To round off the year we bring the festive classic White Christmas to the Crucible stage this December. Directed by Paul Foster, it’s a musical that will delight all ages. ” Anna Hibiscus is so filled with happiness that she feels like she might float away. And the more she talks to her mother and father and grandfather and grandmother and aunties and cousins about it, the more her happiness grows! There's only one thing to do...Sing! What a lovely story. The book showcases four different chapters with individual stories contained within about Anna Hibiscus, who is a young girl growing up in Africa with her large, loving family. This is the story of a young girl named Anna Hibiscus. Anna lives in amazing Africa. Ibadan, Nigeria to be exact. Beyond Sheffield, the Olivier Award nominated new musical which started life at the Crucible Theatre, Standing at the Sky’s Edge, continues at the National Theatre until Saturday 25 March 2023, written by Chris Bush with the music of Richard Hawley and directed by Robert Hastie, nationaltheatre.org.uk. Also in London, the Playhouse Theatre’s acclaimed comedy Accidental Death of an Anarchist by Dario Fo in a new version by comedian and writer Tom Basden runs at the Lyric Hammersmith from Monday 13 March – Saturday 8 April 2023, lyric.co.uk.

Atinuke and Tobia evoke Africa beautifully. It is lovely to see representations of the diverse landscape that Africa offers. From the hustle of the city to the coolness of the Mango Tree- you almost feel like you could fall into Anna’s garden or stroll across the pavement. Anna Hibiscus lives in amazing Africa. She lives in a white house with a courtyard with her parents, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents (except her mother's relations who live in Canada). There is plenty for her to enjoy and learn in her life, whether it is visiting the beach with family, selling oranges to help someone else, or dreaming of snow in far off Canada.

Africa: Amazing Africa

Also in the Crucible Theatre this summer is a new production of Miss Saigon which will mark the first regional non-replica production of Boublil and Schönberg’s hit musical retelling of Madame Butterfly set during the Vietnam war. Miss Saigon will be reimagined by Sheffield Theatres’ Artistic Director Robert Hastie and Associate Artistic Director Anthony Lau as co-directors, with design by Ben Stones and lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun. Joanna Ampil, who has previously played Kim in the London, Sydney, UK touring and 10 th anniversary productions of Miss Saigon, is cast as The Engineer. Further casting and creative team to be announced. An extra week has been added to the run, now playing from Saturday 8 July 2023 – Saturday 19 August 2023. Anna’s family is clearly one full of love and support, but they also have their challenges. Life is busy when you live with all your cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents. But this extended family provides wonderful support and entertainment for Anna and her immediate family.

Anna Hibiscus is so filled with happiness that she feels like she might float away. And the more she talks to her mother and father and grandfather and grandmother and aunties and cousins about it, the more her happiness grows! There’s only one thing to do…Sing!

Anna Hibiscus

If you like this series, you may also like Younguncle Comes to Town and Younguncle in the Himalayas. All that, and funny & cute & delightfully illustrated, too. And concise, & accessible, I believe, to children as young as five or six (with a mentor) or eight (reading on their own). 4.5 stars... every child, whether or not they're Nigerian, should have this series available to them. Saturday 9 December 2023 – Saturday 13 January 2024 (Press performance: Thursday 14 December 2023 at 7pm).