Nottingham Playhouse announces its spring summer 2027 programme, including Be My Baby: The Musical, by Amanda Whittington and the regional premiere of Emteaz Hussain’s Expendable.

 

Announcements include:

 The world premiere of Amanda Whittington’s Be My Baby: The Musical

  • The regional premiere of Emteaz Hussain’s Expendable, directed by Esther Richardson
  • A co-production of Romeo & Juliet with the English Touring Theatre, Leeds Playhouse and the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh

Be My Baby: The Musical, based on Amanda Whittington’s (Ladies Day; Fishermen’s Friends: The Musical) acclaimed play of the same name, and directed by Nottingham Playhouse Artistic Director Adam Penford (Punch; Dear Evan Hansen), features a hit list of popular 1960s songs, such as Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, Alfie, The Locomotion and I Only Want to Be With You. The production explores the forced adoption scandal, following four young women, with their whole lives ahead of them, who are sent to a mother and baby home to give birth in secret. The impact of what happened in the ‘60s is still felt today, and this compelling story remains heartbreakingly current.

Expendable by East Midlands writer Emteaz Hussain (Still Life, Nottingham Playhouse; Crongton Knights, Pilot Theatre) has its regional premiere, in a revival of the 2024 Royal Court Theatre production, directed by Esther Richardson (Brighton Rock, Pilot Theatre and York Theatre Royal; Noughts and Crosses, Pilot Theatre and touring). It follows the story of two sisters grappling with the impact on their community as the men around them are embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal. Between the 1990s and 2010s, hundreds of young girls were sexually exploited in northern towns by gangs of predatory men. Expendable spotlights the often-overlooked voices of Pakistani women.

Romeo and Juliet, a co-production with the English Touring Theatre, Leeds Playhouse and the Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, is directed by the award-winning Chelsea Walker (Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare’s Globe; Return on Investment, Hampstead Theatre), in a fresh new take on the classic love story. In a world where young people are forced to grow up fast and life-changing choices are made in an instant, what do you do when you’re falling in love for the first time? This is an explosive, urgent tale of forbidden love, secrets, loyalty and grief.

The spring 2027 programme at Nottingham Playhouse begins with the return of James Graham’s Olivier Award winning Punch in January, prior to a UK and Ireland Tour. The original, critically acclaimed, Kneehigh/Emma Rice production of Tristan & Yseult follows, along with the record-breaking West End courtroom drama Twelve Angry Men; The King’s Speech, adapted from the Oscar-winning film, explores duty, courage and finding one’s voice; James Graham’s Albert’s Boy, starring Griff Rhys Jones, shines a light on the life of Einstein and the season is completed by the return of Birmingham Rep’s production of A Thousand Splendid Suns, based on the best-selling novel.

Artistic Director at Nottingham Playhouse, Adam Penford, said:

“After producing work by three local playwrights this year, I am thrilled to be welcoming two more homegrown talents in our next season. Amanda Whittington’s play, Be My Baby, has become a modern classic over the last 25 years. It has always had the cultural explosion of the 1960s at its heart and was crying out to become a musical. It’s such a potent and life-affirming story and sadly, still so relevant, with the narrative of the government policy of forced adoption regularly in the news.

 “Expendable, by Emteaz Hussain, was a hit at London’s Royal Court Theatre in 2024 and now arrives in Nottingham. This is a powerful and important story and gives a valuable insight into headlines that shocked the public, but from the viewpoint of those affected by the events, rather than directly involved.

 “Chelsea Walker is one of the most exciting directors and her production of Romeo and Juliet will bring a fresh approach to one of the best plays ever written.”

 Be My Baby: The Musical playwright Amanda Whittington said:

 “I’m thrilled to share the news of Be My Baby: The Musical.  I’ve been developing the show with Adam Penford for some years now, reimagining the play I wrote at the beginning of my career about the injustice of forced adoption.

 “To create a musical with my home theatre of Nottingham Playhouse is a ‘full circle’ moment yet also, a new and exciting journey. The iconic Sixties songs which inspired Be My Baby are now at the heart of the story, their lyrics giving powerful voice to those who were silenced for so long.”

Expendable writer Emteaz Hussain, said:

“I’m delighted that Expendable is getting its regional premiere in my hometown of Nottingham. It’s a Northern working-class story, after all, and at a time when we can feel so divided, I hope it reminds us that we’re actually much more similar than we are different.”