The Garrick Playhouse in Altrincham is preparing to lift the curtain on an exciting spring/summer line-up, with something to interest everyone who enjoys top-class live entertainment.
The century-old, volunteer-run theatre has announced a wonderful programme of productions beginning at the start of February and running until high summer, from a very special stage version of the much-loved sitcom The Vicar of Dibley and the swashbuckling Treasure Island, to the haunting vampire story Let The Right One In and The Father, an emotional study of dementia.
This season, The Garrick will be supporting Comic Relief through The Vicar of Dibley, and Together Dementia Support through the emotional play The Father.
Joseph Meighan, artistic director at the theatre, said: “As a theatre, we are a charity, so each year we try to connect with other charities. In the case of The Father, because it's such a specific, upsetting subject that affects a lot of people globally, we felt the need to honour the story that it tells, so we wanted to connect with a local dementia charity.
“At The Garrick, there's something for everybody. The Vicar of Dibley and The Father, for example, are vastly different from one another, and it's just in order to try to appeal to as many different corners of the community as possible, so that everyone can access the Altrincham Garrick and find something for them.”
Here are a few of the coming season’s highlights - book your tickets before you miss out!
Let The Right One In
February 5-10, 2024
“Are you going to invite me in? …Can I come in?”
Oskar is a bullied, lonely, teenage boy living with his mother on a housing estate at the edge of town, when a spate of sinister killings rocks the neighbourhood.
Eli is the young girl who has just moved in next door. She doesn’t go to school and never leaves the flat by day. Sensing in each other a kindred spirit, the two become devoted friends. What Oskar doesn’t know is that Eli has been a teenager for a very long time…
This dark and visceral coming-of-age vampire love story is based on the acclaimed novel by John Ajvide Lindqvist and the cult 2008 film.
Age guidance: 14 +
Warning: This production contains loud noises, strong language and mature themes including the depiction of blood, extreme violence and bullying. Some scenes may make the audience jump. Not for the faint-hearted.
The Vicar of Dibley
February 26 - March 2, 2024
Based on the much-loved BBC sitcom, this stage adaptation brings a selection of the best episodes of this multi-award-winning show to the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse.
When the new vicar arrives at the sleepy English village of Dibley, the last thing the locals are expecting is a woman. But the irrepressibly cheerful Reverend Geraldine Granger soon wins over the hearts and minds of her flock.
Featuring everyone’s favourite eccentric cast of characters including star-crossed lovers Alice and Hugo, colonically-challenged farmer Owen, pompous chairman David Horton, and will Jim Trott be there? …no, no, no, no, no…YES!!
The Vicar of Dibley is a heart-warming comedy, full of larger-than-life characters that audiences will immediately love.
The production is in aid of Comic Relief, with playwright Ian Gower waiving his royalty fees from the performances.
Treasure Island
April 3-14, 2024
This action-packed, swashbuckling adventure will carry The Garrick’s audience on the high seas to Treasure Island!
It’s a dark and stormy night. Jim, the inn-keeper’s granddaughter, opens the door to a terrifying stranger. At the old sailor’s feet sits a huge sea-chest, full of secrets. Jim invites him in – and her dangerous voyage begins…
Gathering a motley crew of sailors and pirates, Jim sets sail on the mighty Hispaniola bound for a lost island and untold fortunes. The ship’s charming cook, Long John Silver, quickly befriends Jim but as the island draws near, danger lurks beneath the surface. Will Jim and her friends find the buried gold, or will the one-legged pirate be the death of them all?
Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic story of murder, money and mutiny - adapted for the stage by Bryony Lavery - is the perfect treat for all the family.
Age guidance: 8+
The Father
May 6-11, 2024
The Father (Le Père) is a play about a man called Andre. Now 80 years old, Andre was once a tap dancer. He lives with his daughter Anne and her husband Antoine. Or was he an engineer whose daughter Anne lives in London with her new lover, Pierre? The thing is, he is still wearing his pyjamas, and he can’t find his watch. He is starting to wonder if he’s losing control…
A sobering and realistic family story, and an unsentimental, emotionally intense look at the world through the eyes of a man experiencing dementia.
This English translation by Christopher Hampton of Florian Zeller’s play premiered in 2014; in 2020 a film version starring Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman won Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Hopkins.
Age Guidance: 14+
Contains scenes that some may find upsetting.
The Audience
May 20-25, 2024
“Every week the Queen of the United Kingdom has a private audience with her Prime Minister. It is not an obligation. It is a courtesy extended by the Prime Minister to bring her Majesty up to speed.”
Spanning sixty years from the 1950s through to the 21st century, The Audience bu acclaimed writer Peter Morgan (The Queen and Netflix’s The Crown) vividly illustrates what might have happened between the late Queen Elizabeth II and her Prime Ministers behind closed doors during their weekly meetings.
From young mother to grandmother, these private audiences chart the arc of the second Elizabethan Age. Politicians come and go through the revolving door of electoral politics, while Queen Elizabeth II remains constant, waiting to welcome her next Prime Minister.
A creative mix of historical evidence, backroom gossip and literary imaginings, this play is a witty, thought-provoking and a highly entertaining piece of unmissable theatre.
Merrily We Roll Along
June 17-22, 2024
“It’s our time, breathe it in… Worlds to change and worlds to win”
Spanning three decades in the entertainment business and told in reverse order, Merrily We Roll Along charts the turbulent relationship between composer Franklin Shepard and his two lifelong friends — writer Mary and lyricist & playwright Charley.
A powerful, moving, thrilling and compelling fable about friendship, compromise and the high price of success, Merrily We Roll Along features some of Stephen Sondheim’s most celebrated, personal and beautiful songs including Good Thing Going, Not A Day Goes By and Our Time.
This unmissable musical comedy is a spirited and cautionary tale for anyone who has ever pursued a dream.
Originally opening on Broadway in 1981, and having countless revivals and and revisions along the way, Merrily We Roll Along found great success on the West End in 2013 with the Menier Chocolate Factory production, which subsequently transferred to the Harold Pinter Theatre to critical acclaim – the most five-star reviews in West End history – and the Olivier Award for Best Musical.
It has most recently returned to Broadway, starring Daniel Radcliffe.
For more information and to book tickets, visit altrinchamgarrick.co.uk
