Phil McIntyre Live proudly presents
DAVID WALLIAMS’
GRANDPA’S GREAT ESCAPE LIVE
2019 UK ARENA TOUR
Tickets on sale 8am Tuesday 4 June
GrandpasGreatEscapeLive.co.uk
The first ever stage adaptation of Grandpa’s Great Escape, the exhilarating number one bestselling children’s book by actor and comedian David Walliams, is to tour UK arenas this Christmas. The live version of the kids’ favourite, which has sold over two million copies around the world begins in Birmingham on 23 December. It will then visit London, Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow before culminating in Liverpool on 4 January. Tickets go on sale at 8am on Tuesday 4 June.
Grandpa’s Great Escape Live follows the acclaimed television film which aired on BBC One in December 2018, and will be directed by Tony® Award nominee Sean Foley (The Catherine Tate Show Live & The Painkiller). Grandpa’s Great Escape is the eighth book by Walliams and was published in September 2015 by HarperCollins Children’s Books.
David Walliams said: “Grandpa’s Great Escape Live is an incredible new development for the book. We’re not just turning it into a live show, but into a spectacular live arena show for all the family this Christmas. Being in arenas means we can have a life-size Spitfire, a tank, the London landscape and a dramatic escape from the Imperial War Museum. It’s great because we can really go to town with all of those elements and this story demands that scale. I’m delighted to be involved with this arena tour of Grandpa’s Great Escape Live, working with fantastic people like the director Sean Foley and Kevin Cecil, who’s written the script. I couldn’t be more excited about it!”
The wonderous stage design for Grandpa’s Great Escape Live will see arenas around the UK transformed into London and its landmarks, including Buckingham Palace and the River Thames, from thousands of feet in the sky, as Grandpa’s life size Spitfire soars through the air.The set for this multi-million pound production has been created by entertainment architects Stufish Productions (Cirque du Soleil, Beyonce & Jay Z, Madonna, The Rolling Stones). The script adaptation of the book has been written by Kevin Cecil (Little Britain & Gangsta Granny television film). Casting for the show will be announced soon.
Grandpa’s Great Escape, which has been translated into 39 languages received a wealth of glowing reviews with the Evening Standard declaring Walliams as “the new Roald Dahl”, while The Times describe the story as “a beguilingly funny, original and thought-provoking tale… hilarious”.
Many years ago, Grandpa was a World War II flying ace. But when he is sent to old folk’s home Twilight Towers – run by sinister Matron Swine – it’s up to Grandpa and his grandson, Jack, to plot a daring escape. Little do they know, the wicked matron is on to them.
Grandpa’s Great Escape Live 2019 UK Tour
tline number 0844 493 6666 or from 11.00am in person from the Utilita Arena Box Office. Please note venue facility and booking fees will apply.
| Date | City | Performances |
| Monday 23 December | Birmingham: Arena Birmingham | 4.00pm & 7.00pm |
| Tuesday 24 December | Birmingham: Arena Birmingham | 1.00pm & 4.00pm |
| Thursday 26 December | Birmingham: Arena Birmingham | 4.00pm & 7.00pm |
| Friday 27 December | London: The SSE Arena, Wembley | 4.00pm & 7.00pm |
| Saturday 28 December | London: The SSE Arena, Wembley | 4.00pm & 7.00pm |
| Sunday 29 December | Sheffield: FlyDSA Arena | 4.00pm & 7.00pm |
| Monday 30 December | Nottingham: Motorpoint Arena | 4.00pm & 7.00pm |
| Wednesday 1 January | Manchester: Arena | 4.00pm & 7.00pm |
| Thursday 2 January | Newcastle: Utilita Arena | 4.00pm & 7.00pm |
| Friday 3 January | Glasgow: The SSE Hydro | 4.00pm & 7.00pm |
| Saturday 4 January | Liverpool: M&S Bank Arena | 4.00pm & 7.00pm |
Listings Information
Tickets from: £25 plus venue levy and booking fees
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