As March has danced into view, we are all firmly in the grasp of our next finger-snapping, toe-tapping musical revue Ain’t Misbehavin’ and what an exciting show this is going to be.

As you may have seen, rehearsals are well under way and we’re all busy preparing for opening night.

In the director’s chair is the West End’s very own Tyrone Huntley and keeping our cast on their toes is our choreographer, Strictly Come Dancing star Oti Mabuse.

This is going to be one jazzy musical that I am confident Colchester is going to love.

The Mercury is a theatre that proudly produces all of our own sets and costumes.

We have dedicated teams who specialise in set building, painting and costume making.

It’s no surprise, therefore, that here at the theatre, we’re fairly accustomed to finding glitter and sequins everywhere (especially during panto season).

But something that may take you by surprise, is that our spectacular lighting is going to be reflecting no fewer than 10,000 sequins from the stage.

That’s even more sparkle than we would typically see over our bustling festive period here at the theatre.

What’s even more remarkable is that each of these sequins has been attached to the stage by hand, with teams of staff working non-stop to get this sparkling extravaganza perfect for opening night. But that’s not all!

The elaborate costumes, made by our very own in-house wardrobe team, will be sparkling with Swarovski crystals, fabric from Savile Row and luxury Merino wool, just to name a few of the materials that will be adorning our wonderful cast.

This show is going to provide one of the best nights out of the season and what’s more, we are offering our wonderful audiences the opportunity to view all that glitz and glamour of Twenties Manhattan up close, by sitting in one of our new on-stage seats.

I’m delighted this unique experience, imagined by our ingenious designer, will enable our audiences to not just watch the show, but to really become part of it, without the fear of audience participation (this isn’t a panto, don’t worry).

We’re all so proud of this effervescent musical and I’m confident the people of Colchester are going to love our last Made in Colchester production in the old building before we head to our off-site location Mercury at Abbey Field.

The off-site venue will house our next two Made in Colchester Productions, Oliver! and Cinderella, as well as a variety of other acts and shows to fill our autumn and winter season.

Rest assured there is plenty going on behind the scenes I can’t wait to share with you all in the future.

Ain’t Misbehavin’ runs from March 15 to 30.

For more information and to book, visit mercurytheatre.co.uk/event/ain-t-misbehavin/.