RNIB Connect Radio’s Toby Davey is joined again by Vidar Hjardeng MBE, Inclusion and Diversity Consultant for ITV News across England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands for his audio described theatre review of the year plus a couple of highlights of shows he is looking forward to seeing in 2025. 

Audio described theatre highlights of 2024 included -

The reimagining for the stage at the RSC of Mark Ravenhill’s 2013 radio play’ Ben and Imo’, which told the true story of the passionate partnership between Benjamin Britten and Imogen Holst. The touring production of the Lawrence Olivier award winning comedy musical retelling of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice (Sort Of)’ with only a cast of five women on stage playing all the characters of Pride and Prejudice. 

Welsh National Opera’s production of Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff which had a bit of a Jacobean feel to the costumes and maybe some influences of Shakespeare coming through too. At the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and a musical that is all about first love and finding your voice with ‘Becoming Nancy’ based on the novel of the same name by author songwriter, music producer and singer Terry Ronald. Staying with Musicals at the Birmingham Hippodrome with Lin-Manuel Miranda’s multi award-winning cultural phenomenon that is Hamilton. 

Vidar also mentions a few highlights of shows that he is looking forward to seeing in 2025 too. 

(Image shows RNIB logo. 'RNIB' written in black capital letters over a white background and underlined with a bold pink line, with the words 'See differently' underneath)