Theatre & Film News

Poignant drama comes to Diss

Common Ground Theatre Company presents The Dream of a Ridiculous Man at The Cornhall, Diss on November 4th. Written by Fyodor Dostoevsky and adapted by Pat Whymark, it is a fantastical tale of new beginnings, featuring Julian Harries as the Ridiculous Man, with Pat Whymark and Emily Bennett providing live musical accompaniment. It tells the story of a man who, much like Scrooge in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, has a dream which saves his life, brings him back from the edge of despair, reconnects him to society and restores his faith in humanity. It’s a poignant, funny and cathartic piece, particularly appropriate for this present moment in time.www.thecornhall.co.uk

Fisher hosts new one-man play

Bungay’s Fisher Theatre hosts Chinese Boxing - a new one man play by Mark Kitto - on November 18th. An evening lecture to the Bungay branch of the Royal Asiatic Society takes an unexpected leap into the past and brings to life the Boxer Uprising of 1900, an epic clash between China and

the West that echoes across the century. Will China and the West ever understand each other? Sir Claude MacDonald, formerly Her Majesty’s Minister Plenipotentiary to Peking, will do his best to help. Image courtesy of the London Illustrated News. www.fishertheatre.org

Reverend Billy and the Stop Shopping choir

These activist singers from New York bring their joyful, radical music for the Earth to Colchester (Nov 3rd) and Norwich (Nov 4th) Arts Centres as the opening dates of their UK tour. They also have a third date in the region at the veg growing polytunnel of the Syrian Refugees in Essex (Nov 5th)! The tour will culminate in Glasgow to coincide with the international climate change conference for Climate Change COP26. Climate change and global warming is arguably the greatest challenge we face today, and the Stop Shopping Choir have been at the forefront of climate change activism and anti-consumerist direct action for over two decades. He is banned from every Starbucks outlet on the planet, while the show is a breathtaking, joyful and heartbreaking celebration of the Earth, a cloudburst of melody, rhythm and message. www.revbilly.com

National Treasure Su Pollard comes to Bury

Much-loved actress Su Pollard will visit Theatre Royal Bury St Edmunds on October 26th with her UK tour of Harpy. Best known for her star-turn as Peggy in the BAFTA award-winning sitcom Hi-de-Hi!, Su Pollard has had

a career in

showbusiness spanning four decades. A tourde-force performance from Pollard, Harpy is a heart wrenching exploration of one woman’s struggles with mental health and loneliness, manifesting itself through extreme hoarding. At heart it’s a bittersweet dramatic comedy, which showcases a grittier side to the Su Pollard of the eighties, and also asks us to look beyond our prejudices against those who appear to disrupt the norm. www.theatreroyal.org

The Dresser: Cambridge Arts Theatre

Julian Clary and Matthew Kelly star in a brand-new production of Ronald Harwood’s highly acclaimed drama, The Dresser at Cambridge Arts Theatre from October 12th-16th. Inspired by memories of working as Donald Wolfit’s dresser as a young man, Ronald Harwood’s evocative, affectionate and hilarious portrait of backstage life is one of the most acclaimed dramas of modern theatre. It is 1942 and in a war-torn provincial theatre an ageing actor-manager, known to his loyal acting company as ‘Sir’, is struggling to cling on to his sanity and complete his two hundred and twenty seventh performance of King Lear. It is down to Norman, Sir’s devoted dresser, to ensure that the show goes on. For sixteen years Norman has been there to fix Sir's wig, massage his ego, remind him of his opening lines and provide the sound effects in the storm scene. www.cambridgeartstheatre.com

Fairytale of New York

From the producers of the hit show Seven Drunken Nights - The Story of The Dubliners, Fairytale of New York is the ultimate feel good Irish-inspired Christmas show. The show, which comes to the Marina, Lowestoft on November 20th, features an international cast of singers, musicians and dancers bringing you all of your favourite Christmas songs including Last Christmas, I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, Merry Christmas Everybody and of course The Fairytale of New York. And just when you think the party couldn’t get any better, this world class show also features some of the greatest Irish sing a long songs of all time including The Galway Girl, The Irish Rover, Wagon Wheel, Dirty Old Town and The Black Velvet Band. Set in McGrath’s Irish Pub on Christmas Eve this wonderful story of an Irish magical Christmas will have people of all ages singing, laughing and dancing in the aisles.