WITH summer barely beginning and it almost ending, Harlow Playhouse will be sure to brighten up your winter months with an exciting new season ahead.

Musicals are in the air at Harlow Playhouse this summer starting with Steven Arnold (Coronation Street star), hitting the stage with Chaplin (23rd July) alongside co-star Rachael Wood (Emmerdale) for a heartwarming and hilarious musical about Chaplin’s journey from Victorian London to the glitz of early Hollywood. An untold story too fascinating to be missed! Next we have Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story ( 31st Aug – 3rd Sept) featuring two terrific hours of the greatest songs ever written, including That’ll Be The Day, Oh Boy, Rave On, La Bamba, Chantilly Lace, Johnny B. Goode, Raining In My Heart, Everyday, Shout and many many more, this show is just Peggy Sue-perb! The Sun say that “This show is an absolute must. If you haven’t seen the brilliant musicalBuddy yet, buy your ticket now!”


Sprinkled between these two musicals we have some fun for all the family, starting with panto favourite Tom Swift bringing his comedy magic show Tomfoolery (23rd Jul), next up is Sing-a-long-a Frozen (24th Jul) where dozens of Frozen fans will be treated to a full interactive screening of Disney’s Frozen with lyrics and live hosts guiding them through. Sing-a-long-a Grease (24th Jul) is up next for all those who love the 80s and want to win a fancy dress competition. 


The Pay What You Can Season will continue with 13 more first-class shows available across a variety of productions and locations. This includes a new partnership with BBC Music Introducing Essex ( 13th Sep, 11th Oct, 8th Nov, 6th Dec, 3rd Jan, 28th Feb) where there will be a very special series of live gigs, all hand-picked to nuture and give exposure to the freshest artists across the UK; In Good Hands (3rd/4th July) an immersive piece taking place in a real hair salon in Epping and Bishop Stortford; The Lounge by Inspector Sands (21st/22nd Jul) which was researched and developed in Harlow is packed with witty observations on how we cope, or fail to cope with ageing; Dauthers of Fortune: Mia (1st Oct) a fast paced production that dramatizes the experiences of learning-disabled parents; Jess and Joe Forever (21st Oct) a coming of age story that explores rural life and what it means to belong somewhere; Bardolph’s Box (22nd Oct – paid production also available to schools) celebrates the Shakespeare 400 which is an ideal introduction to Shakespeare’s works; Harrogate (3rd Nov) a story of one man’s constant craving for his past and the affect this has on his family; HIP (10th Nov) an interactive theatre show set in a secret location all about one squatters journey to a long-forgotten flat above a shop; Ballet Black (16th Nov) an irresistible trilogy of narrative and abstract dance; Workplay (8/9th Dec) draws you into the games we’ve all witness at work and finally following on from their success last season Bottleneck & Spine join forces to give you a double-bill of two stunning and tear-inducing modern dramas, to surprise audiences. Scott Ramsay, the theatre’s Director said “Pay What You Can has revolutionised how audiences interact with us, we are able to open the doors to as many people as possible by eliminating upfront costs, people are taking more risks on what they see and they are coming back more often which is so lovely to see”.

There will be another great year of music too including the likes of Kast of The Kinks (10th September), Someone Like You – The Adele songbook (15th September), Gerry Cross The Mersey (16th Sep), The Jive Aces (17th Sept), Are you experienced? The Jimi Hendrix Tribute (12th Oct), The Big Band (13th Oct), Just Joe (15th Oct), The Simon and Garfunkel Story (19th Oct), Elkie Brooks (22nd Oct) and many more.

The highly acclaimed Russian State ballet will be joining the Harlow Playhouse twice this year with Carmen (9th Sep) which will also be an Caption performance and Swan Lake (20th Oct) With a 30-piece live orchestra this company regularly receives 4 stars.

Comedy is also looking strong this season with the return of Russell Kane (8th Nov) with his new show Right Man, Wrong Age; Award winning comedian Omid Djalili (21st Oct), Shmuck for a Night with The Telegraph snubbing him as “One of the most joyfully smart, stimulating and entertaining comedians this country has”; host of Live At The Apollo and star of radio 4, the great Hal Cruttenden will be taking to the stage with his show Straigth Outta Cruttenden (19th Nov). Later on in the year Stephen K Amos(10th Feb) and Henning When (9th March) will be filling the auditorium with laughter.

Enjoy the Beauty of Panto this year with a Beast of a Show – with the most lavish, thrilling and innovative Christmas event for miles. Beauty and The Beast will be playing from 3rd Dec to the 4th January. Imagine Theatre return with an alternative Christmas show, Santa’s Rusty Robot (16th Dec – 24th Dec), for 2 to 6 yr. olds.