Theatres - Starting This Week - October 15 onwards

Oct 13 2009 by Michael Green, Chester Chronicle

STARTING THIS WEEK

CEISIO’I BYWYD HI (Emlyn Williams Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, October 15-16)

A MODERN-day fable - a tragic comedy for our time, this is a provocative vision of a world of fear, detachment and alienation and a poignant portrayal of contemporary obsessions. In a bold multimedia production, with live musica from Acid Casuals, Owen Martell brings this contemporary classic to a Welsh-speaking audience. Visit www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk or ring 0845 330 3565.

DINNERLADIES (Venue Cymru, Llandudno, October 20-24)

VICTORIA Wood’s hit BBC TV sitcom is brought to the stage in a world premiere UK tour starring Andrew Dunn and Shobna Gulati from the original series. Follow the reluctant love story of Bren and Tony, egged on by Dolly, Jean. Twinkle and Anita. Visit www.venuecymru.co.uk or ring 01492 872000.

DREAMS OF VIOLENCE (Library Theatre, St Peter’s Square, Manchester, October 20-24)

A NEW comedy by Stella Feehily, directed by Max Stafford-Clark, arrtistic director of the acclaimed Out of Joint company. For Hildy, political activism comes easier than dealing with her family life. By day, she leads the city’s cleaners in revolt against the bankers - by night, she dreams unsettling acts of violence. Starring Catherine Russell and Paula Wilcox. Visit www.librarytheatre.com or ring 0161 236 7110.

FESTEN (Anthony Hopkins Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, October 22-November 14)

TIM Baker directs this dramatisation by David Eldridge of the celebrated Danish Dogme film and play by Thomas Vinterberg, Mogens Rukov and Bo Hansen. A father is celebrating his 60th birthday with a formal dinner at his large country home. But there is tension in the air and when Christian, the eldest son, rises to propose the first toast, he makes a devastating accusation against his father which changes relationships forever. Visit www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk or ring 0845 330 3565.

FORGOTTEN THINGS (The Lowry, Salford Quays, October 15-17)

SIXTEEN-year-old Tony believes he is a failure. He’s losing the will to live and his parents are frightened. Then there’s Grandma Lilly - she’s just losing her mind. Having forgotten “something important”, Lilly leads Toby into a mystery of half memories and family secrets. This dark comic play by Emma Adams is designed for cross-generational audiences, fusing puppetry and surreal style. Suitable for ages 14+. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5793.

HIGH SOCIETY (Lyceum Theatre, Heath Street, Crewe, October 20-24)

ROCKHOPPER Productions present a stage musical based on the classic film featuring all the glamour, style and spectacle of the Golden Age as well as a score including such wonderful songs as Swell Party, True Love and Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Visit www.lyceumtheatre.net or ring 01270 537333.

HITLER ALONE (Emlyn Williams Theatre, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, October 17)

AN ATTEMPT to enter the heart and mind of the notorious criminal dictator, reflecting on his past, present and future in the minutes before his suicide. Ranting, charming repellent, he fascinates and disgusts in equal measure. Paul Webster in his one-man show explores the man behind the myth. Visit www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk or ring 0845 330 3565.

THE HORRIFIC CASE OF MR VALDEMAR (The Lowry, Salford Quays, October 18)

TAKE a trip beyind the grave with this macabre, mesmerising tale of sex, money, death and hypnotism from Edgar Allan Poe, presented by the Rumpus Theatre Company. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5793.

IN EXTREMIS (Forum Studio Theatre, Hamilton Place, Chester, October 16-18)

ON THE night of March 24, 1895 a society palm reader agreed to see Oscar Wilde in her London flat. Wilde’s lover, Lord Alfred Douglas (Bosie), was urging him to sue the Marquis of Queensberry, Bosie’s father, for criminal libel. But Wilde’s friends were warning him to leave town. Neil Bartlett’s play reveals the strange turmoil of that night as a man at the height of his fame turns to a complete stranger for advice about a potentially life-changing decision. Visit www.tiptopproductions.co.uk or ring 01244 341296.

JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Opera House, Quay Street, Manchester, October 20-25)

THE musical that started it all for Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, originally conceived as a brief school production but eventually expanded into a musical theatre world beater thanks to memorable songs such as Any Dream Will Do and Close Ev’ry Door. Visit www.palaceandoperahouse.org.uk or ring 0844 372 7272.

LAST TRAM TO STARR GATE (The Brindley, High Street, Runcorn, October 16)

LOUISE Nulty and Jacqueline Pilton (previously known as H.A.I.R.) bounce from character to character; playing male and female, young and old colliding in a madcap collage of ‘kiss me quick’ hats, grumpy landladies and tales from picture postcards set in Blackpool 1962. Along the tram route, between Fleetwood and Starr Gate, the story of Beth, the conductress with big ideas unfolds in an evening of sixties sounds, laughter and delight. Visit www.thebrindley.org.uk or ring 0151 907 8360.

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO (The Brindley, High Street, Runcorn, October 20)

MID Wales Opera present one of Mozart’s classic operas. Figaro, one of opera’s most celebrated characters, is planning to marry his beloved Susanna. But the lascivious Count Almaviva and the colourful members of his aristocratic household have other ideas. All Figaro’s wit and cunning is required before Mozart’s enchanting masterpiece comes to a happy conclusion. Visit www.thebrindley.org.uk or ring 0151 907 8360.

MATTHEW BOURNE’S DORIAN GRAY (The Lowry, Salford Quays, October 21-24)

MATTHEW Bourne’s latest dance creation comes to The Lowry after sell-out shows in London and Edinburgh. Set in the image-obsessed world of contemporary art and politics, Oscar Wilde’s cautionary fable tells the story of an alluring young man who makes a pact with the devil. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5793.

OBSTACLES TO COMING HOME (The Lowry, Salford Quays, October 22-23)

STRANDED in Mid-West America, two road companions make their inevitable farewells as the sounds of a distant age drift listlessly into the evening sky. Tracing an epic journey drawn across Jack Kerouac’s On The Road, this evocative epic yet intimate visual theatre from Angel Club (North) incorporates live and recorded soundscapes, video projection and theatre performance. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5793.

RENT (Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, October 20-24)

THE smash hit Broadway and West End musical comes to the Regent. Based on Puccini’s opera La Boheme, it tells the story of a group of young artists learning to survive, falling in love, finding their voices and living for today. Visit www.ambassadortickets/stoke or ring 0844 871 7649.

SPYMONKEY’S MOBY DICK (Playhouse Theatre, Williamson Square, Liverpool, October 20-24)

A GLORIOUS mis-telling of Melville’s epic novel. Four actors find themselves in the belly of a literary monster. As they ponder the irony of their fate, they recount a story of Moby Dick, sparkling with their own fantastical flourishes. Visit www.everymanplayhouse.com or ring 0151 709 4776.

SWEET (Royal Exchange Theatre Studio, St Ann’s Square, Manchester, October 22-24)

IN THE era of romantic comedies with happy endings and perfect heroes, Total Theatre Award winners Chotto Ookii present a bitter take on the saccarine nature of love. Physical theatre, stunning visuals, puppetry and dance are combined in the company’s inimitable style. One man and his wizened, chain-smoking alcoholic heart drag themselves out of the mundane into a sugar coated world which seems too good to be true. Visit www.royalexchange.co.uk or ring 0161 833 9833.

THE VAGINA MONOLOGUES (Lifestyle Centre, Winsford, October 17)

SPECIAL performance of Eve Ensler’s hit show comes to Cheshire with a cast that features former Hollyoaks star Sarah Jayne Dunn, Coronation Street’s Sally Lindsay and ex-Emmerdale actress Lisa Riley. Visit www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk or ring 01606 867539.

WELSH NATIONAL OPERA (Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, October 21-24)

THE WNO bring two of the greatest love stories ever sung to life in a beautiful period-set productions. La Traviata by Verdi can be seen on October 21 and 23 while Puccini’s Madam Butterfly is performed on October 22 and 24. Visit www.LiverpoolEmpire.org.uk or ring 0844 847 2525.