OVO's Roman Theatre Open Air Festival has returned for the summer with a packed line-up of shows.

The 10th anniversary season will kick off with the return of OVO's critically acclaimed production The Merry Wives of Windsor.

Full of nostalgic 80s rock hits, this Shakespeare retelling features tight trousers, big hair and an 'ensemble to remember'.

The play is often seen as the world's first sitcom, and OVO's adaptation returns to the Roman Theatre by popular demand after a sell-out run in 2020.

In a co-production with Pitlochry Festival Theatre, OVO presents a fresh reimagining of Sense and Sensibility.

Jane Austen's classic is given a contemporary twist in this new adaptation by Scottish playwright Frances Poet, and features love anthems by iconic pop idols while navigating the relationships between sisters, suitors and societal expectations.

The season finale will be new British musical The Highwayman, inspired by Alfred Noyes' classic poem.

This funny and moving tale features a cast of restoration rogues and romantics - from a sadistic smuggler to a rip-roaring East End landlady, along with appearances from Nell Gwynn and King Charles II himself.

Produced by OVO and Norwich Theatre, The Highwayman reimagines pub sing-alongs and folk ballads in contemporary arrangements, from electro to Adele, Billie Eilish and Kae Tempest.

Director and artistic director for OVO Adam Nichols said: "I’m delighted to be returning to The Merry Wives of Windsor, one of the most popular and loved shows that OVO has ever produced, and very excited to be working on two brilliant new plays, Sense and Sensibility and The Highwayman, inspired by classic plays and stories, but given a fresh 2024 twist by the wonderful contemporary writers Frances Poet and Kitty Morgan."

Tickets are available from https://ovo.org.uk/whats-on/.

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The Merry Wives of Windsor runs until Sunday, July 28. Sense and Sensibility runs from Tuesday, July 2 to Thursday, August 18, and The Highwayman runs from Tuesday, September 3 to Sunday, September 8.

Tickets cost between £12.50 and £29.50.

Performances will take place at the Roman Theatre of Verulamium in Bluehouse Hill, St Albans.