The Arts Section

Dorset tour for hit comedy

REVIVE Theatre has a short tour of Dorset with the hilarious farce One Man Two Guvnors, starting at the Tivoli Theatre in Wimborne from 26th top 28th September. Richard Bean’s farce is adapted from a famous 18th century Venetian comedy, Carlo Goldoni’s The Servant of Two Masters. It is the story of a hapless idiot,…

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Duet for One, Swan Theatre, Yeovil

WITH echoes of the tragic illness and death from multiple sclerosis of the great cellist Jacqueline du Pre hovering like a ghostly spectre in the background, this highly emotionally charged two-hander explores the relationship between a 42-year-old internationally renowned violinist Stephanie Abrahams, newly diagnosed with MS, and her psychiatrist Dr Feldmann. For two and a…

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Grease, Bristol Hippodrome and touring

IT would seem that Colin Ingram, the producer of the current tour of Grease, has the same philosophy when it comes to selling something to the public as Tesco founder Sir Jack Cohen, who is credited with saying ‘pile it high and sell it cheap’. From the start, this production leaves nothing hidden, putting everything out…

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Facing life’s unwelcome truths

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…

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“It’s a privilege,” says the Wicked Queen

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…

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My Fair Lady, BLOG at Bath Theatre Royal

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…

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Views of the spire

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…

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It’s sure to be loverly

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,…

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A forgotten pioneer

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…

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Scaffolding, Documental Theatre at Bristol Old Vic

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…

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