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, coming to Bath Theatre Royal’s Ustinov Studio from…
THOSE of us who loosely refer to ourselves as ‘middle aged’, especially classical music lovers, will remember the tragic story of the brilliant cellist Jacqueline du Pré. From an early age, her glittering career and marriage to concert pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim seemed to forecast a charmed life, but all that changed when she…
EMMA Norman’s introduction to live theatre was pantomime in her home town, at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre. The magic and colour of that show caught her imagination. “It made me want to do this,” said this year’s Wicked Queen in Bath Theatre Royal’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. “It is the catalyst for so many…
IT was a courageous act by BLOG when they choose My Fair Lady for their 2024 production at Bath’s Theatre Royal. I can almost here the cries of “How can you say that, My Fair Lady is one of the all time great musicals, so why did it take courage to choose it ?” The…
MARY Mallon is an Irish immigrant, an amiable host … and a killer? A talented cook in New York City in 1906 takes a job preparing delicious meals for yet another high society family, and yet again they begin to fall ill and die. Coincidence? Mary thinks so. She’s put all that nonsense behind her…
CATHEDRALS are some of our most remarkable buildings – ancient, up to 800 years old in some cases, beautiful, spiritual and often located in remarkable positions. Durham immediately leaps to mind and St Paul’s in the Blitz is truly described as iconic. But perhaps the most extraordinary is Salisbury, not just for its undeniable beauty…
ONE of the most stylish and best-loved musicals of all time, Lerner and Loewe’s My Fair Lady, is the autumn choice for the award-winning Bath Light Operatic Group at the Theatre Royal, from Tuesday 10th to Saturday 14th September. The classic stage production, which was also a famous film with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison,…
THE line-up for this year’s Bath Children’s Literature Festival, from Friday 27th September to Sunday 6th October, includes some of the country’s best-loved writers – Cressida Cowell, Michael Rosen, Cornelia Funke and Jacqueline Wilson. The organisers of one of the biggest children’s books festivals in the world have put together a programme of more than…
HAVE you heard of Harriet Quimby? Maybe you have – but most likely you haven’t. So Middle-Weight Theatre Company’s new play tells a story you should hear. What’s Next?, at Dorchester Corn Exchange on 14th September at 8pm, is a solo show with actress Victoria Lucie, which brings overdue recognition for the life and achievements…
READING recent reviews of performances and plays seen at this year’s Edinburgh Festival, it would appear that practically every presentation and performance was a smash hit, including Scaffolding. It was therefore a little with the attitude of ‘go on – show me how good you are’ that I arrived at the Bristol Old Vic’s Weston…