Mystery, comedy, dance, and 'Horrible Histories'

NEW THEATRE PREVIEW ROUND-UP by Andy Weltch

The stage version of Horrible Histories is coming back to Cardiff with two fun-packed shows for families later this month.

Terrible Tudors and Awful Egyptians will be at the New Theatre from 12 to 14 June.

In Terrible Tudors we take a trip from the horrible Henries to the end of evil Elizabeth, hearing the legends (and the lies!) about the torturing Tudors.

Find out the fate of Henry’s headless wives and his punch-up with the Pope. Meet Bloody Mary and see Ed fall dead in his bed. We're even promised the Spanish Armada sailing into the audience.

From the fascinating Pharaohs to the power of the pyramids, Awful Egyptians reveals the foul facts of death and decay with the meanest mummies in Egypt. Are you ready to rumble with Ramesses the Great? Dare you enter through the Gates of the Afterlife? It’s the history of Egypt with the nasty bits left in.

🎭 Kai Widdrington's show Kai - Evolution visits the New Theatre on Tuesday 24 June.

The show promises a celebration of dance, artistry, and innovation, as Kai is joined by

a star-studded cast featuring Alexandra Vladimirov, Maciej Zieba, and Rebecca Scott, all known for their captivating performances on Dancing with the Stars Ireland.

🎭 Alan Ayckbourn's Just Between Ourselves comes to Cardiff from Thursday 3 to Saturday 5 July. 

Set in 1976, this is sometimes seen as his most emotionally charged play, evoking a world of hidden tensions and suppressed hostility. It expertly navigates the tightrope between comedy and tragedy, guiding us towards a hilarious, yet chilling finale.

🎭 Murder at Midnight is a new thriller from Torben Betts following his success Murder in the Dark.

It stars several TV favourites, including Jason Durr (Heartbeat, Casualty), Susie Blake (Victoria Wood as seen on TV, Coronation Street) and Max Bowden (EastEnders).

Playing at the New Theatre from Tuesday 4 to Saturday 8 November, it is said to blend razor-sharp wit with chilling suspense.

It’s New Year’s Eve in rural Kent, and Jonny "The Cyclops" is hosting a party.  But amid the drinking, music and fireworks exploding overhead, a twisted trail of destruction emerges. As midnight looms, tarot cards foretell doom, police lights flash in the distance and a killer is in the house. Everyone’s hiding something - but who’s telling the truth?

🎭 Slava’s SnowShow, the multi award-winning global phenomenon, plays from Wednesday 15 to Saturday 18 November.

Let this scruffy, disarming troupe of multi-cultural fools take you on a spellbinding adventure, unleashing full-throttle madness amid quieter, contemplative moments, before roaring to its famous finish.

Since its UK debut in 1996 at the Edinburgh Festival, Slava's SnowShow has played over 100 weeks to an estimated 1 million spectators in the UK.

🎭 If you've seen the movie of the wartime thriller Operation Mincemeat (perhaps at Monico Movies), you may be surprised that this rather grisly true story is now a musical comedy.

You can see you for yourself next year (15 - 19 September 2026), when this new stage production comes to the New Theatre.

It’s 1943, and the Allied Forces are on the ropes. Luckily, they’ve got a trick up their sleeve. Well, not up their sleeve, per se, but rather inside the pocket of a stolen corpse.

Operation Mincemeat tells the improbable but true story of the covert operation that turned the tide of World War II.

You can find more information and book tickets on the New Theatre website.