Wednesday February 22 2012
Theatre
Scarecrow returns
Theatre
Mappleborough Green Amateur Dramatic Society (M.A.D.S) presents its second performance of The Scatterbrained Scarecrow of Oz at Tanworth-in-Arden Village Hall from Feb 16–18.
Tickets cost £3.50 for children and £7 for adults, and are available from John Pearson on 01564 742726.
Pirates at the Palace
Theatre
Astwood Bank Operatic Society will perform the hilarious Broadway version of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance at the Palace Theatre in Redditch from March 6–10.
This version combines the words and lyrics of the original with exciting new musical arrangements and completely over-the-top characters. And as 2012 is a leap year, this is the most appropriate of shows as the leap year theme is very much to the fore.
Performances will take place at 7.30pm, plus a Saturday matinee at 2.30pm. Tickets cost £12.50 for evening performances and £11 for the matinee, and are available from the Society’s hotline: 01527 546569 (until Feb 19) and the theatre box office: 01527 65203.
So whether you are a seasoned Gilbert & Sullivan fan or just love musical comedy, don’t miss this wonderfully colourful production with a full orchestra, costumed characters, scenery and vibrant singing – guaranteed fun for all the family.
Arsenic & Old Lace
Theatre
All & Sundry presents farcical black comedy Arsenic and Old Lace at the Palace Theatre in Redditch from March 28–31 (suitable for age 12+).
Evening performances 7.30pm; Sat matinee 2.30pm. Tickets £11/£10 (Tues, Weds,Thurs eve and Sat mat) or £12/£11 (Fri and Sat eve). Buy one get one free on Weds and matinee.
Tickets from the Palace box office on 01527 65203; more info at http://www.allandsundry.org
Begin your Christmas with a visit to Oz
Theatre
Mappleborough Green Amateur Dramatic Society (M.A.D.S) presents The Scatterbrained Scarecrow of Oz on December 1, 2 and 3 at Mappleborough Green Village Hall (B80 7BT).
In this sequel to The Wizard of Oz, by Alfred Bradley, Dorothy and Toto return to Oz to help Queen Scarecrow find her brains which have been stolen by the Wicked Witch. Assisted by her old friends the Tinman and the Lion, she travels to the Witch’s castle, overcoming many hazards on the way and meeting many new characters on the journey.
This wonderful play for children of all ages involves music and special effects.The production is directed by Robert Wilkes with Charlotte Fitohelt, Margaret Lee, John Perrins and Jules Caulwell and Mary Field in principal roles.
The Thursday performance will begin early – at 7pm – to accommodate youngsters, with the Friday and Saturday shows taking place at 7.30pm. There will be a bar on Friday and Saturday.
Tickets cost £7 for adults (all days) and £3.50 for children on Fri and Sat, while children’s tickets are £3 on Thurs. Group tickets are available for Thurs only, costing £30 based on 10 children and 1 adult.
For tickets contact John Crumpton on 01527 528626, or buy on the door – and begin your Christmas with a visit to the magical time!
Hilarious spoof of murder mystery genre
Theatre
Alvechurch Dramatic Society will perform Murdered to Death, by Peter Gordon, at the end of November. This hilarious spoof of the Agatha Christie genre is set in a country manor house in the 1930s, with an assembled cast of characters guaranteed to delight.
The play introduces the inept and bungling Inspector Pratt, who battles against the odds and his own incompetence to solve the murder of the house’s owner.
It soon becomes clear that the murderer isn’t finished yet, but will the miscreant be unmasked before everyone else has met their doom, or will the audience die laughing first?
The play runs from Thurs Nov 24 to Sat Nov 26 in Alvechurch Village Hall, with all performances at 7.30pm.
Tickets cost £6 (£5 concessions) from Alvechurch Post Office or The Joshua Tree in Alvechurch or by calling 0121 447 7071.
Week of Disney-themed activities
Theatre
Local theatre school The Star Project is offering a fabulous week of fun for children during half-term this autumn – a Disney Performance and Activity Week!
Running from Monday October 24 to Friday October 28 at the Barnt Green Parish Centre, the programme is open to children aged from four to 12 years old and of all abilities.
Participants will explore the world of Disney in a fun-filled week of games, activities and musical theatre, leading to a Cabaret performance for parents and families on the Friday evening.
The activities include learning Disney songs and dances, arts and crafts such as “make your own Disney character”, a fashion show, a Mad Hatter’s Tea Party and a Neverland Treasure Hunt.
Sessions run from 10am–3pm daily except Friday, when it’s 12noon–6pm. The cost is just £99 per child, and places are limited so make sure you book now to avoid disappointment!
Call Jo on 07917 197024 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Half term fun
Theatre
The Lounge in Alvechurch has organised a special half term event on Weds Oct 26, taking place at the Baptist Church Hall.
From 10am–4pm, youngsters aged 11–15 can take part in a Drama Workshop with Jestaminute Community Theatre, at a cost of just £5 per child.
Please call 0121 445 5512 for more information or to book a place (limited availability).
Chase Me, Comrade
Theatre
Rowney Green Players present the Ray Cooney farce Chase Me, Comrade at Redditch’s Palace Theatre, from Weds Oct 19 - Sat Oct 22 (all performances 7.30pm)
The year is 1964. A Russian male ballet dancer has defected to the west and has hot-footed it from performing Swan Lake with beautiful dancer Alicia to hide with her friends in the country.
Complications set in at once: the house where he is concealed belongs to a naval commander whose duty it would be to hand him over to the authorities. So the commander’s daughter Nancy and her fiancé get involved in a hilarious game of hide and seek in which everybody is pretending to be everybody else.
This play is a delicious, crazy farce so come and feast on a riot of fun – you won’t be disappointed. Tickets £11.50/£10.50 from the box office on 01527 66203.
Cat on the Fiddle
Theatre
Mappleborough Green Amateur Dramatic Society (MADS) present Cat on the Fiddle at Mappleborough Green Village Hall (B80 7BT) on July 8 and 9 at 7.30pm.
This very funny farce is the story of a young newlywed couple who get involved with a jewel theft and Italian gangsters. When the husband invites his Italian pen friend to visit, “Mario” turns out to be “Maria” – causing all kinds of problems.
Tickets £7 (children half-price) on 01527 528626. MADS can assure you of an evening of laughter and fun!
Rubery Drama Group
Theatre
Rubery Drama Group meets every Wednesday, 7.30 for 7.45pm, at Beacon Church Centre in Rubery.
Further details on 0121 445 2323.
Nights at the Opera
Music
Welsh National Opera presents two very different tales of passion at Birmingham Hippodrome from June 8–11.
Turandot is on Jun 8 and 10, as WNO’s Music Director Lothar Koenigs conducts a spectacular production of Puccini’s final opera. Set in the 20th century, this interpretation creates a portrait of a society where those who fail in their quest for love pay with their lives.
Così fan tutte is on Jun 9 and 11, as director Benjamin Davis invites the audience to pack up their buckets and spades and head off to the 1950s British seaside in his first new production for the Company.
All performances 7.15pm. Tickets from £15, available on 0844 338 5000 or at http://www.birminghamhippodrometickets.com
The Fairies are landing!
Theatre
Bromsgrove Operatic Society, celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, presents Gilbert & Sullivan’s fanciful comedy Iolanthe at Artrix from Mon May 9 to Sat May 14.
Tickets £9 Mon, £11 Tues, Wed & Thurs, and £13 Fri and Sat. Book on 01527 577330 or http://www.artrix-tIckets.co.uk
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