THINK of Dylan Thomas and, unless you are a poetry scholar, the chances are you will hear the voice of Richard Burton in your head, reading words from Under Milk Wood. Now, if you are one of the few fortunate ticket holders for the new Emma Rice Company production at the Lucky Chance in Frome,…
CABARET should always have a frisson of wanton wit, a hint of burlesque, some risqué songs … and even a pinch of decadence. In the capable hands of Charlie Bicknell and Louise Innes it also has balls or claws – or Claus, if you will. The always in-demand duo have three dates before Christmas, on…
IF you love folk and traditional music with a festive flavour, you probably already know that Christmas and the Mellstock Band go together like turkey and cranberry sauce. This December, the delightful quartet, who recreate the music of Thomas Hardy’s time, come to Bridport Arts Centre on Saturday 13th December at 7.30pm. The name Mellstock…
THERE’S nothing quite like raising your voice in Christmas song, and who better to do it with than the Celebrate Voice youth choir and the singing stars of the popular annual event. This year’s Celebrate Voice at Christmas, at Salisbury’s atmospheric Medieval Hall in the Cathedral Close, will be performed from Thursday 11th to Saturday…
TELEVISION schedules are packed with so-called “holiday” favourites (often films that didn’t get rave reviews first time out), and theatres are bursting at the seams with Dames, ugly sisters and winsome princesses, but Moviola’s audiences have different ideas, and the mobile cinema organisation’s December programme has a fascinating selection, led by the bittersweet Ballad of…
ONE of the most eagerly anticipated local concerts in the run-up to Christmas is always the male choral ensemble Opus Anglicanum’s Medieval Carols and Figgy Pudding, this year at Wells Cathedral on Tuesday 16th December and St Mary’s Church, Dorchester on Thursday 18th. For more than 30 years, the ensemble has performed this programme, which…
FANS of the brilliant folk group St Agnes Fountain have two chances to see the trio in December, with a concert at Honiton’s Beehive Centre on Thursday 11th and their regular South Petherton date at the David Hall on Sunday 14th. Folk fans have a double treat at Honiton when they are joined by Devon-based…
CHRISTMAS is a magical time for families – but there will be a special sparkle when magician Peter Clifford comes to Dorchester Corn Exchange on Saturday 13th December, with his festive show, Wonderful Wintery Wizardry. Peter, who is a well-known actor in Bristol, is highly praised by his magician peers – Derren Brown calls him…
STURMINSTER Newton Choral Society will return to St Mary’s Church, on Saturday 6th December, at 7.30pm, for the much loved Christmas concert. This not-for-profit community choir draws its members from across North Dorset, and the beautiful parish church, with its celebrated stained glass windows, is the perfect venue for a joyful programme of traditional carols…
IF there is one thing a pantomime dame needs, it is to be seen – or perhaps B-Scene, as the newest company in the area is called. The Yeovil-based group will be bringing panto to Sherborne this Christmas, and it’s the perennial favourite story of Cinderella In this version, the wicked Morsus and the Ugly…
WHEN Clara’s mysterious aunt arrives at the family’s grand Christmas ball with a strange gift, she brings unexpected excitement to the festivities. Find out more when Taunton’s Brewhouse theatre presents The Nutcracker (Not the Ballet) this Christmas, from 2nd to 28th December. Join Clara (Nell Baker) on this magical Christmas Eve when her Nutcracker doll…
I WAS brought up by a wildly romantic woman whose idea of love and relationships was moulded by the then-superstar Ivor Novello and The Dancing Years. We went to Bournemouth’s Pavilion Theatre Monday after Monday to watch the stars of the day do their thing. Now, watching the Barn Theatre production of the 2001 show…
PERHAPS the most wonderful, in the true sense of the word, thing about Christmas is to watch the delight and excitement on the faces of young children. And what better way to do it than to go along to Poole Lighthouse’s festive show Little Robin Red Vest, a two-person retelling of Jay Fearnley’s beloved story…
FANS of Charles Dickens’ festive fable, A Christmas Carol, have their usual huge choice of productions this year, but Dorset’s Artsreach is bringing a company to Dorset with a very different take on the story of Scrooge. Starting on Wednesday 3rd December at Royal Manor Theatre, Portland, the amusingly named Hah! Bumhug! is performed by…
IF you think grand opera is all about very big voice, huge orchestras and vast opera houses, think again! Dorset’s Artsreach rural touring charity is bringing a small scale operatic entertainment to Studland on Thursday 4th December and Yetminster on Sunday 14th. Village halls may not have much in common with Covent Garden, the Met,…
MUSIC at Exeter Cathedral in the weeks before Christmas ranges from Devon-based folk duo Sound of the Sirens, on Friday 5th December, to the traditional favourites, carols and Handel’s Messiah. Sound of the Sirens, pictured right, is a special homecoming gig for the singer-songwriting duo who are based in the city. Abbe Martin and Hannah…
FRESH from his adventures in the Celebrity Traitors’ Scottish castle, historian David Olusoga comes to Bridport Electric Palace on Friday 12th December at 7.30pm, with a new talk, History’s Missing Chapters, in which he explores how and why some people and some events are remembered and others are forgotten. The acclaimed author, broadcaster and newspaper…
BOTANICAL artist Pauleen Trim grew up in the beautiful, peaceful Winterborne valley south of Blandford, in an area full of wildflowers, plants and trees. She still lives, with her husband Jim, in Winterborne Whitechurch surrounded by friends, family – and that beautiful landscape of fields, hedges, trees and gentle hills. From childhood, she had always loved…
TWO jazz and fusion musical powerhouses, Christian Garrick and John Etheridge, have a short December tour with Artsreach, Dorset’s rural touring arts charity, starting on Wednesday 10th December at Hinton Martell village hall, continuing on Thursday 11th at Halstock, Friday 12th at Portesham and Saturday 13th at Shillingstone’s Portman hall, all starting at 7.30pm. Garrick…
IF you are wondering whether your little children are old enough to enjoy a full-blown pantomime this Christmas, but would like to take them to a live show, the place to go is Bath Theatre Royal’s dedicated youth space, The Egg, and its new show Snow Mice, on various days and times until 11th January….
A CRITICALLY acclaimed young pianist, Reed Tetzloff, will give an afternoon recital, The Romantic Piano, at St John’s Church, Tisbury, on Saturday 13th December at 3.30pm. The concert is raising funds for the church. Tetzloff came to international attention ten years ago at the XV Tchaikovsky Competition, where he was dubbed “the lyric hero of…
JOSIAH Wedgwood is best known nowadays for his Jasperware pottery, with its distinctive light-blue colour. But the 18th century potter was a true radical, as historian Tristram Hunt will explain when he gives Salisbury Museum’s annual lecture, on Wednesday 3rd December, at 7.30pm, at Salisbury Methodist Church in St Edmund’s Church Street. The museum currently…
BUMBLEFLY (also known as The Travelling Players) returns this Christmas with a favourite story, Pinocchio, starting on 5th December. Like last year’s production of A Christmas Carol, it is another delightful festive show. The players bring their blend of quirky storytelling, song, merriment and mischief to the wonderful mis-adventures of Pinocchio! – the wooden marionette…
WHETHER you are a fan of pantomimes, Christmas shows or determinedly non-Christmas shows in December, there will be something on stage for you in the south and west this season. In all my years reviewing, I have never seen so many offerings, from the big starry shows in the cities to the unpaid performers in…