Hold onto your hats as a cast of six romp through all those classic novels you never had time to read in CLASSIC! at Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester from 14-18 June and at the Edinburgh Fringe from 3-28 August.

In 60 minutes and via multiple costume changes, the company race you from Wuthering Heights to Moby Dick, told at lightning speed… Expect the unexpected!

With no previous literary experience required, a thrilling script by Emmerdale & Coronation Street writers, Peter Kerry and Lindsay Williams, and combined with direction from Joyce Branagh, results in a brilliantly funny show that is for everyone.

The show has music by Louis Ashton Butler and musical direction from Joe Clayton and features a brilliant cast comprising of Louis Blair, Althea Burey, Amy Drake, Amy Gavin, Robin Simpson and Gareth Tempest.

CLASSIC! Is brought to the stage by Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre in Manchester, alongside co-producers HER Productions, Manchester’s leading independent theatre production company.

CLASSIC! started life as a 15-minute piece of new work at the iconic Manchester JB Shorts sharing platform, with Arts Council England funding it was then workshopped at HMT in 2020, and has now become a full length piece.

The play is set around a group of actors coming together to break a record for the most novels ever shared on stage. In doing that, they share the stories in extremely unexpected ways: Moby Dick as a sea shanty, Jane Eyre as a silent movie, Oliver Twist as a film noir and Black Beauty as a Pantomime… and many more!

Director of CLASSIC!, Joyce Branagh, said: “I’m so excited to finally get CLASSIC! on stage - we first did a chunk of this in Manchester years ago and to now have a full show is brilliant - definitely worth the wait!  The script is hilarious - really snappy - and we’ve got a great bunch of experienced comedy actors, so the whole thing is going to be very VERY silly. Emily Bronte, Charles Dickens et al will be disco-dancing in their graves!”

Artistic Director of Hope Mill Theatre, Joseph Houston, said: “Hailing from Scotland, the Edinburgh Festival has played a big part in my life and I have many happy memories of travelling through to the capital to watch a variety of shows. Being able to now be a part of the festival with a Hope Mill production, in what will be a very special year and its triumphant return, is a dream come true. From the minute we read CLASSIC! we knew this was a show destined for Edinburgh, with its fast paced, funny humour and a top notch group of actors, you will never need to read another classic novel again!”