The Play’s the Thing

The living spit of Beauty – or the Beast?

LIVING Spit are back on tour in January with their own unique take on one of the best-loved fairytales – Beauty and the Beast. Written by co-founders, Stu McLoughlin and the late and much-missed Howard Coggins, this playful, updated version of the 18th century French fable is at the Princess Theatre at Burnham-on-Sea on 8th…

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Rave on with Buddy

A WORLDWIDE hit show that taps into the enduring love for one of the great icons of 1950s rock and roll, Buddy Holly, comes to Bath Theatre Royal from 13th to 17th January as part of a 2026 tour. Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story has been seen by an estimated 22 million people around…

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Sir Tom Stoppard, 1937-2025

PLAYWRIGHT Sir Tom Stoppard, who was born in the former Czechoslovakia in 1937, has died at the age of 88. He lived near Shaftesbury and, despite his international profile and long list of major stage, writing and film awards, was actively supportive of the arts, theatre and music in the area. There was an early…

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An afternoon with a legend

ACTING legend Sir Derek Jacobi, a star of both the stage and screen, has a short pre-Christmas tour talking about his career, with two local dates, at Bath Theatre Royal on Friday 28th November and Bristol’s Redgrave Theatre on Sunday 30th, both at 2pm. The event will feature insights, memories of appearing in countless Shakespeare…

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Grand opera in miniature

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 Yetminster on Sunday 14th December. Village halls may not have much in common with Covent Garden, the Met, Sydney Opera House or La…

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Hit musical comes to Bath for Christmas

A MUSICAL that was a box office hit on Broadway and in the West End comes to Bath Theatre Royal’s Ustinov Studio for Christmas, from Tuesday 25th November to Saturday 3rd January. The show, directed by Hal Chambers, is a co-production by Bath with Reading Rep and the Barn Theatre at Cirencester, where it delighted…

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No-one is listening … who’s there?

MASTER storyteller Vic Llewellyn comes to  Sidmouth Manor Pavilion theatre on Thursday 27th November,with a wintery story to make your blood run cold, No One is Listening’(A Ghost Story), a funny and heartbreaking ride through a landscape of ghosts, forgetfulness and fading memories. How do we preserve what is beginning to fade? When a (not…

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Building connections with baking

BISCUITS are a familiar feature of most European culinary traditions and they have a special place in the heart of Croatian actress Tina Hofman, who brings her one-woman show, Pepper and Honey, to Sixpenny Handley village hall on Saturday 29th November at 7.30pm and Litton Cheney Community Hall on Sunday 30th November at 2.30pm. Tea…

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Selling the American dream

MAJOR national annual dates these days are at least as much about selling as they are about celebrating – and that’s certainly the case in Terry’s: An American Tragedy About Cars, Customers, and Selling Cars to Customers, coming to Dorchester Arts at the Corn Exchange on Thursday 13th November. Memorial Day weekend … the US-of-A….

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An American classic at Bath

AARON Sorkin’s acclaimed adaptation of Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird comes to Bath Theatre Royal from 11th to 22nd November on its first UK and Ireland tour after its critically praised runs on Broadway and in the West End. Richard Coyle plays Atticus Finch, the role created by Gregory Peck in the 1962 film…

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