The Arts Section

Coward trilogy to mark double anniversary

BATH Theatre Royal welcomes a trio of brilliant actors – Tara Fitzgerald, Stephen Boxer and Emma Fielding – to appear in a double anniversary production of Noel Coward’s Suite in Three Keys, from Tuesday 9th to 13th July. It is the first time in a generation that there has been a complete revival of the…

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Seeing the wood for the trees at The Art Stable

FORMER associate editor and senior artist at The Sunday Times, environmental artist Gary Cook has been exploring the mysterious and beautiful remnants of England’s temperate rainforests, and the results are on show in a powerful exhibition at The Art Stable at Child Okeford, running to 20th July. After graduating from Bournemouth University in the late…

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Chalke History Festival – a wonderful experience

WHEN fans of Chalke Valley History Festival heard last year that long-time sponsors the Daily Mail were ending the relationship, there was inevitably concern – how would the festival fare without this major, high-profile supporter? The answer has been a resounding “very well, thank you.” With a renewed focus, a slightly changed name, a wonderful…

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Accolade, Bath Theatre Royal and touring

EMLYN Williams was an actor and dramatist who died in 1987 at the age of 81. He was a great favourite in his time, and my mother was among his many avid fans. He had a 35 year marriage, and was actively bisexual throughout his life. He wrote 15 plays and performed in more than…

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One Man Two Guvnors at Studio Theatre

ACTOR James Corden is back on the London stage, for the first time in more than 12 years, starring in a new play, The Constituent, at the Old Vic. He was last seen in London starring in One Man, Two Guvnors, the hilarious hit play by Richard Bean based on an 18th century comedy. It’s…

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Flash, bang, wallop – the new Kipps comes to Shaftesbury

IF you are old enough to remember Tommy Steele in his heyday, you almost certainly will recall his brilliant performance in the musical Half A Sixpence, in which he played the Cockney draper’s apprentice who unexpectedly inherits a fortune. More than 60 years after its West End debut, the revamped, renamed Kipps is the summer…

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Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps, Theatre Royal Bath

BEFORE the friends, relations and fans of the late Lord Tweedsmuir, John Buchan, rush to point out that it was he and not Alfred Hitchcock who penned this classic tale of mystery and adventure, it should be pointed out that in their programme Fiery Angel, who present the current touring production of this show, give…

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Echo and Narcissus, Ustinov Studio, Bath Theatre Royal

THE Greek myths? A lot of old nonsense. Ancient colourful legends, full of violent, sex-obsessed gods, vengeful goddesses, weird monsters and helpless, mainly human, victims of the deities’ lust or greed? Well, that’s the common image. And it’s not wrong – the gods, after all, are really only super-humans, in the sense of being the…

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Party Games!, Bath Theatre Royal

IN chapter 26 of the King James version of the Bible you will find the line: “No man can serve two masters.” This world premiere of Michael McManus’ new politically-based play is inclined to ignore the truth of those words and rather falls between two stools. Of course, you can mix drama with comedy and…

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