Feast of entertainment at Notts venues for audiences to enjoy this year

With seven sell-out Edinburgh Fringe runs behind it, the theatrical improvised whodunit Murder, She Didn’t Write has announced a UK tour and will be heading to Nottingham Theatre Royal on April 25 and 26.

In this interactive show, the audience becomes the author as a classic Agatha Christie-inspired murder mystery is written live.

Using quick-witted humour to turn nonsensical storylines into a unique show every time, this Edinburgh Festival Fringe favourite is being taken on tour by the established Bristol-based theatre company, Degrees of Error, who have over a decade of experience entertaining audiences.

The talented company perform an ensemble of brightly coloured characters, with the murderer and victim chosen by an audience member in a Cluedo-esque take on the improv format.

From a poisoning at a synchronised swimming gala, to being crushed to death at a Love Island recoupling, the slick and experienced cast use quick-witted humour to turn nonsensical story lines into a hilarious and unique show every time.

For more on how to get tickets, go to www.trch.co.uk

For something a little different before then, you can try Ireland The Show, at Mansfield Palace Theatre on March 13.

Come along to the Leeming Street-based venue for a rip-roaring journey through the decades of a globally loved culture, ahead of St Patrick’s Day.

The show features an all-star cast of the Emerald Isle's most talented and award-winning performers, including Gary Gamble, Ritchie Remo, Elaine Boyle, plus live band Keltic Storm and the Gael Force Irish dancers, who will bring their high energy jigs and reels, Riverdance-style.

Sway to well-known ballads and clap and sing along to all the best loved hits, including the Irish Rover, Galway Girl, Danny Boy and Whisky in the Jar, to name just a few.

As well as music from iconic artists like the Dubliners, the Pogues, Makem and Clancy, Luke Kelly and Christy Moore, there will be hilarious stories and jokes from award-winning comedian Gary Gamble. His surreal impressions of Daniel O’Donnell are worth the admission fee alone.

The show’s musical director and producer, James McGarrity, promises a rich mix of song, music, dance and comedy for a night to remember: “Our aim is to take you on a journey showcasing Irish humour, Irish dance, well-known Irish songs and Irish traditional pieces in a one-stop shop for everything Irish”.

For more on ticket availability, you can go to www.mansfieldpalace.co.uk

There’s still time for you to catch the last few performances of Girls & Boys at Nottingham Playhouse, running until March 1, written by award-winning Dennis Kelly and featuring a tour-de-force performance from Notts-born Aisling Loftus.

Aisling’s many credits include Sherwood and Mr Selfridge on TV and Touched at Nottingham Playhouse. She takes the compelling lead role in Dennis Kelly’s gripping drama.

Girls & Boys starts as a typical love story – boy meets girl and sparks fly. An intense, passionate relationship begins. In time they settle down, have children and live ordinary, chaotic lives.

But beneath the veneer of normality, a disturbing undercurrent is growing.

Their seemingly perfect world unravels, revealing shocking truths about family, violence and what really goes on behind closed doors.

For ticket availability for the remaining performances, you can go to www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk

For something out of the ordinary, try Murder Trial Tonight at Nottingham’s Albert Hall on April 3 and 4.

Tigerslane Studios, renowned for its productions based on true crime events, has announced the third season of Murder Trial Tonight - The Doorstep Case.

With a dedicated team of storytellers, technicians and performers, Tigerslane Studios continues to break down the fourth wall and bring true-crime stories to life in an unparalleled way.

The show begins on screen, giving the audience the backdrop and opening to the true crime story. Then, the action moves to the stage for a live murder trial, immersing the audience in a fast-paced courtroom experience.

As members of the jury, the audience plays a crucial role in this thrilling murder mystery.

Both the prosecution and defence present their cases, cross-examine witnesses, and at the end of the show, the audience deliberates and delivers their verdict: guilty or not guilty. At the end of the trial, footage of the murder is revealed. Did the jury deliver the right verdict?

“This isn’t just a theatre play; it’s a social experiment,” says the show’s West End director Graham Watts. “We aim to challenge perceptions and engage our audience in a way that goes beyond traditional theatre.”

For more, go to https://www.alberthallnottingham.co.uk/WhatsOn

Actor and comedian Miles Jupp is back on the road with his latest stand-up show On I Bang and can be seen at Nottingham Playhouse on March 24.

Since Miles went on his previous tour in 2017, he has played Emperor Francis I in Ridley Scott’s film Napoleon, a man who loses a battle, and consequently rather a lot of territory, in spectacular fashion.

He’s been in the TV reboot of The Full Monty on Disney Plus, as well as episodes of Frankie Boyle’s New World Order and Have I Got News For You. He’s also made an award-winning radio series and he’s published a novel.

Yet one sunny day in the middle of all this, he suddenly suffered a brain seizure. This led to the discovery of a tumour the size of a cherry tomato, and a rather pressing need to undergo major neurosurgery.

Obviously, he doesn’t wish to make a big deal of it, but the experience has left him with a story to tell and a few things that he’d like to share. So here he is with latest live show On I Bang.

For more on ticket availability to see Miles, see www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk.

Retford Majestic Theatre will welcome Paul Zerdin, winner of America’s Got Talent 2015, to perform his new touring show Jaw Drop on October 11.

Expect a night of laughter and jaw-dropping entertainment featuring the remarkable talents of ventriloquist Zerdin, with a show that brings to life his delightful cast of characters including Sam, the cocky teenager; Albert, the 96-year-old with a razor-sharp wit; and the Baby, who hilariously believes the world revolves around him.

Adding to the hilarity are Paul’s dim-witted American bodyguard Roger and an outrageous Urban Fox. This tour also marks the return of Paul’s TV and radio personality character, Alasdair Rimmer, who is eager to make a comeback with Paul’s help.

The evening will also include his famous human dummy routine with an exciting new twist.

For more on the visit, you can go to https://www.majesticretford.org/

Finally, rising stand-up ace Louise Young visits Nottingham’s Canalhouse on April 30 to perform latest live show Feral.

This debut show, nominated for an Edinburgh Comedy Award, is about class, chaos and coming out.

Through a number of chaotic life experiences the show delves into what it means to be an unpalatable type of working class, navigating the edges of poverty, mental illness and how easy it is to fall through the cracks. Whilst vulnerable, it’s equally warm and joyful, turning her Geordie lens on lesbian culture and her relationship with her Turkish side.

It is an upbeat look at dysfunction, haphazard living and feeling out of place in the arts.

Louise has quickly become one of the brightest new names on the comedy circuit. Her debut work-in-progress show was nominated for both Best Debut Show Leicester Comedy Festival 2023 and the Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Debut Show 2023.

She has supported the likes of Alan Carr, Tom Allen and Jason Manford on their nationwide tours around the UK and Ireland.

Louise has appeared on Comedy Central Live! as well as writing and acting in Channel 4’s Original Comedy Shorts on three sketches, one of which went on to receive more than five million views. She also appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Fred at The Stand.

For more on tickets to see her in action, you can go to https://www.ents24.com/nottingham-events/canalhouse/louise-young/7224657