Music, talks, performance and comedy in new Chichester winter season

Events coming up include:

* BBC Concert Orchestra: Festival Theatre, 24 October. Friday Night Is Music Night – Celebrating Tony Bennett. With special guest singers Louise Dearman and Lance Ellington in a magical evening of song, swing and unforgettable melodies.

* Miriam Margolyes, Festival Theatre, 25 October. Ages 16+. Off the back of her sold-out 2024 tour and Edinburgh show, Miriam spins her A-Z wheel, diving headfirst into an eclectic alphabetised mix of life’s standout moments and of course a little bit of smut.

* Travels With Agatha Christie And Sir David Suchet – Live, Festival Theatre, 27 October. Join Sir David Suchet for a captivating evening as he retraces Agatha Christie’s 1920s journey across Canada, Hawaii, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. Inspired by the hit TV series, this live show features unseen footage, rare images and insights into the people and places that shaped Christie’s world.

* Red Sky At Sunrise, Festival Theatre, 28 October. Laurie Lee in words and music. Anton Lesser (Andor, Endeavour) tells Laurie Lee’s extraordinary story in a weave of music and Lee’s Cider With Rosie trilogy when he famously walked out of the Slad Valley one summer morning and ended up fighting in the Spanish Civil War.

* The Clare Teal 7, Festival Theatre, 30 October. Award-winning jazz vocalist and long-time Radio 2 & Jazz FM broadcaster Clare Teal returns with a new show to celebrate 25 years of touring.

* Sandi Toksvig: Friends of Dorothy, Festival Theatre, 31 October. Ages 14+. Join the comedian, broadcaster and campaigner for an evening celebrating her love and passion for writers and books.

* Grayson Perry: Are you good? Festival Theatre, 1 November. Ages 16+. Grayson says: “I always start out with the assumption that people are born good and then life happens. So, let’s pull back the curtain and see where your morals truly lie. Are you as virtuous as you think? With lots of audience participation and a few silly songs we’ll have an entertaining evening and come out with our core values completely in tatters. Is it more important to be good or to be right?”

* Ordinary Decent Criminal, Minerva Theatre, 14-15 November. Ages 16+ Set in the years following the Strangeways Prison Riot, meet recovering addict Frankie, played by political comedian Mark Thomas, as he enters the brave new world of a liberal prison experiment. In this new play, writer Ed Edwards and Mark Thomas tell a tale of freedom, revolution and messy love. Directed by Charlotte Bennett.

* Liza Pullman Sings Streisand, Minerva Theatre, 17 November. Liza brings you the songs of the legendary performer’s life and music.

* Ivo Graham: Carousel, Minerva Theatre, 18 November. ‘Teddy told me that in Greek, nostalgia literally means the pain from an old wound. It’s a twinge in your heart, far more powerful than memory alone.’ Ivo Graham, who has watched this Mad Men clip approximately 100 times, steps away from the frivolity of his stand-up and invites you onto his own carousel: around and around, backwards and forwards, to the places he aches to go again.

* When Vincent Met John, Minerva Theatre, 19 November. Vincent van Gogh was a nineteenth-century Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among the most famous and influential figures in the history of Western art. John Lennon was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who gained worldwide fame with The Beatles. Vincent died in 1890, John died in 1980. This play imagines what might have happened, had the two greatest artists of their time, met.

* Glenn Miller: His Life Story in Words & Music, Minerva Theatre, 21 November. Join the 17-piece Phoenix Big Band with close‑harmony vocal group and string quartet.

* Kaleidoscope Of Rainbows @ 50, Minerva Theatre, 22 November. To mark the 50th anniversary of Kaleidoscope of Rainbows, Scott Stroman and the Guildhall Jazz Orchestra perform Neil Ardley’s masterpiece in full, alongside works by his contemporaries.

* Two Turtle Doves, Minerva Theatre, 26 November. Cabaret’s grandes dames Dillie Keane and Barb Jungr jump giblets first into the festive season, featuring songs by Tom Waits, Ray Davies, the Chipmunks and Joni Mitchell, plus a hilarious take on The Twelve Days of Christmas.

* The Eternal Shame Of Sue Perkins, Festival Theatre, 14 January. Ages 16+. You may know her as Bake-Off Sue, Taskmaster Sue, or the Sue that gives you travel envy – but stand-up Sue is full of surprises.

* BBC Concert Orchestra: Festival Theatre, 15 January. Friday Night Is Music Night. Conducted by Jérôme Kuhn and featuring soprano Alison Scherzer, the BBC Concert Orchestra presents a sparkling evening of orchestral gems and songs.

* Nigel Havers, Festival Theatre, 16 January: “Well, here it is – my first ever solo show. Just me, a stage, and a lifetime of gloriously ridiculous stories to share.”

* The Selsey Shantymen, Minerva Theatre, 17 January. The rousing sea shanties of the Selsey Shantymen, who have been singing together for eight years and perform across the south of England and in Europe. This is their first visit to the Minerva.

* Emma Johnson and The Orchestra For The Environment, Minerva Theatre, 28 January – a concert to highlight the wonders of nature and the need to combat climate change.

* Mark Simmons: Jest to Impress, Minerva Theatre, 29 January. Ages 14+. As seen on Mock The Week, Mark Simmons is back with a show packed with even more expertly crafted one-liners, alongside his trademark off-the-cuff jokes based on random audience suggestions.

* Shear Brass: Celebrating Sir George Shearing, Minerva Theatre, 30 January. Led by Sir George Shearing’s great nephew, drummer Carl Gorham, Shear Brass brings a fresh and dynamic new approach to the music of one of Britain’s greatest ever jazz pianists and composers.

* Le Gateau Chocolat: Musicals Mayhem, Minerva Theatre, 13-14 February. A Valentine’s special full of musical theatre madness, singalong and more.

* Gianni Schicchi (or Where There’s a Will). Minerva Theatre, 11-12 March. OperaUpClose returns with their take on Puccini’s classic family farce.

* Tickets for the winter season: Groups and schools booking opens: Thursday, 11 September from 9am.

Public booking opens: Saturday, 13 September from 9am (online only); Tuesday, 16 September from 10am (phone and in person).

Box office 01243 781312; online cft.org.uk

* Prologue: Sign up free at cft.org.uk/prologue. £5 tickets for 16-30s. An allocation of tickets priced at £5 is available for 16 to 30-year-olds for many productions throughout the Winter season.