Corrie star’s daughter comes home for Around the World in 80 Days

Harriet Mackie is bringing this brand new production of the Jules Verne classic to The Dukes on October 2.

Former Dallas Road Primary and Lancaster Girls Grammar School pupil, Harriet is producer at Chipping Norton Theatre which has teamed up with Oxfordshire Theatre Company for this national tour.

The daughter of Downton Abbey and Coronation Street actress Christine Mackie (who plays the Street’s new doctor in the ITV soap), Harriet was a regular visitor to The Dukes where her mum has appeared in 15 productions.

While growing up in Lancaster, Harriet attended Drama Factory classes and after leaving Reading University with a first class degree in theatre, she worked in stage management and casting across the UK and in Washington and Vancouver before settling at Chipping Norton Theatre as its producer.

In Harriet’s version of Around the World in 80 Days, three actors including Gareth Cassidy, last seen as Sydney the Swan and Rumplestiltskin in The Dukes outdoor production of Hansel & Gretel, portray a cast of thousands in a madcap adaptation bringing to life sea storms, police chases and even elephant rides.

Performed in The Round, this show brings the sounds, smells and even the tastes of a monumental circumnavigation and promises to have the audience crying with laughter as they travel the world.

With a production style incorporating classic farce, theatrical storytelling and madcap silliness, Around the World in 80 Days is a must-do journey for anyone aged seven plus.

There will be a post show talk back with Harriet and the cast after the October 2 performance.

Tickets are priced £12/£10 concessions (a £1 per transaction fee applies when booking online). For more information and to book, ring The Dukes box office on 01524 598500 or visit www.dukes-lancaster.org.