RACHEL BULLER Stars of the small screen dominate the big name line up performing at Norwich Theatre Royal this year. Nigel Havers, Lesley Joseph, former EastEnders' actress Lucy Benjamin and top comedians Harry Hill and Jack Dee are among those confirmed for the new season.

RACHEL BULLER

Stars of the small screen dominate the big name line up performing at Norwich Theatre Royal this year.

Nigel Havers, Lesley Joseph, former EastEnders' actress Lucy Benjamin and top comedians Harry Hill and Jack Dee are among those confirmed for the new season.

The eclectic programme also sees several world famous productions coming to the county, including musicals Miss Saigon and Blood Brothers and Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca.

New adaptations of When Harry Met Sally, The Jungle Book and Jacqueline Wilson's Midnight are also on the bill and there's a taste of vintage comedy in Round The Horne Revisted 2, a hilarious look back at the classic Sixties radio show.

Another highlight will be the new Alan Bennett production, The History Boys, and an adaptation of Roald Dahl's dark comedy The Witches.

Music lovers of all tastes are also well catered for, with shows including An Evening with The Hollies, The Elvis Collection and All That Jazz.

And world-famous opera productions, including Bizet's Carmen and Verdi's Nabucco, will also hit the stage, performed by the Chisinau National Opera.

But it's Miss Saigon that is likely to be the theatre's biggest money-spinner and it is already breaking records.

Norwich Theatre Royal chief executive Peter Wilson said the eagerly anticipated show had been in the planning for nearly two years and ticket sales were on course to reach nearly 40,000.

"This level of business means that Miss Saigon will set one new Theatre Royal record as the biggest selling musical ever, and another as the highest grossing Theatre Royal show of all time," he said.

This year's Pantomime has also been revealed as Peter Pan, starring its co-writers Richard Gauntlett and Rikki Jay.

Highlights include:

Television presenter Gaby Roslin is appearing in When Harry Met Sally, adapted from Nora Ephron's Academy Award-nominated screenplay from June 20 to June 25;

Coronation Street's Thomas Craig and Vincenzo Pellegrino, from Casualty, will join Lucy Benjamin in psychological thriller Framed from July 18 to July 23. It is the first major play written by local writer and broadcaster Martin Sterling, who is currently a scriptwriter on Coronation Street;

Former Birds of a Feather star Lesley Joseph stars in an adaptation of multi award winning Broadway show Thoroughly Modern Millie from October 18 to October 22;

Glyndebourne on tour makes a welcome return to Norwich on November 8 for five days, with three renowned operas, Le Nozze Di Figaro, La Cenerentola and Tangier Tattoo.