Tally ho! Whose ready for some jolly good entertainment!? Theatre Britain, the very best of British theatre in Texas, just announced the line-up of shows for 2017. The season will comprise five shows, including a world premiere panto and the American premiere of the drama Winston’s Birthday by Paul Baker.
We’re so excited we couldn’t wait to share the news and urge you to save the dates—this is five shows you will not want to miss. Trust me, I’m British!
So what do we have to look forward to?
In February, Theatre Britain will present the farce Will You Still Love Me In The Morning? by Brian Clemens & Dennis Spooner. Jeremy and Celia return a week early from their unsuccessful honeymoon to find that both Jeremy’s working partners have accepted his offer to stay in his house while he is away. The only problem is that they have each brought the other’s wife with them! Cue the mayhem as Jeremy and Celia try to sort it all out.
Let It Be Me by Carey Jane Hardy will run April 7 to April 30. Amy cares for her Aunt Sylvia who has Alzheimer’s. She is so devoted to her aunt that she finds herself seriously tested when she meets and falls in love with Gregory. So begins a touching love story in which Amy begins to see that a different, happier life is possible.
In the comedy Nobody’s Perfect by Simon Williams, shy and staid statistician Leonard is anxious to break into print and sends book after book to Love Is All Around, a publisher dedicated to writing ‘for women by women’. His efforts are rejected until he submits a novel, based on his experiences as a single parent, under the pseudonym Myrtle Banbury. When his novel is accepted, Leonard has no choice but to assume Myrtle’s identity! Nobody’s Perfect runs June 23-July 16.
In September, Theatre Britain will present the American premiere of Winston’s Birthday by Paul Baker. It is 1962 – the Beatles have their first hit, James Bond his first film – and Randolph Churchill is holding a luncheon party to celebrate the 88th birthday of his admired but estranged father. Sir Winston is a fading force and there is unfinished business in his loving, dysfunctional family. Meanwhile, the socially inept Dr Jenkins, a newly appointed research assistant to Randolph, is pursuing his own agenda and forms a surprising bond with the wily Winston. Secrets are revealed, resentments released and new understandings formed, in this fresh and funny perspective on an iconic and larger-than-life family.
The 2017 panto will be another world premiere panto (title TBA) from Jackie Mellor-Guin, Theatre Britain’s resident playwright. The show will open Thanksgiving weekend and run through December 30. A traditional British panto is a fairy tale told in the style of melodrama. The audience is encouraged to cheer for the good guys, boo and hiss the bad guys and join in with the characters on stage. The show works on two levels, with a story children can follow and jokes adults can appreciate.
Theatre Britain’s 2017 Season
WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME IN THE MORNING?
By Brian Clemens & Dennis Spooner
February 10, 2017 – March 5, 2017
Jeremy and Celia return a week early from their unsuccessful honeymoon to find that both Jeremy’s working partners have accepted his offer to stay in his house while he is away. The only problem is that they have each brought the other’s wife with them! Cue the mayhem as Jeremy and Celia try to sort it all out.
LET IT BE ME
By Carey Jane Hardy
April 7, 2017 – April 30, 2017
Amy cares for her Aunt Sylvia who has Alzheimer’s. She is so devoted to her aunt that she finds herself seriously tested when she meets and falls in love with Gregory. So begins a touching love story in which Amy begins to see that a different, happier life is possible.
NOBODY’S PERFECT
By Simon Williams
June 23, 2017 – July 16, 2017
Shy and staid statistician Leonard is anxious to break into print and sends book after book to Love Is All Around, a publisher dedicated to writing ‘for women by women’. His efforts are rejected until he submits a novel, based on his experiences as a single parent, under the pseudonym Myrtle Banbury. When his novel is accepted, Leonard has no choice but to assume Myrtle’s identity!
WINSTON’S BIRTHDAY
By Paul Baker
September 8, 2017 – October 1, 2017
American premiere
It is 1962 – the Beatles have their first hit, James Bond his first film – and Randolph Churchill is holding a luncheon party to celebrate the 88th birthday of his admired but estranged father. Sir Winston is a fading force and there is unfinished business in his loving, dysfunctional family. Meanwhile, the socially inept Dr Jenkins, a newly appointed research assistant to Randolph, is pursuing his own agenda and forms a surprising bond with the wily Winston. Secrets are revealed, resentments released and new understandings formed, in this fresh and funny perspective on an iconic and larger-than-life family.
THE 2017 PANTO – TITLE TBA
By Jackie Mellor-Guin
November 25 – December 30, 2017
A traditional British panto!
World premiere
Wacky characters, songs, corny jokes and oodles of audience participation.
Theatre Britain
Dedicated to bringing the magic of panto to North Texas and beyond. Original. Authentic.
Theatre Britain is funded in part by the City of Plano.
All performances are at the Cox Playhouse, 1517 H Avenue, Plano, TX 75074.
There is ample free parking off G Avenue.
Adults $23, Seniors & Students $18, Children (14 and under) $12 (panto only)
10% discount for parties of 10 or more.
