Theatre & Film News

Great Yarmouth’s Town Hall set to host Panto

Widow Twankey will be setting up her laundry in very smart surroundings this year as panto Aladdin takes up residence at the Town Hall. This will be the first show to be staged in the Town Hall’s newly refurbished Assembly Room and will run between December 22nd and January 2nd. Audiences are promised music, magic and comedy on a rollercoaster ride at 100 smiles an hour all the way to Old Peking with panto regular and producer Gavin Dean, joined by star villain Dave Higgins, comedy fall guy Jimmy Catchpole and leading lady Clare Durrant, as well as comedy magician Joshua Pickering and star of the stage Emily Johnson. www.GreatYarmouthPanto.com

A Biddy’s Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol is back at Biddy’s Tea Room in Norwich and Aylsham this year, with performances from December 7th31st. The Keeper’s Daughter presents A Biddy’s Christmas Carol - an innovative, playful and faithful adaptation of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge; a cranky, old miser who makes life a misery for everyone who crosses his path, until an evening of ghostly visitations forces a change in him for the better. With just two actors playing all the parts, plus puppets, improvisation and surprises, this is a gripping ghost story for friends and families. This imaginative re-telling of the wellknown Victorian tale is an hour long and is suitable for all those aged five and over. Tickets are just £10 each (£7.50 for under-14s) and include mulled apple juice and home-made mince pies. Bookings can be made at: www.keepersdaughter.com and www.biddystearoom.com

Cambridge hosts Animal Farm

The animals of Manor Farm drive out the farmer and run the farm themselves. A revolution. And then what? Then freedom. Every animal will be free. Old Major, the prize boar, calls the animals of Manor Farm together. He has had a strange dream of a better future. George Orwell’s world-famous fable tells the story of a revolution and its aftermath. Re-imagined by an award-winning creative team, Animal Farm is a dynamic, daring, and contemporary take on a timeless story. The production - running at Cambridge Arts Theatre from February 8th-12th - is a Children's Theatre Partnership production in association with Birmingham Rep. Directed by Robert Icke, whose version of 1984 (coadapted and directed with Duncan Macmillan) was a smash-hit in the West End and on Broadway, this brand-new production features puppetry by Toby Olié who originally performed as ‘Joey the Horse’ in the original West End production of War Horse. www.cambridgeartstheatre.com

Award-winning play comes to Sudbury

The Sudbury Quay theatre hosts the excellent Smokescreen Productions’ performance of Waiting for Hamlet on January 7th. The play won its writer - David Visick - the International Kenneth Branagh New Drama Writing Award in 2018. Only Yorick can stop dead King Hamlet destroying everything and everyone he loves. It’s a battle of wits between two fools – but only one of them knows he is one! Waiting For Hamlet is a comedy about a tragedy, and a love letter to the greatest play ever written. www.quaysudbury.com

Lowestoft’s very own Cinderella

Come and watch the Fairy Godmother wave her magic wand to make Cinderella’s dream come true at the Marina Theatre’s pantomime, running from December 14th to January 2nd. This classic traditional family pantomime tells the romantic and heart-warming tale of the beautiful Cinderella. Under the power of her wicked Stepsisters, Cinderella lives as a poor servant girl, pandering to their every need and only dreaming of their luxurious lifestyle. With help from her only friend Buttons and a fabulous Fairy Godmother, can she make it to the Royal Ball and find her Prince Charming? Enjoy breath-taking special effects, spectacular scenery, sparkling costumes, plenty of pantomime mayhem and oodles of comedy. www.marinatheatre.co.uk

Poetry, Music and Drama

Let your inspiration be set ALIGHT at the Fisher Theatre, Bungay, on January 14th during an evening of poetry, music, and drama with the acclaimed poet, lawyer and motivational speaker Dave Neita, and the multi award-winning composer Dr. Deborah Pritchard. Experience poetry and music to elate your heart and mind, alongside Dave's solo-performance play Uplift: a tribute to the Windrush Generation - where a discarded helium tank is set into flight as a symbol of their indomitable spirit. One of the UK's leading advocates for social justice, Dave Neita is regarded as the 'People's Lawyer and the People's Poet' due to his representation of excluded individuals and marginalized groups. Dave appears alongside acclaimed composer Deborah Pritchard on the double bass. Debs' work has been commissioned and premiered by ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Sinfonietta, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Philharmonia Orchestra, and BBC Singers.