Peter Pan – the High-Flying Panto Adventure, Bristol Hippodrome

THIS is the 11th time that Andy Ford has led the comedy output in a Hippodrome panto, and in more than one of those of shows he has had to carry that burden almost single-handedly propping up high profile personalities with little stage experience. This time its a different story with M. Poirot David Suchet,…

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Twelfth Night, APS, Sherborne Studio Theatre

IF you are following talented young Street actor-singer Toby Turley on I Have a Dream*, the quest for the new Sky and Sophie for the West End’s Mamma Mia, you will know that the ingredients for a perfect theatre on-stage partnership are not only acting (or singing) ability but also that intangible quality, chemistry. If…

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Another good ‘Tern’ for Chesil’s special little birds

THIS year’s record of more than 45 Little Terns that have successfully fledged on Chesil Beach is a powerful endorsement of the hard work o local volunteers, and the positive results of the Chesil Little Tern Recovery Project. This year’s crop of Little Tern chicks is a remarkable increase on 2021’s three fledglings, and shows…

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Arabian Nights, Bristol Old Vic

BRISTOL’S Old Vic Theatre is transformed into a magical city state in Arabia this Christmas. There’s a palace, a prison and a house where some of the “ordinary people” live, as well as sea monsters and a marvellous flying horse. And Schere is telling her stories to the petulant and babyish king. This brilliant retelling…

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Vince Cable – a man of many parts

A MAN whose career has spanned a seat at the Cabinet table, a love of ballroom dancing and a passion to help Britain reach net zero, Sir Vince Cable is coming to Dorchester Arts at the Corn Exchange on Friday 1st December at 7.30pm. It is easy to see politicians as one-dimensional, walking egos, ambitious…

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Elisabeth Frink – life and work

THE Dorset Museum at Dorchester is presenting a major exhibition of sculptor Dame Elisabeth Frink’s life and work, on until 21st April 2024. The works are drawn from the collection that Dorset Museum acquired from the Elisabeth Frink Estate in 2020, featuring sculptures, prints, drawings, and personal possessions. Many of these items, including working plasters…

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Twelve Angry Men, Bath Theatre Royal and touring

TELEVISION scriptwriter Reginald Rose was called to serve on a New York jury in 1954, and his experiences in the locked jury room inspired him to write what became his best-known play, performed countless times on stages across the English speaking world and famously filmed with Henry Fonda in the lead. It is a timelessly…

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Murdered to Death, MADS at the Lecture Hall, Mere

TWENTY years ago the members of Mere Amateur Dramatic Society staged Peter Gordon’s spoof murder mystery Murdered to Death, to great acclaim by the audience who named it the funniest play the company has ever done. So it’s no surprise that director Chris Wood (who played the more-than-bumbling Inspector Pratt in the 2003 production) decided…

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An honest look at the human diet

THE November event in the Tollard Talks series at Tollard Barn in Tollard Royal, on Thursday 30th November, is a serious look at the arguments for and against a plant-based diet. The speaker, Jayne Buxton, poses the question, “What if removing animal foods from our diet was a serious threat to human health, and a…

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