The Marlowe Theatre Announces July Lineup of Dance, Music and Laughter

July will be a month of dance, music and laughter at The Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury.

The month begins with The Marlowe Dance Showcase (Wednesday 3 July), an annual event giving local dance groups and schools the chance to perform on The Marlowe's main stage. This year, 250 participants (aged from six to 19) will perform to music from Holst's The Planets.

There's more dance in Here Come The Boys (Friday 5 July, 2.30pm and 7.30pm) in which Strictly Come Dancing stars - and dance rock stars - Aljaz Škorjanec, Giovanni Pernice and Gorka Marquez, battle it out on the dance floor. Set in a club, these giants of ballroom and Latin will let the audience decide who's best on the dance floor.

The Marlowe Comedy Festival runs from Monday 15 to Sunday 28 July (across the venue's three spaces) and kicks off with The Horne Section, who've had a hit BBC Radio 4 series, a TV special at the London Palladium and an iTunes-chart-topping podcast. With five outstanding musicians and one non-musical stand up, this unique show will have comedy, songs, enthusiastic dancing and a lot of mucking about.

Adam Kay brings This Is Going To Hurt (Secret Diaries Of A Junior Doctor) on Tuesday 16 July. The award-winning comedian shares hilarious entries from his diaries as a junior doctor in this evening of stand-up and music. Based on the Sunday Times bestselling book This Is Going To Hurt, this show was a sell-out at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016, 2017 & 2018, Soho Theatre 2017 UK tour, and West End 2018.

Richard Herring's RHLSTP Tour is on Wednesday 17 July. This show will be a live recording of his infamous podcast featuring no-holds-barred interviews with some of the biggest names in entertainment and comedy. And in Canterbury, that's comedian Vic Reeves and actor Shaun Williamson.

Winner of the Bronze Sony Award for Best Comedy and four-time winner of the Chortle Internet Award, this acclaimed show will include all the bits usually too libellous and controversial to podcast!

The Alternative Comedy Show (Thursday 18 July) is a supersized version of The Marlowe's regular showcase of the UK's most original comedians. The line-up includes David O'Doherty (QI, Have I Got News For You, 8 Out Of 10 Cats and Would I Lie To You), Colin Hoult (Life's Too Short and The Russell Howard Hour), Fin Taylor (Roast Battle and Live From The Comedy Store) and Olga Koch (Mock The Week), with further names to be announced.

Live At The Marlowe will be at the theatre on Saturday 20 July, featuring a line-up of some of the biggest names in stand-up. Headlined by Joel Dommett (I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! and Joel & Nish vs The World), with Nick Helm (Loaded and 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown), Andrew Maxwell (narrator of Ex On The Beach) and Laura Lexx (Live At The Apollo), with more names to come.

Finally in July, The Marlowe is offering an outdoor event, with a performance of Much Ado About Nothing on bikes (Monday 22 July). The performance, by all-male bicycling Shakespeareans The HandleBards will take place in the Franciscan Gardens, off Stour Street. The world's first cycling theatre company, The HandleBards pedal from venue to venue with all the set, props and costume necessary to perform environmentally-sustainable Shakespeare across the globe. Audiences are asked to bring their own chair or blanket to sit on, a picnic and to dress for the weather!

All these shows are on sale now. Tickets can be booked by visiting marlowetheatre.com or by calling the Box Office on 01227 787787. Please note these shows have a variety of start times.