Curtain Up at the Vera Fletcher Hall
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| Louis de Bernières & Ilone Antonius-Jones 'A Partisan's Daughter' |
In its 17th year, our Autumn programme brings the best of the country's performers in a splendid mix of drama, music and children's entertainment. One of the highlights is Louis de Bernière's "A Partisan's Daughter" on Friday 10 October. Direct from its sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, this is a bittersweet and humorous love story by the author of "Captain Corelli's Mandolin," based on his latest book. Roza from Jugoslavia meets and falls in love in London with Chris, an unhappy medical salesman, and enchants him with her stories in the narrative tradition of Scheherezade's 1001 Nights. Together with well-known musician Ilone Antonius-Jones, Louis gives us readings from his novel accompanied by Serbian and East European music, some Bob Dylan and classical music on mandolin, flute and guitar.
Love & Madness Productions who gave us their memorable "Othello", "Playboy of the Western World" and "The Tempest" return to the Hall on Friday 7 November with their new production of "La Ronde". Banned for over 20 years, Arthur Schnitzier's La Ronde under Neil Sheppeck's new adaptation is set in a modern-day Mediterranean city, a sophisticated and ironically humorous fairground ride through sexuality to a stirring background of tango.
The Hall has a reputation for high quality chamber music and we welcome back the "Ruskin Ensemble" on Friday 24 October. This talented group have performed at the British Embassy, Paris, 11 Downing Street and the Edinburgh and Brighton Festivals. They evoke late summer evenings with "All True Love" - romantic music, poetry and prose, with Jane Gomm (violin), Jo Easthope (cello) and Jonathan Prag (guitar). Vivaldi, Paganini, Schubert, Beethoven, Latin tangos are linked with readings from D.H. Lawrence, Laurie Lee, Shelley, Robert Graves.... This will be followed on Friday 21 November by a concert by Amy Tress and Friends, prizewinning young musicians from the Royal Academy and the Royal College of Music. Children under 16 are free.
We have a treat on Friday 14 November when Commedia Productions present Puccini's "Madame Butterfly," in English, by singers from the major opera companies accompanied by Commedia's pioneering "virtual orchestra". This tender and moving story of the ill-fated Japanese geisha and American Lieutenant Pinkerton is one of the most-performed operas around the world, with its famous arias such as "One Fine Day" and the "humming chorus".
On Friday 3 October and Friday 31 October Andrew Brewis presents his Letters from Luvvies and "Take Two". Andrew is an old favourite at the Hall with his inimitable cabaret style shows. He performs at major venues such as the Cafe Royal, the Ritz, the Savoy and the Ivy, and, of course, the Vera Fletcher Hall where he brought us shows such as "Simply Sondheim" and "Noel and I". In "Letters from Luvvies" on 3 October he is joined by Hal Dyer in a cast of five with piano, flute and guitar in an evening of the fascinating, witty, sometimes poignant, theatrical correspondence, from Shakespeare and Shaw, Ellen Terry, Noel Coward, Marlene Dietrich... On 31 October, with Esther Williams, he presents "Take Two" in an evening of nostalgia - one piano, two pianists, with the words and music of Jerome Kern, Gershwin, Cole Porter, Buddy Holly, Marlene Dietrich, the Drifters...
For lovers of musicals Showcase Company returns on Saturday 22 November with "A Very Jazzy Christmas" - songs, dance and carols given a modern beat to celebrate Christmas in style. There is joy for Gilbert & Sullivan fans when Charles Court presents "Iolanthe," the perfect Christmas show, on Friday 28 November. Charles Court Opera brought their highly enjoyable "Mikado" and their quintessential pantomime Cinderella to the Hall, and now turn their hands to this wackily whimsical tale of "Iolanthe", a light-hearted satire on the House of Lords and the political party system. Banished by the fairy queen 25 years ago for marrying a mere mortal, Iolanthe returns with the news that she has a son Strephon, who wishes to marry Phyllis, a Ward of Chancery. Unfortunately for the lovers, the Lord Chancellor also has his eye on the lovely Phyllis, but after much singing ("Tripping Hither, Tripping Thither" and "When I went the Bar as a very young man...) "and quite a bit of dancing, both Peers and Peris arrive at a satisfactory arrangement.
Children's shows usually sell out. This Autumn's programme includes, on Saturday 18 October, Image Musical Theatre's "The Selfish Giant", a family participation musical based on Oscar Wilde's delightful fairy tale. Cornelius & Jones present "The Nutcracker" on Saturday 22 November - their magical productions are firm favourites with our audience and in The Nutcracker Hoffman's story of the 19th century toyshop is brought to life with toys, automata, puppets and Tchaikovsky's music. See the Noticeboard, page 39, for times and tickets for these shows. You can keep in touch with events on the Hall's website.