THEATRE Royal Bath has today announced a packed programme of drama, comedies, thrillers, musicals and a Christmas pantomime programmed for the year ahead as it prepares to reopen in May in line with the government’s roadmap.

Danny Moar, director of Theatre Royal Bath, said: “I am delighted to be able to announce an exceptional range of shows for our Lights Up season, as we keenly anticipate the return of audiences to the Theatre Royal Bath.

"Staff are busy preparing to reopen our three auditoria once again and we are thrilled that the time has nearly arrived.

“'Lights Up' is the announcement made backstage to the acting company and production staff by stage management indicating that the play is about to begin or resume.

“They are two words that have been uttered literally thousands of times in the long history of our theatre, and they seem particularly apt now as, with the extended interval of our closure nearly over, we prepare to invite audience members to take to their seats once again at the Theatre Royal Bath.

"We know theatregoers are looking forward to coming back and we can’t wait to open our doors to the public again in May.”

Drama highlights in the season include a visit by one of the world's greatest actors, Ralph Fiennes, in the world premiere stage adaptation of TS Eliot's masterpiece, Four Quartets; Michael Frayn's multi award-winning Copenhagen, starring Philip Arditti, Haydn Gwynne and Malcolm Sinclair; David Mamet's riveting Oleanna, starring Jonathan Slinger and Rosie Sheehy, which returns to the Ustinov Studio prior to a London West End run; A Splinter of Ice, a new play by Ben Brown, about the friendship between Graham Greene and Kim Philby starring Oliver Ford Davies and Stephen Boxer, and Ronald Harwood's evocative portrait of backstage life, The Dresser, starring Julian Clary and Matthew Kelly.

Thrillers range from Susan Hill's hugely-acclaimed ghost story, The Woman in Black, to a new adaptation of Peter James' Looking Good Dead starring Adam Woodyatt and Dan Brown's exhilarating blockbuster, The Da Vinci Code.

A wealth of comedy includes three equally hilarious productions from the UK's favourite farceurs, Mischief - The Play That Goes Wrong, Groan Ups and Magic Goes Wrong; Noël Coward's classic gem Private Lives, starring Nigel Havers and Patricia Hodge; a new stage version of the much-loved sitcom The Good Life; Told by an Idiot's acclaimed story of the most famous comedy double act that nearly was, Charlie and Stan; London Classic Theatre brings Alan Ayckbourn’s Absurd Person Singular, a comic tour-de-force which fuses a potent mix of farce and black comedy, and locally-based, award-winning New Old Friends perform their latest comedy thriller, Crimes, Camera, Action.

The pizazz of the West End comes to Bath in the form of hit musicals Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss’s phenomenal smash hit musical about Henry VIII’s wives, SIX, returns to the Theatre Royal after enjoying huge success on its first visit in Spring 2020.

Traditional family pantomime returns for Christmas when Bath favourite and Holt resident Jon Monie stars in the best-loved pantomime of them all, Cinderella.

The Ustinov Studio is presenting a vibrant Visiting Company Season of comedy, dance and drama; The Egg theatre's much feted Egg Assembly presents an exciting range of summer schools, and students from Bath Theatre Academy showcase their work both on stage and online.

Those signed up to the Theatre Royal Bath’s two membership schemes will be able to book in advance with Associate Booking from Monday, April 12 and Friends Booking from Tuesday, April 13.

General booking for all shows at the Theatre Royal Bath opens on Monday, April 19 via the Box Office on 01225 448844 and online at www.theatreroyal.org.uk