The Arts Section

Death on the Nile, Theatre Royal, Bath

KEN Ludwig has a literary CV that most authors only dream about, and as he has already shown with his adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express, he knows how to create those well- known and much-loved Agatha Christie characters on stage. In this touring production he is aided and abetted by his production team….

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Candide and Tosca, WNO at Bristol Hippodrome

THE first version of Candide, with a book by Lillian Helman, met with little success on Broadway and in London’s West End, but, rather like Topsy in Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the show refused to die. Gradually, with a reworked book and lyrics, it has developed into a classic opera. I doubt if any production since…

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Giovanni Lonati, The Old Schoolhouse, Tincleton

TAKE three mazurkas and a polonaise by Chopin, a Neapolitan tarantella by Liszt and six Romanian folk dances – and you have a recipe for a whirlwind of fiery dancing, flying fingers and virtuoso musicianship. Italian pianist Giovanni Lonati returned to The Old Schoolhouse for two concerts that showcased his brilliant playing – and thrilled…

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Haunting du Maurier story comes to Salisbury

DAPHNE du Maurier’s Don’t Look Now, a haunting story of loss and mystery, mainly set in Venice, was memorably filmed with Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland. Now a stage adaptation, by West Country writer Nell Leyshon, comes to Salisbury Playhouse from 29th October to 15th November. This co-production with the New Wolsey Theatre at Ipswich…

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Poirot on the Nile

ONE of Agatha Christie’s most exotic murder mysteries – Death on the Nile – comes to Bath Theatre Royal from Tuesday 21st to Saturday 25th October in a lavish new Fiery Angel production, starring Mark Hadfield as Hercule Poirot. On board a luxurious cruise under the heat of the Egyptian sun, a couple’s idyllic honeymoon…

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Go Wild with touring theatre

WHAT does the word “wild” mean to you? Is it standing at the edge of a raging sea or being lifted up and spat out of a whirling tornado, running for your life through the streets or coming face to face with a wolf; the animal within that can’t always be tamed or the wilderness…

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Let there be light …

THE West front of Salisbury Cathedral is one of the glories of Western architecture – and it makes for an astonishing backdrop as Luxmuralis return from 4th to 8th November with a breathtaking spectacle of light and sound – Sarum Lights: Lost Worlds. This innovative light and sound show will take viewers on a journey…

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From the Barn to the West End

CIRENCESTER’s exciting little theatre, the Barn, is making a name for its adventurous programming, with new plays that go on to tour the region or nationally. Now the Barn’s hilarious production of I’m Sorry, Prime Minister is headed for the West End, and will be at the Apollo Theatre from 30th January to 9th May…

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Countdown to Bridport Literary Festival – Favourite author visits Bridport

ONE of the world’s favourite authors, Alexander McCall Smith, the man behind The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, is coming to Bridport on Thursday 23rd October, as a curtain-raiser event for this year’s Bridport Literature Festival, which runs from 2nd to 8th November. The best-selling author, who was knighted last year for services to…

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