Chichester Festival Theatre gears up for busy winter season of big names and award-winners

Also set to appear at the theatre will be Ayub Khan Din’s East Is East, alongside Noël Coward’s Private Lives and a brand-new comedy starring Penelope Keith.

Among the familiar faces this winter will be Henry Goodman, Nigel Havers, Patricia Hodge, Rufus Hound, Omid Djalili, David Suchet, Rob Brydon and Issy van Randwyck.

The theatre is set to offer a new home-grown production: the revival of John Patrick Shanley’s Pulitzer Award-winning Doubt A Parable.

Comedy, music and literary evenings range from Omid Djalili and Russell Kane to An Evening Without Kate Bush and the BBC Concert Orchestra while seasonal favourites, the Christmas Concerts and Moscow City Ballet, return.

There’s also plenty of entertainment for families and youngsters, including new pop musical Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World, Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful, Stick Man and Chichester Festival Youth Theatre’s Pinocchio for Christmas.

East Is East will be shown from November 3-6 with the cast led by Tony Jayawardena as George and Sophie Stanton as Ella.

Patricia Hodge and Nigel Havers in Private Lives will show on November 16-20. Patricia was last seen at Chichester in Travels with My Aunt (2016) and Copenhagen (2018). The new production is directed by Christopher Luscombe, whose work at Chichester includes Love’s Labour’s Lost, Much Ado About Nothing and Travels with My Aunt.

Rufus Hound and Preeya Kalidas show in The Good Life on November 30-December 4. Tom and Barbara Good, suburban eco-warriors, and their next-door status-conscious neighbours Margo and Jerry Leadbetter are on stage for the first time.

Jeremy Sams’s new comedy is based on the television series by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey.

Chichester Festival Youth Theatre will feature Pinocchio from December 18 to January 1. Dale Rooks’s production now returns for Christmas 2021, with the revival directed by Bobby Brook.

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World will appear from January 12-16 featuring heroine Jade who breaks away from her class to take a peek behind the scenes at the not yet open Gallery of Greatness in the local museum.

Rob Brydon: A Night of Songs and Laughter, will be performing on November 14 where he will open up on his personal musical journey from South Wales to the West End and beyond, with hilarious tales from his distant and recent past.

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An Evening Without Kate Bush will show on December 1-3. Performer Sarah-Louise Young and theatre-maker Russell Lucas explore the music of one of British music’s most influential voices.

Booking online is open from Saturday at cft.org.uk

Call the box office on 01243 781312.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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