LITERATURE & BOOKS

Historic novelist Annie Garthwaite is touring for her latest book, The King’s Mother, which is all about Cecily Neville, the mother of Richard III, and a follow up to Cecily. You can catch Annie reading from and chatting about her book and its formindable subject at St. Mary and All Saints Church in Fotheringhay on 13 Sept and at Bosworth Heritage Centre on 18 Sept as part of the annual Bosworth Medieval Festival.

In Red Sky at Sunrise: Laurie Lee in Words & Music at Northampton’s Derngate theatre on 22 Sept, Anton Lesser (Game of Thrones, Endeavour, Wolf Hall and Royal & Derngate’s The Two Popes) and Charlie Hamblett (Killing Eve, Ghosts) star in Laurie Lee’s captivating story told, in a weave of music and his own words.

And Adam Kay, brings his show Undoctored to Northampton’s Derngate Theatre on 24 Sept, fresh from a record-breaking run at the Edinburgh Fringe. Undoctored follows on from the wildly successful This is Going to Hurt, leaving audiences laughing and crying with Adam’s unique tales of life on and off the wards.

ART & EXHIBITIONS

Dissent: Art and Protest in Northamptonshire kicks off on 14 Sept, showcasing the dissenters and protestors of Northamptonshire through personal stories, events and art. Then, on 28 Sept, another fab new exhibition is set to open. Running until Feb ’25, Shaped by Shoes: The Northamptonshire Shoe Industry will look at how the industry has affected the lives of the people of Northamptonshire and beyond, exploring the history of the biggest employers in Northamptonshire through personal stories and artefacts.

Open: The People’s Exhibition at Leicester Museum and Art Gallery from 14 Dec – 31 Jan is the annual exhibition showcasing artistic talent from over 200 artists and makers from across the East Midlands – open to anyone, from beginners to seasoned professionals, with paintings, sculpture, textiles, and more, celebrating the brilliant creativity of the region.

COMEDY

Sarah Millican’s show Late Bloomer returns to the Derngate on 18 Sept (it’s already been on earlier in the year, in case you were hoping for some new material). In it, she explores how a shy girl became loud and brazen. Plus, lots of stuff about dinners and lady gardens.

Prankster Simon Brodkin brings his outrageous stand-up show, Screwed Up, to Leicester’s De Montfort Hall on 20 Sept, ripping into celebrity culture, social media, the police, Putin, Prince Andrew and God. Right on. Then a couple of days later on 22 Sept, if you’re still in need of a rather worthy laugh, Nish Kumar’s Don’t Kill My Vibe lays on plenty of jokes about climate collapse, income inequality and the emotional sensation of being a British Indian man not voting for a British Indian Prime Minister,

Shaparak Khorsandi brings her newest offering, Scatterbrain to the Royal on 22 Sept. Having reassessed her life through the prism of an ADHD diagnosis, Shaparak linvites audiences into her into her, admittedly cluttered, mind. It’s a love-letter to letter-writing, a trip back through her early years as a comic and woman-about-town, and a whirlwind tour of a chaotic, hilarious brain. Swiftly followed on 25 Sept by Milton Jones’ Ha!Milton, a whole new show of daftness, also on at Northampton’s Derngate Theatre on 15 Sept.

Following a sold out Edinburgh Fringe run, multi-award-winning comedian, Paul Foot, brings us his critically-acclaimed show, Dissolve to the Theatre Royal on 28 Sept and at the Derngate on 29 Sept, Scotland’s queen of comedy Fern Brady (Taskmaster, Live At The Apollo, Roast Battle, Russell Howard, The Last Leg) is back on tour with a brand new show, I Gave You Milk To Drink. And at the Royal on 30 Sept it’s Maisie Adam with her brand new one woman show, Appraisal.

On 2 Oct, the irrepressible Jimmy Carr is back on tour, this time at De Montford Hall for his new stand-up show, Laughs Funny (and he really does) and Kiri Pitchard-McLean (above) is at the Theatre Royal in Northampton on 8 Nov.

THEATRE

Oxford University Dramatic Society presents The Taming of the Shrew at Lamport Hall near Northampton (above) on 13 Sept, celebrating of the early acting career of Lamport’s Sir Gyles Isham, who was President of the Society during his time at Oxford and played Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew with the Stratford Festival Company. Part of the OUDS National Tour, this production will be performing in Oxford, London and at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024, so catch it while you can.

Running from 21 Sept to 5 Oct, head to Leicester Curve for The Mountaintop, a reimagining of Martin Luther King’s final hours, confronting life, legacy and everything in between. Then Graham Norton comes to Leicester Curve on 22 Sept with a brand-new tour this autumn to celebrate the publication of his latest book, Frankie, share tales from his star-studded sofa, and answers your questions live.

Musical theatre X Strictly fans: assemble. Hairspray the musical is headed to Leicester Curve from 23-28 Sept, starring Strictly Come Dancing’s Joanne Clifton as the fierce yet fabulous Velma von Tussle, whilst AJ and Curtis Pritchard (Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing With The Stars, Love Island) are heading up a a cast of West End performers at De Montfort Hall in Leicester on 28 Sept, to bring Come What May to the stage. It’s a tribute to Moulin Rouge, as well as a whole host of other beloved musicals, that’s sure to have you singing along.

Here’s (another) twist on a story we all know like the back of our own hands. Direct from West End triumph, where it won the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy, Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of) (pic above), at the Derngate in Northampton from 30 Sept to 5 Oct, is an irreverent retelling of Jane Austen’s iconic love story. Men, money and microphones will be fought over and the stakes couldn’t be higher when it comes to romance.

On 1 Oct, be sure not to miss Black Is The Color Of My Voice, inspired by the life of Nina Simone, and featuring many of her most iconic songs performed live. The play follows Simone’s life from a young piano prodigy to a renowned jazz vocalist at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.

The much-lauded (with Grammy, Tony, and Olivier awards to prove it) Dear Evan Hansen come to Leicester Curve from 1-5 Oct, following a teen with social anxiety trying to fit in at his high school, and making mistakes along the way. Then thrown down your pots, it’s Ghost The Musical from 8-12 Oct and from 10-12 Oct, Run, Rebel is an electrifying adaptation of Manjeet Mann’s acclaimed novel, combining physical theatre, mesmerising visuals and with an ensemble cast setting the stage for a transformative story of revolution, empowerment and courage.

Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express also comes to Leicester Curve from 15-19 Oct, in a gripping, tense and masterfully cryptic new production guaranteed to keep you guessing until the end of the line (erm, unless you already know the ending), then Stephen Daldry adaptation of Priestly’s An Inspector Calls is on from 29 Oct-2 Nov.

Sh!t-faced Shakespeare are pouring their legendary cock-eyed chaos into the Bard-shaped vessel that is A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Northampton’s Royal Theatre on 6 & 8 Nov. Think drunken donkeys, fandangled fairies and mullered mechanicals. It’s hard to imagine anything more magical, right? Each night, a rotating cast member will get intoxicated and attempt to perform A Midsummer Night’s Dream as you have never seen before.

Don’t miss Frankenstein at the Royal theatre in Northampton from 12-16 Nov, an electrifying reimagining of Mary Shelley’s classic horror story set in 1943, exploring the very fabric of what makes us human and the ultimate cost of chasing “perfection”., and on 16 Nov head to Leicester Curve for Ānartam, an evening of South Asian classical dance exploring the theme of love and devotion. And at Leicester Curve you can catch a musical adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion, My Fair Lady from 23 Nov right through until 4 Jan, directed by Curve Artistic Director Nikolai Foster.

ON SCREEN

If you can’t face schlepping to the Big Smoke for a live performance, try these instead. On 10 Sept there’s a live broadcast of The Royal Opera’s The Marriage of Figaro screening at The Castle Theatre in Wellingborough, followed on 12 Sept by Jodie Comer in The National Theatre’s Prima Facie, which was recorded live during its sold out run at The Harold Pinter Theatre. You can also catch Matthew Bourne’s magical reimagining of Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands on screen from 25-29 Sept.

One for the adrenaline junkies, the Banff Mountain Film Festival at Leicester’s De Monthfort Hall on 11 Sept, features a brand-new collection of short films filled with extreme journeys, untamed characters and captivating cinematography. Join the world’s top adventure filmmakers and thrill-seekers as they climb, ski, paddle and ride into the wildest corners of the planet.

Let’s do the timewarp again! Dress up to the nines for an outdoor screening of cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Leicester’s Belgrave Hall on 21 Sept.

MUSIC

Leicester International Music Festival runs from 19-21 Sept, with performances of Warlock’s setting of love-lorn poems by WB Yeats, The Curlew, Vaughan Williams’ evocative response to AE Housman’s collection, A Shropshire Lad and works by JC Bach (‘The English Bach’) and GF Handel, taking place in Leicester Cathedral and Hansom Hall.

Then, folk supergroup Bellowhead will perform at De Montfort Hall in Leicester on 7 Nov and Prince Charming klaxon! Pop icon and Dandy Highwayman, Adam Ant is set to grace the stage the following night (8 Nov) to perform all his best loved hits.

Head to Leicester Curve for Christmas Music By Candlelight on 7 Dec, an atmospheric concert of seasonal music in the soft glow of candlelight. Ex Cathedra perform a seamless sequence of Christmas favourites, little-known gems and gorgeous new music, interspersed with a selection of readings, to explore the magic, mystery and humour of the season.

At the Derngate in Northampton on 20 Nov, immerse yourself in festive vibes at Fairytale of New York, a concert featuring festive favourites like Driving Home for Christmas, Step Into Christmas and, of course, The Fairytale of New York.