New shows in the Crucible and Lyceum are now on general sale!
Our Together Season in the Crucible continues with an exciting programme of live theatre featuring world and regional premieres alongside rescheduled performances of productions unable to take place as originally planned in Autumn 2020.
Speaking about the new season, our Artistic Director Robert Hastie said:
“Announcing new shows for 2021 feels like the best way to end 2020.
It’s never been more important to champion our local artists. Our Associate Artistic Director Anthony Lau is leading an open submissions process with a selection panel made up of local residents, artists and staff, to programme a festival of work for the Crucible stage that celebrates the incredible talent we have on our doorstep.
I’m hugely looking forward to opening the year with The Band Plays On, and to be collaborating again with Chris Bush so soon after picking up the Sky Arts South Bank Show Award for Standing at the Sky’s Edge, which Chris co-wrote with Richard Hawley. Part concert, part play, The Band Plays On looks at key moments in Sheffield’s history through the eyes of its citizens and some of the most iconic songs this music city has to offer.
We’re very excited to be welcoming hit shows Operation Crucible and Far Gone back, having been rescheduled from their original dates, and the fabulous touring company New Earth, who will present Chester Storyhouse’s production of Miss Julie, brilliantly adapted by Amy Ng.
And finally the regional premiere of Caryl Churchill’s Escaped Alone is directed by Artistic Associate Caroline Steinbeis. While Caryl’s genius is timeless, the prescience of this blistering play is startling, and it taps right into the thoughts and emotions running through our recent shared experiences of the world.
We’ve been knocked down – reopening the Crucible Theatre and the Together Season in October only to close again after a few performances was a blow – but we get back up again. And we’ll keep programming and making work, staying ambitious, staying hopeful and doing what we’re here for.”
We're also delighted to be finally bringing shows back to the Lyceum.
The new Lyceum season opens with the chilling mystery Looking Good Dead from 19 April 2021. From number one best-selling author Peter James and adapted by award-winning writer Shaun McKenna, Looking Good Dead follows train passenger Tom Bryce - played by EastEnders’Adam Woodyatt - who, after finding a mysterious USB stick left in his carriage, inadvertently becomes witness to a brutal murder. Danger follows as the case unfurls and Bryce fights to protect his family’s lives in this gripping new play.
Over in the Crucible, we welcome back The World Seniors Snooker Championship for their return from the 6 - 9 May. Defending champion Jimmy White will head up a 16-strong field who will battle for the title, which will feature many former world champions and legends of the game. For snooker fans, it promises to be an exciting opportunity to see some of the legends of the game do battle.
In May, the stage will be taken over by the prehistoric with Dinosaur World: Live from Thu 13 – Fri 14 May. In its return to the Lyceum, this treacherous tale of Triceratops and T-rexes makes for a spectacular theatre experience, perfect for kids eager for some live-on-stage action.
On 15 May, Al Murray takes to the stage with his stand-up show Landlord of Hope and Glory. As sharp, charming and belittling as ever, the nation’s favourite pub landlord gives a performance straight from the rambunctious atmosphere of your local pub: something we have all been missing this year.
On 25 May, the kids are alright with Mischief Theatre’s latest rollick Groan Ups. A ‘brand-new comedy for anyone who ever went to school’, this production from the creators of The Play That Goes Wrong follows a class of unruly six-year-olds on their journey to anarchic high school teenagers and beyond.
Leading into June is the classic musical Chicago, as it embarks on its international tour. From 22 June, lose yourself in the bright lights of 1920s New York with classic songs and dazzling dance routines. Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer, murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her and discovers the blurred lines between celebrity and criminal.
Alfred Hitchcock’s classic whodunit Dial M for Murder arrives from 13 July. Starring Strictly’s Tom Chambers, this masterclass of suspense will have audiences hanging on until the very end when ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice seeks revenge on his unfaithful wife and delves deep into the pursuit of the perfect crime.
On the theme of mystery and intrigue, Derren Brown returns to the Lyceum for another infamously inexplicable live show from 20 July. Showman, his first new theatre show in six years, promises to astonish and amaze audiences. Although the content of the show remains a closely-guarded secret, if you’ve seen him before, you know you are in for a mind-boggling performance.
Next, the romantic musical comedy Waitress will be on stage from 28 September. Waitress Jenna dreams of finding happiness, so when an attractive new doctor arrives in town, life suddenly gets complicated for the expert pie-maker. With its score created by seven-time Grammy® nominee Sara Bareilles(Love Song, Brave), Waitress is a heart-warming musical that’s sweet enough to eat.
From 12 October is Sister Act: the divine musical comedy about a disco diva who winds up under protective custody in a convent after she witnesses a murder. Featuring original music by Tony® and eight-time Oscar® winner Alan Menken (Disney’s Aladdin, Enchanted) and songs inspired by Motown, soul and disco, this joyous and hilarious musical is one nostalgia-filled trip you will never forget.
My Best Friend’s Wedding follows from 9 November, starring Alexandra Burke (The Bodyguard, Chicago, Sister Act) as fiery Julianne Potter, a food critic who always turned her nose up at romance, until her closest friend and long-term sweetheart Michael announces he’s engaged – to someone else. Chaos unfurls in this wickedly funny musical based on the well-loved 1997 film.
Moving into 2022 The Commitments, runs from 17 October. A young working-class music fan shapes an unlikely bunch of amateur musicians into the finest soul band Dublin has ever produced in this feel-good celebration the world’s biggest soul hits, based on the BAFTA award-winning film.
Finally, audiences can then enjoy to the sunshine of Greece with Mamma Mia! from 25 October 2022, as the all-singing, all-dancing musical featuring the timeless hits of ABBA returns to Sheffield. With music and lyrics by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, Judy Craymer’s ingenious staging tells the entertaining and emotional tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads.
