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Mayfest: The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart
The Trinity Centre, Bristol (Thur 17-Sun 20 May) Mayfest 2012 gets off to a dazzling start with National Theatre of Scotland’s widely acclaimed, star-garlanded ‘Prudencia Hart’, an evening of supernatural storytelling, music and…19.05.2012 READ MORE -
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A Man For All Seasons
Kelvin Studios, Bristol (Tue 17-Sat 21 Apr) THEATRE A mediocre production of Robert Bolt's 'A Man For All Seasons' simply isn’t worth watching: a brilliant one can be so uplifting it makes you want to see it again. Performing in…23.04.2012 READ MORE -
Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker!
Bristol Hippodrome (Tue 17-Sat 21 Apr) DANCE When someone takes a much-loved classic and totally revamps it, it's easy to be accused of being a dyed-in-the-wool killjoy, a pedant unwilling to accept change, if you don't like it.…20.04.2012 READ MORE -
Mitch Benn and the Distractions
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Wed 11 March) Welcome to rockin’ with Radio 4. Mitch Benn is, as Now Show listeners know, the sole poster boy for pop music on the thinking people’s talk channel, and those who listen will have heard his…12.04.2012 READ MORE -
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Madhampton.co.uk!
The Brewery, Bristol (Tue 3-Sat 14 Apr) THEATRE Since they formed in 1997, Bristol's Stepping Out have built an impressive body of work exploring themes around mental health, ranging from big cast shows such as 'Bedlam – the…06.04.2012 READ MORE -
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Mayday Mayday
Bristol Old Vic Studio (Thur 26 Jan-Sat 4 Feb) THEATRE And so Tristan Sturrock (‘Far Away’, ‘Treasure Island’, ‘Coram Boy’ and numerous outings for Kneehigh) revisits his autobiographical solo show about how he got drunk on the…28.01.2012 READ MORE -
The Marvellous and Unlikely Fete of Little Upper Downing
The Brewery, Bristol (Wed 18-Sat 21 Jan) THEATRE Little Bulb return to Bristol with this new touring show, after charming local audiences with ‘Operation Greenfield’, a sell-out at last year’s Mayfest. Keeping to the same…25.01.2012 READ MORE -
Mrs Gerrish's Rear Window
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Sat 21 Jan) THEATRE This latest from Bristol's Ministry of Entertainment is set, as is their trademark, firmly in nostalgia country. They have, though, moved from the 1940s into the 1950s, when, at Mrs…24.01.2012 READ MORE -
The Meaning of Riff
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Thur 15 Dec) THEATRE Do you like wearing black, practising air guitar, and summoning up Satan? Do you regard Ozzy Osbourne as one of the great cultural icons of our time? No? Well, neither does your humble…16.12.2011 READ MORE -
The Morpeth Carol
Bristol Old Vic Basement (Thur 8-Sat 17 Dec) THEATRE Sometimes a piece of performance is so right that it makes you feel glad to be alive and in possession of senses. ‘The Morpeth Carol’ is such a piece and, like a pure note…12.12.2011 READ MORE -
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Tobacco Factory, Bristol (21-26 Nov) THEATRE All in favour of settling down for an evening of our favourite beardy bard’s marathon of misunderstandings on the riverbank: say aye. All those in the mood to be sprayed with 90…22.11.2011 READ MORE -
Moscow City Ballet: Swan Lake
Theatre Royal Bath (Wed 16-Thur 17 Nov) DANCE Tchaikovsky's score for 'Swan Lake' is probably one of the best known pieces of classical music on the planet, so it's hard to know how the Moscow City Ballet Orchestra could make…17.11.2011 READ MORE -
Monkey Poet
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Wed 19 Oct) COMEDY / PERFORMANCE POETRY Matt Panesh isn’t a monkey, nor does he write poems about monkeys. He is a feisty Mancunian with a no-nonsense “I’m a leftie and I don’t care who knows it” approach to…20.10.2011 READ MORE -
My Previous Self
The Wardrobe Theatre, Bristol (Tue 18-Fri 21 Oct) THEATRE ‘My Previous Self’ tells the story of Nick, who suffers from retrograde amnesia, and his desperate attempts to regain a sense of the person he was before the accident that…19.10.2011 READ MORE -
Measure for Measure
Arnos Vale Cemetery, Bristol (Weds 12 Oct) It’s a brave move staging semi-open-air Shakespeare in October, but we’ve come to expect nothing less of Bristol’s increasingly prolific Roughhouse Theatre having lit up the Ustinov with…18.10.2011 READ MORE -
The Mikado
Theatre Royal, Bath (to Sat 24 Sept) OPERA If the audience of 'The Mikado' were allowed for one moment to consider what is really happening onstage – the threat of death by decapitation, being buried alive or being boiled in oil,…20.09.2011 READ MORE -
Mark Thomas: Extreme Rambling - Walking the Wall
Comedy Box at the Tobacco Factory, Bristol (Sat 9 Sept) COMEDY One of the few overtly political comics still at large in the UK, Mark Thomas has carved out a niche for himself as an activist-cum-journalist-cum-funnyman. His new…15.09.2011 READ MORE -
The Madness of George III
Theatre Royal Bath (to Sat 3 Sept) THEATRE ‘The Madness of George III’ is, at its heart, a family drama. The politics in Alan Bennett’s play are largely incidental, and the events leading up to the Regency Crisis are used with…25.08.2011 READ MORE -
Most Drink in Secret
The Brewery, Bristol (Tue 7- Sat 11 June) THEATRE With ‘Most Drink in Secret’, FellSwoop, a young emerging company formed by recent graduates from Warwick University, tackle Chekhov’s ‘The Seagull’, seeking to shed new light on…12.06.2011 READ MORE -
Mayfest: Foley/Astronaut
The Brewery, Bristol (6-8 May) THEATRE In a complementary double bill of short performances, Bristol artists Jo Bannon and Sleepdogs use sound as the predominant focus in their work, leading the audience through a series of…23.05.2011 READ MORE -
Matthew Bourne's ‘Cinderella’
Bristol Hippodrome (Tue 17-Sat 21 May) DANCE To describe Matthew Bourne's production of ‘Cinderella’ as a ballet is something of a misnomer. It is quite definitely a musical without songs, following in the footsteps of the…18.05.2011 READ MORE -
Mayfest: Fortnight
Various venues, Bristol (Sun 1-Sun 15 May, 2011) It started so well. Mayfest’s two-week ‘tentpole’ event – a “performance experience” confidently promising to demonstrate how “a small change in perspective creates a massive…16.05.2011 READ MORE -
Mayfest: Sam Halmarack and the Miserablites
Arnolfini, Bristol (Fri 13 May, 2011) “THREE in the back… TWO in the front… this is how we ride when we’re going to a concert!” yell a beaming crowd of recently-converted Miserablite superfans as a wiry Sam Halmarack, eyes…16.05.2011 READ MORE -
Mayfest: Ousia
Arnolfini, Bristol (Fri 13 May, 2011) DANCE Choreographer Darren Johnston makes his Mayfest – and Bristol – debut having carved himself an achingly cutting-edge rep for inventively composed installation-cum-dance arrangements and…16.05.2011 READ MORE -
Mayfest: May
Probe's last piece, 'Magpie', was, as its name suggests, a collection of short dances from different choreographers brought together and fashioned into a whole. 'May' is very different. This dark work is set in a hall where…16.05.2011 READ MORE -
Mayfest: Epic
Tobacco Factory, Bristol (Wed 11-Thur 12 May) THEATRE Slightly worryingly for those of us born into its middling decades, the 20th century is already slipping into the dim vat of facts known as ‘history’. In Foster & Déchery’s…14.05.2011 READ MORE -
Mayfest: The Guild of Cheesemakers
The Church of St Thomas The Martyr, Bristol (Fri 7-Sat 8 May) THEATRE It’s not very often that a jaunt to the theatre involves pitching up at a Georgian church, having your hands washed in a ewer, and then being ushered towards a…09.05.2011 READ MORE -
Mayfest: Operation Greenfield
Bristol Old Vic Studio (6-8 May) THEATRE Winners of more awards than their combined age in years (possibly), Little Bulb Theatre have wooed many a cynical heart with their vivacious and apparently thrown-together shows, most…09.05.2011 READ MORE -
Mayfest: Tales from a Sea Journey
Tobacco Factory, Bristol (Sat 7 May) THEATRE The age-old pull of the sea permeates tonight’s offering from the cockle-warming New International Encounter, who’ve long been confidently plotting a course through uncharted…09.05.2011 READ MORE -
Mayfest: Flogging a Dead Horse
Tobacco Factory, Bristol (Thur 5 May) THEATRE There’s a captivating air of strangeness from the very start of this latest show by vintage puppeteers Faulty Optic. Two performers moonwalk on stage, their heads shrouded in hessian…09.05.2011 READ MORE -
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The Misanthrope
Bristol Old Vic (to Sat 23 Oct) THEATRE Molière’s great comedy of manners is scalpel-sharp in its dissection of high society vanity, two-facedness and power-grubbing, and Tony Harrison’s updated translation is brilliant and…06.10.2010 READ MORE
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Reviews
Mayfest: The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart
The Trinity Centre, Bristol (Thur 17-Sun 20 May) Mayfest 2012 gets off to a dazzling…
19.05.2012
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The Revenger's Tragedy
Bierkeller Theatre, Bristol (Tue 1-Fri 11 May) THEATRE Gentleman Jack Theatre seem to…
10.05.2012
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Anne Boleyn
Theatre Royal Bath (Mon 1-Sat 5 May) THEATRE Divorced, beheaded (that'll be Anne), died,…
07.05.2012
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James Acaster
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Wed 25 Apr) COMEDY James Acaster has a nice blue jumper and looks…
26.04.2012
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Abigail's Party
Theatre Royal Bath (Mon 23-Sat 28 Apr) THEATRE 35 years since Mike Leigh’s now seminal…
24.04.2012
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The Six Wives of Henry VIII
Bristol Old Vic Basement (Wed 18 Apr-Sat 12 May) THEATRE Howard Coggins and Stu…
24.04.2012
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A Man For All Seasons
Kelvin Studios, Bristol (Tue 17-Sat 21 Apr) THEATRE A mediocre production of Robert…
23.04.2012
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A Curious Evening of Trance and Rap with the Ogden Sisters
The Brewery, Bristol (Tue 17-Sat 28 Apr) THEATRE Or, an evening of Victorian style…
23.04.2012
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Matthew Bourne's Nutcracker!
Bristol Hippodrome (Tue 17-Sat 21 Apr) DANCE When someone takes a much-loved classic and…
20.04.2012
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Laila Diallo Company/Jane Mason
Arnolfini, Bristol (Fri 6 Apr) DANCE There is a feeling of constant movement in Laila…
16.04.2012
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A Kind of Alaska / Krapp's Last Tape
Bristol Old Vic Studio (to Sat 12 May) With 2010’s extraordinary Faith Healer, BOV’s…
12.04.2012
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Mitch Benn and the Distractions
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Wed 11 March) Welcome to rockin’ with Radio 4. Mitch Benn is, as Now…
12.04.2012
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Bath Comedy Festival: New Acts Final
Widcombe Social Club, Bath (Mon 9 Apr) COMEDY A full house for this, the culminating…
11.04.2012
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In a Garden
Ustinov Studio, Bath (5 Apr-5 May) THEATRE Howard Korder’s play, second in the Ustinov’s…
10.04.2012
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Bath Comedy Festival: Robin Ince
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Fri 6-Sat 7 Apr) COMEDY The title of Robin Ince’s latest show sums…
09.04.2012
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Bath Comedy Festival: Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppet Theatre / Arthur Smith's Easter Eggstravaganza
Widcombe Social Club, Bath (Bath Comedy Festival finishes Mon 9 Apr) COMEDY The Scottish…
09.04.2012
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Madhampton.co.uk!
The Brewery, Bristol (Tue 3-Sat 14 Apr) THEATRE Since they formed in 1997, Bristol's…
06.04.2012
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The Cherry Orchard
Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory (29 Mar-5 May) THEATRE It’s not obvious how Chekhov…
05.04.2012
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Bath Comedy Festival: An Evening with Jeremy Hardy
Widcombe Social Club, Bath (Wed 4 Apr) COMEDY Jeremy Hardy ambles on stage in the Phoenix…
05.04.2012
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Shearwater
The Brewery, Bristol (Sun 1 Apr) STORYTELLING Storytelling Sundays at the Brewery are…
05.04.2012
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Bath Comedy Festival: opening weekend
Bath Comedy Festival: Widcombe Social Club and elsewhere (to Mon 9 Apr) COMEDY Piff the…
02.04.2012
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Writing on the Wall: Roy Bailey & Tony Benn
St George’s Bristol (Thur 29 Mar) Tony Benn was Labour MP for Bristol South-East for 31…
02.04.2012
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The Taming of the Shrew
Theatre Royal Bath (Tue 27-Sat 31 Mar) THEATRE Like ‘The Merchant of Venice’, ‘The Taming…
29.03.2012
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Away with the Fairies
Alma Tavern, Bristol (Tue 20-Sat 31 Mar) THEATRE There’s quite a lot to like about this,…
23.03.2012
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I'm an Aristocrat, Get Me Out of Here!
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Thur 22-Sat 24 Mar) THEATRE This brand new show from the gloriously…
23.03.2012
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Relatively Speaking
Bierkeller Theatre, Bristol (Mon 19-Thur 22 & Sun 25-Thur 29 Mar) As the play that fired…
22.03.2012
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Long Day's Journey into Night
Theatre Royal Bath (Mon 19-Sat 24 Mar) THEATRE Pulitzer Prize-winner ‘Long Day’s Journey…
21.03.2012
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Black T-Shirt Collection
Bristol Old Vic Studio (Thur 15-Sat 17 Mar) THEATRE Fringe First winner Inua Ellams…
20.03.2012
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Spring Awakening
Alma Tavern, Bristol (Mon 12-Sat 17 Mar) UWE’s resident company Small Moving Parts return…
16.03.2012
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Word of Mouth: Box of Frogs
Bristol Old Vic (Mon 12 Mar) PERFORMANCE POETRY The latest instalment of BOV's monthly…
15.03.2012
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Folie à Deux
The Brewery, Bristol (Tue 13-Sat 24 Mar) THEATRE If there is a touchpoint between madness…
15.03.2012
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Time and the Conways
Circomedia, Bristol (Fri 9-Sat 17 Mar) THEATRE J.B. Priestley’s 1937 ‘Time Play’ has some…
13.03.2012
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The Boy With Tape on His Face
The Comedy Box, Bristol (Sun 11 Mar) COMEDY Silent comedy on film has never really lost…
13.03.2012
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What I Heard About the World
The Brewery, Bristol (Fri 9-Sat 10 Mar) THEATRE "The more of the world we know the bigger…
12.03.2012
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Red Light Winter
Ustinov Studio, Bath (Thur 1-Sat 31 Mar) THEATRE The UK premiere of Obie award-winner,…
05.03.2012
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The Nine Lessons of Caliban
Bristol Old Vic Studio (Wed 29 Feb-Sat 3 Mar) THEATRE The moment Firebird come on stage…
01.03.2012
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Silly Songs of Shakespeare
The Ustinov, Bath (Wed 22-Fri 24 Feb) THEATRE This new show from comedy outfit New Old…
27.02.2012
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Death’s Cabaret
Bristol Old Vic Studio (Tue 21-Wed 22 Feb) Your correspondent should probably admit to a…
23.02.2012
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I Am England
the egg, Theatre Royal Bath (Mon 20 Feb) In a world not very far from now, this world of…
21.02.2012
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Shutterland
Alma Tavern Theatre, Bristol (Thur 16-Sat 18 Feb) Don’t be alarmed. It’s just, well,…
17.02.2012
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Romeo and Juliet
Bierkeller Theatre, Bristol (Tue 14-Thur 23 Feb) THEATRE We know how it goes: boy meets…
16.02.2012
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English National Ballet: Strictly Gershwin
Bristol Hippodrome (Tue 14-Sat 18 Feb) DANCE There's no doubt about about it, the English…
15.02.2012
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Neighbourhood Watch
Theatre Royal Bath (Mon 13-Sat 18 Feb) THEATRE You’re the world’s most popular writer of…
15.02.2012
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Comedy Cavern Relaunch Night
Comedy Cavern, Baroque, Bath (Sun 12 Feb) And so it came to pass that the Comedy Cavern –…
15.02.2012
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BalletBoyz: The Talent
Theatre Royal Bath (Sun 29 Jan) DANCE Things have changed a lot since former Royal Ballet…
31.01.2012
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Mayday Mayday
Bristol Old Vic Studio (Thur 26 Jan-Sat 4 Feb) THEATRE And so Tristan Sturrock (‘Far…
28.01.2012
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Belleville Rendezvous
Brewery Theatre, Bristol (Tue 24 Jan-Sat 4 Feb) THEATRE On Fellswoop Theatre’s previous…
28.01.2012
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Simon Munnery: Hats off to the 101-ers and Other Material
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Wed 25 Jan) COMEDY Simon Munnery walks on stage in the dark bearing…
26.01.2012
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The Marvellous and Unlikely Fete of Little Upper Downing
The Brewery, Bristol (Wed 18-Sat 21 Jan) THEATRE Little Bulb return to Bristol with…
25.01.2012
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Ferment, part 2
More dispatches from Bristol Old Vic's work-in-progress showcase Ferment (Wed 11-Sat 21…
24.01.2012
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Brett Goldstein Grew Up in a Strip Club
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Fri 20 Jan) COMEDY This is a show that does exactly what it says on…
24.01.2012
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Mrs Gerrish's Rear Window
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Sat 21 Jan) THEATRE This latest from Bristol's Ministry of…
24.01.2012
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The Blue Room
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Wed 18-Thur 19 Jan) THEATRE This is not the 'Blue Room' in which…
19.01.2012
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Recycled Stockings
Southville Centre, Bristol (Tue 20-Thur 22 Dec) THEATRE ‘Recycled Stockings ‘is the…
23.12.2011
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The French Detective and the Blue Dog
the egg, Bath (until Jan 8) THEATRE It’s a formidable creative team that lies behind this…
22.12.2011
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Dick Whittington
Theatre Royal, Bath (Thur 15 Dec-Sun 22 Jan) Three things encapsulate the enduring appeal…
19.12.2011
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Scaramouche Jones
Alma Tavern Theatre, Bristol (Tue 13-Sat 17 Dec) THEATRE This one man play opens…
16.12.2011
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The Meaning of Riff
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Thur 15 Dec) THEATRE Do you like wearing black, practising air…
16.12.2011
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The Morpeth Carol
Bristol Old Vic Basement (Thur 8-Sat 17 Dec) THEATRE Sometimes a piece of performance is…
12.12.2011
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Cinderella
Tobacco Factory, Bristol (Wed 7 Dec-Sun 15 Jan) THEATRE The family Christmas show at…
12.12.2011
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Scrooge on the Farm
Windmill Hill City Farm, Bristol (Tue 6-Sat 10 Dec) THEATRE If, Sir or Madam, you have…
08.12.2011
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Season's Greetings
Theatre Royal Bath (to Sat 10 Dec) THEATRE What's the worst Christmas you could possibly…
06.12.2011
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Good Clown Bad Clown
Bristol Old Vic (Thur 1 Dec-Sat 7 Jan) FAMILY THEATRE Any self-respecting Xmas family…
05.12.2011
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A Warning to the Curious
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Wed 30 Dec) STORYTELLING What better way to start the holiday season…
05.12.2011
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The Pajama Men
Komedia, Bath (Wed 30 Nov) COMEDY Expectations are high in Bath on Wednesday evening, as…
03.12.2011
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Henning Wehn's German Christmas Do
Widcombe Social Club, Bath (Thur 1 Dec) COMEDY This sold-out evening with Germany’s…
02.12.2011
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Sitting With Thistle
Alma Tavern, Bristol (Tue 29 Nov-Sat 10 Dec) THEATRE We’ve all done it: made it to the…
30.11.2011
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Word of Mouth
Bristol Old Vic Basement (Mon 21 Nov) PERFORMANCE POETRY Back to the Basement we go for…
24.11.2011
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South Pacific
Bristol Hippodrome (Tue 22 Nov-Sat 3 Dec) THEATRE They really don’t write musicals like…
24.11.2011
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Rhod Gilbert: Work in Progress
Comedy Box at the Hen and Chicken, Bristol (Wed 16-Thur 17 Nov) COMEDY If there’s one…
22.11.2011
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Tobacco Factory, Bristol (21-26 Nov) THEATRE All in favour of settling down for an…
22.11.2011
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All the Fun of the Fair
Theatre Royal, Bath (Mon 21- Sat 26 Nov) MUSICAL Candy floss and seedy gangsters; fortune…
22.11.2011
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Earthfall: At Swim Two Boys
Bath Spa University Theatre (Fri 18-Sat 19 Nov) DANCE Sometimes everything comes…
21.11.2011
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Chris Addison
Komedia, Bath (Sun 13 Nov) COMEDY You'll have been hard-pressed to miss Mr Chris Addison…
21.11.2011
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The Surprise of Love
The Ustinov, Bath (in rep to Thur 22 Dec) THEATRE Joining Calderon's ‘The Phoenix of…
17.11.2011
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Going Dark
Bristol Old Vic Studio (15-19 Nov) THEATRE Just what, exactly, is our place in the…
17.11.2011
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I Remember Green
Alma Tavern Theatre, Bristol (Tue 15-Sat 26 Nov) THEATRE Sam (Andy Kelly) is going off to…
17.11.2011
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Grimm and Grimmer
Rondo Theatre, Bath (Wed 16 Nov) COMIC THEATRE Modern clowning is far, far removed from…
17.11.2011
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Moscow City Ballet: Swan Lake
Theatre Royal Bath (Wed 16-Thur 17 Nov) DANCE Tchaikovsky's score for 'Swan Lake' is…
17.11.2011
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Dave Gorman's PowerPoint Presentation
Colston Hall, Bristol (Sat 12 Nov) COMEDY It’s another coffer-swelling night of sold out…
13.11.2011
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John Robins
Comedy Box at the Hen & Chicken, Bristol (Fri 11-Sat 12 Nov) COMEDY “Ladies and Gs,…
13.11.2011
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Void Story
Arnolfini, Bristol (Fri 11-Sat 12 Nov) A wise man once said that he preferred radio to TV…
13.11.2011
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Raising Kamila
Alma Tavern, Bristol (to Sat 12 Nov) THEATRE As the latest instalment of Theatre West's…
10.11.2011
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The Animals and Children Took to the Streets
Bristol Old Vic Basement (Mon 8-Fri 12 Nov) THEATRE “Born in the Bayou, die in the…
10.11.2011
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End of the Rainbow
Theatre Royal Bath (Mon 7-Sat 12 Nov) Those who have yet to realise what a noxious,…
08.11.2011
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