OVO Presents Top Picks Across Their Summer Of Theatre At Roman Theatre Open Air Festival

Prepare for a stellar summer of theatre and music as OVO’s annual Roman Theatre Open Air Festival marks its 10th anniversary with phenomenal highlights across the season.  Packed full of their renowned reimaginings of classic theatre, this year’s Open Air programme will include new collaborations and an exciting addition to OVO’s repertoire with the world premiere of an original British musical! 

OVO’s 10th anniversary season will kick off with the highly-anticipated return of their critically acclaimed production The Merry Wives of Windsor.  Full of nostalgic 80s rock hits, this Shakespeare retelling features tight trousers, big hair, and an ensemble to remember as it presents an irresistible high octane piece of gig-theatre.  OVO’s riotous adaptation of what is often seen as the world’s first sitcom returns to the Roman Theatre by popular demand, after a sellout run in 2020.

In a co-production with Pitlochry Festival Theatre, OVO presents a fresh reimagining of Sense and Sensibility.  One of English literature’s most beloved classics is given a contemporary twist in this new adaptation by award winning Scottish playwright Frances Poet.  Featuring love anthems from iconic pop idols, Jane Austen’s pivotal novel navigates the relationships between sisters, suitors and societal expectations. 

The season finale will be the thrilling new British musical The Highwayman, inspired by Alfred Noyes’ classic poem.  This funny yet deeply moving tale features a rich cast of restoration rogues and romantics – from a sadistic smuggler to a rip-roaring East End landlady – and appearances from Nell Gwynn and King Charles II himself! 

Produced by OVO and Norwich Theatre, The Highwayman will submerge audiences in a unique world that reimagines pub sing-alongs and folk ballads in contemporary arrangements, from electro to Adele to Billie Eilish and Kae Tempest.  It is about longing for better while trying to run from the worst of our past, asking why we always seem to find the perfect knife on which to cut ourselves.

Director and Artistic Director for OVO Adam Nichols comments, I’m delighted to be returning to The Merry Wives of Windsor, one of the most popular and loved shows that OVO has ever produced, and very excited to be working on two brilliant new plays, Sense and Sensibility and The Highwayman, inspired by classic plays and stories, but given a fresh 2024 twist by the wonderful contemporary writers Frances Poet and Kitty Morgan.