Theatres - Coming Soon - December 10 onwards

Dec 7 2009 by Michael Green, Chester Chronicle

COMING SOON

THE BIG ENORMOUS PRESENT (The Lowry, Salford Quays. January 9)

A MYSTERIOUS present has appeared in the playground. Who can it possibly be fore? What could be waiting inside? Find out in this exciting new play from Pied Piper Theatre Company. Suitable for ages 3-8. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5793.

THE GOLDEN PATHWAY ANNUAL (Forum Studio Theatre, Hamilton Place, Chester, February 16-19)

PUPILS from Theatretrain schools in Chester and Wrexham present a play by John Harding and John Burrows that is a series of connected sketches following the life of Michael Peters from the age of 2-23. It is a nostalgic look back at the period from the end of the Second World War to the 1960s but it is also much more than that. Visit www.tiptopproductions.co.uk or ring 01244 341296.

HOLD TIGHT IT’S 60S NIGHT (Forum Studio Theatre, Hamilton Place, Chester, March 18-27)

CINDERELLA revisited with the beehives, the minis, Dusty, Cilla and much more. Suburban England in the middle of the Swinging Sixties. Downtrodden teenager Ruby dreams of meeting her handsome prince, falls asleep and is suddenly whisked away to the arms of Rock Hard at the Plastic Palais de Dance. Visit www.tiptopproductions.co.uk or ring 01244 341296.

KAFKA’S DICK (Forum Studio Theatre, Hamilton Place, Chester, January 8-10)

AN AMATEUR production of Alan Bennett’s fast-paced comedy. In Prague 1919, Franz Kafka is a dying man and his best friend Max Brod promises to burn all his unpublished works after his death. In present day suburban England, a married couple is astonished when Max turns up on their doorstep - swiftly followed by Kafka himself! Visit www.tiptopproductions.co.uk or ring 01244 341296.

KINDERTRANSPORT (Little Theatre, Gloucester Street, Newtown, Chester, January 18-23)

THE Chester company present Diane Samuels’ poignant story of seven-year-old Eva Schlesinger who, in 1938, was put aboard a train with other Jewish children and evacuated from Nazi Germany. Torn between her German heritage and her desire to wipe the kindertransport experience from her memory, Eva tries to become “English” herself. Visit www.chestertheatreclub.co.uk or ring 01244 322674.

THE ORIENTATIONS TRILOGY (Library Theatre, St Peter’s Square, Manchester, February 17-27)

RE-ORIENTATIONS is the third part of ground-breaking theatre company Border Crossings’ trilogy and is a visually stunning feast, tackling issues of gender, sexuality and performance in mythic and contemporary Asia. The trilogy is produced in association with the all-male company Yaksha Degula from Bangalore in India. Visit www.librarytheatre.com or ring 0161 236 7110.

OUR DAY OUT (Forum Studio Theatre, Hamilton Place, Chester, January 21-30)

AN AMATEUR production of Willy Russell’s hilarious but moving story of a bunch of under-privileged school children taken on a day out to Conwy Castle by their teachers. Visit www.tiptopproductions.co.uk or ring 01244 341296.

PORRIDGE (The Lowry, Salford Quays, December 22-January 16)

FOLLOWING the success of the stage revival of Dad’s Army, another classic BBC sit com comes to The Lowry. Penned by the original writers Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais, this hilarious new play sees Fletch trying to rescue the festive spirit from Scrooge-like Mackay. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 787 5793.

A RAISIN IN THE SUN (Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester, January 27-February 20 2010)

LORRAINE Hansberry’s play was the first written by a black woman to be produced on Broadway, winning the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for best play of 1959. Lena’s life on Chicago’s Southside has always been about staying alive with “a pinch of dignity”. Now the insurance money from her husband’s death is coming through, her family sees the chance to make their dreams come true. But when those dreams conflict, it becomes harder than ever to retain that dignity. Visit www.royalexchange.co.uk or ring 0161 833 9833.

RE:PLAY FESTIVAL 2010 (Library Theatre, St Peter’s Square, Manchester, January 26-February 6)

FIRMLY established as the primary platform for theatre companies to present the best productions first seen in smaller venues in manchester and Salford to a wider audience. Details of the programme will be available on the Library website. Visit www.librarytheatre.com or ring 0161 236 7110.

SALT (Royal Exchange Theatre Studio, St Ann’s Square, Manchester, February 3-20 2010)

WORLD premiere of Fiona Peek’s sparkling and seductive play, one of four winners of the Bruntwood Playwriting Competition. Though Amy and Simon have the money and children that life has so far denied Nick and Rachel, a friendship forged years ago remains constant. When they find the cash to enable their friends to hold on to their dreams, a simple act of charity brings everything bubbling to the surface. Visit www.royalexchange.co.uk or ring 0161 833 9833.

THE SLEEPING BEAUTY/THE NUTCRACKER (Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, January 13-14)

THE Russian State Ballet and Orchestra of Siberia return with two ballet masterpieces: Tchaikovsky’s reworking of the classic Sleeping Beauty fairy tale and The Nutcracker, the most famous of all fantasy ballets. Visit www.ambassadortickets.com/stoke or ring 0844 871 7649.

THE SNOW QUEEN (Theatr Stiwt, Broad Street, Wrexham, January 30-31)

HANS Christian Andersen’s everygreen fairytale of the frozen north brings a touch of magic. Former Crossroads star Jane Rossington features in the title role as the Snow Queen who plans to rule the world in a new ice age. Visit www.stiwt.co.uk or ring 01978 841300.

SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (Floral Pavilion, New Brighton, Wirral, December 19-January 10)

AFTER last year’s record-breaking production of Sleeping Beauty, this year Snow White takes centre stage in this traditional family pantomime starring Pete Price as Muddles, Roy Brandon as Nurse Glucose and, as the recorded image and voice of the Magic Mirror, Ken Dodd! Ring 0151 666 0000 or visit www.floralpavilion.com.

TALL TALES (Clwyd Room, Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, December 29)

A NEW play by Tim Baker, retelling the ageless tales of myth and legend in an exciting and visual performance designed to capture and stretch the imaginations of children, using live music, drama, puppets and wizardry. Suitable for children aged 5-7. Visit www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk or ring 0845 330 3565.

A WARNING TO THE CURIOUS (The Lowry, Salford Quays, December 20)

NUNKIE Theatre Company return to The Lowry with teo more classic MR James ghost stories. In The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral, a murderous cleric falls prey to an ancient curse while A Warning to the Curious sees a young archaeologist haunted and hunted by the guardian of an ancient treasure. Visit www.thelowry.com or ring 0870 111 2000.

WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND (Empire Theatre, Lime Street, Liverpool, January 20-20)

SINGER Jonathan Ansell has been announced as the star of this production of the smash hit musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jim Steinman, based on the classic British film and featuring the best-selling song No Matter What which Boyzone took to number one for six weeks. Visit www.liverpoolempire.org.uk or ring 0844 847 2525.

THE WOMAN WHO COOKED HER HUSBAND (Forum Studio Theatre, Hamilton Place, Chester, April 9-11)

FOOD for thought from playwright Debbie Isitt for any man with an appetite for adultery. Hilary is a housewife with all the tricks of the trade when it comes to keeping her home shipshape. the only problem is husband Kennth takes his dinner and clean clothes for granted. Then Kenneth decides to have an affair with a younger woman who can’t cook to save her life. Visit www.tiptopproductions.co.uk or ring 01244 341296.