OPENING AT THEATRE ROYAL BRIGHTON MAY 2026,AHEAD OF A WEST END RUN
Thomas Hopkins Productions and SAMS Entertainment are delighted to announce that national treasure Dame Maureen Lipman DBE will tour the UK for the first time in 20 years, opening at Theatre Royal Brighton in the week she celebrates her 80th birthday.
Dame Maureen will star in the world premiere of ALLEGRA, a new comedy by Tony Award and double Olivier Award nominated playwright Peter Quilter. The production will play Theatre Royal Brighton from Tue 12 May – Sat 16 May 2026, before departing on a UK Tour.
Following her acclaimed performance in Rose in the West End in 2023, Dame Maureen now leads this joyful heartwarming comedy on her first major UK tour in many years.
Dame Maureen said today: “To find a comedy which can turn our current face of gloom into an upturned grin of happiness, is rare. Allegra is about a woman who is relentlessly upbeat – in more ways than one. Ibsen it isn’t’’
Allegra (Maureen Lipman) is full of joy. So much of it that she cannot stop herself from bursting into song. At home, in the street, even in shops and restaurants. Sometimes the music is only a fantasy in her head. But at other times, it results in a loud and disruptive performance that causes chaos in the village where she lives. Allegra’s brother, Ronen, and her carer, Anna, must somehow control her eccentricities and avoid angry visits by the local policeman. But is this possible without destroying the great happiness that fills Allegra’s heart?
Allegra is a moving comedy with spectacular song and dance sequences, but is also a touching and emotional examination of how, sometimes, the most beautiful of minds can start to disappear.
Peter Quilter said: “Maureen is one of the great theatrical treasures of this country, and to have her bring Allegra to life is a joy and an honour.”
Producer Thomas Hopkins said: “Working again with Maureen after the remarkable West End success of Rose is an absolute privilege. Allegra is sure to be one of UK theatre’s highlights of 2026.”
Playwright Peter Quilter will have the rare distinction of four plays running across the UK in 2026: Allegra; the 20th anniversary tour of Glorious! starring Wendi Peters and Matthew James Morrison; Step By Step on UK tour with an all-star cast; and Jinkx Monsoon will star as Judy Garland in a revival of End of the Rainbow at Soho Theatre in Walthamstow.
More cast and creative team to be announced.
