2019 Autumn/Winter All-Star Line-Up At Newport’s Riverfront Theatre

The Riverfront Theatre and Arts Centre, Newport will welcome a host of famous faces from the stage and screen to their auditoriums this autumn and winter season for several high-quality evenings of entertainment.

In September ‘The Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the World’ Showaddywaddy (Sat 21 Sep) will be dropping into Newport for a dynamic and lively show featuring their biggest hits, many of which reached number one in the pop charts of Europe. Showaddywaddy have toured extensively all over the world for the last four decades and have sold more than 20 million records.

September will also see the return of Lesley Garrett (Wed 25 Sep) who last appeared in Newport in 2018 at the premier of Welsh National Opera’s award-winning Rhondda Rips it Up! based on the life of suffragette Margaret Haig Thomas. Britain’s most popular soprano will be returning for a delightful evening of song, reminiscence and chat with pianist Anna Tilbrook. Audiences can expect behind the scenes stories and anecdotes which will give them a unique insight into Lesley’s life and career.

TV legend Count Arthur Strong will make an appearance in October as part of his Is There Anybody Out There? tour (Thu 3 Oct). As well as being the all-round entertainer we all know and love from TV and radio, Count Arthur is also a big fan of astronomy and in this show will answer some big questions such as ‘are we alone in the universe?’ and ‘is there life on Mars bars?’ In his own words, ‘Do not miss this not to be missed type of thing! If I wasn’t in the show I’d definitely be in the audience watching myself intently. Laughing and learning in equal measure.’

Big names from the world of TV also taking to the stage in October are Tommy Cannon (Cannon and Ball) and Crissy Rock (Benidorm and I’m a Celebrity), both of whom feature amongst a star-studded cast in Right Place! Wrong Time!! (Tue 8 Oct). Described as being ‘seriously dead funny,’ the smash hit comedy play is an up-lifting tale guaranteed to make you feel life’s party never ends- it simply moves to another location.

Welsh entrepreneur and entertainer Stifyn Parri visits Newport for two special dates on his Shut Your Mouth | Cau Dy Geg tour, the first a Welsh language show (Wed 16 Oct) and the second an English language show (Fri 18 Oct). The former Brookside and Les Miserable’s star will being a cheeky and charming mix of comic and poignant anecdotes of his showbiz life. From backstage drama, royalty, coming out, behind the camera secrets to celebrity gossip, Stifyn comments ‘I have been lucky enough to have lead an incredibly colourful life packed with celebrities, show-biz weddings, royalty, tantrums, backstage dramas, good times and bad times and I cannot wait to be able to share these stories with the audience.’

Griff Rhys Jones, (Wed 30 Oct.) one half of Smith & Jones, one quarter of Not the Nine O’Clock News and one third of Three Men In a Boat, will present an evening of hilarious true stories, riffs, observations and details of his recent medical procedures. His All Over the Place show is guaranteed to be packed with wicked insights into the pains of celebrity, the vicissitudes of parenthood and encounters with the great, the good and even the royal.

Award winning singer-songwriter Hazel O’Connor (Sat 2 Nov) will perform at The Riverfront in November with the proceeds of her concert going to Pups & Purrs an animal charity for which she is a patron. Hazel will perform the ageless songs from iconic film Breaking Glass alongside Clare Hirst on saxophone and Sarah Fisher on keyboard.

These exciting shows make up part of a fantastic season of Welsh drama, music, family shows, cinema, workshops and of course The Riverfront’s annual pantomime Cinderella!

• For tickets to all these fantastic star-studded shows coming up at The Riverfront during their autumn and winter season visit tickets.newportlive.co.uk or call 01633 656757.