ALAN Carr, Jasper Carrott, Alexandra Burke and Freddie Flintoff are among the stars lighting up the summer season at Bradford Theatres.

Highlight shows include Dirty Dancing, The Bodyguard, Jersey Boys and murder mystery classic The Mousetrap, and other big names coming to town include master of psychological illusion Derren Brown, with new show Miracle, and folk legend Mike Harding, bringing an evening of poetry to the stage.

Lorna Luft will be breathing new life into her mother’s showstoppers in The Songbook of Judy Garland, which has creative direction from Arlene Phillips, and Claire Sweeney stars in new show Sex in Suburbia.

Prepare to be spooked when gripping ghost story The Woman in Black, made into a film starring Daniel Radcliffe, also comes to the Alhambra stage in the year it celebrates 25 years in the West End.

Former X Factor winner Alexandra Burke stars in The Bodyguard, on tour following a hit West End run, and Dirty Dancing – The Classic Story On Stage brings the music and dances of the show to life with passion, romance and “sensationally sexy dancing”.

There’s more music in The Carpenters Story, Godspell in Concert, starring Jade Ewen from Sugababes and former X Factor runner-up Andy Abraham, and INALA, a fusion of South African and Western cultures featuring Grammy-winning choral legends Ladysmith Black Mambazo and members of the Royal Ballet and Rambert.

Veteran crooner Jack Jones is supported on his Coming Home Tour by Rita Coolidge.

The Mousetrap returns to the Alhambra after a run in 2012. The whodunnit is famous worldwide for being the longest-running show of any kind in the history of British theatre, with more than 25,000 performances.

There will be laughs a-plenty from comics Stewart Lee, Alan Carr, Kevin Bridges, Paul Foot, Shappi Khorsandi and veteran Jasper Carrott, bringing his Stand Up And Rock show to town. And popular comedy dinner shows returning to the Alhambra’s Restaurant 1914 include Fawlty Towers, Del Boy and Rodney, the Sitcom Experience and a murder mystery evening called Trouble at T’Mill.

Over at the Alhambra Studio, an intriguing concept called Gameplan Bradford takes place in June. Described as an “interactive event exploring the future for Bradford”, with debate, improvisation, and performance, it has been devised following consultation with Bradford people about what concerns, angers or inspires them. Supported by Bradford Council, the theme and storyline won’t be known until a few days beforehand – for updates go to fluxx.co.uk.

Wildlife presenter Steve Backshall brings his Wild World show to town, and also coming up is Flintoff and Holcroft Balls Out, a new live show from Andrew ‘Freddie’ Flintoff and TV comedy producer, writer and podcast partner in crime, Clyde Holcroft.

For younger theatre-goers there’s The Cat in the Hat, based on the much-loved book by Dr Seuss, and Horrible Histories.

Adam Renton, general manager at Bradford Theatres says: “Some of the biggest musicals touring the UK will be with us at the Alhambra for two and three week runs during the summer. This is the perfect opportunity to upgrade your booking with a VIP package and have access to the newly refurbished Laidler Lounge.

“We continue to prepare for round two of the application process for Heritage Lottery Funding, to restore and develop St George’s Hall. The much-loved concert hall hosts a diverse, vibrant range of entertainment during the summer months.”

l Tickets for all shows are on (01274) 432000.