Joanna Lumley

Spring 2012 is definitely a season to be cheerful at the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds. Packed with laughs and heart-racing drama, from favourites of the Edinburgh Fringe to some of the West End’s biggest productions, musical treats to suit all tastes and talents and the world premiere of the Theatre Royal’s spine-tingling new production Stagefright.

Not only is there a packed season, but for Spring 2012, the Theatre has reduced prices across the board for their fantastic drama programme, so everyone has the chance to see even more great work on the Theatre Royal’s gorgeous Georgian stage. From Oedipus to Equus, now audiences will never pay more than £20 to see jaw-dropping drama.

The irrepressible Spymonkey follow-up the success of 2011’s Moby Dick with Oedipussy, their unashamedly outrageous, no-holds-barred subversion of that most quintessential Greek tragedy.

There’s also Fascinating Aïda, who make their third trip to Bury St Edmunds with the Cheap Flights Tour, and former Theatre Royal Associate Director Abigail Anderson (Dick Turpin’s Last Ride; Cider with Rosie) returns with Gonzo Moose’s riotous new production I’m an Aristocrat, Get Me Out of Here, which puts an entirely new spin on the paranoia of revolutionary France.

The Theatre Royal has always attracted some of the biggest names from page, stage and screen, and this season the theatre are pleased to be hosting evenings with the fabulous Joanna Lumley; Britain’s most-popular soprano Lesley Garrett; and husband and wife writing team Claire Tomalin and Michael Frayn.

Oedipussy

There’s also an unmistakable aura of Sherlockian spookiness permeating the spring season, with not one but two outings for Arthur Conan-Doyle’s greatest detective. At the end of March, Oldham Coliseum Theatre and imitating the dog present their dark and sinister re-telling of Holmes’ most popular adventure, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and a week later, the ever-popular LipService return to imbue the super sleuth with their own wacky style in Move Over Moriarty.

A world première for the Spring 2012 season, Stagefright is the spine-chilling new production from playwright Michael Punter. Directed by Colin Blumenau, and with illusions created by Magic Circle member Ben Hart, this nerve-jangling new show promises an evening of thrills and frights, where nothing is quite as it seems and under no circumstances should you believe your eyes.

Tickets are available for Spring 2012 from the Box Office on 01284 769505 and online at www.theatreroyal.org.

Equus