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A one-off show featuring performers who have appeared at the Marlowe Theatre will be the final act before the building closes next year.

The curtain will come down on Sunday, March 22, to make way for the theatre’s £25.5million reconstruction.

Final highlights include a week-long performance of Brief Encounter, Richard E. Grant in God of Carnage and spectacular ice show Cirque de Glace.

The final act will be a one-off gala performance, celebrating productions and performers who have graced the Marlowe stage over the last 25 years.

The closure date has been extended by two months.

See the video above for more on the Marlowe

Theatre director Mark Everett explained: “The earlier plan of closing just after Christmas seemed a bit uncomfortable in the middle of the winter. This takes us right through until the spring.

“I think it’s great to have as short a gap as possible, so that the community can use the site as much as they like before it closes.”

Work on the new Marlowe will begin in mid-April 2009, with the 1,200-seater venue and 150-seat second space due for completion in mid-2011.