There’s drama at every turn at Peterborough theatres

However, in the meantime there is lots of great drama filling the stages of Peterborough’s theatres.

Here is what’s in store:

Frankenstein

Key Theatre, March 7 and 8

Blackeyed Theatre, in association with South Hill Park, presents Mary Shelley’s epic tale.

Geneva. 1816. Victor Frankenstein obsesses in the pursuit of nature’s secret, the elixir of life itself. But nothing can prepare him for what he creates. So begins a gripping life or death adventure taking him to the ends of the earth and beyond.

Don’t miss this thrilling adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Gothic horror masterpiece, fusing ensemble storytelling, live music, puppetry and stunning theatricality.

Frankenstein promises a fresh, exciting take on what is widely considered to be a landmark work of romantic, gothic and science fiction literature.

Crimes, Camera, Action

Key Theatre, March 11

Crimes, Camera, Action whisks the audience to golden-era Hollywood and introduces a new lead detective, a world-weary, hard-boiled private-eye in the mold of Humphrey Bogart: meet Stan Shakespeare.

The case? A screen starlet is stabbed as a result of a prop mix-up on set. It sets in motion a typically fast-paced and hilarious chain of events that sees a cast of four exceptional comic actors take on multiple roles, sometimes within the same scene.

Expect the usual New Old Friends mix of great theatrical set pieces, the quickest of quick changes, lightning fast word play and a thrilling plot driving the action at breakneck pace.

Cubed - A Short Play Festival

Key Theatre, March 15-23

Brought to the stage by Peterborough’s Mask Theatre, Cubed features six of the greatest short plays written in the 21st Century; heartbreaking, emotional, hilarious and exciting, this festival is not to be missed.

Presented in double bills, you can see all six plays over three nights. Featuring: March 15th, 18th and 21st, Contractions by Mike Bartlett, a black comedy about work and play and the corporate machine, and Constellations by Nick Payne, a beautiful and heartbreaking romance in parallel universes.

March 16th, 19th and 23rd How These Desperate Men Talk by Enda Walsh, a dissection of memories in search of truth, and Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons by Sam Steiner, a dystopian drama about what we say, how we say it and the effects of restrictions on our lives.

March 17th, 19th (matinee) and 22nd Sitting Here by Di Fox, an intimate look at a life well lived, and How To Date A Feminist by Samantha Ellis, a hilarious take on different views of feminism.

Mary Rose

Key Theatre, March 18 and 19

An old Sussex manor house, standing empty and for sale, is haunted by the ghost of a young woman who once lived there.

Thirty seven years earlier, a 12-year-old girl by the name of Mary Rose went missing on a small island in the Outer Hebrides while on holiday with her parents. After a month, she mysteriously returned unaware that she had been away for any length of time. Years later, Mary Rose, her new baby son and young husband return to the same island, where she disappears for a second time.

After the passage of 23 years, when her family have come to terms with her loss, she reappears yet again but by now her parents, husband and child have all aged while Mary Rose has remained just the same as the day she vanished.

In this hauntingly beautiful and witty play, from the creator of Peter Pan, comes an exploration of time, love and loss. These timeless themes are given a thrilling revival with a fresh treatment in the trademark style of Conn Artists; with an ensemble cast of five actors, and featuring Barrie’s own stage directions as interwoven pieces of narrative, original music and traditional folk songs, all creating what live, modern theatre can do best.

Mary Rose, spanning a period of more than 30 years, will leave you spellbound by its mystical nature and moved by its deepest yearnings to be reunited with the ones we love, and offering a message of hope.

I, Elizabeth

Key Theatre, April 4 and 5

1568: At a vital but volatile crossroads in history, a young queen steps from the shadows to reveal her thoughts on marriage, succession, religion and war. But time is against her…

Elizabeth I: Queen at 25, political phoenix and famously unmarried – but who was the woman beneath the crown?

Using only Elizabeth’s words, adapted from letters, speeches and writings, writer and performer Rebecca Vaughan explores the queen’s struggle to reconcile the desires of womanhood with the duties of sovereignty.

Directed by Olivier Award winner, Guy Masterson (Morecambe and The Shark is Broken). Winner of the Three Weeks Editors Award.

DEAD LIES

New Theatre, April 26-30

Dead Lies is a fast-moving, hard-hitting political English thriller from No.1 Best Selling Crime Novelist Hilary Bonner.

Directed by critically acclaimed director Joe Harmston, the action takes place during a fiercely fought election campaign. The story follows Peter George - played by Hollyoaks and Holby City actor Jeremy Edwards - a politician who promises a new kind of politics beyond sleaze and spin.

He is welcomed as a messiah by the British public and expected to restore trust in a broken political system. But a shocking secret lies in the past of our country’s hero. As buried truths rise from the ashes, will his rise to power be destroyed by ghosts from another time?

Personal and political influences begin to shake the faith of those closest to him, and a media cascade threatens to bring down Britain’s new saviour.

How far will he go to save his own career and how far will those around him go to save their own skins?

Expect the unexpected. No one is safe.

Dead Lies is a roller-coaster ride of a play, packed with twists and turns until the very last scene.

For Queen and Country

Key Theatre, September 17

The remarkable true story of Major Denis Rake MC, a theatre actor recruited by Churchill’s Special Operations Executive to spy on the Nazis in occupied Paris during the Second World War.

Denis was told to keep his head down, get a job and blend in… so he became a drag queen entertaining Nazi officers in a Parisian nightclub!

Writer and director Paul Stone discovered Denis’ story while making the BBC TV programme Secret Agent Selection and shines a light on the previously unknown contribution of the LGBT+ community to the war effort.

Acclaimed actor Neil Summerville, brings Denis to life through comedy, drama and song.

THE MOUSETRAP

New Theatre, October 16-21, 2023

The genre-defining murder mystery from Agatha Christie, the world’s best-selling novelist of all time, will visit more than 70 venues across the country, including all cities to which it originally played 70 years ago, plus many more.

Tickets from www.newtheatre-peterborough.com and keytheatrepeterborough.ticketsolve.com/