The brand-new stage adaptation of the iconic Victoria Wood sitcom dinnerladies has announced its full cast.
Adapted by Beth and Emma Kilcoyne and directed by double Olivier Award-winner Sean Foley, the production will premiere at Manchester Opera House in January and tour major theatres across the UK until August 2027.
Les Dennis (Only Fools and Horses The Musical) stars as dependable maintenance man Stan and serving in the famous canteen are TV favourites Sue Cleaver (Coronation Street) as sarcastic Jean and Karen Henthorn (Eastenders) as sharp-tongued Dolly. Amy Drake (Brassic, Alma’s Not Normal) will be filling the iconic role Victoria Wood embodied as kind-hearted Deputy Canteen Manager Bren.
Joining them are the beloved characters audiences will know and love including; cynical young Twinkle, played by Gemma Dobson (A Taste of Honey; Rita, Sue and Bob Too) and her endearingly naïve co-worker Anita, played by Faye Weerasinghe (Spitting Image The Musical). Mild-mannered Canteen Manager Tony is Jimmy Fairhurst (Doctors, Emmerdale) while Petula, Bren’s chaotic mother, is portrayed by Josie Brightwell (Fawlty Towers – The Play). Loveable canteen regular Jane is played by Rachel Marwood (Waterloo Road), and portraying scatty Human Resources manager Philippa is Rachel Pickup (HBO’s The Gilded Age).
Completing the ensemble is Sarah Dearlove, Alex Frost, Matthew Gordon, Angela Heenan and Tyne Pearson. The new show has a storyline drawn directly from the treasured original BBC sitcom featuring Victoria Wood’s inimitable dialogue.
Tickets are available now at dinnerladiestheplay.com.
Originally created, written and starring comedy legend Victoria Wood, dinnerladies ran for two acclaimed series and 16 episodes between 1998 and 2000, winning widespread critical plaudits and a devoted audience for its warmth, wit and brilliantly observed characters. Winning a British Comedy Award for Best TV Comedy in 2000, the sitcom was set in the canteen of fictional Manchester factory HWD Components, and followed the lives, friendships and workplace dramas of the staff and regulars who gathered there every day.
Now, audiences will once again be reunited with the unforgettable world of dinnerladies, and the affectionate portrayal of everyday working British life. Whether you’re revisiting an old favourite or discovering it for the first time, dinnerladies serves up a hilarious night out packed with heart, nostalgia and plenty of surprises. For tickets visit dinnerladiestheplay.com.
DINNERLADIES – UK TOUR DATES 2027
22 – 23 January Churchill Theatre, Bromley
26 January – 6 February Opera House, Manchester
9 – 13 February Venue Cymru, Llandudno
16 – 20 February Theatre Royal, Bath
23 – 27 February Grand Opera House, York
2 – 6 March Birmingham Hippodrome
9 – 13 March Stockton Globe
16 – 20 March Milton Keynes Theatre
23 – 27 March Congress Theatre, Eastbourne
31 March – 3 April Opera House, Blackpool
6 – 10 April New Theatre, Cardiff
13 – 17 April New Theatre, Hull
20 – 24 April Theatre Royal, Nottingham
27 April – 1 May New Theatre, Wimbledon
4 – 8 May Regent Theatre, Ipswich
11 – 15 May Princess Theatre, Torquay
18 – 22 May Hall for Cornwall, Truro
25 – 29 May Pavilion Theatre, Bournemouth
1 – 5 June Royal & Derngate, Northampton
8 – 12 June Regent Theatre, Stoke
15 – 19 June G Live, Guildford
22 – 26 June Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury
29 June – 3 July Grand Theatre, Leeds
6 – 10 July Grand Theatre, Wolverhampton
13 – 17 July Empire Theatre, Liverpool
20 – 24 July Hexagon Theatre, Reading
27 – 31 July City Hall, Sheffield
3 – 7 August Cliffs Pavilion, Southend
