Last month I headed to the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury for their Summer Season launch and was able to find out about the venue’s exciting announcements for 2026/2027. I shared a summary of some of the Musicals, Dance, Drama and Opera shows on the schedule, but left out a few extra special announcements which deserved their own feature. Following on from 2025’s ‘The Party Girls’, Marlowe Theatre Productions are back with two new shows: an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ and the new family musical ‘The Reluctant Dragon’. If you’re interested in supporting theatre made in Kent, read on to find out more about these upcoming productions.
A Tale of Two Cities
A new production of Terence Rattigan (The Winslow Boy, The Deep Blue Sea) and John Gielgud’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ is being mounted at the venue this September for a week. The story set in the Reign of Terror takes audiences back to the 18th-century and centres on English barrister Sydney Carton, French aristocratic-born Charles Darnay and their adoration for émigré Lucie Manette. With Michael Fentiman directing, who is known for ‘Amélie’, RCS’s ‘Titus Andronicus’ and the recent tour of ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’ to name a few, it will be fascinating to see how this period piece is reimagined for a 2026 audience. We were actually treated to a Q&A with the Director at the season launch, and you could tell that there was so much anticipation for this upcoming project.
Performances start on Monday 14th September and run until Saturday 19th September 2026. The show will then head out on a UK tour following the week of the performances here in Kent. Tickets are available via the theatre’s website.
The Reluctant Dragon
This festive season a musical adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s children’s book ‘The Reluctant Dragon’ is opening in the Studio venue for 4 weeks. With a book and lyrics by Samson Hawkins (playwright behind 2023’s comedy-drama ‘Village Idiot’) and direction by Lucy Wray (Fertile, Celebrate), this new piece of family theatre sees a fairytale-obsessed child become friends with a friendly dragon, who doesn’t fit the mould of terrifying dragons in previous fairytales. Featuring themes of friendship and courage, the unlikely duo join forces to try and show their village that all dragons are not ill-intentioned. It certainly sounds like a fun adventure story for families this Christmas and a great way to introduce young children to theatre.
Performances start on Saturday 5th December 2026 and run until Sunday 3rd January 2027, with tickets available via the theatre’s website.
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