The opening of Festival 2025 is approaching fast, so just in case you missed news about the opening shows of the season, here's a quick round-up:

The Government Inspector

The wonderful company for the opening show of Festival 2025 began rehearsals on 17 March, with a first read-through of the script (eliciting lots of laughs!). Joining Tom Rosenthal in this world premiere of Phil Porter's new adaptation are: Scott Bowden, Shereener Browne, Joe Dixon, Joe Eyre, Mohsen Ghaffari, Nick Haverson, Lloyd Hutchinson, Reuben Johnson, Sylvestra Le Touzel, Christopher Middleton, Laurie Ogden, Mark Oliver, Oscar Pearce, Leigh Quinn, Paul Rider, John Rogers and Miltos Yerolemou.

All the details about the show can be found here.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry:

17 March was a very busy day for us, as the opening show of the Minerva season, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, also began rehearsals that day! The rehearsal room was incredibly buzzy, with the whole company excited to start the journey. We're looking forward to welcoming Mark Addy, Jenna Russell, Ralph Birtwell, Amy Booth-Steel, Tarinn Callender, Don Gallagher, Jacqueline Hughes, Nell Martin, Anu Ogunmefun, Ben Redfern, Sharon Rose, Timo Tatzber, Jack Wolfe and Madeleine Worrall. 

Read more about this new musical here - tickets are going fast, so don't delay booking!

Anna Karenina

Joining Natalie Dormer in the second Festival Theatre show of the season will be Donna Berlin, Jonnie Broadbent, Les Dennis, Seamus Dillane, Florence Dobson, Tomiwa Edun, Sandy Foster, Ivan Ivashkin, Shalisha James-Davis, Anne Lacey, Marcia Lecky, David Oakes, John Ramm, Riad Richie and Naomi Sheldon. 

Discover more about this witty and sensual adaptation and see the full list of cast and creatives here.

Marie and Rosetta

The UK premiere of George Brant’s Marie and Rosetta will play in the Minerva Theatre this summer, with Beverley Knight as Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Ntombizodwa Ndlovu as Marie Knight. Rehearsals for this show begin soon and tickets are currently very limited, so do keep checking for returns - or see the show in Kingston before it comes to Chichester.