. Winner of Best New Play at the Whatsonstage Awards, this edge-of-your-seat, supernatural thriller stars Jay McGuiness (The Wanted), Fiona Wade (Emmerdale, Silent Witness), George Rainsford (Call the Midwife, Casualty) and Vera Chok (Hollyoaks).

 

Jenny believes her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam isn’t having any of it. They argue with their first dinner guests, old friend Lauren and new partner Ben. Belief and scepticism clash, but something feels strange and frightening, so they’re going to stay up until 2:22… and then they’ll know.

 

Written by Danny Robins, creator of the hit BBC podcasts Uncanny and The Battersea Poltergeist, get ready for a brilliantly funny and adrenaline-filled night.

 

Once upon a time in the late ’80s, Vivian met Edward and her life changed forever. Be swept up in iconic romance Pretty Woman The Musical (Tue 28 May – Sat 8 June) in this sensational show that took London’s West End by storm. Starring Amber Davies as Vivian, Ore Oduba as Happy Man/Mr Thompson and with music by Grammy® winners Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, you’re in for a night that’s pretty magical!

 

This June experience the mesmerising global phenomenon, Jesus Christ Superstar (Tue 11 - Sat 15 June). With music and lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, Jesus Christ Superstar is set against the backdrop of an extraordinary series of events during the final weeks in the life of Jesus Christ, as seen through the eyes of Judas. Don’t miss this reimagined production which won the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival.

 

Follow the yellow brick road to Sunderland Empire this summer as The Wizard of Oz (Tue 6 – Sun 11 August) flies in direct from The London Palladium! Starring RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner and Dancing On Ice star The Vivienne as The Wicked Witch Of The West, and featuring the iconic original score from the Oscar-winning MGM film including Over The Rainbow, Follow The Yellow Brick Road and We're Off To See The Wizard with additional songs from Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, this spectacular production will be truly magical for all the family.

 

Don’t miss the chance to see Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton’s hilarious, multi award-winning book The 13-Storey Treehouse live on stage from Thu 22 – Sun 25 August. Who wouldn’t want to live in a treehouse? Especially a 13-storey treehouse that has everything including a bowling alley, a secret underground laboratory, self-making beds and a marshmallow machine! Today’s the day Andy and Terry bring their stories to the stage in their first EVER play, perfect for kids aged 6 – 12 years.

 

OH MY LOVE, MY DARLING, one of cinema’s biggest all-time hits is coming to Sunderland from Tue 27 – Sat 31 August. International smash hit Ghost The Musical returns to the stage, featuring The Righteous Brothers’ Unchained Melody alongside many more terrific songs co-written by Wearside’s own Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart.

 

Walking back to their apartment late one night, a tragic encounter sees Sam murdered and his beloved girlfriend Molly alone, in despair and utterly lost. But with the help of a phony storefront psychic, Sam, trapped between this world and the next, tries to communicate with Molly in the hope of saving her from grave danger…

 

The most famous love story of all time. Remixed! What if Juliet’s famous ending was really just her beginning? What if she decided to choose her own fate? Hilariously irreverent hit musical & Juliet explodes onto Sunderland Empire’s stage from Tue 10 – Sat 21 September.

Join Juliet on this sensational journey of self-discovery and second chances, told through some of the most glittering pop anthems of the last three decades from legendary songwriter Max Martin, including …Baby One More Time, Since U Been Gone, Roar, Everybody (Backstreet's Back), Love Me Like You Do and Can’t Feel My Face. Trust us, there’s life after Romeo…

 

Be spellbound this autumn as Tony, Olivier and Grammy Award winning global phenomenon WICKED (Tue 24 September – Sun 20 October) returns to Wearside! Discover the beguiling backstory to the lives of L. Frank Baum’s beloved characters and the magic that shaped the destinies of two unlikely friends on their remarkable journey to becoming Glinda The Good and the Wicked Witch of the West. Experience the 11th longest running show in West End history, having been seen at the Apollo Victoria Theatre London by over eleven million people.

 

You haven’t experienced Peaky Blinders until you’ve experienced Rambert Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby (Tue 29 October – Sat 2 November). This thrilling adaptation written by the series’ creator Steven Knight with direction and choreography by Rambert’s Artistic Director Benoit Swan Pouffer, captures the Peaky story, with stunning performances from Rambert’s dancers and an iconic soundtrack from a live on-stage band performing legendary Peaky tracks from Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds and Radiohead to The Last Shadow Puppets and Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes.

 

Opening in the trenches of Flanders, a personal story unfolds in post-war industrial Birmingham as the Shelby family navigate the decisions that determine their fate and Tommy is intoxicated by mysterious newcomer, Grace. While Tommy is building his empire, Grace is operating as an undercover agent for Special Branch on a mission to get close to the heart of Tommy’s gang. As the story unfolds, hearts are broken, and revenge is sought.

 

The National Theatre’s acclaimed production War Horse returns to Sunderland this November (Tue 5 – Sat 16 November) as part of an all-new UK tour. This unforgettable theatrical experience takes audiences on an extraordinary journey from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France.

 

Based on the beloved novel by Michael Morpurgo, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama, filled with stirring music and songs, is a show of phenomenal inventiveness. At its heart are astonishing life-sized horses by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, who bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage.

 

Today is going to be a good day. And here’s why… The Olivier, Tony and Grammy award-winning Best Musical Dear Evan Hansen will make its North East debut at Sunderland Empire from Tue 19 – Sat 23 November.

 

Meet Evan: an anxious high school kid who wants nothing more than to fit in. The thing is, on his way to fitting in, he didn’t tell the whole truth. And now must give up on a life he never dreamt he’d have. As events spiral and the truth comes out, Evan faces a reckoning with himself and everyone around him.

 

Stick a pony in your pocket! The Trotter’s are back with smash hit show Only Fools and Horses The Musical (Mon 25 – Sat 30 November) - direct from a record-breaking four-year sold-out run in London’s West End. Based on John Sullivan’s legendary television show, this critically acclaimed home-grown musical features cherished material from Britain’s best loved TV series. With a script and original score written by John’s son, Jim Sullivan, and comedy giant Paul Whitehouse.

It's all kicking off in Peckham. While the yuppie invasion of London is in full swing, love is in the air as Del Boy sets out on the rocky road to find his soul mate, Rodney and Cassandra prepare to say ‘I do’, and even Trigger is gearing up for a date (with a person!). Meanwhile, Boycie and Marlene give parenthood one final shot and Grandad takes stock of his life and decides the time has finally arrived to get his piles sorted.

With musical contributions from the iconic Chas & Dave, an array of brand-new songs full of character and cockney charm, you’re guaranteed to have a right ol’ knees-up! 

Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum, we’re bringing a GIANT helping of festive fun to Christmas 2024, with magical panto Jack and the Beanstalk! Join Wearside panto favourites, the fabulous Miss Rory as Dame Rorina Trott and hilarious funny man Tom Whalley as Silly Simon on a madcap adventure for all the family this December (Fri 13 December 2024 – Sun 5 January 2025).

When a heinous henchman kidnaps a cow and a princess from the downtrodden town of Boggy Bottom, young Jack finds himself on an adventure that he thought only existed in story books! Expect a wholesome hero, a punch-packing princess, a feisty fairy, a silly sibling, a witty widow, a slippery servant, a kind-hearted king... and a cow with some beef. Oh... and a very large magical plant, of course! Join us for a fee-fi-fo-fabulous reimagined romp through a classic tale you thought you knew!

Don’t forget there’s also a whole host of fabulous one-night shows throughout 2024 including comedy performances from John Bishop: Back At It (Sun 19 May), Rhod Gilbert & The Giant Grapefruit (Fri 21 June), and Paddy McGuinness: Nearly There… (Fri 25 October).  Unmissable tribute performances are a plenty with Whitney – Queen of the Night (Mon 17 June), MANIA – The ABBA Tribute (Sat 3 August), The ELO Experience (Sun 4 August), Luther Live (Sun 1 September), It’s A Beautiful Noise – The Orchestral Edition (Thu 24 October). With The Drifters (Tue 20 August), The Ultimate Boyband Party Show (Sun 27 October), and Most Haunted: The Stage Show (Sun 17 November) added to the mix, Sunderland Empire have something for everyone this season!

 

Tickets available online now at: https://tinyurl.com/SUNDERLINEempireTickets *

*A £3.95 transaction fee may apply.