NEWS: Stellar line up of shows for the new year on sale next week - Lighthouse, Poole.

Stellar new shows set to go on sale at Lighthouse this week 

Following his rapturously received outing in September at its first season of outdoor performances, BGT magician Ben Hart is to return to Lighthouse, Poole’s centre for the arts, next year with his latest theatrical show, Wonder, on Sunday 6 June 2021. 

And he’s in good company with a number of star names announcing shows for next year including Grayson Perry and Tim Peake. Other new shows to go on sale this week with others including Tall Stories’ production of The Gruffalo’s Child and the showbiz sensation that is The (Steve) Royle Variety Performance. 

Those shows are joined earlier in the year by the January and February editions of Live and Unheard and Coastal Comedy, our monthly showcases for emerging talent in music and comedy respectively. 

The full line up of shows to also go on sale this week is: 

• Live and Unheard. Thursday 14 January. 7.30pm. Theatre. Self-proclaimed Kings of Mongrel, Lump headline the first LAU of the year with Poole-based Miss Ruby’s Roadhouse Blues Band and seasoned busker Carley Varley. 

• Coastal Comedy. Saturday 16 January. 8pm. Theatre. The monthly comedy showcase returns with TV headliner Troy Hawke, the Errol Flynn of the high street – educated, sophisticated, but utterly clueless. Character comedian Milo McCabe (aka Troy Hawke) and podcast chart topped Jim Campbell complete the line-up. 

• Live and Unheard. Thursday 11 February. Theatre. The monthly unsigned music showcase returns with eye-catching rocker Aaron O’Shea, psychedelic dream popstrel Cherry Morris and a solo spot from Samurais singer Neil Sexton. 

• Coastal Comedy. Saturday 13 February. 8pm. Theatre. Live at the Apollo star Nathan Caton tops the bill with the raucously funny Abi Roberts opening the show and the brilliantly inventive Joey Page in between. 

• The Gruffalo’s Child. Friday 2 – Sunday 4 April. Various times. Theatre. Tall Stories’ enchanting adaptation of the much-loved picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. 

• Ben Hart: Wonder. Sunday 6 June. 7pm. Theatre. Britain’s Got Talent 2019 finalist, West End star and multi award-winning magician Ben Hart is embarking on his debut solo tour. Described by David Walliams as ‘the living embodiment of magic’, with the simplest of props and using the objects and minds of the audience, Ben Hart conjures a show that shines a light on magic, life, the universe and the darkest corners of our imaginations. 

• Grayson Perry: A Show for Normal People. Sunday 10 October, 7pm. Concert Hall. Award-winning artist and best-selling author Grayson Perry is a normal person asking big questions. Join him for an evening of eye-watering existentialism.  

• The (Steve) Royle Variety Performance. Thursday 28 October. 7.45pm. Theatre. Britain’s Got Talent 2020 top three finalist, comedian, juggler and variety star Steve Royle takes his Royle Variety Performance on the road for a fun-filled evening for all the family. 

• Elf The Musical. Wednesday 24 – Saturday 27 November. Various times. Theatre. We're delighted to see local community players Poole and Parkstone returning to Lighthouse with a modern-day festive classic that is sure to make everyone embrace their inner elf.  

• An Evening with Tim Peake. Saturday 4 December. 7.30pm. Concert Hall. Join astronaut Tim Peake on an epic and thrilling journey to the International Space Station, as he reveals the secrets, the science and the everyday wonders of how and why humans journey into space. 

With the exception of Coastal Comedy’s January show, which is already on sale, tickets go on pre-sale to Lighthouse Friends only from Wednesday 25 November and on general sale from Friday 27 November. Tickets must be booked in advance at https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk. 

Already on sale for next year are: Ray Mears: We Are Nature (20 February), Grace Petrie and the Resistance Band (4 March), Think Floyd (11 March), Circus of Horrors (16 March), The Drifters (9 April), Northern Live – Do I Love You (16 April), Woman Like Me – The Little Mix Show (18 April), Sandi Toksvig Live! The National Trevor Tour (24 April), The Barricade Boys (29 April), Stewart Lee: Snowflake/Tornado (15 May), In the Night Garden Live (2, 3 June), David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny (9-13 June), Rock of Ages: Here We Go Again (15-19 June), The American Four Tops (17 June), Coastal Comedy Colossal (25 September) and Steve Hackett: Genesis Revisited Seconds Out + More (8 October), Show of Hands – Tyne to Tamar (10 November), John Bishop – Right Here Right Now (2 December). 

Subject to the latest safety guidelines, more shows will be announced in the coming weeks. 

For details of Lighthouse Friends visit https://www.lighthousepoole.co.uk/support-lighthouse/.