Celebrating 30 years

This autumn marks the 30th anniversaryof Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, & the upcoming season reflects the styles & influences of the company over the past three decades. Kicking things off on 6 September is Rona Munroe’s adaptation of Elizabeth Gaskell’s 19th-century classic Mary Barton. This is the first theatrical production of Gaskell’s novel, & the Royal Exchange is an ideal venue to bring her tale of industrial Manchester to life.

From 18 October the company moves from Manchester in the 1840s to Chicago in the 1920s. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom tells the story of a recording session with blues legend Ma Rainey, her band members, & the white producer & agent who made themselves wealthy off her records. Antonio Fargas - Huggy Bear from the 1970s cult television series Starsky & Hutch - will play Toledo, & you can expect some good jazz & blues musical accompaniment.

Over the Christmas period comic actor Ben Keaton’s back at the Royal Exchange Theatre for Edmond Rostand's classic 1897 play Cyrano de Bergerac. The play’s an adaptation by Anthony Burgess, & it will run from 29 November to 13 January.

The new year brings Noel Coward to the boards with his 1924 play The Vortex - a savage portrayal of the drug addicted glamour set in the 1920s. You can find out more about any of these productions at www.royalexchange.co.uk or by contacting the group bookings organizer on 0161 8330483.

Wake’ up call

While Mary Barton’s playing at the Royal Exchange Theatre, the Wakefield Theatre brings an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Hard Times to the stage from 27 to 30 September. Compass Theatre Company’s production is full of wicked wit & fairy tale imagery, & it promises to be an excellent show.

For something a bit more modern look out for The Play What I Wrote – the multi-award-winning play by Hamish McColl, Sean Foley & Eddie Braben. Part of the charm of this production is its surprise factor - there’s a celebrity guest at every performance. The play runs from 9 to 11 October, & it should be the highlight of the season.

And it’s a bit of a girl thing from 24 to 28 October when Hull Truck Theatre Company’s Ladies’ Day hits the boards. The play tells the story of Pearl, Jan, Shelley & Linda - four fishfilleting friends who wind up with tickets to Ladies’ Day at Royal Ascot.

Log on to http://www.wakefieldtheatres/. co.uk for more information; otherwise, give the box office a ring on 01924 211311.

Novel ideas

Adaptations of novels - & plays by novelists - seem to be all the rage for 2006. D.H. Lawrence is probably best known for the novels Sons & Lovers & Lady Chatterly’s Lover, but he also penned the play Daughter-in-Law, which opens the autumn season at Watford Palace Theatre on 31 August.

From 28 September to 14 October you can catch Michael Frayn’s Tony award-winning play Copenhagen, which gives a fictional account of a meeting   between the physicists Niels Bohr & Werner Heisenberg in 1941.

Thatcherism, feminism & socialism are some of the hot topics covered in Caryl Churchill’s 1982 play Top Girls, which runs at the Watford from 2 to 18 November. And if you’re a fan of Silly Cow or Popcorn, you’ll be pleased to hear that Ben Elton will premiere

his first new play in eight years at Watford Palace Theatre on 1 February. Skin Deep looks at the cult of celebrity & the games reality television plays on the unsuspecting public. It runs until 3 March.

For more details about these productions & others call the group sales team on 01923 810308.

The Low’ down

Whether you’re a fan of big West End musicals or your more traditional festive pantos, you should find something to entertain your group at The Lowry this Christmas.

After a successful run in 2002, Aladdin returns to The Lowry’s Lyric Theatre from 8 December to 7 January. With top pop songs, great dance routines & a funny Widow Twankey, the performance is shaping up to be a good festive panto. The all-star cast’s still

under wraps - check out their website at www.thelowry. com for the latest updates. You can also contact their groups team on 0870 220 2003 for rates & discounts, & to find out about their panto teas.

For something a bit less exuberant, comedienne Victoria Wood’s Acorn Antiques - The Musical makes its way to Manchester after a three-month sellout run in London early last year. As with Aladdin, there are good discounts for groups on tickets & catering, as well as free coach parking & a dedicated groups team. See the contact number & website mentioned above for more information or just circle the more info number on the reader-reply card.

Highly noteworthy

On a musical note, you can see Puccini’s Madama Butterfly & Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus brought to life by Ellen Kent & Opera International at various venues across the UK this autumn. Ellen Kent is renowned for her “opera for the people” style & extravagant special effects; for her production of Madama Butterfly she commissioned stunning water features to complete an exquisite Japanese garden.

The company’s also producing four popular ballets in conjunction with the Russian Classical Ballet Theatre, which boasts a corps de ballet of over 50 dancers & a live orchestra. Between late September & early December, Coppelia, Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake &

Sleeping Beauty are all touring the UK. Visit www.ellenkent.com for more specific details; otherwise, you can call 01634 819141 during business hours or 01634 820232 after 6pm to leave a message.

Seventh heaven

In a recent BBC Radio 2 poll, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Phantom of the Opera & Les Misérables were chosen as the UK’s top three favourite musicals. From 10 August to 25 November you can catch a new stage production of Seven Brides at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London. If you haven’t seen the classic 1954 film, Seven Brides tells the story of Adam, the eldest of  seven brothers who makes it his business one day to find himself a wife. He meets & marries Milly, & takes her to the backwoods home he shares with his six uncouth brothers. While Milly sets about reforming her new brothersin- law, Adam figures out a way to bring them happiness - all they need to do is kidnap the women they want to marry.

Set in Oregon in 1850, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers has great sets & costumes, impressive dance routines, & 16 hit songs, including ‘Wonderful Wonderful Day’, ‘Sobbin’ Women’, ‘Spring, Spring, Spring’ & ‘Love Never Goes Away’. You can find out more on the Theatre Royal Haymarket’s website at www.trh.co.uk. Ring 0870 380 2003 for box office & credit card bookings; if you’d rather book online, go to www.ticketmaster.co.uk.

Child’s play

Recently, there have been some excellent theatrical adaptations of children’s stories. Jamila Gavin’s Coram Boy had a phenomenal sell-out production at the Royal National Theatre earlier this year & will return to the Southbank in November. Last year, The Gruffalo received rave reviews after sell-out performances at the National, Scottish International Children’s Festival & the Hampstead Theatre.

This year’s kiddy hit could well be Michael Morpurgo’s Kensuke’s Kingdom, which won the Children’s Book Award in 2000. Birmingham Stage Company brings the adaptation of Morpurgo’s story to Theatr Hafren in Newton, Powys from 6 to 9 December. The play’s about a young boy who sets out to sail the world with his parents, but ends up getting washed overboard He finds himself stranded on an island with only his dog Stella for company - until he discovers Kensuke’s kingdom.

Kensuke’s Kingdom ’s already receiving excellent reviews; for more information ring Theatr Hafren’s box office on 01686 625007.