 At Howlers we are serious about our comedy. With some of the brightest new talent appearing on stage alongside some of biggest names on the stand-up circuit, Howlers at the Playhouse is fast becoming one of the biggest nights out on the Cheltenham social calendar. Doors open at 19:15 and the showtime is 8pm to 10pm approximately.         Howlers usually sells out so please buy in advance to avoid disappointment.

Howlers November 2024

Cheltenham Playhouse

 He has been performing in the UK and Europe, both solo and with his band, exploring the different rhythms of Brazil like Bossa Nova, Samba Jazz and MPB. Expect an exciting evening with music from Djavan, Tom Jobim, Tim Maia, João Bosco, Gilberto Gil and many others.


João Menezes Trio

We screened an earlier Antonioni film last year as the first instalment of The ABC of Cinema. That was Red Desert (1964), starring Monica Vitti and Richard Harris. The theme of alienation pervades Antonioni’s films. In the earlier film it was Monica Vitti alienated from modern life; in The Passenger it is Jack Nicholson.

The Passenger (15)

 Europe’s Number one tribute to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers.Hear and see all the big hits including: I wont back down, American Girl, Running down a Dream Don’t come around here no more and many more. Also selected tracks from the Traveling Wilburys, Stevie Nicks, The Byrds and Thunderclap Newman. 

The Tom Petty Legacy 2024

In their 7 years of touring, the band have performed across the world and featured on the BBC prime-time TV show, Even Better Than The Real Thing. 2019 saw Wrong Jovi perform over 100 shows around the world. Selling out music venues and theatres across the UK and headlining festivals in Malta, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, as well as back home in the UK - including a headline slot on the Electro Love stage at 2019’s Isle Of Wight Festival. Performing a set of greatest hits, live favourites and rarities, the band ensure that there is something for the casual follower and even the most die hard of Bon Jovi fans.

Wrong Jovi 2024

 The film opens in the endless expanse of space during routine maintenance by a Space Shuttle crew: the confident, easy-going Kowalski (George Clooney) and the nervous, inexperienced Stone (Sandra Bullock). A voice from Mission Control reports that an unrelated missile strike on a satellite has created a field of debris orbiting the Earth at lethal speed. They are hit, severed from their safety tethers, sent careering into the blackness and left to find a way to get home.   Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón's 2013 Sci-Fi epic Gravity, won 7 Oscars from 10 nominations, but the direction is arguably secondary to the immersive cinematography from his compatriot Emmanuel Lubezki. With few visual bearings to anchor us in space, our perspective is constantly shifting in some of the most dynamic camerawork ever seen. It is visually stunning and perfect for the big screen.

Gravity (12)

 Based on the original Broadway version the classic story tells of Belle, a young woman in a provincial town, and the Beast, who is really a young prince trapped under the spell of an enchantress. If the Beast can learn to love and be loved, the curse will end and he will be transformed to his former self. But time is running out. If the Beast does not learn his lesson soon, he and his household will be doomed for all eternity.

Beauty and the Beast JR - Savs

With a rich blend of backing vocals, driving piano, out of this world guitar playing, a rocking rhythm section and the outstanding vocal talents of Sally Rivers and of course MeatLoud himself, Andy Plimmer - They deliver a night never to forget

Meatloud 2024

Step into the supernatural world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer like never before with 'Once More, with Feeling: A Live Musical Concert Tribute.' Get ready to slay the night away as talented performers bring your favorite characters to life through iconic song and dance in this electrifying tribute to the incredible musical episode. Sing along to the memorable tunes, feel the nostalgia, and immerse yourself in the magic of Sunnydale in this one-of-a-kind live musical experience.

Once More With Feeling

Howlers Oct 2024

The narrative follows Miss Giddens (Deborah Kerr) as she applies to become the governess of Flora and Miles, orphans under the guardianship of their uncle. Miss Giddens must take full responsibility for the children and the uncle is not to be troubled with any problems. The previous governess, it transpires, died suddenly in circumstances not entirely clear.

The Innocents (12A)

 'Don your deerstalkers and sharpen your pencil because, after sell-out performances last year, Ghostlight Productions are back with another immersive, interactive murder mystery! 

Murder on Canvas

Experience the timeless magic of "A Christmas Carol". Charles Dickens' beloved ghost story of redemption and Christmas spirit, offering a heartwarming and at times spine tingling escape from the hustle and bustle. Join The Ghosts of Marley, Christmas Past, Present, and Future as they take Ebeneezer Scrooge on the journey of his life. Grove Productions returns following a critically acclaimed run of Macbeth, with captivating storytelling, memorable performances, and a festive atmosphere. Don't miss this chance to rekindle your holiday joy and share a treasured classic with family and friends. Embrace the spirits of Christmas today.

Christmas Carol

The Wedding Singer takes us back to when hair was big, collars were up and the wedding singer might just be the coolest guy in the room. Based on the Hollywood box office smash of the same name that starred world-class comedian Adam Sandler, this laugh-a-minute show is guaranteed to leave you with a smile on your face and a groove in those dancing feet. 

The Wedding Singer

As a companion-piece to The Playhouse Company’s stage production of Brontë (by Polly Teale), we are screening Wuthering Heights. There are many film adaptations to choose from, but this is the one directed by Andrea Arnold and it’s interesting for several reasons. First, it captures the atmosphere of the Yorkshire setting extremely well – rain, mists and mud, as well as exceptional beauty. Second, Arnold eschewed big stars in the cast and chose her Cathy and Heathcliff to be younger than usually portrayed, but more in keeping with Emily Brontë’s book. And third, she was the first to cast Black actors in the Heathcliff role.

Wuthering Heights (15)

DS:UK comes full circle and return in 2024 with their highly anticipated “Alchemical Tour” - their tribute to the Dire Straits infamous live “Alchemy” album, which was released as the first live album recorded during the final nights of the 1982 - 1983 - Love over gold Tour.

dS:uK

 At Howlers we are serious about our comedy. With some of the brightest new talent appearing on stage alongside some of biggest names on the stand-up circuit, Howlers at the Playhouse is fast becoming one of the biggest nights out on the Cheltenham social calendar. Doors open at 19:15 and the showtime is 8pm to 10pm approximately.

Howlers October 2024

 This new stage adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson classic brings to life the story of Gabriel Utterson as he tries to unravel the mystery of his friend Dr Jekyll's new associate Mr Hyde. Why would Jekyll change his will to leave everything to a man who has "Satan's signature written upon his face"? Can Dr Jekyll keep control of Mr Hyde? And will Utterson discover the terrible truth behind their friendship.


Jekyll & Hyde 2024

Jack Nicholson appears in The Little Shop of Horrors in one of his earliest film roles. We begin to see his unhinged side as Wilbur Force, a dentist’s patient, who is mainly interested in the experience of pain. Of course, this film is a comedy, so no need to hide under the seat, even in the presence of the blood-thirsty plant, which has been nurtured by the accident-prone assistant of the titular little shop.

Roger Corman Double Bill (15)

Cheltenham Chamber Orchestra September concert

The world premiere of 'Inspired by Holst', a series of three new professionally produced plays augmented by a community cast is coming to the Cheltenham Playhouse 26th - 28th September. ??

Inspired by Holst

'Brontë' by Polly Teale (renowned for her work with Shared Experience in dramatising works of literature) focusses on the achievements and tragedies of the four Brontë siblings. The play comprises a montage of scenes which fuse their unhappy exterior lives with their passionate interior worlds as demonstrated in the sisters' famed literary creations 'Jane Eyre', 'Wuthering Heights' and 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall'.

Playhouse Company - Brontë

Go beyond the curtains and backstage at The Cheltenham Playhouse and learn how theatre productions are brought to life at this historic building. Matt Nolan will guide you through all the backstage areas, and you will learn about the operations of the theatre whilst exploring the buildings' interesting past. Fancy a dip into the history of the old Montpellier baths? Well, you'll even see the remains of the swimming pool! 

Backstage Heritage Tour

 Remember the days of sequins, flares and platform boots? Remember the songs you know and love: Waterloo, Mamma Mia, Take a Chance on Me, Super Trouper and many, many more? Want to be taken back to a time when the airwaves were filled with Agnetha and Frida’s infamous harmonies and the dancefloor was packed with people moving to the unforgettable music of Benny and Bjorn? 

21st Century Abba 2024

At Howlers we are serious about our comedy. With some of the brightest new talent appearing on stage alongside some of biggest names on the stand-up circuit, Howlers at the Playhouse is fast becoming one of the biggest nights out on the Cheltenham social calendar. Doors open at 19:15 and the showtime is 8pm to 10pm approximately.

Howlers September 2024

 Music from the American song-book featuring :  Randy Newman, James Taylor, Tom Waits, Carole King, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers -  all of  Robin’s favourites. 

Robin A Smith and Marcello Constantinou

 Converted to a theatre in 1945, the Playhouse has an astonishing history dating back to 1806; it has been a salts works, slipper baths, steam mill, bakery, medicinal spa, indoor cycling school, gymnasium, ARP centre and a swimming pool – which still exists under the auditorium.

Heritage Open Day

In Rififi, Tony, an ageing jewel thief, just out of prison, is persuaded to take on another job, which he enlarges into a much more audacious and lucrative robbery. The theft itself is the centrepiece of the film, showing how the thieves enter the premises and work together to evade the security system and break the safe. With no dialogue or music, this half-hour scene is probably the most famous heist sequence in film history.

Rififi (12)

 Fifteen-year-old Christopher has an extraordinary brain. He is exceptional at maths, while everyday life presents some barriers. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched and he distrusts strangers. When he falls under suspicion for killing his neighbour’s dog, it takes him on a journey that upturns his world. 

The Curious Incident of the Dog

Jamie New is sixteen and lives on a council estate in Sheffield. Jamie doesn't quite fit in. Jamie is terrified about the future. Jamie is going to be a sensation.

Everybody's Talking About Jamie: Teen Edition

‘The Alex Voysey Blues Band’s performance at the Tuesday Night Music Club in London last week was nothing short of spectacular. From the moment they took to the stage it was evident that this band is something special’ Jace Media Music, TNMC July 2024

Alex Voysey Blues Band

 Hey Yahs are a fun and lively 11-piece show band from the West Midlands, made up of professional touring and session musicians. They feature fabulous male and female lead and harmony vocals, fantastic horns, and a floor-filling rhythm section. With their spirited combination of classic and contemporary greatest hits, they guarantee to get you in a good time mood.

Good Times - Hey Yahs

 Following their sold out shows in January 2024, nationally acclaimed Kate Bush tribute, Moments of Pleasure, will be returning to Cheltenham Playhouse for three nights in February and March 2025, presenting three brand new shows that celebrate Kate’s rich and varied musical career.

A Trio of Kate Bush

The empty stage becomes the canvas of creativity where our performers invent characters, relationships, and absurd situations right before your eyes. On this open field of imagination our teams will compete in a veritable variety of unscripted games and challenges to win the money-can-easily-buy 'Chuckle Cup' Trophy of Champions.Like the popular TV show 'Whose Line is it Anyway?' you won’t find rehearsed lines here; only our finest local improvisers jousting jokes like comedic knights, gathering gaffs like bumbling berry-pickers, and quilting quips like a laugh-inducing loom.

Whose Trophy is it Anyway - 2?

Let us show you the way of the Rockin' 70s, the brand new theatre tour recreating the sights and sounds of the era that changed music.

Rockin' 70s Show

We last saw Udo Kier in Bacurau (2019), where he played the violent hard-man leader of a bunch of assassins. Following a career filled with the roles of eccentric, flamboyant characters, here he is again as a very camp hairdresser, Pat Pitsenbarger. In the story, his professional life as a coiffeur is long behind him, but he responds to an unusual request to do a hair and make-up job on a corpse – that of a long-time rival and one-time friend who needs to look her best at her funeral.

Swan Song (12)

 Jacobs Well return with an epic musical from the creator of Godspell and Wicked.  At the beginning of all things, creation unfolds, but lurking in the background is an ancient evil with a temptation too desirable to resist.  So begins a fall from grace and the start of a sweeping story of forgiveness and redemption. 

Children of Eden

 Songs from the great musicals including - Les Misérable and West Side Story - 'Send in the Clowns', 'Willy Wonka’, ‘Pure Imagination’. Jazz classics from Gershwin to Ella Fitzgerald and Nora Jones; Jimmy Webb, Bacharach and David. 

Impromptu Concert with Robin A Smith and Hannah Hughes

 This will be a smorgasbord of boogie woogie, rock n roll and swing classics and Christmas gems such as 'Down The Road Apiece', 'Santa Claus is Coming In A Boogie Woogie Choo Choo Train', 'Run Run Rudolph', 'Santa Claus Boogie', 'White Christmas', 'Santa Claus Is Comin To Town', 'Winter Wonderland' and 'Feliz Navidad’.

Rockin’ & Swingin’ Christmas Evening

 At Howlers we are serious about our comedy. With some of the brightest new talent appearing on stage alongside some of biggest names on the stand-up circuit, Howlers at the Playhouse is fast becoming one of the biggest nights out on the Cheltenham social calendar. Doors open at 19:15 and the showtime is 8pm to 10pm approximately.     Howlers usually sells out so please buy in advance to avoid disappointment.

Howlers December 2024

 Join us for a lively mixture of favourites and seasonal hits from Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, and modern classics from swing to rock. The Metz Big Band are a popular 16 piece band based in Cheltenham who have been entertaining audiences for over 20 years. The Metz Big Band are kindly performing on a charitable fee to help fundraise for the Playhouse with this performance.

A Big Band Christmas

 With uncanny vocal prowess, dynamic stage presence, and uncanny resemblance, Steve has mesmerised audiences with electrifying performances that transport spectators back to the golden age of rock music. 

Elvis at Christmas

The Christmas special includes a great selection of the music that Michael Bublé has become so famous for at this special time of the year, including It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, Holly Jolly Christmas and many more.

Magnificent Bublé at Christmas 2024

Will the ice cream shop freeze in debt? Will Jill stop the electric-stealing Giant? Will Herr Kütte get to the barbers? Will a cow really spin some records? Little does Jack know, the sky's the limit for his next adventure.

Jack and the Beanstalk

 You will see areas that are usually out of bounds, learning about the operations (past and present) of our theatre and you will go onstage behind the scenes of this year’s production, seeing what the auditorium looks like from the actors point of view! Oh yes you will! 

Christmas backstage heritage tour

Cheltenham Chamber Orchestra: New year Gala Concert

 Direct from the Edinburgh festival, and his last smash-hit nationwide tour, the legendary stand-up star is back on the road with a brand-new show, Risky Business. An irrepressible tour-de-force with decades of touring experience under his belt, Tom upholds a reputation as one of the most prolific and distinctive stand-ups around. Tom’s funny and today’s funny don’t always see eye to eye, but that’s cool; it’s not Tom’s way to follow the herd. He much prefers to take the path less travelled. It’s a risky business navigating the tightrope of today’s times but Tom’s approaching it with his usual gusto. Join him as he airdrops his ingenious and unflinching comedy into an ever-changing minefield.  After all, without risk there is no reward. 

Tom Stade

 Christopher Malvolio always dreamt of being a scholar and a playwright. Unfortunately, although he studied hard at his books, even gaining a place at Cambridge University at the tender age of 16, he was destined to enter service with the Lady of the Big House in the City, Olivia Anuliaurei. Nonetheless, Christopher secretly continued his studies at night, by candlelight, though never under the covers. He was a serious young man, devoted to literature and music. Puritanical by nature, he controlled his wilder side until one stormy night when, outside the local tavern, he came across a letter addressed to him, in which the Lady Olivia seemingly declared her love. Always one for an academic puzzle, the cryptic letter opened his heart and fired his ambitions in love. No longer was he to be the reserved, tee-totalling, critical Christopher of the past! Love conquers all… 

An Overweening Rogue Or, ‘Malvolio between the Sheets'

 Christopher Malvolio always dreamt of being a scholar and a playwright. Unfortunately, although he studied hard at his books, even gaining a place at Cambridge University at the tender age of 16, he was destined to enter service with the Lady of the Big House in the City, Olivia Anuliaurei. Nonetheless, Christopher secretly continued his studies at night, by candlelight, though never under the covers. He was a serious young man, devoted to literature and music. Puritanical by nature, he controlled his wilder side until one stormy night when, outside the local tavern, he came across a letter addressed to him, in which the Lady Olivia seemingly declared her love. Always one for an academic puzzle, the cryptic letter opened his heart and fired his ambitions in love. No longer was he to be the reserved, tee-totalling, critical Christopher of the past! Love conquers all…

 In Casting the Runes we meet the unforgettable Mr. Karswell – magic lanternist, occult historian and scourge of academe. It’s partnered here by James’s most neglected masterpiece The Residence at Whitminster in which a dark shadow looms over the precinct of a peaceful English church… 

Casting the Runes

On stage, we will carefully recreate all-time classics such as "Another Brick In The Wall", “Money”, "Comfortably Numb" and "Wish You Were Here", along with epics such as"Echoes" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". The lighting, projection and laser effects create the perfect backdrop.

Pink Floyd 2025

From Tudor Queens to Pop Icons, the SIX wives of Henry VIII take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into a Euphoric Celebration of 21st-century girl power!

Six: Teen Edition

Geppetto, the puppet master, longs for a child and is granted his wish by a fairy who brings a wooden puppet to life.  In order to become a real boy, however, Pinocchio must prove his worth, and so he sets out on a journey of self-discovery under the guidance of his conscience in the guise of a cricket! Told through musical theatre this piece explores the love of a parent for a child as Pinocchio gets himself into many scrapes when led astray by a devious Fox and a Cat, and has to be rescued in order to be guided home and learn from his mistakes.Will Geppetto finally have his real-life boy to care for, or will Pinocchio find the temptations in the big wide world far more enticing than being a good boy at home and school? A new family musical, written by Karen Benjamin with songs by David Last, performed by Performing Arts students from the University of Gloucestershire.  Age recommendation 7+.

Pinocchio

Will Freddie rock you? Will Elton have his crocodile shoes? Will Celine's heart go on or will Cher really believe In love? There's only one way to find out if these stars grace our stage, by buying a ticket to this comedy filled tribute show to some of the greatest singers of all time.Featuring a whole host of regular performers from the MNC universe all in aid of raising vital funds for the Cheltenham Playhouse.

Stars In Their Eyes

Sister Act is the feel-amazing musical comedy smash based on the hit 1992 film that has audiences jumping to their feet! Featuring original music by Tony and 8-time Oscar winner Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty And The Beast, Little Shop Of Horrors), this uplifting musical was nominated for 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Sister Act

Ladies night tells the story of five men on the dole who decide to form a male stripping act.  They try to raise quick money so approach the owner of a local club and take dance lessons from a slightly shop worn dance instructor with a heart of gold in all manner of things including what women really want from a male stripper!   

Cheltenham Playhouse

Nov 22, 2024

Whose Trophy is it Anyway - 2?

Nov 23, 2024

Rockin' 70s Show

Nov 25, 2024

Swan Song (12)

27 - 30 Nov, 2024

Children of Eden

Dec 3, 2024

Impromptu Concert with Robin A Smith and Hannah Hughes

Nov 21, 2024

Howlers November 2024

Nov 19, 2024

João Menezes Trio

Cheltenham Playhouse