By Graham Hiley.
A bumper winter season of shows has been unveiled at the Chichester Festival Theatre featuring some of the best touring productions in the UK.
Top attraction is the National Theatre bringing James Graham’s Olivier award-winning West End smash hit Dear England which runs at the Festival Theatre from November 20-29.
This heart-breaking yet heart-warming and hilarious play tells the story of Gareth Southgate’s time as England manager in a gripping look at the game… and the nation.
As part of the celebrations to mark Jane Austen’s 250th anniversary, the season starts in style with a new production of Emma at the Festival Theatre (Nov 4-8).
And the tributes to one of England’s finest novelists continues with Being Mr Wickham (Minerva Theatre, Jan 20-24) as Adrian Lukis reprises his role from the acclaimed BBC drama to look back on his life with 30 years of hindsight.
Other highlights include Caroline Quentin in Chekhov’s classic The Seagull (Festival Theatre Nov 11-15), Agatha Christie’s Death on the Nile (Festival Theatre Jan 27-31) and a chilling new ghost story It Walks Around The House At Night (Minerva Theatre Feb 3-6).
Fans of detective thrillers will enjoy the stage debut of Inspector Morse: House of Ghosts (Festival Theatre Jan 6-10) followed by Laura Wade’s sparkling new play, based on Somerset Maugham’s The Constant Wife which comes direct from the Royal Shakespeare Company to the Festival Theatre Jan 20-24.
Before the new season gets under way, there are still several highlights remaining in their very own Festival Season most notably Olivier Award winner Giles Terera playing the lead role in Chichester’s first ever staging of Hamlet at the Minerva Theatre (Sept 6-Oct 4).
That is followed by a new staging of William Golding’s modern classic Lord of the Flies (Festival Theatre Sept 19-Oct 11) and Jamie Bogyo’s riveting new play Safe Space (Minerva Theatre Oct 11-Nov 8).
This hilarious look at campus politics in the dying days of Obama’s presidency brings down the curtain on a hugely successful Festival Season which has seen two more shows earn West End transfers.
The brilliant The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry has been given a well-deserved run at Theatre Royal Haymarket from 29 January – 18 April, again starring Mark Addy and Jenna Russell. And Top Hat (Festival Theatre until this Saturday Sept 6) plays at the Southbank Centre from 12 December – 17 January and on UK tour until February 2026.
They join two other big Chichester successes. Oliver! continues at the Gielgud Theatre and The Spy Who Came In From The Cold is at @sohoplace from 17 November – 21 February.
They are almost certain to be joined by the much- magical new version of Roald Dahl’s The BFG which will open Festival 2026 with its world premiere next March; tickets on sale now.
In addition to the touring productions coming to Chichester, there’s plenty more family entertainment, and a star-studded array of comedy, music and talks from the BBC Concert Orchestra, Nigel Havers, Miriam Margolyes, Sue Perkins, Grayson Perry, Sir David Suchet and Sandi Toksvig among many others.
Central to the festive season are Stiles & Drewe’s The Three Little Pigs and the world premiere of Matt Haig’s A Boy Called Christmas, performed by the incredible Chichester Festival Youth Theatre in their 40th anniversary year. Father Christmas and his elves are also back in Santa’s Grotto, as are the Cathedral Choir and Band of HM Royal Marines in Christmas Concerts.
- In Common is not for profit. We rely on donations from readers to keep the site running. Could you help to support us for as little as 25p a week? Please help us to carry on offering independent grass roots media. Visit: https://www.patreon.com/incommonsoton