'Eric' to celebrate 25th anniversary in 2024 with favourite shows as voted for by audiences

Next year, New Vic institution ‘Eric’ and his gang will celebrate 25 years of entertaining audiences with their unique blend of comedy and live music at the Basford-based theatre. To mark the anniversary milestone, David Graham Productions will stage two of their most popular productions - as voted for by audiences - alongside a series of celebratory concerts packed full of the ’60s tunes the company are well known for raising the roof with.

Strictly Eric and Eric’s Full Monty came top in a vote earlier this year when audiences were asked to pick their favourite shows from the last 15 years.

First performed in 2017, Strictly Eric sees Eric and hapless sidekick Gordon employed to help in the 1969 World Ballroom Championships at the Tower Ballroom in Blackpool. The two favourites are the couples from Germany and England and after three consecutive German victories the English couple are determined to win. Audiences can find out what happens when Eric takes on the best ballroom dancers that ‘Strictly’ has to offer from Monday 22 July – Saturday 3 August.

Eric’s Full Monty will then take to the stage from Monday 25 November – Tuesday 10 December. It follows Eric’s dilemma as partner Bev devises a get-rich-quick scheme: their own version of The Chippendales! Eric originally dismisses the idea as nonsense, but when Bev surrounds herself with four hunky young men, he decides he wants in. Will Eric and the boys be brave enough to do the ‘full monty’?

Ahead of the revivals of these audience favourites, David Graham Productions are throwing a series of special concerts where ‘Eric’ and friends will perform a whole host of’60s hits in a celebratory party concert to mark this milestone birthday from Tuesday 14 to Saturday 18 May.

David Graham (creator of the ‘Eric’ productions) said: “When Eric first appeared on stage at the New Vic in 1999 with his nephew, Dennis, trying to make a quick buck out of staging a pop festival in ITCHYCOO PARK, who would have thought that 25 years later our eponymous hero would still be entertaining 5,000 people twice a year with a constantly-changing storyline and a plethora of 60s hits?  Not me, for one!  The tenth anniversary passed largely un-noticed and the 20th (in 2019) was celebrated with a week of music and sketches from previous shows.  For the 25th anniversary I wanted to concentrate mostly on the 60s musical glue which has held this show together through the almost 600 performances there have been so far and so the shows will be mostly music (but there’s bound to be a bit of humour in there somewhere!).  However, for a 25th Anniversary, that show has to be a bit special and it will be. Surprises await!

"And then we thought we would allow the audience to decide which two of the many shows we have performed you would like to see again during our 25th anniversary year. Neither of the winners surprised us.  STRICTLY ERIC from 2017 featured some fantastic ballroom dancing sequences as well as the usual comedy and 60s hits and I thought it was an excellent show.  It will be our Summer show for 2024 and I, for one, am delighted.  However, the runaway winner (and I mean ‘runaway’ – it gathered more than double the votes of the all the other shows put together) was ERIC’S FULL MONTY.

 "The three shows of 2024 will bring you a host of great 60s hits and the usual Eric non-stop comedy PLUS some additional surprises that I can’t reveal here… What’s not to like?”

Tickets are on sale now for Strictly Eric, Eric’s Full Monty and Eric’s 25^th Anniversary Concert. For more information and to book call the Box Office on 01782 717962 or visit newvictheatre.org.uk.