THERE’s just a handful of seats available at performances of A Christmas Carol – the Musical at Frome’s Merlin Theatre, starting on Friday 6th December. After last year’s sell out production of ELF, the ambitious and enterprising Merlin Theatre Productions company has chosen the Broadway version of the Dickens classic for its 2024 show, and…
IF you really can’t hack the Behind You and Oh No She Isn’t Christmas entertainment predictability, Bath Theatre Royal’s Ustinov studio has the perfect amtidote to panto-mania with a new production of Jeeves Takes Charge, running from Friday 6th December to Saturday 4th January. Sam Harrison plays all 22 roles in this clever solo retelling…
THE latest manifestation of the Sasha Regan company’s hilariously entertaining all-male Pirates is in Bath this week, complete with its almost-all-new cast of daughters, policemen and gentlemen of the sea. The 17-strong company, along with the phenomenal Giannis Giannopoulos at the piano, bring out all of WS Gilbert’s satire and invention, with (as is traditional) a…
LEWIS Carroll’s story of Alice in Wonderland is intended to subvert your expectations, but when our heroine stumbles into Blunderland instead, there are even more twists and turns on the way down the rabbit hole. A packed audience at Mere had a second chance to enjoy Eric Kincaid and Chris Wood’s version of the famous…
THE big Christmas 2024 puzzler in the Cotswolds is whether 3 is less than 6, just like 6, or greater than 6? And if you have already been to Cirencester’s Barn Theatre this festive season, you may well have the answer. If not, I strongly suggest you get your tickets for The Three Musketeers –…
WHEN the First World War ended, it was sometimes called the Great War but, in the aftermath of carnage that looked senseless even at the time to many participants, there was a hope that it would be the War To End All Wars. That worked well, didn’t it? As we hover on the precipice of…
THE National Trust has the care of some of the most enchanting, historic locations in the south west – and they look their best in the run-up to Christmas. From magical illuminated trails through world-famous gardens to Christmas wreath-making workshops, from the chance to visit Santa’s grotto to the excitement of winter storytelling, here is…
SASHA Regan’s award-winning, hilarious, all-male production of ©Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera, The Pirates of Penzance, comes to Bath Theatre Royal from Monday 2nd to Saturday 7th December, direct from a four-week run at Wilton’s Music Hall in London. This original staging has now been winning awards – and fans – around the world for…
BRISTOL has always been a special place for Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson’s ever-popular tale of piracy and treasure maps … it’s even said the Scottish writer worked on the story at the city’s Llandoger Trow inn, which might have been the model for the Admiral Benbow. This year, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School has…
JANE Austen is rightly famous for her portrayal of strong women who often make decisions for themselves – sometimes against the advice or desires of those around them. One of the most independent and controversial is Lady Susan, the subject of Dyad Productions’ new Austen’s Women play. It continues its tour at Pound Arts at…