The Rondo Theatre in Bath is set to host a captivating series of events that promise to enthrall audiences of all ages. From the gripping drama of 'A Streetcar Named Desire' to the chilling ghost tales of M R James, a magical Christmas adventure with Santa & Sven, and the delightful antics of 'A Christmas Cracker,' there’s something for everyone to enjoy. These performances not only highlight the talent and creativity of the artists involved but also bring to life timeless stories and themes that resonate with the human experience.

A Theatrical Feast at Rondo Theatre: Drama, Ghosts, and Festive Cheer

The world famous Natural Theatre Company returns to The Rondo with this hilarious and touching Christmas show for all the family. 

5 Stars - Bath Echo : “an exquisite 75 minutes of non-stop high-energy warm-hearted fun for the festive season, that will appeal to all ages. Don’t miss it. It’s a cracker!” 

A Christmas Cracker is a bright, cheerful and brilliantly bonkers treat, filled with fabulous characters, great songs, and lovely frocks! 

Three gnomes, Hobby, Ivor and Toe, are terrified of winter because it's cold and nothing happens in December.  When they fish a cracker out of their pond, a riddle tells them there used to be a thing called Christmas.... and they are charged with bringing it back to life!

They take a whistle stop tour through the tales and traditions behind everything we love about Christmas, only to find someone is trying to stop them.  Who is it?  And can they bring Christmas back to life?

EPSG:4326

A Christmas Cracker

Rondo Theatre

Santa & Sven are very excited to be bringing their magical Christmas show to The Rondo this December!
 
I don’t know if you know, but filling the stockings of every child in the world in just one night is a HUMONGOUS undertaking. It requires planning, team work, dedication and - of course - a sprinkling of Christmas magic. These last few years Santa has taken to recce-ing ahead of the big drop to help Christmas Eve run as smoothly as possible. He brings with him Sven the reindeer handler, his excitable and talented Snow Elf.

Santa & Sven

“Sometimes you see him, and sometimes you don't. It’s just as he pleases, I think: he's there, but he has some power over your eyes...”
 
M R James wrote his ghost stories to perform to friends in Kings College Cambridge. Now, 120 years after their first publication, Nunkie have bought two of the eeriest and most entertaining back to life in this gripping, candlelit one-man show.

A Warning to the Curious: Two Ghost Stories by M R James

Fading Southern Belle, Blanche DuBois, depends on the kindness of strangers and is adrift in the world. When she arrives to stay with her sister Stella in a crowded, boisterous corner of New Orleans, her delusions of grandeur bring her into conflict with Stella’s crude, brutish husband Stanley. Eventually their violent collision course causes Blanche’s fragile sense of identity to crumble, threatening to destroy her sanity and her one chance of happiness.

Williams’ steamy and shocking landmark drama is one of the most influential plays of the 21st Century. This production will delve into the psyche of the two women that orbit each other, Blanche and Stella, as well as the impact of mental illness, and the misogyny that was a mainstay of the era.

A Streetcar Named Desire


Tic Tac Toe presents two new darkly comic tales written by Calum Grant. Tic Tac Toe last appeared at the Rondo with The Scandalous Love of Oscar Wilde, also penned by Calum.
 
Crystal – Crystal is a sex worker who is having her first meeting with a new customer. Unfortunately things quickly take a turn for the worse when she discovers his real identity.
 
William – Ted hides from the press in a rundown bedsit after testifying in court against his own brother, William. This play focuses on the impact a violent crime has on the perpetrator's immediate family.

Double Bill: Crystal & William

Can the transformative power of music get us through catastrophic times? 
 
In a town where not much happens - a passing through place, a catastrophe occurs and the town falls into silence… 
What does it take to restore the song? 

Based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, with Eurydice taking centre stage - calling the tunes - Goat Song explores the connection between under-worlds and upper-worlds. 
 
It's a gig, it's a lament, and it's ultimately about letting go. 

Goat Song

When critics Moon and Birdboot settle down to review a play, little could they know where the evening would take them. Why has Higgs, the usual critic, not shown up? Will the leading lady entice them? Who is Inspector Hound and why is there a dead body on stage that no one notices? 

Tom Stoppard’s play within a play hilariously parodies a manor house murder mystery, with outrageous red herrings, unclear motives, sudden deaths, romantic intrigue and unexpected reveals of identity. Imagine Noises Off meets The Play That Goes Wrong written by Agatha Christie. 

The Real Inspector Hound

Join New Works Ballet Theatre in our exciting revival under the sea with The Little Mermaid. 
 
Based on the classic Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, it is a story of friendship, life under the sea, unexpected love, and even a dancing seahorse!

The Little Mermaid

Ever looked back on the dumb things you thought as a teenager and cringed? Of course you have. And now’s your chance to laugh at someone else’s misfortunes. 
  
The year is 2007. Floppy fringes are all the rage, sexy vampires are everywhere, and 11-year-old Tiff is furiously scribbling in her diary. About music, about boys, and about all the things that confuse and frustrate her. 

Let’s Unpack That

This Is Your Musical is delighted to be returning to the Rondo to present their unique improvised musical theatre experience. 

Inspired by stories from you, the audience, the talented and quick-witted actors will instantly spin a brand-new hour-long musical theatre show, complete with characters, songs and choreography all accompanied by a live band of improvising musicians. Backed up by a wonderful second half of individual scenes and songs, This Is Your Musical is an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza you have to see to believe.

This Is Your (Improvised) Musical

This Is Your Musical is delighted to be returning to the Rondo to present their unique improvised musical theatre experience. 

Inspired by stories from you, the audience, the talented and quick-witted actors will instantly spin a brand-new hour-long musical theatre show, complete with characters, songs and choreography all accompanied by a live band of improvising musicians. Backed up by a wonderful second half of individual scenes and songs, This Is Your Musical is an all-singing, all-dancing extravaganza you have to see to believe. 

Sad that Shakespeare hasn’t written anything new for over 400 years? Well, hold onto your doublets, ruffs and trunk hose. The Bard is back! With story and verse improvised in the moment, enjoy a riotous new Shakespeare play every time – performed by Impromptu Shakespeare’s whip smart cast. 
 
Packed with priceless wit, lyrical smarts, romance, and a dash of double-crossing, this leading ensemble do the Bard proud with a brand new one-act hit every time, inspired by audience suggestions. 

Impromptu Shakespeare

The team behind the award-nominated SIX: Teen Edition brings another legendary Broadway musical to the Rondo in an adaptation for teen performers and family audiences.

Set amidst the razzle-dazzle decadence of the 1920s, CHICAGO is the story of Roxie Hart, a wannabe nightclub dancer who murders her lover after he threatens to walk out on her. Desperate to avoid conviction, she dupes the public, her husband, the media and her rival cellmate, Velma Kelly, by hiring Chicago’s slickest criminal lawyer to transform her malicious crime into a barrage of sensational headlines, the likes of which might just as easily be ripped from today’s tabloids... Featuring Broadway classics including 'All That Jazz', 'Mr. Cellophane' and 'Razzle Dazzle'.

CHICAGO: Teen Edition

We’re edging closer to Halloween, and Steph & Craig are back with all things spooky and ghouly!

Don't worry - nothing too scary for the babies and Littles... or grown-ups for that matter! But there will be some seasonal bangers - think Monster Mash, Ghostbusters and The Cranberries to name a few.

Rock The Tots: Spooky Fun

Neil Gore presents a one-person version of the classic novel by Robert Tressell, featuring projection, political conjuring tricks, live music, and song. Meet the famous characters and enjoy the scenes, speeches and songs, featuring the Great Money Trick as its centrepiece. 

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

Written in 1932 by the master of sophisticated wit, Noel Coward, Design for Living concerns Otto, an artist, Leo, a playwright, and Gilda, an interior designer, as they grapple with their complicated three-way relationship, summed up when Leo tells Gilda ‘I love you. You love me. You love Otto. I love Otto. Otto loves you. Otto loves me. There now! Start to unravel from there.’

Design For Living

Why do lesbians never survive a love story?

Defying the corseted, steamy play they’re rehearsing, Stacy and Adrienne attempt to fall in love: authentically, stupidly, and without dying.

Having somehow landed back in the rural village where they grew up, Stacy and Adrienne find themselves starring in this year’s community hall production: The Forbidden Fruit. It’s a Regency-era lesbian melodrama, a catastrophe of clichés and male fantasies of hot lesbians ripping off each others’ corsets. They’re pretty sure it’s a crime against gay people, and they’re not even sure they still like each other, after one ran off to London, and the other got stuck. But they need the work - and the company.

Chickpeas

Six schools in six years, a smelly stepdad, and getting in trouble with his substitute teacher seemed like the worst of Percy Jacksons problems. 

But, as fate would have it, Percy would soon embark on a killer quest with his best friends Annabeth and Grover full of action, adventure, and mythical beasts galore! 

The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical

Enjoy the dark comedy tale of Dave the cat’s backstage journey after his shock dismissal minutes before the opening night of the original production of Cats.

CAT The Play has been a smash hit in the UK, Ireland and Germany, broken box office records on the London Fringe and sold out every run at the Edinburgh fringe! In 2017, CAT The Play made its West End debut at London’s Ambassador’s Theatre to critical and popular acclaim.

Rondo Theatre

12 - 24 Dec, 2024

A Christmas Cracker

Dec 7, 2024

Santa & Sven

Articles & News

Rondo Theatre