Chelmsford News
Spring season at theatres set to be a hit
8:00am Saturday 28th January 2012
SOME famous faces are set to tread the boards when the new spring season gets under way at Chelmsford’s theatres.
The jam packed line-up at the Civic and Cramphorn Theatres has something for everyone, from highbrow drama to laugh-out-loud comedy.
On March 20 and 21 is I, Bertolt Brecht, which takes a look at the influential playwright and theatre director’s plays, songs and poems. The thought-provoking performance is moving but there are also plenty of light-hearted moments in this drama documentary.
Men Behaving Badly star Leslie Ash and Eastenders actress and MBE Brooke Kinsella will appear in All the Single Ladies, from March 22 to March 24, before the production hits the West End.
Heartwarming and funny, this show will make for a great night out.
An adaptation of Sense and Sensibility comes to town on April 18 to 20. Based on Jane Austen’s classic novel, the play is brought to the stage with beautiful imagery, original music, humour and heartbreak.
Joe Pasquale and Robert Powell will be doing their rounds in a stage show version of the classic sitcom Doctor in the House, from April 30 to May 5.
The vicious, barbaric undercurrent in Shakespeare’s epic tragedy Macbeth surfaces in a bloodthirsty production on May 9.
A new comedy comes in the form of Raining Men, on June 1 and 2. The story of Phil the bouncer, Doug the DJ and Colin the barman, is dubbed as the Full Monty meets Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.
Music is also well featured at the theatre, with lots of large and small scale shows at both theatres.
The biggest show in town comes in the form of American Anthems, on February 10. Star guest John Parr, of St Elmo’s Fire, will be playing well known rock songs with a cast of talented performers including, Born To Run, Living On A Prayer and Bat Out Of Hell.
The music continues in the show Unforgettable, on April 1, which features a world class cast of talented vocalists and musicians playing songs from some of the most loved musical icons of the 1950s and 60s.
There’s a musical journey with Little Belter, on February 11, with songs from the likes of Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland and Dusty Springfield.
A tribute act in the form of Real Diamond takes to the stage on March 9, singing all Neil Diamond’s hits in one performance.
There is opera from Opera della Luna in their production of the Lehar classic operetta, the Merry Widow, on March 10.
Iconic band the Strawbs are moving gracefully into their fifth decade of music making and devoted fans can find them at the Civic on April 14.
If classical music is more your taste then the male vocal duo Foley and Hepburn will be just your thing. The tenor and bass-baritone sensations will include songs such as Time To Say Goodbye, You Raise Me Up and Ol’ Man River.
Upcoming comic Andrew Lawrence visits the Cramphorn on March 9 with his award-winning comedy.
He has been featured on Michael McIntyre’s Comedy showcase and Ask Rhod Gilbert.
More comedy comes from the long-standing broadcaster Mike Harding on March 18, who returns to comedy with a couple of guitars and 40 years of material to draw on.
Spring also has a host of entertaining shows for youngsters.
It starts with George’s Marvellous Medicine, from February 14 to 18 – a welcome return of the adaptation of the popular Roald Dahl classic.
A science show with dangerous demonstrations and extraordinary experiments is next when Science Museum Live comes to Chelmsford on February 24 and 25 – a show that’s set to entertain, inform and inspire.
And for all the family a much loved nursery rhyme comes to life in There Was An Old Woman Who Swallowed A Fly, on May 11 and 12.
Reliving the delights of this charming tale with a feast of games, colourful animal characters and heart-warming family fun, the show is suited to children aged four and over.
For more information on all shows and to book tickets, call 01245 606505.
www.chelmsford.gov.uk/theatres