By Martin Brisland Firstly, for those who haven’t yet discovered the Maskers Theatre Company it is time you did! Since 1994 it has had its own studio theatre seating around 40. Complete with a bar, this hidden gem can be found just off Shirley High Street. Maskers were established...
Preview: Message In A Bottle, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
Message In A Bottle, the acclaimed dance theatre production set to the music of 17-time Grammy Award-winning artist, Sting, will arrive at Mayflower Theatre from Thursday 11 to Saturday 13 May. The highly original dance production – combined with breath-taking music in an uplifting story of humanity and hope...
Winchester Hat Fair to go ahead in 2023
Play to the Crowd, the arts and education charity that runs Hat Fair, has announced that Hat Fair 2023 will go ahead this summer, albeit in a smaller way. The charity learnt in November that it would no longer be funded by Arts Council England (ACE) as a National Portfolio Organisation...
Preview: Cowes Fringe Festival, Cowes, Isle of Wight
The quirky and creative are set to collide, as the first-ever dynamic fringe event in Cowes delivers an explosion of art and culture through performances and workshops, from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 May. Hosted in unique venues throughout the town, Cowes Fringe guarantees a memorable weekend extravaganza of...
Preview: Gertrude Lawrence: A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening, Theatre Royal Winchester
Fans of variety theatre and musicals can delight in a celebration of one of Britain’s brightest theatrical stars, Gertrude Lawrence, with A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening at Theatre Royal Winchester on Wednesday 3 May. Gertrude Lawrence was a charismatic stage star who excelled in sophisticated musical comedies,...
Review: A Couple of Swells, MAST Mayflower Studios, Southampton, 20 April 2023
By Martin Brisland In the film Easter Parade (1947), Judy Garland and Fred Astaire sing We’re a Couple of Swells. They appear as a couple of tramps in worn out clothing cast off by the super rich or ‘swells’. This is the title of the brand new show performed...
Preview: Tracy Borman: How to be a Good Monarch, Theatre Royal Winchester
Historians and royalists can explore a millennium of kings and queens when Tracy Borman: How to be a Good Monarch comes to Theatre Royal Winchester on Saturday 29 April. Tracy Borman: How to be a Good Monarch is an entertaining, informative and gripping audio-visual tour of 1000 years of...
Preview: Around the World in 80 Days, Theatre Royal Winchester
All ages can enjoy watching the antics of a band of travelling performers when Around the World in 80 Days comes to Theatre Royal Winchester from Tuesday 9 to Saturday 13 May. Based on the classic novel by Jules Verne, this brand-new, fun and colourful production tells the story...
Preview: Winnie the Pooh: A New Musical Adaptation, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
Disney’s iconic Winnie the Pooh, Christopher Robin and their best friends Piglet, Eeyore, Kanga, Roo, Rabbit, Owl, and Tigger too have come to life in a beautifully crafted musical stage adaptation, which opens at Mayflower Theatre from Wednesday 31 May to Sunday 4 June. Deep in the Hundred Acre...
Preview: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton
The joyous, feel-good comedy about taking risks, finding love, and embracing second chances, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, will come to the Mayflower Theatre from Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 May. Based on the Sunday Times bestseller which inspired one of this century’s most treasured films, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel takes us...