The Play’s the Thing

Vincent and John – a meeting

TWO great artists met their deaths by gun-shot. Vincent died in 1890. John died in 1980. What might have happened had the two great artists met? Discover a possible answer in When Vincent met John at Bridport Arts Centre on Saturday 7th March. Vincent van Gogh was a 19th-century Dutch Post-Impressionist painter who is among…

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Romeo and Juliet or Juliet and Romeo?

SALISBURY International Arts Festival, running from 16th to 27th June, takes two very different looks at the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet, with a community production of Shakespeare’s play, from 24th May to 7th June, and a dance version, Lost Dog’s Juliet & Romeo, which imagines this enduring tale of love turned upside down….

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Man alive … who’s number is up?

BINGO! A bit of fun, maybe you could win a prize – but what happens when Mr Razzle Dazzle opens Bingo Night at The Stairway To Heaven Social Club (otherwise known as a village hall near you) on Saturday 28th February? Eyes Down, described as “a truly immersive comedy-thriller bingo night”, brings Bertie Bingo to…

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Killing Eve star at Bath

ONE of the most critically acclaimed stage performances of recent years comes to Theatre Royal Bath from Tuesday 24th to Saturday 28th February. Jodie Comer stars in Suzie Miller’s solo play, Prima Facie, an emotionally charged and challenging drama about a young barrister who is forced to confront the limitations of the law. The play…

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The Living Spit of a Scottish king

STU McCloughlin shows his versatility when he takes on one of the greatest challenges in theatre, the title role in Shakespeare’s Scottish tragedy, Macbeth, at Tobacco Factory Theatres in Bedminster, from 19th February to 28th March. The much-loved star of comedy theatre company Living Spit is familiar to audiences around the West Country, both with…

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Revisiting a Dickens classic

DAVID Copperfield: A Life is an exciting new re-telling of Dickens’ classic, brought to the stage of Bath Theatre Royal, from Friday 20th to Sunday 22nd February in an epic community production. A cast of more than 100 people is led by award-winning director Sally Cookson and writer-adapter Mike Akers. This new version asks the…

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Jennifer Saunders to star in The Sea

JENNIFER Saunders returns to Bath Theatre Royal in October to star in The Sea, Edward Bond’s masterpiece. It is the first revival in nearly 20 years of the play, which is a blend of wild farce, high comedy, biting social satire and bleak poetic tragedy. The star, best known as half of French and Saunders…

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Bringing Thomas Hardy’s novel to life

ACTOR and musician Alastair Braidwood is undertaking a marathon live audiobook reading of one of Thomas Hardy’s best-loved books, Far From the Madding Crowd, starting on Tuesday 17th February and running for seven weeks. Alastair, well known from the New Hardy Players and their band and ceilidh band Tatterdemalion will be reading the book to…

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When Elvis met Bond

THE inimitable Spitz & Co, creators of Elvis in Blue Hawaii, are back in Dorset with another sideways look at the King – The Spy who Loved me Tender starts its short tour at Wootton Fitzpaine village hall on Thursday 12th February. Spitz & Co are a comedy and physical theatre company who have been…

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Suddenly, Seymour, back on stage

TWO of the region’s leading theatres are collaborating on an autumn production of the darkly funny and popular musical Little Shop of Horrors. Opening at Exeter from 1st to 17th October, this will be the first full production of a musical at the Northcott in more than 20 years. The show will be moving to…

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