King’s Theatre and Theatre Royal have announced their much anticipated reopening after being closed for more than 500 days due to Coronavirus restrictions. Following the Scottish Government’s announcement on Tuesday in which it was confirmed that no venues are legally required to close from Monday 9 August, staff, cast and crew at the popular city venues will welcome back audiences from the beginning of September.
The Theatre Royal will be the first to emerge from the dark period brought on by the pandemic with Grayson Perry’s A Show for Normal People on Sunday 5 September followed by the chilling stage adaptation of The Woman in Blackfrom Monday 6 September. Then, from Saturday 11 September the King’s Theatre will reopen with the razzle-dazzling Chicago and a star cast including Darren Day as Billy Flynn, Coronation Street’s Faye Brookes as Roxie Hart and RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Divana De Campo as Mary Sunshine.
The autumn season will then continue with a jam-packed programme of audience favourites including, The Addams Family, Blood Brothers, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and Les Misérables. The King’s Theatre pantomime also returns for the first time in since 2019 with the ever-popular tale of Cinderella. And in the New Year, The Book of Mormon will make its Glasgow premiere, whilst 9 to 5 and The Rocky Horror Show both return by popular demand.
Both the King’s Theatre and Theatre Royal closed their doors on Monday 16 March 2020 following Government guidance aimed to limit the spread of Covid-19 before a mandatory closure notice was given by the Scottish and UK Governments on Monday 23 March 2020 as part of a nationwide lockdown. Upon reopening on Sunday 5 September, the Theatre Royal will have been closed 537 days and the King’s Theatre 543 days – the longest period of closure in their histories.
James Haworth, Theatre Director at the King’s Theatre and Theatre Royal said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to confirm that both of our venues will reopen in September. We’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time and opening with hit shows like Chicago, Grayson Perry and The Woman in Black makes our return all the more exciting. Our staff have been busy prepping behind the scenes and we’re ready and waiting to welcome back our wonderful audience for our brilliant autumn season and the many more seasons that will follow.”
The King’s Theatre has a capacity of 1,785 and Theatre Royal has a capacity of 1,541 which, under Scottish Government guidance issued on Tuesday 3 August, allows for the venues to reopen without social distancing measures.
Grayson Perry: A Show for Normal People
Sunday 5 September, Theatre Royal, 7.30pm
Grayson Perry takes audiences through an enlightening and eye-watering evening in which existentialism descends from worthiness to silliness, and asks and answers all the big questions in an evening to distract you from the very meaninglessness of life in the way only a man in a dress can.
The Woman in Black
Monday 6 September – Saturday 11 September, 7.30pm
Matinee performances on Tuesday 7 September and Thursday 9 September, 2.30pm
A gripping and terrifying stage adaption of one the world’s most chilling tales, The Woman in Black tells the story of Arthur Kipps, a lawyer who engages a sceptical young actor to help tell his experience of his visit to Crythin Gifford where he was sent to attend the funeral of a client and sees a mysterious woman dressed in black. It all begins innocently enough but as the lines reality and make believe start to blur, the darkest of memories take their toll.
Chicago
Saturday 11 September – Saturday 18 September, 7.30pm
Matinee performances, Wednesday 15 & Saturday 18 September, 2.30pm
Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, Chicago is the story of Roxie Hart, a housewife and nightclub dancer who murders her on-the-side lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction she dupes the public, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines.