THE story of Hairspray is set in 1962 Baltimore, with its period costumes and hairstyles, when concrete-solid -with-hairspray, tall, back-combed-within-an-inch-of-their-lives beehive hairstyles were all the rage. The story of personal prejudices that were so prevalent at the time against anyone who does not conform to the accepted norm, “chocolate box” beauty for the girls, sharp…
IT is one of the most famous films of all time, with a threatening, drumming score that still sends shivers down the spine – amazingly, it is 50 years since Jaws savaged its way into the collective nightmares of a generation. But what happened out at sea when the cameras stopped rolling? Broadway and West…
THE big spring exhibition at the Somerset Rural Life Museum at Glastonbury, on until 8th June, is Strength and Resilience: Somerset Women in the Second World War, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, by focusing on the lives of four women who played their part during the conflict and…
ANYONE who has ever had a little ‘punt’ on horse racing will be familiar with, and vouch for, the truth of the old saying ‘horses for courses”. There have been thousands of examples over the years of horses whose performances are a stone or more better on certain courses, and top class trainers who know…
CONCEPTUAL artist Ben Oakley is bringing a collection of work by ten artists, From The City To The Sea, to the gallery at Poole’s Lighthouse arts centre, opening on 7th March and running to 19th April. Ben explains: “After creating the Ben Oakley Gallery in 2010 as a platform for emerging artists, we have now…
THE priceless 13th century Sarum Master Bible is going go on public display for the first time at Salisbury Cathedral, from 28th February to 20th March, following a successful fundraising campaign by Friends of the Nations’ Libraries. The Bible is a manuscript of exceptional artistic value with great significance to Salisbury. It is just 17cm…
“A stage where everyone’s story can be told” BATH’s Theatre Royal has received planning permission for Venue 4, a new community studio theatre for the public on St John’s Place. Subject to a fundraising campaign, Venue 4 will be a new home for the theatre’s Engage adult participation programme and will offer a range of…
THE new show at the Barn Theatre is all about the difficulty of finding a new James Bond at the same time as the legacy of the founders comes under threat from franchising corporate takeover. By the time I got to Cirencester to catch up with the production, news had just been announced in the…
FOR the second year running, Folde nature bookshop at Shaftesbury has been named as a regional and country finalists in the British Book Awards. Last year the shop, at the top of Gold Hill, got through to the finals of the awards, which are known as the NIBBIEs. The awards are organised by The Bookseller…
ONE of the most highly-praised and popular television shows of all time, Alan Bleasdale’s BAFTA-winning Boys From The Blackstuff visits Bath in James Graham’s powerful stage adaptation, from Tuesday 25th February to Saturday 1st March. Directed by Kate Wasserberg, the show brings to the stage the 1980s Liverpool of Chrissie, Loggo, George, Dixie and Yosser…