The Edinburgh connection: the hit shows heading to Theatre Royal Plymouth from the Edinburgh Fringe

Theatre Royal Plymouth has outlined an exciting line-up for the Drum stage this Autumn - revealing the venue’s “coup” in bringing shows straight from the Edinburgh fringe to the ocean city.

Associate artistic director Tom Jackson-Greaves has also teased that an announcement is imminent about a big-name musical coming to TRP in 2026.

Cornish-born Tom, who is an award-winning choreographer, was appointed to his TRP role in the summer of 2023. At the time he said: “A theatre that’s shaped my whole career - and a new home where I will make work, celebrate artists and champion the people of Plymouth.”

Revealing the full 2025 Autumn line-up for the intimate Drum stage, which caters to an audience of just 200, he spoke of “old friends, and new friends” performing “extraordinary” works.

And he revealed that he is directing and choreographing a TRP musical in the summer of 2026 that “everybody will recognise, know and love.” The show is in pre-production, with the creative team being assembled and first workshops and an announcement planned for this Autumn.

Highlights at The Drum, TRP, Autumn 2025:

• "Sorry (I Broke Your Arms And Legs)" by Maybe You Like It (Sept 19-20)

A Pick of the Fringe in 2024, with five-star reviews, it’s a high-energy comedy about Sam Wilson from Class 8C campaigning to become head boy. It features school discos, playground football, and Machiavellian scheming as Sam uses a PowerPoint presentation to prove he's the right choice. The show includes multi-rolling, physical theatre, and fast-paced entertainment. 

(Maybe You Like It’s production of “Down to Chance” previewed at the Lab in Plymouth before heading to this summer’s Edinburgh fringe. It is supported by TRP.)

• "Lovett" by Boondog Theatre (Sept 26-27)

A darkly comic play exploring Mrs. Lovett's life before her partnership with Sweeney Todd. The story follows newly widowed Mrs. Lovett as she uses skills learned from her whaler father, courtesan mother, and butcher husband to survive. It examines what led her to become a pie maker and explores themes of morality, survival, and brutal life choices. Currently running at Edinburgh - it speeds down the M6 and M5 motorway to be here directly after the Fringe.

• "Juliet and Romeo" by Lost Dog (Sept 30-Oct 4)

A dance theatre piece that flips the classic story - imagining that Romeo and Juliet survived and are now 40-ish, dealing with mid-life crises. Juliet & Romeo sees the pair haunted by being the poster couple for romantic love and deciding to perform about themselves (against their therapist's advice). Combines dance, acting and comedy to explore themes of youth, longevity, and staying relevant. “A brilliant company, pushing the boundaries,” said Jackson-Greaves.

The Drum’s Autumn line-up boasts more than a dozen productions before the Christmas season arrives (when Father Christmas is due to make a return).

Other highlights include political comedian Mark Thomas in another 2025 Edinburgh Fringe sellout, Ordinary Decent Criminal (October 9-11) - a “tale of freedom, revolution and messy love,” and another TRP co-production.

Tickets for all shows are on sale now