THEATRE

Pic: Eric Richmond

The School of Rock will be a blast at MK Theatre

Welcome to the Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker school of hard rocks!

A musical to raise your fists to, a sweet treat, and sunshine times remembering two of this country’s most-loved funnymen – Sammy Jones take a look at the month ahead in theatre land...

If you read our feature last month, you’ll be well-versed in the Dreamgirls story which continues at MK Theatre, starring local lady Natalia Kassanga.

It’s the first time the show, described by one critic as ‘a glittering tour de force of disco and soul,’ has toured nationally, and there’s still time to take a ticket before the curtain falls on February 5, before something else musical, but quite different, rocks up.

The movie was marvelous and then School of Rock wowed the West End stage.

Now, the amps go up to 11 and the Jack Black smash – adapted for the stage by Andrew Lloyd Webber (ALW) – arrives at MK Theatre (Feb 8) for a five-day stay.

You’ll get a heap of new songs courtesy of ALW, all the tracks you want from the movie, and a band of clever kids in charge of instruments.

It’s a long way to the top if you wanna rock ‘n’ roll. Or a short journey to the heart of the Keynes for your musical comedy fix.

Over at The Stables, Count Arthur Strong presents And This Is Me (Feb 11).

During the past 20 years he has enjoyed 10 national tours, 15 years of his multi-award winning radio show and three series of his BAFTA nominated TV sitcom. If you’ve got tickets, you really will be laughing, but if not, you’ll need to cross your fingers and call up the box office in the hope of returns; tickets to see the ‘deluded thespian’ are all sold-out. A show from the sublime Matthew Bourne is an annual highlight at MK Theatre, and this year we are being treated to the sweet treat that is Nutcracker! (Feb 15-19). Colourful and classy, it’s bursting with Bourne brilliance, wit and magical fantasy. Join Clara as she journeys through a shimmering, ice-skating wonderland to the kingdom of Sweetieland in the show which takes its influence from the gloriously lavish Hollywood musicals of the 1930s. As if Matthew’s choreography isn’t enough, Nutcracker comes with Tchaikovsky’s score and costumes and sets by Anthony Ward. What a perfect show for Valentine’s week, or any week, come to think of it. Morecombe & Wise have long since departed this world, but they are part of the fabric of entertainment in this country. For the past few years, Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens have been taking their show, cunningly titled Eric & Ern to the comedy masses – and they return to The Stables this month

Count Arthur Strong for a two night stay (Feb 19 & 20). drops in at The Stables Their performance is bursting with the comedy sketches that you know so well, and will evoke memories of those times on a Sunday night when everyone would gather round the telly to share in the antics of the national treasures.

This isn’t just any old performance – they really are superb. Accurate? They are spot on.

It’s also worth pointing out that Ian and Jonty have been given the thumbs up from the estates of Morecambe & wise – the families even give the scripts their seal of approval before they are performed.

“I have been fascinated with Eric Morecambe for as long as I can remember,” says Jonty. “I took on his persona at school and it never really left me. He was the funniest and loveliest of men. We both feel it’s a privilege to play Eric and Ernie and some people have said it’s like we’re channeling them - some nights it does feel like that.”

Jersey Boys is working its way back to MK Theatre for a bumper stay (Feb 23-March 5). The story of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons is jam-packed with all of those highvocal, huge hits; Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry, Oh What A Night, Walk Like A Man and... you get the picture.

But while the vocal aces were in perfect harmony on the stage, away from the bright lights it was a different story...

This show has won a whopping 65 major awards, and been seen by more than 27 million people worldwide, but this is more than just another jukebox musical; it’s a chance to learn the full story of the music-makers who went from New Jersey all the way to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

> Book in: The Stables: stables.org MK Theatre: atgtickets.com/ venues/milton-keynes-theatre