Watermill announces 2024 season including musical Barnum and The King's Speech

The Watermill Theatre - recently crowned joint winner of Theatre of the Year at The Stage Awards 2024 - has announced its full 2024 season, including a revival of musical Barnum and a new stage production of The King’s Speech.

Joint chief executives, artistic director Paul Hart and executive director Claire Murray, revealed the theatre would kick off programming with the Watermill Ensemble’s production of Much Ado About Nothing.

Running from April 12 to May 18, the Tom Wentworth adaptation will be directed by Hart, and reimagines the Shakespearean comedy as set in the Golden Age of Hollywood.

From May 23 to June 15, RJG Productions and the Watermill present the world premiere of Fanny, a new comedy by Calum Finlay. Directed by Katie-Ann McDonough, the show stars Charlie Russell, and follows the life of Fanny Mendelssohn, sister of the globally-renowned composer.

On July 2, the Watermill will stage Barnum, a musical about the legendary circus ringmaster. With music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Michael Stewart and a book by Mark Bramble, the production is directed by Jonathan O’Boyle and choreographed by Oti Mabuse. It runs until September 8.

Entering the autumn, the venue will stage David Seidler’s The King’s Speech, in a production directed by Emma Butler, running from September 20 to November 2.

And heralding the festive season is a new musical take on the classic Pinocchio, which will take place from November 15 to January 5 2025.

Alongside in-house productions, the Watermill plays host to the Wardrobe Ensemble’s adaptation of Babette Cole’s Princess Smartypants, from 4 to 6 April, as well as reprising their Watermill Comedy Night.

Hart said: "We have started this year having our theatre and work recognised with some amazing awards, and we’re delighted to share our next season which combines new writing and new approaches to much-loved titles."

Murray added: "We’re excited to bring our distinctive Watermill style to a brilliant collection of plays and musicals and proud to continue to invest in new writing and adaptations as well as revivals. Our production of Barnum, featuring acrobatics and actor musicians, will take over the whole site, immersing audiences in the thrill and spectacle of the circus - it’s going to be another fantastic summer for all the family."

She continued: "As a registered charity, fundraising is vital to our continued work and we’re delighted to add to our Friends memberships, with new levels starting from as little as £10 per month. These new levels provide opportunities for people to engage with The Watermill on a deeper level – to gain a real insight into our work, get to know us better, and really see the difference their donation is making. We have also introduced the Watermill Musical Circle, through which donors can support and follow the process of creating a musical from the early stages of development, into the rehearsal room all the way to the on-stage experience. We hope this will help us welcome more people to be part of the Watermill’s growing community of donors."