The Emma Rice Company is bringing its musical Romantics Anonymous back to Bath in 2027. It has also named the cast for this Christmas's A Child's Christmas in Wales and set out the rest of the 2027 tour for Tristan & Yseult.
Three pieces of news landed together from the Emma Rice Company this morning: a cast for the Bath return of A Child's Christmas in Wales, the full 2027 route for the touring Tristan & Yseult, and a comeback for Romantics Anonymous.
A Child's Christmas in Wales
The company's staging of Dylan Thomas's poem runs at the Ustinov Studio, Theatre Royal Bath, from 9-24 December 2026. Previews start on Wednesday 9 December. The opening performances are on Wednesday 16 December, at 2pm and 7pm.
The show first played The Lucky Chance in Frome, the company's own small theatre in Somerset, at Christmas 2025, and that run sold out. Four of its performers come back: Katy Owen, Tom Fox, Robyn Sinclair and Ian Ross. The new name is Dan Parr, whose credits include Archduke and Road at the Royal Court and Hamlet at the Barbican. Parr is also a co-founder of Hear The Picture, an audio description company run by actors.
Emma Rice adapts and directs, and Ian Ross writes the music. It is a one-hour piece built from song, puppetry and shadow play. Rice designs the set and costumes with Simon Baker, Liz Evans, Jamie Misselbrook and Hannah Sharp. Malcolm Rippeth designs the lighting and Baker the projections. Tickets cost £35, or £20 for concessions, and the age guidance is 8+.
"It's a genuine thrill to bring our magical show A Child's Christmas in Wales to The Ustinov Theatre in Bath," said Rice. "This gem of a show really is what Christmas is about; memories, melancholy, mischief and community."
Tristan & Yseult
Rice's revival of Tristan & Yseult is at St Ann's Warehouse in New York until 22 November. Its London run, from 11-27 March 2027, was first announced in October. The new release fills in the rest of the route, which now includes a visit to the Hong Kong Arts Festival:
- 26-30 January 2027: Oxford Playhouse, Oxford
- 2-6 February: Arts Theatre, Cambridge
- 9-13 February: Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham
- 24-27 February: Hong Kong Arts Festival, Hong Kong
- 4-7 March: Theatre Royal Plymouth, Plymouth
- 11-27 March: Alexandra Palace Theatre, London
- 6-17 April: York Theatre Royal, York
Romantics Anonymous
Romantics Anonymous is the next title in The Director's Cut, the company's three-year partnership with Theatre Royal Bath, and will be staged in Bath in 2027. The musical is a love story set around chocolate, about finding the nerve to be happy. Casting and dates are still to be announced. The same partnership has already revived Malory Towers and Tristan & Yseult this year.
"Rarely have I made a show as beloved as this one: it worked a gentle magic on all who created and saw it," said Rice. "Like Angélique creating her exquisite chocolates, fairy dust seems to float around this precious production and I, for one, cannot wait to experience its delicious delights again."
