HONEY & ASHES: THE STORY THAT WILL DEFINE A SEASON
Some stories arrive quietly and leave thunderously. The Beekeeper of Aleppo is one of those rare works that enters the theatre as a play and exits as an experience, something felt in the chest, carried home, and remembered long after the lights fade. When it arrives at Blackpool Grand Theatre in May 2026, it will not simply be another touring production. It will be the emotional heartbeat of the season.
At its centre are Nuri and Afra. Once, their life in Aleppo was rich with colour, routine and promise. Nuri tended his bees, listening to the gentle order of the hive. Afra painted, seeing beauty in the everyday. Then war came, and with it silence, smoke and unimaginable loss. What follows is not just a journey across borders, but across grief, memory and the fragile hope that love might still be enough.
Adapted from Christy Lefteri’s internationally bestselling novel, The Beekeeper of Aleppo has already established itself as one of the most powerful pieces of contemporary theatre on the road today. This second UK tour follows five-star reviews, standing ovations and audiences visibly shaken - and deeply moved - by what they have witnessed. The stage adaptation by Nesrin Alrefaai and Matthew Spangler distils the novel’s emotional truth into something raw, lyrical and devastatingly intimate.
On stage, the story unfolds like a living memory. Aleppo’s sunlit beekeeping fields hum with warmth before dissolving into fractured landscapes of exile. Through cinematic lighting, immersive soundscapes and haunting visual projections, the production carries audiences across continents and inner worlds alike. Physical theatre and innovative staging blur the line between past and present, reality and recollection, creating moments of breathtaking beauty amid overwhelming loss.
Yet for all its scale and ambition, this is a deeply human story. It is about how trauma reshapes love, how survival demands courage, and how hope can exist even when everything else has been stripped away. There are moments of tenderness, flashes of humour, and a quiet resilience that feels both devastating and life-affirming. This is theatre that does not ask for sympathy, but understanding.
For Blackpool Grand Theatre, this production is more than a booking; it is a statement. A declaration that powerful storytelling still matters, that audiences crave work that engages the heart as much as the intellect. In a season rich with drama, The Beekeeper of Aleppo stands apart as its defining moment.
This is theatre that aches, that resonates, that reminds us of what it means to be human. It will move you. It will stay with you. And for one week only, it will belong to Blackpool.
The Beekeeper of Aleppo flies into The Grand from Tuesday, 26 to Saturday, 30 May 2026.
ELEMENTARY? ANYTHING BUT.
SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES HIS GREATEST NEMESIS
Step into a world of mystery and intrigue this April as Sherlock Holmes: The Hunt for Moriarty arrives at Blackpool Grand Theatre, Thursday 16 to Saturday 18 April 2026. This world premiere reimagines Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective in an exhilarating new play that pits Holmes and Dr Watson against their most cunning adversary yet.
With powerful performances, a haunting soundscape and innovative design, the production weaves classic tales into a highstakes hunt across 1901 London. Expect breathtaking twists, razor-sharp deduction and theatrical flair that will keep you guessing until the final curtain. A must-see for lovers of drama and suspense alike.
ALL DAY AND ALL OF THE NIGHT:
THE KINKS ROAR INTO BLACKPOOL
You’ve Really Got Them All Now. In 2026, Sunny Afternoon makes its first-ever visit to Blackpool Grand Theatre, storming onto the stage from Tuesday 28 April to Saturday 02 May with the unmistakable sound, bite and brilliance of The Kinks.
This is not a gentle stroll through pop history. It’s a show that crackles with guitar distortion, sibling friction and the sharp-eyed poetry of songs that changed British music forever.
The newly revealed cast channels that restless Kinks spirit with conviction. Danny Horn brings thoughtful intensity and dry humour to Ray Davies, while Oliver Hoare’s Dave Davies blazes with raw energy and dangerous swagger. Harry Curley and Zakarie Stokes drive the band with muscular rhythm and heart, capturing the volatile chemistry of a group forever teetering between triumph and collapse.
Ben Caplan is commanding as music executive Eddie Kassner, with Tam Williams returning as first manager Grenville Collins, both immersed in a world of sharp suits, fast deals and creative compromise. Around them, a vivid ensemble carries a story powered by ambition, ego and brotherhood, propelled by a songbook that still cuts deep. You Really Got Me, Lola, Waterloo Sunset and All Day and All of the Night arrive not as nostalgia, but as moments of pure, defiant release.
By the final chord, Sunny Afternoon feels less like a musical and more like a glorious collision with The Kinks themselves.
WHERE THE SHINES BRIGHTLY
If summer had a soundtrack, it would sound a lot like Summer Holiday.
Sun-drenched, joy-filled, and bursting with the optimism of endless blue skies, this iconic musical comes to Blackpool Grand Theatre from Wednesday 29 July to Saturday 08 August, promising the ultimate escape at the very heart of the seaside.
Following the huge success of last year’s Grease (with Pitlochry Festival Theatre), which delighted audiences night after night, this is the show that takes that feel-good magic and turns the volume up even higher.
Based on the much-loved 1963 film that cemented Cliff Richard as a bona fide screen idol, Summer Holiday captures the irresistible thrill of setting off on an adventure with nothing but friends, music and the open road ahead. The story may be rooted in the golden age of British cinema, but its spirit feels timeless. At its heart is a soundtrack that defined a generation and still has the power to lift the room. From the infectious title number Summer Holiday and the cheeky charm of Bachelor Boy, to the rock and roll swagger of Move It, the exuberance of Dancing Shoes, the anthemic The Young Ones and the laid-back warmth of In the Country, every song is a reminder of just how joyful pop music can be.
This brand-new production is a major co-production between Blackpool Grand Theatre and Sheffield Theatres, bringing together two leading producing houses to create a musical event made for summer nights. There is no better place for this story to land than Blackpool, the UK’s most beloved seaside escape and the spiritual home of the great British summer holiday. Add in The Grand’s glorious auditorium and the buzz of a shared night out, and you have all the ingredients for something truly special.
Summer Holiday is the perfect invitation to gather friends, family and fellow music lovers for a few hours of pure escapism. Warm, nostalgic and utterly irresistible, this is the one show you will want to say you were there for.
Tickets from £18 Wed 29 Jul to Sat 08 Aug 2026
Book Now at blackpoolgrand.co.uk
WHEN KINDNESS SPEAKS LOUDER THAN FEAR
In May 2026, one of the most moving and meaningful stories of recent years returns to Blackpool Grand Theatre. The Boy at the Back of the Class is back, and it’s a homecoming audiences won’t forget.
After captivating thousands on its previous visit, this powerful stage adaptation of Onjali Q. Raúf’s multi-award-winning novel once again brings laughter, tears and moments of profound reflection to The Grand’s stage. At its heart is Ahmet, a nine-year-old refugee who arrives in a new school, in a new country, carrying experiences no child should have to face. What follows is a story told through the eyes of a classmate whose simple decision to care changes everything.
Warm, funny and deeply human, The Boy at the Back of the Class explores big ideas with extraordinary sensitivity. It reminds us that bravery isn’t always loud, that kindness can be radical, and that even the smallest voices can make an enormous impact. It’s a story that resonates far beyond childhood, speaking directly to the world young people are growing up in today.
GROUND-BREAKING
The novel has become a modern classic, winning the Blue Peter Book Award and the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, and earning international praise for its compassionate portrayal of the refugee experience. Adapted for the stage by Nick Ahad and directed by Monique Touko, the production captures that same spirit with humour, heart and a sense of adventure that keeps audiences utterly engaged.
Critically acclaimed and widely loved, the play has been described as “moving, humorous and uplifting, theatre with real heart”. Teachers, parents and young people alike have embraced it not just as entertainment, but as a catalyst for conversation, empathy and understanding.
As Andrew Howard, Head of Audiences, Marketing and Sales at Blackpool Grand Theatre, explains: “Bringing this production back isn’t just a programming choice - it’s a commitment to storytelling that helps young people understand the world they’re growing up in.”
Performances run from Tuesday 05 to Saturday 09 May 2026. Tickets start from £18, with school group rates and free teacher places available (Subject to group size). A story for ages 7yrs+.
BACH REIMAGINED
Bach Reimagined is a powerful collaboration between James Wilton Dance, one of Europe’s hottest touring companies, and Canadian cello virtuoso Raphael Weinroth Browne.
Prepare to be blown away by a ground-breaking dance performance that explodes with raw energy and breath-taking beauty.
This isn’t your typical ballet. Imagine dancers with the athleticism of gymnasts and the grace of ballerinas, their bodies flowing in perfect harmony with the pulsating rhythms of Browne’s electrifying heavy metal cello. Witness a visual and sonic spectacle unlike anything you’ve ever experienced. Bach Reimagined isn’t just a dance, it’s a journey. Tuesday, 03 March
“What an amazing evening of dance from this talented company”
UK Theatre Web
SINGLE WHITE FEMALE BRINGS MODERN SUSPENSE TO THE STAGE WHEN FRIENDSHIP TURNS FATAL
For a single taut, electrifying week in February 2026, Blackpool Grand Theatre becomes a place of unease, obsession and razor-edged suspense. From Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 February 2026, Single White Female arrives on stage in a worldpremiere adaptation that proves this is no relic of 90s cinema, but a story with fresh teeth for a modern audience.
The 1992 film, adapted from John Lutz’s novel SWF Seeks Same, left audiences permanently wary of flatmates and stiletto heels. This new stage version understands exactly why the story endures. Adapted by acclaimed author and broadcaster Rebecca Reid, it drags the thriller into the age of social media, where curated identities, blurred boundaries and the hunger for connection create the perfect conditions for something sinister to take root. At its centre
is Allie, a recently divorced mother balancing single parenthood with the pressure of launching a tech start-up. Advertising for a lodger feels like a practical solution. Enter Hedy: calm, capable and seemingly ideal. But as their lives entwine, admiration quietly mutates into fixation. What begins as support becomes surveillance; what feels like friendship turns dangerous. The tension doesn’t explode all at once, it tightens, scene by scene, until escape feels impossible. This production is led by two formidable performances. Kym Marsh brings unnerving control to Hedy, a character whose charm is as disarming as it is unsettling. Opposite her, Lisa Faulkner’s Allie is grounded, human and exposed, a woman whose need for stability leaves her vulnerable to manipulation. Their chemistry is the engine of the play, creating a psychological duel that is intimate, claustrophobic and impossible to look away from.
Directed by Gordon Greenberg and produced by JAS Theatricals, ATG Productions and Gavin Kalin Productions — the team behind The Girl on the Train on stage — the production knows how to weaponise silence, pace and dark humour. This is suspense built on recognition rather than shock, where the most frightening moments feel uncomfortably plausible.
Single White Female is a bold, female-led reinvention that speaks directly to our hyperconnected, emotionally isolated world. It asks how far someone might go to belong, and how easily trust can be exploited. Playing for one week only at Blackpool Grand Theatre, this is a theatrical event that gets under your skin, and stays there.
Tickets from £18. Evening and matinee performances available. Early booking is strongly advised.
SIX SENSATIONAL NEW SHOWS
GIANNI SCHICCHI
(or Where There’s A Will)
Gianni Schicchi
(or Where There’s a Will)
Puccini’s comic masterpiece comes roaring into the 21st Century, in a modern-day ‘whodunnit’, challenging a world where everyone is out for themselves.
Tue 17 Mar 2026
Teechers
It is the end of term and Godber’s hilarious comedy masterpiece has been reset for our post Covid times.
Fri 20 to Sat 21 Mar 2026
Madama Butterfly: Ellen Kent’s Farewell Opera Tour
Back by overwhelming public demand, this awardwinning Opera returns in a new production.
Sun 29 Mar 2026
Desperate Scousewives
Susan, Vanessa and Lily dominate the street with their big personalities, big voices, and even bigger secrets. Starring Crissy Rock. Age guidance: 10+ Wed 10 Jun 2026
Lancashire Hot Pots: Tour De Sauce Tour
Bernard and the boys return with a “full flavoured” show packed with silly songs and a massive dollop of the humour that has made them famous throughout the land. Sat 13 Jun 2026
Murderous Minds with Emma Kenny
Emma has already wowed audiences with two sell out shows ‘The serial killer Next Door’ and ‘Killer Couples’. Sun 14 Jun 2026
REMEMBER THE DAY THE MUSIC DIED
That’ll Be The Day that Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story will Rave On back to Blackpool Grand Theatre in a special commemoration of the spec-tacular rock and roll star.
The most successful rock ‘n’ roll musical of all time is coming back to Blackpool Grand Theatre and will open on the anniversary of The Day The Music Died…
Loved by critics and audiences alike, Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story (Tuesday 03 to Saturday 07 February 2026) tells the enduring story of the musical icon’s meteoric rise from his Southern rockabilly beginnings to international stardom. In just 18 short months, the bespectacled boy from Lubbock, Texas, revolutionised the face of contemporary music and would influence everyone from The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen and The Rolling Stones. His legendary final performance took place at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, the night before his tragic and untimely death on 3 February 1959, at the age of just 22. This then famously became known as ‘the Day the Music Died’ as American singer/ songwriter Don McLean called it in his song American Pie.
This magnificent multi award-winning West End show features two terrific hours of the greatest songs ever written, with over 20 of Buddy Holly’s biggest hits - including the timeless classics That’ll Be The Day, Oh Boy, Everyday and Rave On. Add to that, the Big Bopper’s Chantilly Lace, Ritchie Valens’ La Bamba, and rip-roaring versions of Shout, Johnny B. Goode and many,
many more performed by a multi-talented cast of actor-musicians and this show is just Peggy Sue-perb!
Holly’s music was sophisticated for its day, including the use of instruments considered novel for rock & roll, such as the celesta (heard on Everyday). Many of his songs also feature a unique vocal ‘hiccup’ technique, a clipped ‘uh’ sound used to emphasise certain words in any given song, especially the rockers. For example, in the start of Rave On Buddy sings: “We-UH-ell, the little things you say and do, make me want to be with you-UH-ou...”
In March of 1958, Buddy Holly and the Crickets toured the UK and in the audience were two teenagers named John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who later cited Holly as a primary influence (the band’s name, The Beatles, was later chosen partly in homage to Holly’s Crickets).
Following the February 2 performance at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, the performers and their road crew drew straws to decide who would fly in the airplane, and who would ride in the unheated tour bus. The winners were Holly, Valens and Richardson. The four-passenger Beechcraft Bonanza took off into a blinding snowstorm and crashed into Albert Juhl’s cornfield several miles after take-off at 1 05am. The crash killed Holly, Valens, Richardson, and pilot Roger Peterson, leaving Holly’s pregnant bride, Maria Elena Holly, a widow (she would miscarry soon after). Funeral services were held at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Lubbock, Texas, and Buddy Holly was interred in the City of Lubbock Cemetery.
The tragic plane crash inspired singer Don McLean’s popular 1971 ballad American Pie, and immortalised February 3 as The Day The Music Died. Contrary to popular myth, American Pie was not the name of the ill-fated airplane.
Buddy Holly has inspired a whole generation of music fans and remains an original music phenomenon.
Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story has been seen by over 22 million theatregoers since it first opened in London’s West End in 1989
DERREN BROWN COMES HOME:
NOTHING WILL BE QUITE AS IT SEEMS
There is a certain electricity that crackles through Blackpool Grand Theatre when Derren Brown returns. It is the sense that normal rules are about to be quietly dismantled, that certainty will be teased apart, and that an evening at the theatre may follow you home in ways you did not expect. In February 2026, that feeling comes back in full force.
From Tuesday 24 to Saturday 28 February 2026, the multi award-winning master of psychological illusion returns to his theatrical home for a full week with his brand-new live show, ONLY HUMAN. For Blackpool audiences, this is more than a visit from a global star; it is the return of an artist whose relationship with live theatre has reshaped modern entertainment.
True to form, the content of ONLY HUMAN remains a closely guarded secret. No clues, no explanations, no advance revelations. What is guaranteed is an experience that is as unsettling as it is exhilarating, drawing audiences into a world where perception is fragile and the mind is far more suggestible than we like to believe.
Since launching his television career with Mind Control in December 2000, Brown has become synonymous with psychological manipulation. His notorious TV moments have entered popular legend, from Russian Roulette broadcast live to séances, lottery predictions and elaborate social experiments that exposed how easily behaviour can be shaped. Yet it is on stage where his work has reached historic heights.
Brown is the first magician to tour eight sell-out, one-man shows, earning a record-breaking five Olivier Award nominations for Best Entertainment and winning twice. His US debut SECRET won the New York Drama Desk Award for Unique Theatrical experience and went on to a sell-out Broadway run.
Offstage, he is quietly unassuming. Onstage, he is transformative.
CLOCK IN, GLAM UP AND... SING OUT!
Dolly Parton’s irresistible musical juggernaut 9 to 5 The Musical is heading to the Blackpool Grand Theatre from Tuesday 21 to Saturday 25 July 2026, promising a week of rhinestone rebellion, sharp-tongued comedy and unapologetic joy on one of the North West’s most iconic stages.
Based on the beloved 1980 film, this fizzing musical comedy whisks audiences into a fluorescent-lit office where three quick-witted women decide they’ve had enough of being overlooked, undermined and patronised by their smarmy boss. What begins as a fantasy of revenge soon snowballs into something far more exhilarating: a riotous celebration of friendship, freedom and workplace revolution, delivered with wit, warmth and a wicked sense of fun.
At the heart of the show is Dolly Parton’s unmistakable musical voice. From the iconic opening number “9 to 5” to a succession of toetapping, soul-lifting showstoppers, the score crackles with humour and heart. It’s joyful, fearless and still sharply relevant, offering laugh-out-loud comedy alongside a message that lands with punch and purpose.
Presented by Landmark Theatres, this bold, highoctane production storms into Blackpool with all the gloss, glamour and swagger of a Broadway blockbuster. Packed with knockout vocals, slick choreography and a creative pedigree rooted in musical theatre excellence. Smart, sassy and gloriously defiant, it’s a feel-good triumph that sends audiences home buzzing.
Because when Dolly’s in charge, quitting time becomes a celebration.
LAUGHS AT THE GRAND
HEATHERS IS BACK!
...AND BLACKPOOL GRAND IS ABOUT TO EXPLODE!
When a show sells out, ignites conversation and leaves audiences begging for its return, there’s only one response: bring it back bigger, bolder and louder. Following massive demand after its last visit, Heathers The Musical is officially returning to Blackpool Grand Theatre - and this time, the hype is very real.
*Please note: Comedic performances carry age guidance - please ask on booking.
THE CHOIR OF MAN
Direct from the West End, the Olivier Award-nominated, worldwide smash hit is now on its first ever UK & Ireland tour.
Welcome to The Choir of Man, the best pub in the world… Come ready to drink in the excitement!
Brimming with hits from artists such as Queen, Luther Vandross, Sia, Paul Simon, Adele, Guns & Roses, Avicii and Katy Perry to name but a few, this is a pub like no other!
A wildly talented group of incredible instrumentalists, world-class wordsmiths, and sensational singers, this cast of nine (extra) ordinary guys serve it all… live!
An uplifting celebration of community and friendship where everyone is welcome, don’t miss this feel-good night of foot-stomping entertainment, so good you’ll want to come back and see it again and again.
Tuesday 17 to Saturday 21 November Age guidance: 10yrs+
For one electrifying week only, from Tuesday 27 to Saturday 31 October 2026, the cult phenomenon that tore up the West End and Broadway storms back into Blackpool, perfectly timed for Halloween. If you thought you’d missed your chance, think again - but don’t hang around. This is the definition of a book-now-or-regret-it event.
Heathers is not your average high-school musical. It’s sharp, savage and gloriously unfiltered – a darkly comic explosion of teenage angst, power plays and perfectly aimed one-liners. Veronica Sawyer, the dangerously charismatic JD and the notorious Heathers rule the stage in a show that blends pitch-black humour with a killer pop-rock score that hits like a sledgehammer.
Audiences can expect laugh-out-loud moments, gasp-inducing twists and songs that burrow into your brain long after the final curtain. It’s clever, subversive and unapologetically bold - a musical that dares to push buttons and does it with style, swagger and astonishing energy. Equal parts satire, tragedy and rock concert, Heathers doesn’t just entertain - it detonates.
Its previous Blackpool run proved one thing beyond doubt: this is a show people talk about. And now it’s back, by overwhelming popular demand, ready to do it all over again.
Missed it last time? Don’t make the same mistake twice. Heathers The Musical at Blackpool Grand Theatre is the must-see return of the season - and tickets will vanish fast.
RALPH DAVIS TAKES ON HAMLET
When an actor with Ralph Davis’s classical firepower steps into Hamlet, it demands attention. Fresh from acclaimed turns as Iago at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse and Edmund at Shakespeare’s Globe, Davis now claims Shakespeare’s most searching role in Rupert Goold’s electrifying new production.
A Charleson Award nominee twice over, Davis brings both intellect and ferocity to the Prince of Denmark. His career spans the RSC, Almeida and Chichester, alongside major screen work including House of the Dragon and Small Axe. Yet it is Hamlet that has shaped him most profoundly. As a boy growing up near Stratford-upon-Avon, he watched his heroes scale the role’s emotional heights.
THE INVASION BEGINS WAR OF THE WORLDS
If you think you know The War of the Worlds, think again. In April 2026, Blackpool Grand Theatre becomes the epicentre of an extraordinary theatrical invasion as imitating the dog unleashes its bold new retelling of H.G. Wells’s prophetic classic. This is theatre on a cinematic scale: urgent, inventive and impossible to ignore.
Blending live performance with miniature model worlds, live camera work, projection and digital illusion, the production constructs an apocalyptic road movie in real time. Extraterrestrial forces crash to Earth. Cities collapse. Ordinary lives are torn apart. What unfolds is not just a spectacle, but a profoundly human story that asks how far we would go to survive when order disintegrates.
The production places audiences at the heart of a world in freefall, marrying vast, jaw-dropping imagery with intimate moments of fear, courage and moral reckoning. It is this fusion of emotional truth and technical daring that has made imitating the dog one of the UK’s most internationally celebrated theatre-makers.
Following acclaimed adaptations of Dracula, Macbeth and Frankenstein, War of the Worlds is set to be one of the most talked-about theatrical events of 2026
War of the Worlds plays Blackpool Grand Theatre from Wednesday 22 to Saturday 25 April 2026, with evening and matinee performances available. Tickets from just £18
Now, he becomes one of them. Goold’s Hamlet opened earlier this year at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to powerful acclaim and embarks on a major national tour in 2026. A taut, psychologically charged reading of Shakespeare’s epic family tragedy, it promises murder, madness and moral reckoning in equal measure.
The RSC’s Hamlet plays Blackpool Grand Theatre from Tuesday 24 with evening and matinee performances available. For audiences on the Fylde Coast, this is a rare chance to experience a definitive Hamlet, led by an actor at the very peak of his powers.
Star previous cast
BROADWAY SPARKLES
Tap your troubles away with 42nd Street (Wednesday 01 – Saturday 04 April 2026), a glittering celebration of Broadway. Presented by Blackpool Operatic Players, this classic musical follows chorus girl Peggy Sawyer’s star-is-born moment, packed with wit, pizzazz and iconic songs, dazzling tap routines, big production numbers and pure escapist showbiz glamour for musical theatre lovers.
Feel the beat with We Will Rock You (Wednesday 17 - Saturday 20 June 2026), as award-winning BFLOC brings Queen’s smash hit musical to the Blackpool Grand Theatre. In a future where rock is banned, rebels fight to reclaim individuality. Packed with 24 of Queen’s greatest hits including Bohemian Rhapsody, We Are The Champions and Don’t Stop Me Now, this high-energy show delivers epic anthems, a powerful story and unforgettable rock theatre for fans old and new.
Jason Donovan Tue 10 Mar 2026
Spice Girls – The Theatre Show Thu 12 Mar 2026
Vampires Rock Eternal Love – The Musical Sat 14 Mar 2026
Lipstick On Your Collar Sun 12 Apr 2026 WHAM! The Show Sun 19 Apr 2026 K-Pop Live Sun 26 Apr 2026
Sunny Afternoon Tue 28 Apr to Sat 02 May 2026 The Sound of Springsteen 2026 Sun 10 May 2026
FEEL EVERY BEAT
Dance has a unique ability to bring people alive, to lift audiences out of their seats and into shared moments of wonder, joy and connection.
This season at Blackpool Grand Theatre invites everyone, whether lifelong dance lovers or firsttime bookers, to experience that feeling first-hand through an extraordinary range of world-class performances.
Varna International Ballet returns with two timeless classics that continue to enchant generation after generation. The Nutcracker wraps the stage in festive magic, as Clara’s dreamlike journey unfolds through swirling snow, glittering costumes and Tchaikovsky’s unforgettable score. Swan Lake follows with its powerful story of love, deception and sacrifice, where breathtaking technique and raw emotion combine to create moments of stillness and awe that linger long after the curtain falls.
Joy and laughter take centre stage with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Their performances celebrate ballet while gleefully turning tradition on its head, delivering virtuosic dancing infused with warmth, wit and an infectious sense of fun that welcomes everyone in.
Together, these productions remind us that dance is not just something to watch, but something to feel, carrying us, energised and connected, back into the world.
Completing the season, Breakin’ Convention explodes onto the stage with hip-hop dance theatre at its most exhilarating, celebrating creativity, community and self-expression.
The Nutcracker
Performed by Varna International
& Orchestra. Sun 01 Mar 2026
Swan Lake Performed by Varna International Ballet & Orchestra. Mon 02 Mar 2026
Breakin’ Convention Sat 06 Jun 2026
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Fri 12 Jun 2026
FISHNETS, FRENZY & FULL VOLUME FUN
There are some productions that never really leave the cultural bloodstream, and The Rocky Horror Show is one of them. When it storms back into Blackpool Grand Theatre from Monday 11 to Saturday 16 May 2026, it won’t simply be another week in the theatrical calendar. It will be an event, a happening and a full-scale celebration of everything live theatre does best.
After more than 50 years of thrilling audiences worldwide, Rocky Horror still crackles with the same rebellious energy that first made it legendary. From the opening notes to the final, euphoric Time Warp, this is a show that refuses to sit politely in its seat. It demands participation, commitment and a willingness to surrender to the fun. Miss it, and you really will miss out.
The Blackpool Grand Theatre is the ideal home for this return. Frank Matcham’s masterpiece has always embraced spectacle and excess, and Rocky Horror thrives in that atmosphere. The clash between Victorian elegance and gloriously naughty rock and roll feels deliciously right, turning every performance into a night that people talk about long after the curtain falls.
What fuels the anticipation this time is the knowledge that tickets will not hang around. This is a production with a devoted following, a show audiences’ book for the moment dates are announced. Whether you are a seasoned Rocky Horror devotee or a curious first timer finally ready to see what the fuss is about, hesitation is not your friend here.
For one glittering week in May, Blackpool becomes the place to be. After that, it’s gone. And you’ll wish you’d been there when everyone else was jumping to the left.
FAMILY FAVOURITES AT THE GRAND LOVE ‘KNIVES OUT’? THIS IS THE MYSTERY YOU SEE NEXT!
The Sooty Show
Sun 05 Apr 2026
Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter’s Dinosaur That Pooped
Sun 03 May 2026
Boy At The Back of The Class
Tue 05 to Sat 09 May 2026
Fireman Sam Sun 24 May 2026
The Tiger Who Came To Tea
Tue 14 & Wed 15 Jul 2026
Peppa Pig’s Big Family Show
Tue 01 & Wed 02 Sep 2026
Horrible Histories: Terrible Tudors & Awful Egyptians
Thu 15 to Sun 18 Oct 2026
Jack And The Beanstalk 2026/27
Fri 04 Dec 2026 to Sun 03 Jan 2027
If Netflix Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery has reminded you how irresistible a finely tuned whodunnit can be, you are far from alone. The latest instalment’s sharp dialogue, playful misdirection and irresistible invitation to solve the crime have reignited a widespread love of clever murder mysteries. It is proof that audiences still relish stories that reward attention, spark debate and keep them guessing to the very end.
That renewed appetite naturally points beyond the screen. Fans of Knives Out are often the same people drawn to stage classics such as Sleuth, Deathtrap or Cluedo, where tension is built not through editing but through presence. Theatre has always been the perfect home for murder mysteries, allowing every pause, glance and reveal to land in real time. Suspicion becomes a shared experience, and the thrill sharpens when an entire audience is trying to crack the case together.
Murder At Midnight arrives at precisely the right moment. Playing at Blackpool Grand Theatre from Wednesday 28 to Saturday 31 January 2026, this smart comedy thriller taps directly into today’s hunger for witty, stylish mystery. Produced by Original Theatre in association with Joshua Beaumont and Huw Allen, it is written by Torben Betts, whose hit Murder in the Dark won audiences with its ingenious twists and dark humour, and directed by Philip Franks, who understands how to keep tension fizzing on stage.
“A Christmas homecoming brings a bloodbath to a London home in this knockabout dark farce – it is ‘Knives Out’ meets Guy Ritchie.”
playstosee
Set on New Year’s Eve in a quiet corner of Kent, the premise is deliciously dangerous. Midnight is approaching, a killer is already in the house, and nothing is quite what it seems. At the centre sits Jonny “The Cyclops”, a notorious gangster played by Jason Durr, alongside his glamorous wife and trigger-happy sidekick. Surrounding them are his possibly delusional mother, her jittery carer, a vicar with secrets and a nervous burglar dressed as a clown. Add a suitcase of cash, a cache of weapons and an infamous unsolved murder, and the countdown becomes irresistible.
Like Knives Out, Murder At Midnight revels in misdirection. Allegiances shift, assumptions unravel, and the truth refuses to stay put. The humour is sharp, the pace relentless, and the twists genuinely surprising.
With a cast including Susie Blake, Max Bowden and Katie McGlynn, and Original Theatre’s proven flair for gripping storytelling, this is a killer night out. If Knives Out has reignited your love of murder mysteries, Murder At Midnight is the live thriller waiting to pull you in.
Blackpool Grand Theatre has never been one to think small, and its newly announced 2026/27 pantomime proves it once again. The secret is officially out: Jack and the Beanstalk will take centre stage next Christmas in a brand-new, larger-than-life production created in partnership with Martin Dodd for UK Productions.
While this year’s panto is only just raising the curtain, The Grand is already planting the seeds for what promises to be a truly giant festive spectacular.
This is no routine revival. Jack and the Beanstalk returns to Blackpool Grand Theatre for the first time since 2004 , reimagined for a new generation with jaw-dropping 3D special effects, dazzling choreography and ambitious staging designed to fill the historic auditorium with wonder. It is a bold statement of intent from a venue that has built its reputation as Blackpool’s number one panto destination, where tradition meets technical wizardry and laughter is guaranteed.
Adding to the excitement is the return of one of the genre’s most beloved stars. Steve Royle, winner of Best Comic at the 2025 UK Pantomime Awards and a firm audience favourite, is back to lead the fun. His high-energy brand of comedy chaos has become a cornerstone of The Grand’s festive success, and his involvement signals that this production will deliver the mischievous spirit audiences expect, alongside spectacle on a grand scale.
Producer Martin Dodd describes the show as a chance to dream big, and it is easy to see why. Jack and the Beanstalk allows for visual invention, magical surprises and a sense of adventure that feels tailor-made for The Grand’s vast stage. Crucially, accessibility remains at the heart of the offering, with ticket prices starting from just £18, ensuring families do not have to trade the cow to enjoy a world-class Christmas treat.
Running from Friday 04 December 2026 to Sunday 03 January 2027, Jack and the Beanstalk looks set to be another defining chapter in Blackpool’s festive calendar. For audiences young and young at heart, the message is clear: get ready to climb high, because this Christmas giant is coming. Seats are selling faster than last year – you have been warned!
