Busy line-up of shows for 2023 at Chichester Festival Theatre - all you need to know

The men who broke the bank and lost the cargo are back in this brand-new adaptation of the much-loved classic Ealing Comedy. One of the ‘greatest British films of all time’ (BFI) is brought to life on stage by Olivier-nominated playwright Phil Porter, directed by Tony and Olivier-nominated Jeremy Sams.

The comedy tells the story of Henry Holland, an unassuming bank clerk who dreams of stealing the van full of gold bullion he drives across London each day. When Henry learns that his new lodger makes Eiffel Tower paperweights out of lead, he devises a plan to make his dream a reality. It’s a golden opportunity to pull off the crime of the century…

Girl From The North Country (Festival Theatre, January 24-28) comes from playwright Conor McPherson (The Weir, The Seafarer), boldly reimagining the songs of Bob Dylan like you’ve never heard them before in an uplifting and universal story about family and love.

It’s 1934 in the heartland of America and a group of wayward souls cross paths in a time-weathered guesthouse. Standing at a turning point in their lives, they realise nothing is what it seems.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is next up, Festival Theatre, January 31-February 4. Based on Deborah Moggach’s Sunday Times bestseller,The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel takes us on a journey to India with an eclectic group of British retirees as they embark on a new life.

Hayley Mills (Wild at Heart, Pollyanna, The Parent Trap), Paul Nicholas (Jesus Christ Superstar, Just Good Friends, EastEnders) and Rula Lenska (Rock Follies, Coronation Street, EastEnders), feature alongside Andy de la Tour (Notting Hill, Star Wars, The Young Ones), Rekha John-Cheriyan (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Tomb Raider, Hollyoaks) and Marlene Sidaway (Coronation Street, Pride and Prejudice).

Mother Goose (Festival Theatre, February 7-11) is next (ages six and up). Running an Animal Sanctuary for waifs and strays, Mother Goose has a good, kind heart. But will unexpected money and fame get the better of her? Mother Goose promises to be full of fun, laughter and more than a couple of surprises.

How Not To Drown will be in the Minerva Theatre, February 14-18. Award-winning theatre company ThickSkin returns to the stage with an action-packed, highly visual production telling the painful yet uplifting true story of an eleven year-old unaccompanied asylum-seeker.

Bugsy Malone will be in the Festival Theatre from February 15-19 (ages six and up). Alan Parker’s movie becomes a spectacular theatrical experience, directed by Sean Holmes.

Pride And Prejudice* (*sort of), Festival Theatre, February 21-25, offers an audacious retelling of Jane Austen’s love story. Men, money and microphones will be fought over in an irreverent but affectionate adaptation.