Top West End shows at the Theatre Royal Plymouth

5 min


Great shows coming to the southwest

Theatre goers are looking ahead to 2022 with a sense of excitement as some of the greatest shows to grace West End stages are set to arrive in Plymouth. 

The Theatre Royal Plymouth has just announced tickets for the London Palladium’s production of ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ will be available from Friday 28 October.

The cast includes Jac Yarrow, whose acclaimed performance of the lead character saw him receive a nomination for the prestigious Olivier Award. 

Alexandra Burke, the 2008 winner of The X Factor, will play The Narrator in the musical. 

Theatre Royal Plymouth

It’s a great casting choice as her West End credits include lead roles in a broad array of top selling shows, from The Bodyguard and Sister Act through to Chess and Chicago. Her fame has seen her sell more than five million records.

Produced by Michael Harrison and directed by Laurence Connor, ‘Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat’ tells the story of Jacob’s favourite son (Joseph) who is sold into slavery by his jealous brothers. 

He soon finds himself in some serious trouble which results in considerable jail time. Here he begins to interpret dreams. His accuracy in doing so leads to an increasing reputation and soon his fame reaches the ears of The Pharaoh himself.

Joseph soon finds himself the Number One ‘Go To’ man for the powers that be. Could his change of fortune finally see him reunited with the people he truly loves?    

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s hit show contains the toe-tapping greats that we know and love, including ‘Any Dream Will Do’ and ‘Close Every Door to Me.’  

Les Misérables

Bookings for the musical come hot on the heels of another all-time favourite, Les Miserables, which is set to open on Tuesday 24 May. Based on Victor Hugo’s epic novel of the same title, Les Miserables is set in a post-revolutionary era of France.

While large sections of the ‘Ruling Class’ were ousted by the events of 1789, it didn’t stop a real sense of unfairness lingering among citizens of the newly founded Republic. 

Further uprisings were brutally quashed by the authorities. Hugo sets his plot against a backdrop of early 19th century Paris and interweaves historical events between key fictional characters – each fighting their own battles with injustice. 

The adaption of his book has seen it become the longest running musical of all time – with more than 10,000 performances under its belt since it first took to the stage in 1985.  

The Theatre Royal Plymouth is currently taking bookings for the show which is, unsurprisingly, proving to be very popular.

Break Time News: TRP’s newest corporate sponsor

Break Time News is delighted to recently become a Bronze Corporate Sponsor for the Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP). 

Supporting creative arts is a key part of our DNA and it’s great to be part of a number of corporate and individual sponsors who actively support the Theatre Royal Plymouth. The theatre’s work includes community-based projects, such as, ‘Our Space.’  

‘Our Space is a project for adults with complex needs,’ explains Erica Vitai, Development Manager at TRP. ‘It’s designed to help people who’ve been homeless or who may be affected by adverse states of mental health.’ 

The team has been successfully running ‘Our Space’ for the past 12 years with regular, community hub sessions which are designed to allow participants to learn different approaches to drama. It helps to improve people’s mental wellbeing and confidence.

‘It provides a mixture of drama games and the development of improvisation skills plus stage techniques. It gives an opportunity for people to freely express themselves.’ 

‘We also include something called the wellbeing wheel. This allows people to check in with each other to talk about how their week has been. It’s not therapy but a chance for participants to talk with each other.’

‘A Big Issue seller came across Our Space when he was outside the theatre royal plymouth selling copies of the magazine. He’s now heavily involved in it. It can make a big difference for people.’ 

A separate part of the scheme, ‘Our Voice,’ is solely designed to improve a sense of connectivity and support within the prison population. It also helps people who’ve been released.

I put aside ten minutes to watch ‘Our Space 2019’ on YouTube. It tells the incredible story of the difference the project has made to so many people. For some participants, it might be the only interaction they have during the course of a week. 

It’s an incredibly powerful, and moving, film. I strongly recommend anyone, and everyone, to watch it. One man explained how the project had given him ‘hope for the future’ and how he ‘owes his life’ to it. 

For me, a real stand out comment was the notion that great theatre comes from lots of different places as everyone has a story to tell. I feel it’s a sentiment which Victor Hugo would have considered, and focused on, when penning his masterpiece.


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