Birmingham Hippodrome has today, (Thu 18 Apr) announced a line-up of new productions including brand-new festive family musical The Jingleclaw, the first new musical to be produced by the Hippodrome. A stellar line up of West End and Broadway smash-hit musicals including & Juliet, Chitty Chitty Bang and Only Fools and Horses – The Musical will also come to the theatre in 2025.
Starting the new 2025 season, dance fans can look forward to a major new revival of Matthew Bourne’s audacious, rule breaking reinvention of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece Swan Lake (Thu 6 – Sat 15 Feb 2025).
In March 2025, a brand-new production of the much-loved family favourite Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (Tue 4 – Sun 9 Mar 2025) will fly into Birmingham bursting with unforgettable songs. Direct from a record-breaking four-year sold-out run in London’s West End, Del Boy, Rodney and the gang arrive in the city with Only Fools and Horses the Musical (Tue 1 Apr – Fri 11 Apr 2025) starring Paul Whitehouse as Grandad.
The Broadway and West End sensation, Kinky Boots the Musical (Tue 15 – Sat 19 Apr 2025), will be strutting back to the Hippodrome in a brand-new production starring Strictly star Johannes Radebe as Lola†. Later in April, audiences will be whisked away on a fabulous journey with & Juliet (Tue 22 Apr – Sat 3 May 2025), as Juliet finds out there is life after Romeo, through a playlist of pop anthems as iconic as her name, including Britney Spears’ Baby One More Time and Katy Perry’s Roar.
Welsh National Opera will return to the Hippodrome with the classic opera Marriage of Figaro (Thu 8 May 2025) where love and laughter converge in a whirlwind of clever schemes and Mozart’s melodic brilliance, alongside a brand-new production of Britten’s iconic Peter Grimes (Sat 10 May 2025).
Later in May the smash-hit London Palladium production of Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (Tue 20 May - Sun 1 Jun 2025) returns for a two-week run.
This Autumn, Birmingham Royal Ballet’s La Fille mal gardée (Wed 25 – Sat 28 Sep 2024) will mix spectacular classical ballet with slick comedy, a clog-dancing dame, a super-cute pony, as well as live music from the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. In October, the Company will present the final part of Carlos Acosta’s Birmingham trilogy Luna (Thu 3 – Sat 5 Oct 2024 ), a new work inspired by the pioneering women of Birmingham.
Newly announced works in the Patrick Studio include Always & Forever (Fri 31 May 2024), a show which pays tribute to Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar with a musical journey through the timeless melodies that defined an era, and Tones (Thu 6 & Fri 7 Jun 2024) which combines gritty underground sounds of Hip-Hop, Grime and Drill with the melodrama of Opera creating a piece of gig theatre like no other.
British Black Ballet - Island Movements (Sat 22 Jun 2024) will present a moving ballet that tells the epic tale of a Windrush family and their life in the UK. Windrush, The Journey: A concert and exhibition (Thu 13 – Sat 15 Jun 2024) will pay tribute to Windrush, showcasing a rich tapestry of music and storytelling, and celebrating Black classical composers with an exciting fusion of classical music, jazz and blues alongside a free exhibition.
British Youth Music Theatre return to the Patrick Studio with bewitching new musical Unbound in August (Fri 16 – Sun 18 Aug) and later in the year brand-new musical Four Felons and a Funeral (Thu 26 – Sat 28 Sep 2024) will tell the story of four dysfunctional friends on a road trip to scatter their best mate’s ashes. Nathan Queeley-Dennis’ debut play Bullring Techo Makeout Jamz (Wed 2 Oct – Sat 5 Oct 2024) is a love letter to Birmingham and will explore Black masculinity through Beyoncé lyrics, techno raves and the deeply intimate relationship between a man and his barber.
Audiences will dazzled by the spirit of Bollywood meeting the soul of funk with Botown (Sat 21 Sep), a fusion of music, culture and pure entertainment; and Noreen Khan, Shazia Mirza, Kyrah Gray and Sukh Ojla will flex their female funny muscles with Ladies of Laughter (Fri 11 Oct).
This December, Birmingham Hippodrome’s New Musical Theatre department will present their first full production, The Jingleclaw (Fri 13 Dec 2024 - Sat 4 Jan 2025), a festive family musical created for 3–7 year olds. Written by Robyn Grant and Tim Gilvin, The Jingleclaw is set in a cosy village in the snowy mountains, telling the story of young musician Astrid and the mischievous forest creature The Jingleclaw. The production marks the first in a series of musicals for young children, produced by Birmingham Hippodrome under the My First Musical banner.
Jon Gilchrist, Artistic Director and CEO at Birmingham Hippodrome said:
“2024 marks 125 years of Birmingham Hippodrome providing the region with what we like to call ‘goosebumps’ moments. It’s incredibly exciting to be ending the year with our first new musical for families, which we hope will give our youngest audiences that first spark of joy from experiencing musical theatre.”
There will be a range of Audio Described, Captioned, BSL interpreted and relaxed performances throughout the season, to find out more head to the Hippodrome’s accessible performances web page.
Tickets for all new season shows will go on sale to Friends of Birmingham Hippodrome on Thursday 18 April at 11am and on general sale on Monday 22 April at 11am.
Tickets for all shows can be booked at www.birminghamhippodrome.com or by calling 0844 338 5000*
*0844 calls will cost you 4.5p per minute plus your phone company’s access charge.
†Please note that Johannes Radebe will not be performing on Wednesday 16 Apr 2025.
