Hit musicals, Mrs Browns Boys and international burlesque provide highlights of Edinburgh Playhouse 2020 programme

HAVING revealed that Disney’s The Lion King must finish on Saturday 18 April after adding another 25 new performances, The Playhouse has started looking ahead to their 2020 season.

Musicals, comedy and concerts provide the mainstay of the coming programme, with something for everyone.

Receiving their Edinburgh stage premieres in the year ahead will be Once, Heathers The Musical, Dreamgirls and The Book of Mormon.

Based on the much loved film, Once (26-30 May) tells the uplifting story of two lost souls - a Dublin street busker and a Czech musician - who unexpectedly fall in love. Likewise, based on the 1988 cult film of the same name, Heathers The Musical (7-11 July) tells the story of Veronica Sawyer and the Heathers a decade before Mean Girls.

Following in the footsteps of 2006 Oscar winning film, Dreamgirls (24 November-5 December) tells the story of three talented singers in the 1960s, a turbulent time in American music history, featuring classic songs And I am Telling You I’m Not Going, Listen and One Night Only.

However, one of the most highly anticipated shows coming to the Playhouse this year is The Book of Mormon (17 June-4 July) is the Tony, the Olivier and Grammy award-winning musical from the creators of South Park which follows the misadventures of a pair of missionaries sent on a mission to a place that’s about as a far from Salt Lake City as you can get.

2020 also sees the return of Beautiful, Footloose and The Commitments.

For those missing their fix of dance in 2020, Riverdance returns (24-26 April) with their 25th anniversary show, Strictly Come Dancing The Professionals (3-4 June) comes direct from the BBC One TV show starring 2019 winner Oti Mabuse and Strictly Ballroom (10-14 November), a musical based on Buz Luhrmann’s 1992 film, directed by Strictly Come Dancing’s very own Craig Revel Horwood, tours to the Capital.

Comedy at the Playhouse brings Josh Widdicome (31 May), Brendan O’Carroll and Mrs Brown’s Boys (16-19 July) and Russell Howard (18 August) to the Greenside Place venue.

Other highlights include international burlesque queen and fashion icon Dita Von Teese (28 April) for the only Scottish date on her Glamonatrix international tour, celebrated blues-rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Joe Bonamassa (27 April) and a motivational journey of self-help and self-discovery by Ant Middleton (1 November).

All tickets available from www.atgtickets.com/venues/edinburgh-playhouse/

Hit musicals, Mrs Browns Boys and international burlesque provide highlights of Edinburgh Playhouse 2020 programme - which will you be booking for?