A bit different from my monthly Cultural Calendar (of which you can see April 2026 here); in this article I’m going to pick out my fave upcoming shows from our local cultural venues in some of the broad “genres” – theatre, tribute act, cinema, comedy, music, personality – and look at each in a little bit more detail. We’ve got some amazing shows and acts coming to Lancaster and Morecambe in late spring/summer this year, and these are just some that caught my eye! Hopefully one or more of these will strike your interest and encourage you to support our fabulous local cultural venues and institutions, as well as seeing some excellent shows and having a great night out. All shows listed here are on before 30th September 2026.
Stand Up Comedy
Just the Tonic Comedy Club Special with Ed Byrne @ The Platform, Morecambe – Thursday 21st May 2026.
Known across the UK for his frequent appearances on our tellies, Ed Byrne is side-splittingly funny, and he’s coming to the Platform for a night in May!
I first clocked Ed, as did many others, when he had a regular seat on Mock The Week, where his dry Irish humour always made me laugh. Supported by Hayley Ellis, this will be a night of comedy to kick your summer off the right way… despite the slightly odd ticket price.
Jonathan Pie “Work In Progress” @ Lancaster Grand Theatre – Friday 4th/Saturday 5th September 2026.
I’ve loved Jonathan Pie for years, with his strong (and extremely sweary) take on global and domestic political happenings. I started watching his sketches nearly a decade ago now, and have followed him ever since. Like anybody with a political opinion, I don’t agree with everything he says, but where would be the fun in that? Getting out of our social media echo chambers, whilst also laughing about it, is just as important as finding things you do agree with in this day and age. I can imagine that the theatre will be full of laughter across these two days, but will perhaps make audiences stop and think as well.
Sindu Vee “Swanky” @ Lancaster Grand Theatre – 24th September 2026.
I was first introduced to Sindu Vee on the Guilty Feminist podcast hosted by Deborah Frances White. Finding her very funny and insightful, I went and sought out some of her other work – Live At the Apollo, Edinburgh Fringe Shows etc. Her wonderful dry humour tends to be directed at motherhood (specifically being an “Indian mum”), patriarchy, and generally existing in life as a woman. Very funny, very sharp. Will definitely be in attendance.
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G’wan… you know you want to 🙂
Theatre Performance
‘Parody of the Rings’ @ The Dukes, Lancaster – 7th May 2026
Lord of the Rings, as it was never supposed to be seen. When two ushers at a cinema lose all the copies of the LOTR films they’re supposed to be showing, they decided to show the audience, on the hoof, what the film is about, condensing it here and there and putting their own hilarious spin on it.
As an absolute and self-professed Lord of the Rings nerd, I was immediately drawn to this, and as soon as I can confirm I’m going to be free I will definitely be going along.
‘Oh Zeus!’ @ The Dukes Theatre, Lancaster – 15th-19th September 2026
This one sounds like a lot of fun! For a farsiscal and hilarious romp through Greek Mythology, theatre company La Navet Bete have teamed up with an Olivier-nominated comedy writer to bring to the stage about what happens when Zeus’ daughter Hebe wants to marry a mere mortal (gasp!) and the King of the Gods decides he’s going to try and derail the wedding. For fans of Fawlty Towers and the like, this seems like it’s going to be very funny!
Musical Tribute Act
The Upbeat Beatles @ The Platform, Morecambe – Thursday 25th June 2026
The Upbeat Beatles have been paying tribute to the music of the Fab Four for over twenty five years, and this June they’ll be rocking up to The Platform in Morecambe to take us back to the 60s and the height of Beatles Mania! All aboard the yellow submarine…
The Bohemians @ Lancaster Grand Theatre – Friday 5th June 2026
Something Queen-ish is definitely in the air around Lancaster this year, as along with this show, brought to you by The Bohemians, Red Rose Lancaster are putting on a production of We Will Rock You later in the year (auditions are soon, if you’re interested!). I suspect many of that cast will end up being at this show!
Anyway, as someone who loves to belt out a Queen song at Karaoke, I think this would be an epic show to come on see. Not many of us were lucky enough to see Queen in their heyday, but this excellent tribute act (with Brian May’s approval!), is a way of experiencing some of that… kind of magic.
So, there you have it! Just some of my top picks of the shows we’ve got coming up in the next couple of months in our beautiful theatres and venues. Part Two will be coming soon where I’ll find my favourite Music Acts (not tribute), Personality/Talk Shows, and Cinema!
