What's On

Disney's Beauty and the Beast Presented by the Cotswold Players on 18th to 21st and 25th to 28th January 2012 at 7.30 pm Step into the enchanted world of Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. This tale as old as time includes all of the wonderful songs and haunting ballads written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice. You will be transported to the heart of provincial life in a lovely French town. When Maurice becomes lost in the woods on the way to the fair, he seeks shelter in an old castle, but the master of the castle is a horrible beast that takes him captive. Maurice’s daughter, Belle, must then give up her freedom to save his life. Belle’s taming of the unfortunate Beast and his ultimate transformation back into a handsome prince helped along by magical characters and an archetypal baddy intent on marrying Belle himself, is family musical theatre at its best. Tickets £12
UK to Beijing - by Bicycle 17th February 2012 at 7.30 pm Chris Smith rode his bicycle 16,500 miles from Worcestershire to Beijing. For thirteen months his lungs and legs powered him into headwinds, across deserts and up to mountain passes (and a wonderfully indomitable, reliable and adaptable source of power they proved to be). He set out with neither accomplice, television crew nor satellite navigation. How does it feel to trade domestic comfort and security for life as a nomad and to pare one’s life down to the bare necessities? What is it like to push at the frontiers of one’s physical and mental endurance? What is the effect upon the human spirit of struggling against hurricanes in the Gobi Desert by day and shivering alone in culverts at night? How does the agnostic westerner react to the religious fatalism of Islam and Hinduism in encounters with locals? Chris speaks about the importance of having a dream, about connecting with one’s passions, about recognising and seizing opportunities – and about how he wore out three sets of tyres, three chains, two pairs of boots, and fell off the bike six times. Chris signs copies of his acclaimed book, ‘Why Don’t You Fly?’ after each presentation. For more information about journey, bicycle and author, visit www.cycleUKtoChina.com Tickets £9.50 (£8 concessions)
The Accrington Pals Presented by Playing Up Theatre Company on 18th February at 7.30 pm At 7:20 am on 1st July 1916 some 720 men of the 11th Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, all recruited from Accrington and its neighbouring towns, went over the top on the first day of the Battle of The Somme. By 8 am 584 of The Accrington Pals were dead. In this powerfully emotional play, Peter Whelan explores the lives of the people of Accrington and the impact such devastating losses had on the whole community. Women lost fathers, husbands and sons simultaneously. It is a story about love, life and loss told in a uniquely theatrical manner that is guaranteed to move any audience. Playing Up won universal praise for their previous World War one production of Journey’s End in 2008. Now they return to The Cotswold Playhouse following their highly successful production of The Tamworth Two in 2011. www.playing-up.co.uk
The Girl from the Moulin Rouge Presented by the Cotswold Players on 16th to 17th and 21st to 23rd March at 7.30 pm. What happens when you wake to find you’ve got a hangover and a charming stranger in your bed? Your best friend’s no help at all, your wife thinks she can hear angels and your rich buffoon of an uncle has just arrived to enlist your help in marrying off his niece to a scoundrel - who just happens to have romantic connections to the girl in your bed - a quick-thinking Parisian showgirl who has no intention of slipping away without causing mischief. What’s more, you’ve absolutely no recollection of the events of the previous evening – why on earth should a stroppy madam be so insistent that you fight a duel and why does a grubby old bag lady turn up at your house expecting dinner for two? With each twist of the plot, the story skips and races along, leaving the characters bewildered and the audience laughing at their confusion. Feydeau’s deliciously witty tale of mistaken identity at the height of the Belle Époque sparkles like Oscar Wilde – gently mixed with a glorious helping of ooh la la.
An evening with dementia Presented by Trevor T Smith on 31st march at 8.00 pm. A repeat performance of the award-winning new play by Stroud's Ex-Royal Shakespeare Company actor Trevor T. Smith, which allows us to empathise with the state of being called dementia. It takes its audience on an illuminating, and at times very funny, adventure into the wilds of the mind of an old actor who has been cut loose from society by a fading memory. ...the most truthful, emotional and well-presented one-man monologue you’ll see all year. For more information, see www.aneveningwithdementia.co.uk Tickets £10 Start time 8 pm
Heroes Presented by DUCKbrothers Producktions on 19th May to 21st April at 7.30 pm. Tom Stoppard translated this play into English from the original French and it received its West End debut at Wyndham's, in a production that starred Richard Griffith, John Hurt and Ken Stott. The production won the 2006 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Comedy. This poignant comedy (set in 1959) tells the story of three French veterans of WW1 Gustav, Philippe and Henri who pass their time grumbling about the staff, dreaming about young women and arguing over whether a statue of a dog is alive. They decide to escape from the soldiers’ home, run by nuns, in which they live and run away to Indo China, or at least as far as the poplar trees on the hill. Hampered only by how they are going to move the 200lb statue of the dog that one of them wishes to bring with them, they plan their escape with military precision. They survived the war but can they survive the care home?
Sleeping Beauty Presented by European Ballet on 5th May at 2.30 pm and 7.30 pm. Highly acclaimed European Ballet presents this classic and most enchanting ballet 'The Sleeping Beauty'. Under the direction of Stanislav Tchassov, former Principal dancer of The Bolshoi Ballet, this exciting and dynamic company of international first-class dancers has endeared itself to audiences and critics alike for its commitment to excellent artistic standards and for the dedication and energy of its talented dancers. Set to Tchaikovsky’s glorious score, enhanced by over 45 beautiful handcrafted costumes, the ballet is ideal for audiences of all ages. Based on Charles Perrault’s fairy story, the ballet is about a beautiful Princess bound by a wicked fairy’s spell to sleep for a hundred years. She can only be woken by the kiss of a handsome prince. The ballet is full of wonderful treasures: the Lilac Fairy, the Rose Adagio, the Bluebird and a cast of fairy-tale characters gathered for the sparkling final wedding celebration. Colourful sets, lavish costumes and a magnificent score of Tchaikovsky make this beautiful ballet a favourite for all ages.
when we are married Presented by the Cotswold Players from 19th to 23rd June at 7.30 pm. JB Priestly set his play in the 1900s, we shall be setting this production in the 1930s. The set is the sitting room of Alderman and Mrs Joseph Halliwell, who together with two other couples are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversaries as they were married at the same chapel on the same day by the same minister. When the new organist comes to see the Alderman, the men find out that the minister who married them 25 years before is concerned that he may not have been authorised to do so. Pandemonium follows as these pillars of the society try to deal with this problem. The unpleasant charwoman has been listening in at the door and delights in spreading the gossip, the local newspaper have sent a photographer and reporter to interview and photograph the happy couples and so the story goes on!
cold comfort farm Presented by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School on 29th June at 7.30 pm.