- May 2024
In 1850s Victorian England, a prison chaplain is tasked with cleansing the souls of those sentenced to death or transportation for the most heinous crimes. In a dirty prison cell, the Chaplain meets three convicts: Edie, a young woman from the inner-city slums with a dream of dancing in the music hall and forced into prostitution in order to survive, John, a coachman for a wealthy family who killed his master after his love was taken from him, and Jamie, a young boy forced to steal for his starving mother and brother and sentenced to transportation as a result. Throughout, the Chaplain is also plagued by the voice of a mysterious woman who lurks in the cell’s shadows, and the Chaplain is certain he has met her somewhere before. As the musical unfolds and the Chaplain’s mental state deteriorates, it becomes clear that he too has sins he must confess…
Though the show is dark in its themes, it hopes to be a moving show with humorous elements. The show explores the nature of the hypocrisy of those in positions of power, as well as deeply human ideas as the power of love for one another and the human capacity for forgiveness.
As a story told through classic musical theatre numbers, The Chaplain promises an emotional exploration of love, hate, faith and power abuse underscored by bloodthirsty Victorian law in the hope of drawing parallels with the not-so-distant society of today…
- May 2024
'Doesn't anybody ever get it right?! Doesn't anybody think that I hear?!'
The cult-hit, rock musical based on Stephen King's bestselling horror novel. Carrie White is a freak, at least in the eyes of her classmates. There's just something about her, something that attracts their hate. She’s shy, awkward, desperately lonely, and controlled completely by her tyrannical, religious fundamentalist mother at home, while at school she is tormented by almost everyone she comes across. But something has changed. She feels different. She feels powerful. She can move things without touching them. She could hurt people, if she wanted to. When she is invited to the prom, the hatred and rejection of her peers still festering, their pity somehow even more hurtful, was there ever any hope of her keeping this power under control?
This iconic horror story is at once a supernatural thrill-fest, and a tragic, thoughtful, biting, meditation on the question: just how cruel can normal people be, in order to feel like they belong?
- March 2024
- February 2024
For four evenings this term, CUMTS host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality.
The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
For the third bar night of the term, in line with our goals to diversify the musical theatre scene and increase accessibility, CUMTS are working in collaboration with Bread Theatre & Film Company to bring you a Bar Night made up entirely BME performers who will be singing all of their favourite songs from musical theatre.
It's going to be an amazing night so please don't miss out! Buy your tickets now!
- February 2024
CUMTS presents you with the gift of Gala. For two nights only CUMTS brings you an evening of pure musical theatre decadence. Dressed to the nines and accompanied by a full orchestra, the finest of Cambridge’s Musical Theatre Talent will be performing all of your favourite musical theatre classics alongside the latest Broadway hits, all dazzling with glitz and glamour.
- February 2024
- February 2024
‘A new world calls across the ocean, a new world calls across the sky, a new world whispers in the shadows.’
These are the stories and characters of today, the Songs for a New World. The first musical from Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (The Last Five Years, Parade), this moving collection of powerful songs examines life, love and the choices we make.
Brown transports his audience from the deck of a 1492 Spanish sailing ship to a ledge 57 stories above Fifth Avenue to meet a startling array of characters ranging from a young man who is determined that basketball is his ticket out of the ghetto to a woman whose dream of marrying rich nabs her the man of her dreams and a soulless marriage.
- January 2024
- January 2024
In just 24 hours, CUMTS will create and perform a brand new musical. A theme will be announced to some of Cambridge's sparkiest new writers and composers, who will then put their heads together for 24 hours of creative madness. A troupe of CUMTS performers and musicians will be on hand to bring their work to life, in what will be a whirlwind celebration of new writing. There will be sleeplessness. There will be coffee. Who knows what the final product will be? All we know, is that it will be unmissable.
- November 2023
Three times a term, we host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality. The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
for the first time ever members of CUMTS have been given the chance to vote on the theme for a bar night, so make sure you come along and see what the musical theatre stars of Cambridge have voted on !
- November 2023
Beyond Today follows Aoife Burke, a young woman in 1990s Ireland, who dreams of a peaceful life. With a long-standing conflict plaguing Aoife’s hometown, she’s always stuck with her own family: that is, until she meets Molly O’Keele – the daughter of her family’s nemesis. The pair keep their connection a secret, but it’s not long until people find out and, with tensions already high, chaos quickly ensues. How will the families react? Will Aoife and Molly ever get to be together? And, most importantly, will Aoife be able to stop the fight before more people get hurt?
- November 2023
- November 2023
Three times a term, we host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality. The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
This time round we have the joy of welcoming the newest performers in Cambridge Theatre to the ADC Bar stage ! make sure you come along to support the newest members of CUMTS !
- October–November 2023
The Drowsy Chaperone is a loving send-up of the Jazz Age musical, featuring one show-stopping song and dance number after another. With the house lights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favourite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to life and The Drowsy Chaperone begins as the man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters posing as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight. Hailed by New York Magazine as "The Perfect Broadway Musical," The Drowsy Chaperone is a masterful meta-musical, poking fun at all the tropes that characterize the musical theatre genre.
- October 2023
Three times a term, we host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality. The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
- August 2023
“Nestled in the heart of a highland community, the local Glenelg Post Office is on the brink of going out of business. The world is changing and putting pen to paper to send letters is becoming a thing of the past. When a huge new packaging and delivery warehouse springs up in the once peaceful village, what was the heart of the community risks being lost to the reality of world that is moving forwards at a faster pace than the town can keep up with.
Working on the warehouse production line, however, is the postie’s daughter, Hannah. Hannah has always seen things a little differently, because to her, everything is backwards. Her ups are down and lefts are rights. While all her life she has felt like she was always the wrong way round, when she sees her mother’s life turned upside-down by the changes in her town, Hannah along with her two best friends have to find a way to move forwards in a backwards world.
‘Palindrome' is a story of connection, communictaion, opening up and writing things down. When world rushes forwards, sometimes we all need to take a step back.”
- July–August 2023
From the brains behind BLUE WORKERS comes INVASION! @ Camden Fringe!
JOHNNY FOX thought adult life would be wonderful - but working at LOTUS LAND, Britain’s most magical theme park, he’s trapped on minimum wage, lodging with his cowardly uncle BRIAN, and under fire from their despotic manager, HACKETT.
But upon the arrival of mysterious new-hire SOLA, Johnny discovers the park hides a terrible truth - it’s run by a race of zealous alien parasites, hell-bent on replacing humanity!
Join Johnny, Brian, and Sola on this wild rollercoaster ride to prove their worth and save the Earth in INVASION! - a toe-tapping intergalactic spectacular!
- May 2023
Three times a term, we host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality. The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
This week it's time to bid farewell to our graduating performers- auditions will be open to finalists only!
- May 2023
‘And now our bodies are the guilty ones…’
Winner of eight Tony Awards,‘Spring Awakening: the Musical’, features an electrifying rock soundtrack that explores the journey from adolescence to adulthood in a poignant story of teenage curiosity and sexual naivety.
In 1891, a group of teenagers grapple with puberty with a lack of adult guidance. They encounter Love, loss, desire and much more in this passionate and heart-wrenching coming-of-age story; a narrative of sexual liberation, community, and learning what it is to love and to exist in a world which aims to keep you in the dark.
- May 2023
Three times a term, we host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality. The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
- March 2023
Three times a term, we host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality.
The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
- February 2023
A group of rebels, young and old, unite the outcasts of society, pick up their placards, and demand justice!
In the midst of Roman occupation, three Marys: a Mother, a Leader, and a Runaway, live out their lives. But who are these women, and why did the things they say and do cause such a stir?
Come along to watch this re-telling of the biblical narrative, from her perspective. See the cast sing and fight their way through first century Judea, refusing to accept their designated positions as women on the side-lines of history.
- February 2023
Celebrating their 25th birthday, CUMTS brings you the gift of Gala: two evenings of musical theatre magnificence. With a dazzling cast of Cambridge’s finest musical theatre talent, accompanied by a full orchestra, Gala will be an extravaganza of all of your favourite musical theatre classics and latest hits. Dressed to the nines and brimming with glitz and glamour, these wonderful performers invite you into the world of big ballads, stunning harmonies, kick-lines and jazz hands.
- February 2023
Three times a term, we host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality.
The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
- February 2023
we choose who we invite / through the front door of our life
Sky, a precocious but quiet teenager, gets caught smoking a zoot and is sentenced to live with their teacher, Miss Court. Between Miss Court's caution to maintain boundaries and Sky's disinterest in interacting at all, neither of them is expecting the other to be anything except a housemate. But a badly-timed Covid-19 infection forces the two to spend a fortnight with no social options except one another.
What emerges from the ashes of this explosion of misfortune could either be a beautiful gift, or a disaster...
An original musical about friendship, trust, identity and weed.
- February 2023
'White: a blank page or canvas. His favourite – so many possibilities.'
George is an artist in search of his masterpiece - battling with his friends and his critics - he navigates his relationships and the everyday world around him to create something truly special that he's been planning for years.
In this Pulitzer Prize-winning musical, based on the life of the French artist Georges Seurat and his fictional great-grandson George, we see eight-time Tony Award winner Stephen Sondheim (Company, Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods) and three-time Tony winner James Lapine at their best, in this stunning collaboration that will make you question the world around you and leave you amazed.
- January 2023
Three times a term, we host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality.
The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
- January 2023
"I think that I could be in love with someone like you..."
Jamie and Cathy’s relationship is over five years after they first met. Both have their stories to tell from meeting to breaking up, but while Jamie follows the events chronologically, Cathy traces the relationship backwards. With alternating songs, the pair meet only once in this sung-through musical, exploring themes of marriage, career ambitions and what it means to be in love.
Humorous yet poignant, at times heart-warming and at times heart-breaking, The Last Five Years encourages us to see the complexities within modern relationships, and ultimately consider whether we are right to do the things we do for love.
Accompanied by a powerful score, the Last Five Years moves between hilarious comedy songs and tender, emotional ballads to produce a whirlwind picture of Jamie and Cathy’s relationship, told through both their lenses
- January 2023
In just 24 hours, CUMTS will create and perform a brand new musical. A theme will be announced to some of Cambridge's sparkiest new writers and composers, who will then put their heads together for 24 hours of creative madness. A troupe of CUMTS performers and musicians will be on hand to bring their work to life, in what will be a whirlwind celebration of new writing. There will be sleeplessness. There will be coffee. Who knows what the final product will be? All we know, is that it will be unmissable.
- November 2022
Three times a term, we host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality.
The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
This time round, we want to hear you step out of your comfort zone and sing something you ordinarily wouldn’t choose to sing- in the words of the great Cole Porter… anything goes!
- November 2022
Field of Folk invites you to enter the psychedelic dreams of one aspiring musician, meeting his own mind on his tortured quest to find Truth. Led through his mind by Imagination, his dreams — a mix of the childlike fantasies of Lewis Carroll and 60s psychedelia — set him on a winding path to rediscover his own voice, even in a world which has lost its song.
- November 2022
Three times a term, we host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality.
The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
This time auditions are open exclusively to freshers. Good luck!
- November 2022
At the height of the Cold War, a loutish American Grandmaster and an earnest Russian champion clash amongst the influence of lovers, governments, and nations.
With music by ABBA legends Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, and lyrics by Sir Tim Rice, Chess features international hits such as 'I Know Him So Well' and 'One Night In Bangkok'
- October 2022
'I feel something in the air / inside my mind / but I can't find / the words quite yet'
In a fictionalised version of Edwardian academic England, Rosa, a fiery student with a drive to make things better, gets sent to Saint Frederick's School for Troublesome Girls. An imminent visit from the School Inspector leaves Professor Oakshot on edge as he struggles to control the newly radical student population. While tensions rise, the appointment of a new English teacher threatens to mark the end of the order they know so well...
A sung-through, student-written musical, FULL MARX is a story of queer love and BME joy, a refreshing new take in the musical theatre scene, presented in front of a live audience for the first time as a rehearsed reading. With an irreverent political sensibility, a multi-ethnic, folk-inspired score, and a scathing critique of 'academic' culture, FULL MARX promises to be a show like no other.
- October 2022
Approaching thirty, Johnny is a struggling theatre composer, waiting tables at the local diner and watching his New York life tick by. His best friend is making corporate money and his girlfriend wants to leave the city, but he just can’t give up on his stagnating dream of writing the next great American musical.
This semi-autobiographical musical explores Jonathan Larson’s life before ‘Rent’, both the culture and pressures that culminated in his Tony Award winning legacy, and brings a fresh performance following the 2021 hit film.
- October 2022
Three times a term, we host a night where people can come along and sing a musical theatre song for a smaller audience in a less intimidating venue (the ADC bar). The atmosphere is always friendly and uplifting, and the performances are always of a top quality.
The most wonderful thing about these shows is that the more intimate setting allows for those less confident performers to feel more comfortable in their singing and eventually move onto principal roles in bigger shows. You never know, any Bar Night participant might just go on to be the next big star of the stage! Not only that, but also the range of performers means that there is always a range of songs and dynamics to fit every audience member's needs. Whether you're into comedy or you're a hopeless romantic, there'll be something for you!
