The Edge, Transport at Salisbury

OUR political masters and those who are obsessed with the European question think the in-out vote on EU membership is the most important issue facing us. For others, the threat posed by climate change is the greatest challenge facing humanity, however much climate change deniers want to ignore it. It is a threat to the…

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Isserlis plays Shostakovich

Prokofiev: Sinfonietta Shostakovich: Cello Concerto No. 1 Haydn: Symphony No. 104 ‘London’   Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, leader Amyn Merchant Kirill Karabits: Conductor Stephen Isserlis: Cello   CELLIST Steven Isserlis is a regular soloist with the BSO. He has enormous charisma and presence, and an enthusiastic full house saw him give an intense and dramatic performance…

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Noises Off, Street Theatre at Strode Theatre, Street

MICHAEL Frayn’s farce, Noises Off, is the perfect example of just how hard it is to bring off a show which keeps the audience in fits of laughter by a constant barrage of mistaken identity, doors opening and closing, trousers dropping and bizarre plotting. It is the story of Otstar Productions’ production of Robin Housemonger’s…

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Eventide, Salisbury Salberg Studio

BARNEY Norris is fast making a name for himself as the playwright to watch, and his latest work, Eventide, stopped at Salisbury Playhouse’s Sal­berg Studio before its final performances at Bristol’s Tobacco Factory. Barney met Alice Hamilton in a youth theatre group and together they formed Up in Arms Theatre, a south- west based company…

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Funny Money, Swan Theatre Company, Yeovil

AS I have said before, if you want to see a play, any play at all, done well, go and see it at the Swan in Yeovil. The theatre itself is a gem, with just ten rows of about 20 seats, each with a good view of the stage, the company strives for perfection, and…

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Mary Poppins, Bristol Hippodrome

SIR Cameron Mackintosh will hopefully be sleeping soundly in his Somerset bed this evening, after a sell out performance of the revival of his stage version of the famous Disney film, at the very beginning of what will probably be a record-breaking tour, if the energy, enthusiasm, talent and pure joy of tonight’s cast, band…

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Woman in Mind, IES at Ilminster Warehouse

EARLIER this year I had occasion to describe a Wellington production as “one of the finest pieces of amateur theatre I have ever seen”.  At the risk of monotony, I can think of no better way to describe Ilminster Entertainment’s Society’s Woman In Mind. Woman In Mind is one of Ayckbourn’s less accessible plays, and…

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How to poach a pheasant…

OUR “personal chef” (we wish!) has been back to the Highlands cooking for various grouse, partridge and pheasant shoots and in this Postcard Recipe she shows how to make the most of pheasant in season … I should quickly clarify the title as I have already had to dig myself out of trouble from the gamekeeper…

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Sister Act, BLOG at Bath Theatre Royal

RATHER like the stage musical versions of Shrek and The Full Monty, Sister Act is a stage version of a film full of famous, recognisable, memorable songs, but a stage version in which all the music is completely original, and consequently completely new to an audience. Fortunately Sister Act has a book and script by…

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The Madame Macadam Travelling Theatre, BOVTS at Bristol Old Vic Studio

THOMAS Kilroy’s play is set in 1943 in an Ireland maintaining its neutrality, fearing invasion from every side, in the grip of petrol rationing and attempting to continue an existence of blarney and petty crime through happy ignorance. And Jenny Stephens’ production for Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, on a studio stage backed with trees…

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