It is an exciting time to be a Kent-based theatregoer, with Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre announcing a strong blend of blockbuster touring shows and ambitious homegrown productions as part of its 2026 Summer Season Launch.
Headlining the announcements were two enormous upcoming productions. Michael Fentiman, director of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe and Amélie, is directing a brand-new Marlowe Theatre production of Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities for September 2026. A Tale of Two Cities, the best-selling novel of all time, is adapted for the stage by Terence Rattigan and John Gielgud. The production follows last year’s terrific The Party Girls, another Marlowe Theatre-produced piece, marking a continuation of the Kent theatre’s commitment to homegrown theatremaking and supporting local creatives.
In addition, the theatre has also announced, in its smaller studio space, a brand-new family musical adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s The Reluctant Dragon, coming to the theatre as one of two festive offerings at the venue. The Reluctant Dragon is a brand-new family musical about friendship, unlikely heroes, and having the courage to be different, based on the book by Kenneth Grahame, with book and lyrics by Samson Hawkins and direction by Lucy Wray.
Adaptations of Agatha Christie’s work are also becoming a staple of the theatre’s programme, with a new outing, The Hollow, arriving in October. Agatha Christie’s The Hollow sees renowned detective Hercule Poirot expecting to take a quiet weekend break in the country and instead being drawn into one of the most unsettling cases of his career. When a body is discovered in the drawing room, Poirot finds himself navigating a treacherous web of desire, jealousy and betrayal. This follows the hugely successful Death On The Nile earlier this year.
The Marlowe Theatre also announced a wave of new touring shows for the upcoming season too. Helen George will be appearing in High Society in October, following its run at the Barbican, marking the ‘Call The Midwife’ star’s second appearance at the venue in recent years, following her lead role in 2023’s The King and I. Meanwhile, the theatre will also play host to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats, following its summer run at Regent’s Park’s Open Air Theatre, preceding a new production of iconic jukebox musical Jersey Boys walking like a man onto the Kent stage. The season announcements also included the superb Just For One Day – The Live Aid Musical, coming to Canterbury in April 2027, full of pulsating rock hits that catapult audiences back to that iconic 80s afternoon, before chaotic nanny Mrs Doubtfire sends help on its way in an August residency.
Fans of Paranormal Activity are in for a spooky treat as the hit theatre show arrives in October 2026 as part of its UK tour, with jump scares aplenty and a tremendously technical set that serves the horror well. Meanwhile the theatre continues its connection with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures dance company with Cinderella in March 2027, with a brilliant new link being forged between the theatre and the English National Ballet, who arrive with Carmen the following month.
While many theatres rely on touring productions to keep themselves going, it is refreshing to see a venue like the Marlowe continue to generate its own theatre with its growing production arm. Roll on the next season!
