There’s passion, suspense and laughs a plenty as Blackpool Grand Theatre unveils a new season of plays for summer and autumn.

From classic adaptations to modern comedies, frightfully gothic tales to hilarious farces – there are highlights for everyone to look forward to.

A spokesperson for The Grand said,

“This season of drama has something for all those who love to be swept away by a good story – including brand-new comedy SWAP, thrillers Lotty’s War and Jekyll and Hyde, and Charles Dickens’ epic drama A Tale of Two Cities. TV serials have reignited the nation’s love of drama but you don’t get any closer to the action than in a theatre. So what better opportunity for Blackpool drama lovers to come and experience these great stories the way they were meant to be seen? We’re also giving audiences a great excuse to treat someone to a night out, with 2-for-1 tickets on the opening nights for selected shows.”

Opening the season is a story of passion, courage and heartache when World War II thriller Lotty’s War comes to Blackpool ahead of a West End run. Based on recently discovered diaries, Lotty’s War, starring Ian Reddington (Coronation Street, EastEnders) and Victoria Emslie (Downtown Abbey, The Theory of Everything), is a mesmerising drama set in the enemy-occupied Channel Islands. Lotty is living in close quarters with the enemy, but as loyalties waver amidst the temptations of forbidden love and the politics of war, will she dare to tread a passionate and dangerous path to save a friend? The critics said: ‘One of the most mesmerising, gripping and involving productions I have ever seen’ (British Theatre Guide).

In a story a little closer to home, Poulton Drama take to the stage with John Godber’s Blackpool-based comedy drama, September in the Rain this June. Set at the end of summer, this play follows Jack and Liz who return to the resort where they spent their honeymoon as they relive memories and rediscover that their love for each other and the town remains unbroken. Audiences can expect to laugh, cry and crack a wry smile or two at Godber’s ability to capture the traits in each other – and the town – that we know and love so well. This is the first opportunity to see Poulton Drama perform together again after playing alongside the RSC in A Midsummer Night’s Dream in April.

Lovers of comedy are in for an outrageously entertaining evening this July with brand-new farce, SWAP. What could go wrong when a couple decide to trade holiday homes? Brian Flowers and his wife Susan are about to find out when they arrive at their temporary new home in Spain, only to discover they’ve unknowingly swapped houses with a British gangster. But with ex-girlfriends, twin brothers and dead bodies to contend with – things don’t quite go as planned… Brought to The Grand by talking Scarlet, the company behind Dial M For Murder (2016) and Sherlock Holmes and the Ripper Murders (2015), SWAP is set to have the whole theatre in hysterics.

And returning to their niche for suspense, talking Scarlet will be in town again this September to give Blackpool audiences the fright of their lives in a new staging of Jekyll and Hyde. In Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic tale of split personalities, Henry Jekyll believes that there are two distinct sides to men – one good, one evil. Intent on separating the two, he succeeds in his experiments. But in doing so, he unleashes ‘Hyde’, a monstrous and uncontrollable alter ego. Blood-curdling screams, haunted faces and creepy apparitions set a tense atmosphere for a thrilling night at The Grand this autumn.

Finally, literature lovers are in for the ‘best of times’ when The Grand’s drama season rounds off with a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ poignant novel, A Tale of Two Cities by Mike Poulton (Wolf Hall). Set in the French Revolution, this powerful drama weaves together one family’s personal struggles with an epic story of love, sacrifice and redemption amidst the horrific violence and world-changing events. Brought to The Grand by the Touring Consortium Theatre Company and Royal & Derngate Northampton, the company behind the bold adaptation of Brave New World (2015) and the moving Regeneration (2014), this is a play for all those who love intense, historical drama. The critics said: ‘This is powerful, populist theatre’ (Mark Lawson).

Drama lovers can see more great theatre for less with 2-for-1 tickets on the opening nights of Jekyll and Hyde, A Tale of Two Cities and SWAP (subject to availability). Students and young people don’t miss out either, with 50 £12.50 Under 26s tickets available per show (T&Cs apply; excludes September in the Rain).

Whether it’s mystery and suspense, epic tales or laugh-a-minute farces, there’s nowhere better to get up close and personal with great drama than at the Grand Theatre, Blackpool. For more information on shows, tickets and offers, visit blackpoolgrand.co.uk or call the box office on 01253 290190.