1 week Ago
The season begins at Easter with daytime performances of a new play by John Brolly, based on the Cornish tale The Mermaid of Zennor and performed by the Minack Youth Theatre. Evening audiences can enjoy a darker tale, as veteran Kneehigh actor David Mynne takes the stage with his acclaimed one-man performance of Dracula, The Vampyr. One of the highlights of the season will be Les Misérables: Let the People Sing, scheduled during the summer half-term from May 25 to 30.
The Minack is one of 11 venues across the UK invited by Cameron Mackintosh and Music Theatre International (MTI) to host the first amateur productions of the entire musical. The performance will feature a combined group of Cornish companies led by Helston Theatre Company, with Redruth Amateur Musical & Pantomime Society, St Austell Amateur Operatic Society, and Truro Amateur Operatic & Dramatic Society. Boublil and Schoenberg, writers of Les Misérables, will feature later in the season too, when London-based company, Sedos, will present one of their lesser-known pieces, The Pirate Queen.
This epic tale of love, honour, and piracy is set in Renaissance Ireland. Fans of iconic musical theatre can look forward to The Who’s Tommy, which will be performed live on the Minack stage by the British Theatre Academy in August. The spring season will also include Zoe Cooper’s adaptation of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey, a family-friendly version of Treasure Island by La Navet Bete, and a collection of comedies.
These include The Wind in the Willows (Illyria), Jeeves & Wooster in Perfect Nonsense (Newport Playgoers), an adaptation of The Hound of the Baskervilles (Romsey AODS), and Making a Killing, a dark comedy written and directed by Cornish actor Ben Kernow and presented by Ha Hum Ah. The Minack will also host productions of four Shakespeare plays: Twelfth Night (Miracle Theatre), Hamlet (Winchester Players), A Midsummer Night’s Dream (OVO) and Macbeth (The Duke’s Theatre Company). Keeping with the Shakespearean theme, Shattered Windscreen will present Shakespeare in Love, the stage version of the hit film, in August.
The summer productions will also feature a variety of animals, from the gigantic to the minute. Tower Theatre’s new musical adaptation of Melville’s classic tale, Moby Dick, and Cornish company Bodkin Theatre’s production of Miss Benson’s Beetle will be on show. The emotional journey of the hero in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, presented by Next Stage Theatre, will also be a highlight.
The Minack season is not just about drama - a variety of musical performances will also be on offer, catering to all tastes. Highlights include The Fisherman’s Friends (April), The Penguin Café Orchestra and Seth Lakeman (May), The Magic Numbers (June), Scott Matthews (July), Patrick Wolf and Seasick Steve (September). Bookings for The Magic Numbers and Seasick Steve open on Wednesday, January 15.
Bookings for Les Misérables: Let the People Sing open on Wednesday, January 22. Bookings for Fisherman’s Friends and Seth Lakeman open on Wednesday, January 29. Bookings for all other events open February 10.
Priority booking dates are available for Minack supporters and members on the Minack website. Advance booking for events, visits, and tours is essential during school holidays and recommended at other times. More information on future performances at the Minack can be found at minack.
com..
