Eastbourne Theatres
Listings November 2023
OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR
DEVONSHIRE PARK THEATRE | Tuesday 31 October – Saturday 4 November | Tue – Sat 7.45pm, Wed & Sat 2.30pm | £23.50-£29.50
More than a century on from the Armistice, Oh What A Lovely War remains a classic of the modern theatre and a powerful reminder of the atrocities of a war that cost twenty million lives.
A journey from joy to despair and back again, it’s a deliciously satirical attack on the military incompetence and inconceivable disregard for human life the First World War has come to represent and a chilling reminder of man’s inhumanity to man.
Wildly satirical, visually stunning and deeply moving, Oh What a Lovely War is a theatrical experience like no other; a fusion of live music, movement, songs and sketches bringing to life the folly, farce and tragedy of the First World War. Now, more than ever, it holds a mirror up to the world and speaks to us all.
Age Guidance 11+
CLASSICAL BALLET & OPERA HOUSE
CONGRESS THEATRE | Friday 3 – Sunday 5 November | £25-£39
A trio of timeless ballets with exquisite dancing and live orchestra featuring over 30 musicians.
Join us this Autumn, to see Giselle, a Romantic Ballet with music by Adolphe Adam, in which love triumphs over betrayal, Swan Lake, a ballet that displays the full range of human emotions – from hope to despair, from terror to tenderness, from melancholy to ecstasy and finally, The Nutcracker, the eternal seasonal favourite.
A wonderful live theatre experience creating memories which you will cherish long after the final curtain falls!
FAITH HEALER
DEVONSHIRE PARK THEATRE | Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 November | £20 – £27.50
Frank Hardy has a gift. A gift of healing.
A frayed banner hangs outside a desolate village hall. The sick, the suffering and the desperate arrive from out of the wind and the rain. They come in search of restoration, a cure.
Through the 1950s and 1960s, Hardy and his wife, Grace, travel to remote corners of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Accompanied by manager Teddy, they move from village to village, bringing an unpredictable mix of theatricality and the spiritual.
Using four enthralling monologues to interweave the stories of these three intriguing characters, Friel takes us on an extraordinary journey of shifting perspectives and uncertain memories.
Faith Healer is directed by Michael Cabot for London Classic Theatre whose previous productions include Abigail’s Party, Same Time Next Year and Boeing Boeing.
WHITNEY – QUEEN OF THE NIGHT
CONGRESS THEATRE | Thursday 9 November, 7.30pm | £22-£32
Celebrating the music and life of one of the greatest singers of our time with a sensational cast and live band.
This production delivers an outstanding concert taking audiences on a ride through three decades of nostalgic hits including I Wanna Dance with Somebody, One Moment In Time, I’m Every Woman, I Will Always Love You, My Love Is Your Love and many more.
JAMES MARTIN LIVE
CONGRESS THEATRE | Saturday 11 November, 7.30pm | £31.50 – £47
Celebrity chef James Martin is turning up the heat with a brand-new tour for 2023.
Following a sell-out 2022 tour the proud Yorkshire-born chef is travelling across the country entertaining audiences with live demonstrations and cooking tasks. Expect fun, laughter, food and even some live music in this exclusive gastronomic experience.
SHREK THE MUSICAL
CONGRESS THEATRE | Monday 13 – Saturday 18 November | £29-46
Based on the Oscar winning DreamWorks film, the Broadway and West End smash hit Shrek the Musical is a fun filled and hilarious musical comedy with a cast of vibrant characters and a ‘shrektackular’ score.
Leading our stellar cast as the legendary Shrek is Theatre extraordinaire Antony Lawrence (The Lion King, Mary Poppins, Matilda the Musical, We Will Rock You), Strictly Come Dancing and leading lady Joanne Clifton (Strictly Come Dancing, The Addams Family) as the beloved Princess Fiona, Olivier- Award nominated James Gillan (Everybody’s Talking about Jamie) as the evil Lord Farquaad, and Theatre favourite Brandon Lee Sears (Dreamgirls, Come From Away, Motown) as the loveable Donkey.
Featuring fabulous songs including the smash hit I’m a Believer, Shrek the Musical is a “musical extravaganza for big kids and little kids alike”.
THE HAUNTING
DEVONSHIRE PARK THEATRE | Tuesday 14 & Wednesday 15 November | £23 – £27.50
By Hugh Janes
Adapted from the ghost stories of Charles Dickens, Directed by Nick Young
A gripping adaptation of Dickens’ most haunting works.
When book dealer, David Filde, is employed to catalogue an estate’s impressive library, he finds an incredible array of rare books. However, as a series of strange and unexplained events conspire to keep him from his work, he soon realises that if he is to convince his sceptical employer that the mysterious phenomena he is experiencing are real, they must journey together to discover the source of the terrifying visitations.
AN EVENING OF LAUREL & HARDY
DEVONSHIRE PARK THEATRE | Thursday 16 November, 7.45pm | £21.50
Join Neil Brand, composer, writer, broadcaster and musician with his all-new show about the immortal comedy duo.
Fully illustrated with stills, clips (both silent and sound) and Neil’s superlative piano accompaniment, culminating in two of the Boys’ best silent short films, Big Business and Liberty.
STEELEYE SPAN
DEVONSHIRE PARK THEATRE | Sunday 19 November, 7.45pm | £29
Folk Rock pioneers, Steeleye Span changed the face of folk music forever, taking it out of small clubs and into the world of gold discs and international tours.
Five decades on and this six-piece line up celebrates over fifty years of wonderful music playing all the favorite songs and tunes from their long and glittering career.
THE STYLISTICS
CONGRESS THEATRE | Tuesday 21 November, 7.45pm | £38
With their charisma, style and harmony – The Stylistics, Airrion Love and Herb Murrell (from the original line up) with Barrington ‘Bo’ Henderson and Jason Sharp – have evolved into one of the best-selling Philadelphia groups ever. They will be sharing magic moments, performing their greatest hits classics plus much more.
FRANKENSTEIN
DEVONSHIRE PARK THEATRE | Tuesday 21- Saturday 25 November | £20-£27
A new story inspired by the classic novel by Mary Shelley. Written and directed by Séan Aydon
1943. Whilst Europe tears itself apart, two women hide from their past at what feels like the very end of the world. And one of them has a terrifying story to tell…
“I created life. You don’t believe me but it’s true. I didn’t start from scratch of course but out of portions and odd ends I made something –alive. But what I created… it wasn’t a superhuman. It was a monster.”
This new thriller inspired by the classic gothic novel and complete with a stunning original score explores the very fabric of what makes us human and the ultimate cost of chasing “perfection”.
Frankenstein is an electrifying reimagining of the world’s favourite horror story that will set minds and spines tingling.
THE MANFREDS: MAXIMUM RNB
CONGRESS THEATRE | Friday 24 November, 7.30pm | £35.50
Join The Manfreds as they celebrate a 60 years in the business and see Paul Jones and Mike D’Abo on tour together for the last time alongside long standing members Rob Townsend, Marcus Cliffe and Simon Currie.
The band defined a decade with their unique sound, enjoy hits including Pretty Flamingo, 5-4-3-2-1, Come Tomorrow, Mighty Quinn and Do Wah Diddy Diddy.
South Coast Ballet present THE NUTCRACKER
CONGRESS THEATRE | Saturday 25 November, 6pm | £17.50
Bringing together a talented cast of young dancers from across Sussex and Kent, South Coast Ballet invites you to step into a wonderful world as Clara encounters waltzing snowflakes and battling mice before travelling to the magical Kingdom of Sweets.
An enjoyable evening for ballet lovers and the whole family.
This is an amateur performance.
LONDON PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA presents
MOZART & BEETHOVEN
CONGRESS THEATRE | Sunday 26 November 2023, 3pm | £31
Beethoven Overture, Fidelio
Mozart Clarinet Concerto
Beethoven Symphony No. 4
Bertie Baigent conductor
Benjamin Mellefont clarinet
In Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony his imagination runs riot. Bertie Baigent, winner of the Grand Prix at the 2022 Rotterdam International Conducting Competition, won’t hold back, in a concert of Beethoven at his most unbuttoned and Mozart at his most ravishing.
THE RONNIE SCOTTS ALL STARS present THE RONNIE SCOTT’S STORY
CONGRESS THEATRE | Wednesday 29 November, 7.30pm | £25
Direct from London’s world-famous jazz club and combining world-class live jazz, narration, rare archive photos and video footage. This is a unique evening celebrating one of the world’s most famous jazz venues, its music, and history.
FAIRYTALE OF NEW YORK
CONGRESS THEATRE | Thursday 30 November, 7.30pm | £28.50
Featuring an international cast of singers, musicians and dancers Fairytale of New York brings you favourite Christmas songs including of course The Fairytale of New York.
Just when you think the party couldn’t get any better, this show also features some of the greatest Irish sing-a-long songs of all time, this magical Irish-inspired Christmas show will have audiences of all ages singing, laughing and dancing.