THEATRE

HE’S ON THE STAGE!! Dom Joly visits Stantonbury

Pic: Tristram Kenton Alexandra Burke and Jac Yarrow lead the cast in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

‘Joly’ good fun ahead at Stantonbury

Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers is back on MK soil (August 30 – September 3). The captivating tale of twin boys who were separated at birth, and who grew up on opposite sides of the tracks, only to meet again with fateful consequences, will encourage the tears. Remember those hankies, folks!

Blood Brothers has been informally christened the ‘standing ovation musical’ for a reason.

The ‘people’s poet’ Dr John Cooper Clarke (September 6) comes to Wavendon venue The Stables with his show, I Wanna Be Yours. After shooting to prominence in the 1970s, he became one of the most prolific artists of the punk years.

His wordy-way has spanned cultures, audiences, art forms and continents. Worth taking a ticket to listen to John digging into his 2018 collection, The Luckiest Guy Alive, with beautiful prose like Get Back On Drugs You Fat F*ck and I’ve Fallen In Love With My Wife. And there is a whole load more where that came from.

The Thinking Drinkers Pub Quiz (September 8) is a chance to partake in a seriously funny quiz show with lots of ‘rounds’ and five free drinks for audience members. Raise your glass to an absurd, fact-filled journey through time. Over 18s only, for obvious reasons.

At the start of the new millennium, we were introduced to Trigger Happy TV. It was a Friday night session for the soul sitting between Friends and Frasier, and it was funnier than those shows too.

The man responsible, Dom Joly, had previously worked as a political reporter for ITV and a diplomat before finding the funny with his pal Sam Cadman.

There were great episodes of the perfectly executed achingly funny, clever sketches, and then the show, which had been sold to more than 80 countries, was done. “Trigger Happy TV was a bit like punk, suddenly we could buy a camera that allowed us to not rely on professional crews. We just filmed and filmed and filmed...until we had nothing but gold,” Dom said. BBC show World Shut Your Mouth followed, but when comedy burnt him out, he put pen to paper, or rather fingers to keys for the Sunday Times, made a travel show for Sky, and applied himself to his big passion, writing travel books. Dom has visited the killing fields of Cambodia, went to Chernobyl before it was fashionable, been on a coach tour of North Korea and roadtripped through Syria. Did we mention he went skiing Dr John Cooper Clarke in Iran? On his travels, Dom Joly reaches the parts that most of us don’t. His one-man show goes that bit further too – as you’ll find out if you take a ticket to see him at Stantonbury Campus (Saturday, September 10). You’ll get stories from his travels, holiday snaps and videos and maybe the odd school photo – he went to school with Osama Bin Laden, you know! The new Palladium production of the Rice/ Webber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will enjoy a two week stay at MK Theatre (September 12-24) and you’ll get to hear that song. You know, that one. Jac Yarrow has already taken on (and won) in the West End, and he’s doing just as well in the role of Joseph as he tours these isles. A colourful delivery is easy in that special attire, but he’s got a lot more going on too. Jac will

Jon Culshaw plays Les Dawson at The Stables

be joined by X-Factor winner turned stage favourite Alexandra Burke, who is on board as the narrator.

When Joseph departs, An Inspector Calls. Stephen Daldry’s production of the JB Priestly thriller has bagged 19 major awards and more than five million people worldwide have sat down to a performance. A peaceful dinner party is shattered by investigations into the death of a young woman. Revelations will ask us all to examine our consciences. Anyone for dessert? Didn’t think so.

Last up in our trawl through the best of this month’s goodies is an affectionate celebration of the inimitable Les Dawson at The Stables. Back when TV used to bring the nation together, it was the Forsythe’s, Grayson’s and Dawson’s that were leading the charge.

This new play is being delivered by ace impressionist Jon Culshaw as Les, who will

> Tickets: MK Theatre: atgtickets.com/miltonkeynes The Stables: stables.org Stantonbury Theatre: stantonburytheatre.co.uk