Curtain Up at the Vera Fletcher Hall
Now in its 15th year, our Autumn programme at the hall includes the best of the country’s performers including Rodney Bewes and Virginia McKenna, in a splendid mix of music, drama, poetry and children’s entertainment.
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| Rodney Bewes as Pooter |
One of the highlights is the one-man show by Rodney Bewes - “The Diary of a Nobody” on Saturday 18th November. Known to millions as the star of “The Likely Lads”, Rodney performs the story of lovable, hard-done- by Mr. Pooter, whose rose tinted vision of his lot is exposed to hilarious effect at every turn. The show was a sell-out at the Edinburgh Festival where it ran for three weeks and was described as “a gem of a performance “ by the Sunday Times.
On Friday 6th October we celebrate National Poetry Day with Jim MacCool’s “Celtic Night In,” a Folk Club evening, when top performance poet Jim MacCool brings his magnificent Ionan Tales which were premiered at the Sunday Times Literary Festival for the Millenium. The evening includes “The Selkie’s Tale” – a magical story of abduction, jealousy and retribution - and short poems, Irish drum and Scottish and Irish songs by this Performance Poet of the Year in 2005. Jim has received rave reviews wherever he has performed in Britain and North America – “A poet who stopped the traffic in Chicago”, and “Jim really is a national treasure”. The bar will be open throughout the evening with beer, wine and soft drinks to drink at tables and the show should appeal to all age groups.
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| Virginia McKenna |
This year is the 100th anniversary of poet John Betjeman’s birth and on Friday November 24th we are very lucky to have film and TV star Virginia McKenna, together with actors Derek and Amanda Waring and pianist Philip Mountford in “Love, Life and Laughter”, a delightful, critically acclaimed revue featuring the poetry of John Betjeman, together with words and music from Noel Coward, A.A.Milne and Edward Elgar.
Love & Madness Productions, who gave us their memorable “Othello” and “Romeo and Juliet” return to the hall on November 14th and 15th with their new productions of “Henry V” and J.M Synge’s “Playboy of the Western World” on successive nights. These exciting, modern, full-scale productions tackle the problems of celebrity and the theme of leadership – when does a man who leads his nation to war become a hero? How far should a leader go to prove himself? When a murderer attracts the love of a rural Irish community, incapable of distinguishing scoundrels from heroes, how soon will the fickle nature of celebrity wane?
As always we have treats for music lovers. Sagi Hartov is well known as a prize-winning cellist to those have been to Tanya Ursova’s concerts and on Friday November 3rd he is joined by pianist Benjamin Frith, an international concert pianist who at the age of only fourteen won the British National Concerto Competition, and who went on to a first prize at the Rubenstein Masters Competition and top prize at the Busoni International Piano Competition. He has appeared with the world’s finest orchestras. These two outstanding musicians will play works including Chopin nocturnes and Rachmaninov and Mendelssohn sonatas.
On Saturday November 25th our old friends English Pocket Opera return with Mozart’s “Magic Flute”. Sung in English, this is a brilliant new fully costumed production by Britain’s most exciting small-scale professional opera company.
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| Noel and I |
Fans of Noel Coward and Ivor Novello are in for a great treat on Friday 20th October when Andrew Brewis, Rachel Becker, Hal Dyer and David Bromley present “Noel and I”. Andrew, who has played before the Queen and in venues such as the Café Royal, presents a revue including such favourites as “Mad Dogs and Englishmen”, “I’ll See You Again” and “We’ll Gather Lilacs”, alongside scenes from the best of Coward’s plays including “Private Lives” and “Tonight at 8.30”. Those who saw Andrew Brewis’ previous shows at the Hall such as “Jerome and Julie” and “Simply Sondheim” can look forward to a feast of nostalgia and witty songs. This team possesses a distinguished list of credits for acting and directing. They have appeared on television and radio, (Butterflies, A Man For All Seasons), and at theatres including the Birmingham Rep and the Old Vic.
Fans of Hinchley Manor Operatic Society will welcome them back on 10th-14th October in “The Little Shop of Horrors”. The flower shop doesn’t do well until a strange new plant draws in the customers – but what does it eat and why do customers disappear?
We have a treat for older children from 6 upwards with the People’s Theatre’s “Bink and the Riddle of the Sphinx” on 7th October. A stunning new pop musical, this is a classic tale of cunning, battle and adventure – can Bink solve the riddle of Greek mythology’s most terrifying monster or will he lose his kingdom, his princess and his life. More magic, more music and more whizzpops than ever. On 2nd December Cat’s Grin Theatre Company present “A Christmas Carol” – it’s Christmas Eve and Bob Crachit, Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future are brought to life in this witty and original production.
Tickets for all of these shows can be obtained from the Box Office (Joan Leifer tel: 01372 462078) and The Pro Shop, 50 High Street, Thames Ditton.