News: The Turbine Theatre presents Summer Showtime on the Coaling Jetty

After a hugely successful 2020 season, The Turbine Theatre, The Cinema in the Arches and Battersea Power Station present Summer Showtime on the Coaling Jetty.

The season of shows will run in the outdoor space from 17 July to 30 August.

Hosted on the historic Coaling Jetty aboard the River Thames, the festival combines open-air cinema, theatre and comedy into one exciting experience.

Following sold-out performances of popular musical Hair, theatre fans heading to Summer Showtime on the Coaling Jetty will be spoilt for choice with performances from the Brit School, productions of Jane Eyre, Romeo & Juliet, The Best of Frankie Valli, family-friendly The Wind in The Willows, Beauty in the Beast and Three Little Pigs.. There will also be double the laughs this year as comedian and member of comedy sketch group Daphne, Phil Wang, joins the line-up.

The Turbine Theatre present the following performances:

Henry V will be performed by the Brit School on Saturday 17 July. In this version, the hero acts not to save the country, but to save face and his own career. A Covid-ridden, post-Brexit Britain appears as a post-apocalyptic wasteland, standing in stark contrast to a vibrant, multicultural Europe.

The villains of politics wash us with rallying calls while our reality yields to further swathes of grey, turgid, English blandishments. We are the living animals being tested upon by the privileged, as they buffered and untarnished with offshore bank accounts statements as shields.

The Brit School will also perform The Tempest on Saturday 17 July. A group of migrants arrive in a new land, exploring the meaning of love, forgiveness and new beginnings. Prospero uses magic to conjure a storm and torment the survivors of a shipwreck…

As You Like It is next on the list from the school, taking place on Saturday 17 July. In the kingdom of Duke Frederick, it’s the cold harsh grey world of business and money, money, money! A fun caper of mistaken identity, freedom to express and be yourself, in an open and inclusive world, this is a reimagined production of Shakespeare’s classic.

On Sunday 18 July will be Out of the Thunderdome, which sees failed footballer and royal marine David Breeds, also an accidental rock-climbing instructor, night shift factory worker, theme park ride operator and Apple genius, decide to try his hand at acting and singing.

Isolated in lockdown, the Dear Evan Hansen star created a bizarre group of mythical friends who became way more popular than he ever was…

Family-friendly The Wind in the Willows will play from Wednesday 21 to Sunday 25 July. Join Ratty, Badger, Mole and the impulsive Toad as they embark on a series of riotous adventures spiralling from Toad’s insatiable need for speed! The Wind in the Willows is a beautiful and enchanting musical production written by Academy Award winner Julian Fellowes with music by the award-winning Stiles & Drewe, presented by the Turbine Theatre, London.

Sunday 25 July sees Queens of MT 2. feat. Tiana Biscuit – an evening of show tunes on the Thames, featuring Drag Queens: River Medway, Kate Butch, Samantha Stone and Tiana Biscuit.

For one night only, these Broadway babes will be singing some of your favourite tunes.

Jane Eyre will be on Tuesday 27 July. Charlotte Bronte’s masterpiece is brought vividly to life in this new stage adaptation. From the cruelty of Jane’s life as a child to the passions and mysterious secrets of her adult life, this is the story of Jane Eyre, an orphan with no love or family. Only the spirit to endure and grow into a strong and independent women.

DOT Productions return for their 11th year of touring with another adaptation of a well-loved English classic. Charlotte Bronte’s bold and enduring novel is full of gothic drama and heart-wrenching choices that translate onto the stage in a powerful production played out by five actors that is not to be missed.

Bard in the Yard will play on Monday 2 August. William Shakespeare is stuck. Like, really stuck. Blank parchment stuck. He is trying to write a new masterpiece and has the weight of his company’s eager return to the stage on his shoulders.

What’s more, his rival Ben Jonson, on top of making the best sourdough bread ever, also has a new play in the works… So he has decided to pick your brains and make sure this new show is the smash hit it is promising to be.

This year, you can help the Bard write Macbeth! This new play is urgently requested by the King, on pain of all of our heads ending up on spikes. Bard in the Yard is an antidote to lockdown blues, as well as a moving and fun conversation between Shakespeare and you, the audience.

Tuesday 3 August will be Romeo & Juliet, Shakespeare’s famous tale of an ancient grudge has torn the city and families apart, two teenagers find solace within each other, but at what cost?

You know the story from GCSE English, now it’s time to tell it with our female and non-binary cast…

The Sirrah Sisters engage with audiences and communities from all backgrounds, presenting fun, dynamic, relatable and energetic productions of Shakespeare’s works, concentrating on imagery and storytelling, allowing the plays to be accessible and clear for all. We are forging our female and non-binary mark in productions famously and historically performed by all male casts.

The Best of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons arrives on Wednesday 4 August, as a spectacular high-pitched celebration of timeless music from one of the biggest selling groups of all time.

This nostalgic musical journey pays tribute to the life and career of those four boys from Jersey, who started singing under a street lamp but soon went on to become one of the most recognised groups in history.

Featuring cast members from the smash hit Tony award-winning show Jersey Boys and other hit West End musicals, The Best of Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons will leave you on a high and guarantee you’ll be saying “Oh, What A Night!”.

The Three Little Pigs plays from Wednesday 4 to Saturday 7 August. This new version of the classic story is full of catchy songs, clever rhymes and silly charm, but also has some very smart things to say about home and family.

Join Bar, Bee and Q, this Summer as they set off into the big wide world, to build their three little houses out of hay, sticks and bricks, but will they escape the Big Bad Wolf?

From the award-winning writers of the international smash hit Mary Poppins, this fun-filled musical is directed by Victoria Gimby (Rock Of Ages UK tour) along with musical director Flynn Sturgeon (Soho Cinders).

There will be The Grad Fest on Thursday 5 August, where Liam Gartland and Alice Croft bring together a group of 10 incredibly talented 2021 drama school graduates to showcase the future of our industry. Directed by Alex Conder, the show will also feature a very exciting special guest host/keyboard player for the graduates.

The Phantastics plays Friday 6 August. An extraordinary male classical crossover group featuring some of London’s top leading men from The Phantom of the Opera and other West End musicals! Let your fantasies unwind as they showcase the world’s greatest musical theatre and incredible pop, rock and opera ballads.

Tom Duern’s Roles We’ll Never Play returns, hosted by Grace Mouat. See a star-studded cast singing songs outside of their casting brackets! Notable performances in the last concert included a show-stopping all-male version from Six the Musical and power house leading lady Alice Fearn.

A new version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream will play on Tuesday 17 August in a family-friendly, sixty-minute show.

Crime Scene Improvisation plays Thursday 19 August. No-one knows who the killer is; not even the cast! This is a rip-roaring comedy entirely made up on the spot to solve a surreal murder chosen by the audience. 

Once you’ve picked your victim, grab your detective hats and prepare to laugh as you meet the suspects, grill them in a line up, and ultimately decide who’s off to the clanger.

Voices & Lyrics plays Friday 20 August – musical theatre cabaret show celebrating “b” side musicals and musical theatre writers. Over the years Voices & Lyrics has returned featuring some incredible musical theatre performers sharing many stand-alone songs that don’t get heard as often as commercial musicals touring the country.

Fatt Butcher’s Disco Bingo returns on Friday 20 August. Join Birmingham’s queen of [bingo] balls, statement earrings and sausage rolls, Fatt Butcher for an unmissable night of outrageous performance, party poppers, and prizes, with a wall to wall soundtrack of disco beats from superstar DJ Sophie Ellis Bisto.

Further shows include Beauty & the Beast plays on Saturday 21 August, following their sell-out success with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 2021. This enchanting production promises to be fast-paced, family-friendly and fun, so prepare to be amazed and amused at this tale of adventure!

In Pieces plays on Sunday 22 August. Get lost in theatrical magic as we see this brand-new musical by Joey Contreras come to life in one exhilarating feature film with live performances from the stars of the film and West End Stars alongside some new talent.

Directed by Louis Rayneau, choreography is by Rachel Sargent and produced by Future Spotlight Productions.

Our love lives are constantly in pieces. Shifting in and out of feeling fully complete. But you never know how a single spark one day can unlock a new you, so we make a choice at the crossroad, we say yes to the coffee date, and wherever that leads, we learn to embrace the journey.

Could it be another New York love story?

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