24 | January 8, 2015 | cambridge-news.co.uk | Cambridge News
This week’s entertainment highlights
the critical list
50 SPRING SHOWS: MUSIC
Hopefully you’ve fully recovered from your New Year’s Day hangover, and are now well on the way to breaking your New Year’s resolutions . . . oh you are wicked. To keep you entertained and looking forward, ELLA WALKER has picked the 50 best funny, touching, intriguing, scary and family-friendly shows and events this spring that you should be booking tickets for NOW, starting with music.
HOME TURF: Clean Bandit are back in Cambridge at the Corn Exchange in March
50 spring shows First Aid Kit
Editor: Ella Walker email: ella.walker@cambridgenews.co.uk For breaking entertainment news for the city, visit cambridge-news. co.uk/whatson Follow @CamWhatsOn on Twitter
Sisters and makers of ethereal folk pop with a country edge, Johanna and Klara Söderberg weren’t even out of school when the music industry started taking note. In fact, they began writing songs aged 6, and Klara was only 14 when they were signed to their first label. And rightly so. The Swedish pair, now in their early 20s, with hippie hair and a penchant for all things glittery, are really quite mesmerising. Their set will be packed with beautiful, countrified delights from latest album Stay Gold which, in places, has “all the slinkiness of a 1960s spy movie soundtrack” according to NME. We’re smitten. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Saturday, January 17. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
Royal Northern Sinfonia Lovers of classical music are in for
a treat this month when leading UK ensemble the Royal Northern Sinfonia make their Cambridge Corn Exchange debut. The evening opens with Barber’s haunting Adagio for Strings which tugs at the heart like no other piece of string music. Kyra Humphreys directs the ensemble and plays Mozart’s Violin Concerto No 4, one of the composer’s most elegant and accomplished compositions. Cellist Natalie Clein gives a spirited performance of Saint-Saëns’ lyrical and majestic Cello Concerto No 1. The evening concludes with Mozart’s playful and brilliant Symphony No. 29. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Friday, January 23. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
King Charles West London born singer-songwriter King Charles is rather dashing. Having recently lopped off his trademark dreadlocks, he’s looking ruggishly New Romantic, just in time for his new tour. The 29-year-old, who has previously trekked about supporting
Mumford & Sons, Laura Marling and Noah and the Whale, makes rakish, operatic rock that’s punchy but a touch on the jittery scale of things (have a listen to his album LoveBlood for jaunty piano bashing). Seeing him live will definitely be an experience… The Portland Arms, Monday, February 9. Contact greenmind. co.uk.
Hudson Taylor If you haven’t heard of Hudson Taylor yet, we’ll wager you’re neither a teenaged girl or a hardcore folkster. All sharp cheekbones, black skinny jeans and rockabilly haircuts, the Irish folk pop duo are Dublin brothers Alfie and Harry Hudson-Taylor. They started out as buskers in their home town before flooding YouTube with a selection of raw, catchy tracks and attracting the attention of Polydor. Since then they’ve gone from supporting Jake Bugg on tour to headlining their own. Cambridge Junction, Tuesday,
February 10. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
Katherine Jenkins Mezzo soprano and Welsh sweetheart Jenkins is bringing her Home Sweet Home tour to the relatively enclosed space of Cambridge Corn Exchange – normally she pops up at Audley End’s summer concert and the Forest Live series at Thetford Forest. Still on a high from marrying film director Andrew Levitas, switching back to her favourite record label, Decca and releasing her latest album – also called Home Sweet Home – she’ll be singing her heart out as usual. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Wednesday, February 11. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
The Staves To celebrate their upcoming release of second album If I Was, folk-rock trio The Staves – aka Watford born sisters Emily, Jessica and Camilla – are known for their sweetly wrought
Cambridge News | cambridge-news.co.uk | January 8, 2015 | 25
50 SPRING SHOWS: MUSIC HERE COMES THE SUN: Bipolar Sunshine, right, is at Cambridge Junction in April after cancelling his previous date; St Ives singer-songwriter James Page, aka Sivu, left, plays the Portland Arms next month
harmonising and the fact Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon is a massive fan. Not only did he take them out on tour with him, he’s also produced If I Was, the ethereal follow up to 2012’s Dead & Born & Grown. That’s some claim to fame, but then they’ve also worked with Tom Jones and Mumford & Sons. These girls know how to charm. Cambridge Junction, Tuesday, February 17. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
Sivu St Ives singer-songwriter James Page – Sivu is his name in Finnish – is coming back to headline a homecoming gig at The Portland, we are pleased to report. In recent months the indie kid has toured with the likes of Bombay Bicycle Club (he was with them for the last ever gig at Earl’s Court in December), London Grammar and Marika Hackman. His debut record, Something On High, garnered a slew of highly positive reviews (NME called it a “deft slow burner”), and we’re huge fans. You gotta support the locals. The Portland Arms, Wednesday, February 25. Contact greenmind. co.uk.
Clean Bandit plus Jess Glynne Cambridge electro quartet Clean Bandit have announced they’re finally playing a headline gig in the city in which they formed (about time!). The four-piece – who met while studying at Cambridge University – features Jack and Luke Patterson, cellist Grace Chatto and violinist Milan Neil Amin-Smith. Playing synthy chamber music, in 2014 they had their first number 1 with breakout hit Rather Be featuring Jess Glynne – who’ll be joining them on tour – spent the summer drawing major crowds at festivals (oh the dancing), and saw their debut album New Eyes do rather well to boot. We adore them. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Sunday, March 8. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
Paul Weller
King of the mods Paul Weller is visiting Cambridge again. The Jam legend has acted on his own terms since splitting from his Town Called Malice boys in 1982 and following a five-album stint with The Style Council. His solo career has garnered Ivor Novello nominations and Outstanding Achievement awards all over the shop, and clearly he has no interest in retiring just yet. Weller has hinted he’ll be performing tracks from his as yet unnamed 12th studio album, which is rumoured to be set for a spring release, fingers crossed. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Friday, March 13. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
Wolf Alice This four-piece might still be working on their debut album, but they are serious ones to watch. Last time they visited Cambridge it was for a Portland Arms show, so they’ve already stepped up their game venue wise. Prepare for a show that sounds like “the love child of folk and grunge” according to Clash magazine. It’s thumping yet melodious stuff. And they’re going to have a
big 2015 – jump on the bandwagon now. Cambridge Junction, Friday, April 10. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
Bipolar Sunshine This gig is the rescheduled version after Adio Marchant (Bipolar Sunshine) cancelled his first headline tour to focus on his debut record (still to be released). Penning heartfelt, uplifting indie pop with an R&B edge, the singer is formerly of Manchester outfit Kid British – and used to make gold teeth grills for the likes of Rihanna, believe it or not. Always
stylish and deep into the feeling behind his music, Adio knows how to tug on your emotions and put on an impressive show, of course. Cambridge Junction, Friday, April 10. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
Public Service Broadcasting This gig from the eclectic and rather mysterious Public Service Broadcasting will come weeks after the pseudonymous duo showcase their brand new second album, The Race For Space, at the National Space Centre. Known for wearing corduroy and bow ties, and for playing live electronica over snatched audio recordings and video archive material from old public service information films (hence the name), the pair, J Willgoose Esq and Wrigglesworth, made a name for themselves with 2013 record Inform Educate Entertain. This time they’re indulging a passion for the galaxy but are guaranteed to be as
wonderfully magnetic as always. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Saturday, April 25. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
Stornoway Named after the Scottish town on the Hebridean Isle of Lewis that appears on British weather reports and shipping forecasts on the telly, this introspective lot met and formed in Oxford (don’t hold it against them). Their third album, for which they raised the cash via the PledgeMusic scheme, should be out shortly, packed with wheeling vocals and stormy themes – they love a bit of indie murkiness. Cambridge Junction, Tuesday, April 28. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
Belle & Sebastian Celebrated Scottish indie darlings Belle & Sebastian had everyone in a flutter after announcing a huge new spring tour, and luckily Cambridge made the line-up. The Glaswegians, who won Outstanding Contribution To Music at 2014’s NME awards, plan to release their next album, Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance, this month, so you’ll have plenty of time to learn all the words before they visit. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Thursday, May 7. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
WELSH WARBLER: Katherine Jenkins brings her Home Sweet Home show to Cambridge Corn Exchange next month
The Cambridge Corn Exchange’s orchestra in residence for the 2014/15 News-backed Classical Concert Series have two major dates planned that you ought to pop in your diary. First up, see the orchestra, joined by violinist Pinchas Zuckerman, perform major works by Beethoven and Elgar in April; and in May, the artist in residence, pianist Freddy Kempf, will showcase Glinka’s Overture to Ruslan and Ludmilla. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Saturday, April 11, and Saturday, May 30. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
>>>>> Turn over for comedy and theatre >>>>>
26 | January 8, 2015 | cambridge-news.co.uk | Cambridge News
50 SPRING SHOWS: COMEDY
Sara Pascoe: Sara Pascoe vs History The brilliantly hilarious Sara Pascoe came to the fore after starring in BBC comedy hit Twenty Twelve, spoofing the organising of the London Olympics alongside Hugh Bonneville and Olivia Coleman. Still don’t recognise her? She’s penned pieces for The Guardian, The Independent and new feminist website Standard Issue, and has appeared on Live at the Apollo, QI, Never Mind The Buzzcocks and Mock The Week. Her new show promises natterings on Sara’s romantic history, wars, witches, existential theory and Kim Yong-Il. Cambridge Junction, Friday, January 23. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
Omid Djalili: Iranalamadingdong Iranian-English comedian and actor Omid Djalili is back out on tour with new show, Iranalamadingdong. It’s a tongue twister of a title, but the show itself we’re promised won’t be entirely nonsensical. In fact, you can expect much of what Djalili has been known and loved for since he broke into the comedy scene in the mid90s. He’ll be chatting away about race, stereotypes, family and culture, all wedged happily between jokes, and a lot of them. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Friday, January 30. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
Mark Watson: Flaws The 34-year-old stand-up is returning
to his former student stomping ground. Mark Watson studied English at Queen’s College, nabbed a first, clever boy, and became best mates with fellow Cambridge comedian and poet Tim Key thanks to Footlights. Still, Mark will happily forgive you if you don’t “know who the hell I am”, as long as you buy a ticket to his new show Flaws and find out. It’s all about how “my hapless stage persona has at some point become a hapless human being.” There’ll be more jokes, and less moaning, than that implies though. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Saturday, January 31. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex. co.uk.
Dylan Moran: Warm up Scruffy-haired Moran, star of Black Books, will be trialling material for his next stand-up show, Off The Hook. Knowing him, even when practising he’ll still be effortlessly polished within the remit of his shambolic, comic persona. More recently he featured in one of the most acclaimed films of the year, Calvary, alongside Brendan Gleeson and toured America. How much you laugh at his observations on the night will help determine how the final show turns out – feel the power. Cambridge Junction, Thursday, February 12 - Friday, February 13. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction. co.uk.
Josie Long: Cara Josephine Josie Long’s latest show is propped up by a whole lot of oversharing, but despite some ickier topics, her
confessional style is full of childish joy, silliness and fun. Sure, it all comes from a horrible break up and the bleak realisation that she’s ‘back on the shelf’ at 32, but it’s also irrepressibly optimistic and she performs giddily (she did when we saw her at Latitude last summer), however much of her heart and soul she’s had to painfully excavate to write the material. Cambridge Junction, Monday, February 23. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
Simon Amstell: To Be Free How could you not love BAFTA nominated, British Comedy Awardwinning stand-up Simon Amstell? The scrawny former Nevermind The Buzzcocks host (they should never have let him go), and Grandma’s House actor, is back with his fourth stand-up tour to date, To Be Free. He’ll be tackling all the big issues – freedom, joy, love, death, adventure, art, peace, sex, regret, success, eating, suffering, dreaming, healing, forgiving etc. – with his usual lashings of self-deprecation and introspection. Wittiness guaranteed, despite the topics on offer. Cambridge Junction, Tuesday, March 10 – Wednesday, March 11. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
Henning Wehn: EINS, ZWEI, DIY Wehn is the self-styled “German Comedy Ambassador To The UK” apparently. The German stand-up has been based in London since 2002 but is still happily making a living questioning the quirkier differences between the Germans and the British. E.G. Why do we insist on being “owned by a house”? And what’s wrong with the Euro exactly? Let’s just say, he’s not fully assimilated just yet. A regular on 5Live’s Fighting Talk and BBC Radio 4’s panel game The Universal Truth, he’ll have your head in a whir. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Saturday, March 21. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
Austentatious: An Improvised Jane Austen Novel Previously this literary comedy troupe have come up shows entitled Pride and Predator, Strictly Come Darcy and Mansfield Shark – Jane Austen should definitely be grinning good humouredly, wherever she is. The six-man improv group, who perform decked out in full period costume, in the course of an hour come up with brand new – usually hilarious – twists on Austen’s classics, nudged along and directed by suggestions from the audience. They sold out their last Junction show, so don’t miss out. Cambridge Junction, Saturday, March 28. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
Alan Carr: Yap, Yap, Yap! Famed for his snappy wit and a wardrobe of kaleidoscopic suits (seriously, some of them are
magnificently gaudy), Alan Carr is one comic whose career doesn’t seem to ever dip. The 38-yearold Dorset born funny guy grew up in Northampton before going on to carve out a career in quips and laughs. He won the BBC New Comedy Award for Stand-up in 2001 and hasn’t stopped winning things since. Deservedly so, Friday nights wouldn’t be the same without him spouting innuendos-a-go-go, making tongue-in-cheek observations and grilling everyone from Lady Gaga to Justin Timberlake and One Direction on Channel 4’s Chatty Man. Now he’ll be chatting away in Cambridge. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Friday, April 3 – Saturday, April 4. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
Jimmy Carr: Funny Business Jeez, the man just can’t keep away. Jimmy Carr returns once again with latest show, Funny Business, for an additional date after he sold out the Corn Exchange (for the thousandth time) in December. Famed for his dark humour, as well as his tax arrangements, the Gonville and Caius alumnus explains: “Come for the witty and incisive musings on the human condition; stay for the knob gags.” Charming. But seriously, it’s quite funny, despite the crudeness. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Friday, April 10.
collapsing with laughter. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Saturday, May 2. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
Milton Jones: The Temple of Daft Milton Jones – he with the array of loud and gaudy Hawaiian shirts – knows his one liners. Specifically, he knows how to deliver them at high speed, with perfect timing, so that you become a chuckling mess once the punch line hits. His new show, charmingly titled The Temple of Daft, promises even more of what he’s best at. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Saturday, May 16 – Sunday, May 17. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
Ruby Wax: Sane New World Brash, bawdy and strangely lovable,
Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
Reginald D Hunter: The Man Who Attempted To Do As Much As Such Yep, that’s a long title for a show. But Hunter’s been too busy to get his red pen out. The Georgiaborn “dangerously funny man” – so says The Independent – has been filming Songs Of The South, a three-part BBC2 series which sees him road trip from North Carolina to New Orleans through 150 years of American popular music. He hasn’t let his comedy slip though, don’t worry, he’ll still have you
American comic Ruby has recently got a masters in mindfulness and this show, you’ll be pleased to hear, is based on her books of the same name. Basically, it’s a guide to becoming “the master, not the slave, of our own minds”, and sorting your head out. We’re hoping she’ll be bringing her brand of loudness and outspoken hilarity to the mix too. Cambridge Junction, Saturday, May 30 – Sunday, May 31. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction. co.uk.
Cambridge News | cambridge-news.co.uk | January 8, 2015 | 27
50 SPRING SHOWS: THEATRE Cambridge Arts Theatre, Monday, March 23 – Saturday, March 28. Contact (01223) 503333 / cambridgeartstheatre.purchasetickets-online.co.uk.
Three Men In A Boat Grab your straw boater and have a right old giggle thanks to Craig Gilbert’s adaptation of the 1889 tale, Three Men in a Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog), by English writer Jerome K. Jerome. Dubbed a “boating misadventure”, a trio of jolly good mates (yes, it’s a tad well to do) embark on a trip down the Thames, complete with gaudy blazers, bawdy tunes, raucous stories and, presumably, damp feet. Cambridge Arts Theatre, Wednesday, January 21 – Saturday, January 24. Contact (01223) 503333 / cambridgeartstheatre.purchasetickets-online.co.uk.
An Evening of Burlesque So, the corsets will be wrenched in, the heels fully sharpened and the stockings rolled on, for a show dripping with glitz, glamour and decadence. An Evening of Burlesque returns with another tantalising programme of cabaret performances. There’ll be moments that scream Arabian Nights, as well as flirty fan dancing, forties inspired sirens, ‘bubblegum blowing baseball babes’ and ‘cheesecake pin-ups’ – which we’ll leave to your imagination. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Saturday, March 28. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk.
The Witches of Eastwick John Updike’s cackling witches of Eastwick will be stretching their voices in this performance by the Cambridge University Musical Theatre Society. Alexandra Spofford, Jane Smart and Sukie Rougemont are bored, lonely and ostracised by their little town, so, not-so sensibly they look to a devilish rogue to solve all their problems. Things do not go to plan. Be careful what you wish for. . . The ADC, Tuesday, February 3 – Saturday, February 7. Contact (01223) 300085 / adctheatre.com.
Roundelay A rather random evening is in store with Roundelay. It consists of five short interconnected stories that can be jumbled up and played in any order from writer and director Alan Ayckbourn. Sound like a bit of a muddle? Well, yes. The idea is that each individual piece can be a prelude, a sequel, an aside, an addition, to each other narrative fragment. There are 120 possible combinations and outcomes, and even the actors only find out 25 minutes before going on stage which set up they’ll be performing that night. There are just so many opportunities for it all to go horribly wrong, which always adds to the drama. Cambridge Arts Theatre, Monday, February 9 – Saturday, February 14. Contact (01223) 503333 / cambridge artstheatre. purchase-ticketsonline.co.uk.
Grounded Presented by Gate Theatre and Beckie Darlington, a female fighter pilot has gotten pregnant and lost her right to fly the skies. She’s now trapped in an air conditioned trailer in Las Vegas flying remote controlled drones. So how exactly do you reconcile hunting and killing terrorists on 12 hour shifts, with going home and being a mum? Prepare to be utterly gripped. Cambridge Junction, Wednesday, February 18. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
Oh! What A Lovely War Joan Littlewood’s much lauded
Peter Pan Goes Wrong musical, Oh What A Lovely War, has been revived to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the First World War. First staged in 1963, Littlewood set out to make audiences leave the theatre laughing at the “vulgarity of war”, while the tunes to It’s a Long Way to Tipperary, Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit-Bag and Keep the Home Fires Burning spun in brains. In this colourful production, Corrie’s Wendi Peters and Ian Reddington (EastEnders) star. Cambridge Arts Theatre, Monday, March 2 – Saturday, March 7. Contact (01223) 503333 / cambridgeartstheatre.purchasetickets-online.co.uk.
The Strip “Ten characters chase their wants and hopes across the transatlantic wilderness for forgotten clichés of love and success – will they make it before the impending solar eclipse?” In Phyllis Nagy’s warped American dream, bleakness, bitterness and satire simply thrash the idea of celebrity. The ADC, Tuesday, March 3 – Saturday, March 7. Contact (01223) 300085 / adctheatre.com.
The King’s Speech Jason Donovan (seriously!) is stepping into Geoffrey Rush’s considerable shoes to play Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue, the man to help the stuttering stammering King George VI (Bertie, in this case played by Raymond Coulthard, rather than the dashing Colin Firth unfortunately). If you don’t know the story, Bertie has had to take on the crown after his brother Edward chose divorcee Wallis Simpson over the royal position. But with his speech impediment, public speaking – on the brink of a war – is more than a little terrifying. Then he visits the rambunctious Logue. . . Cambridge Arts Theatre, Monday,
March 9 – Saturday, March 14. Contact (01223) 503333 / cambridgeartstheatre.purchasetickets-online.co.uk.
The Woman In Black Ready to start shrieking? The Woman In Black has several objectives, mainly to make you shiver, and scream and go home a shaken wreck. So it’s just the thing if you’re in need of a spinechilling thrill. There will be much edge of the seat action and hiding behind hands in this adaptation – the second longest running West End drama of all time – of Susan Hill’s 1983 novel. Now, if only we could rope Daniel Radcliffe into reprising his role. Cambridge Arts Theatre, Monday, March 16 – Saturday, March 21. Contact (01223) 503333 / cambridgeartstheatre.purchasetickets-online.co.uk.
Pioneer “Pioneer shuttles you from the Garden of Eden to mission control and onto the surface of Mars,” intriguing, no? This sci-fi exploration, set in 2029, from Curious Directive earned the team the accolade ‘Fringe First winners in 2014’, so they must be good. See how they manage a terrifying expedition to Mars. Cambridge Junction, Wednesday, March 18. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
There’ll be much clattering about, clumsiness, silliness and farcical goings on as The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society set out to stage J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. Everything is going to go wrong. Winner of best new comedy at the 2014 Whatsonstage Awards, the lost boys are going to be even more lost than usual. . . From the team that brought The Play That Goes Wrong to the Arts Theatre last year, the chances are you’ll be rolling in the aisles. Cambridge Arts Theatre, Tuesday, April 7 – Sunday, April 12. Contact (01223) 503333 / cambridgeartstheatre.purchasetickets-online.co.uk.
Footlights This is the traditional Footlights showcase, where the brightest, the loudest, and the most thespian of Cambridge University students ditch their studies for two nights to share their current crop of sketches. There’ll be songs, stand-up and snippets of hilarity to dip into, from a selection of students that’ll no doubt be the next lot to find themselves shouting out on Mock the Week and Have I Got News For You. See them in action before it all goes to their heads. Cambridge Arts
Theatre, Friday, April 17 – Saturday, April 18. Contact (01223) 503333/ cambridgeartstheatre.purchasetickets-online.co.uk.
This Is How We Die Motor-mouthed spoken word artist, performer and musician Christopher Brett Bailey told us this new show is: “a dense and vicious theatrical monologue that weaves grotesque imagery, absurdist storytelling and comedic opinion pieces to explore our fixation on apocalypse, violence and death. With lots of sex jokes along the way.” Sounds like a right laugh. Cambridge Junction, Wednesday, April 29. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
Hollie McNish Cambridge spoken word poet Hollie is not only magnificent, penning pieces on everything from immigration to breastfeeding in public loos, she’s also branched out into EPs, setting her verses to music, become a viral YouTube hit and won the UK Slam Poetry Finals. She’s amazing. If you haven’t seen her perform at Cambridge’s premier spoken word night, Hammer & Tongue, you’ve been missing out. Now she’s (finally) headlining at Cambridge Junction, it’s about time. After all, the legend that is Benjamin Zephaniah said: “I can’t take my ears off her.” Don’t argue with the man. Cambridge Junction, Tuesday, May 5. Contact (01223) 511511 / junction.co.uk.
The Importance of Being Earnest Such fantastic news this is on, what ho! In Oscar Wilde’s practically perfect comedy of manners, dandy Algernon Moncrieff and the straight laced John Worthing J.P. embark on double lives to win the hearts of Gwendolyn Fairfax and Cecily Cardew. However, before they get what they want, they’ll have to deal with the exacting (and mildly terrifying) Lady Bracknell, here played by none other than Poirot! Sorry, we mean David Suchet. Catch it before it heads to the West End. Cambridge Arts Theatre, Monday, May 18 – Saturday, May 23. Contact (01223) 503333 / cambridgeartstheatre.purchasetickets-online.co.uk.
Rebecca “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. . .” What an unbeatable opening line. Hopefully theatre company Kneehigh have woven it into their version of Daphne Du Maurier’s creepy, romantic classic, Rebecca. Maxim de Winter’s first wife Rebecca died in mysterious circumstances, but she can still be felt throughout Manderly by his new wife, her secrets and memories kept aflame by the formidable housekeeper Mrs Danvers.
>>>>>>>>>>>> Turn to page 30 for family, film and books >>>>>>>>>>>>
30 | January 8, 2015 | cambridge-news.co.uk | Cambridge News
50 SPRING SHOWS: FAMILY
Room on a Broom “How the cat purred and how the witch grinned, as they sat on their broomstick and flew through the wind”. Mums and dads probably know every single word of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s Room on a Broom, a tale of a witch, a broom and a motley collection of passengers; but now you can see it in full 3D glory. The everinventive Tall Stories Theatre Company has made a musical stage adaptation, perfect for over-3s, that, according to a sold-out West End run, is pretty darn magical. Remember to boo the dragon . . . Cambridge Arts Theatre, Tuesday, May 5 – Saturday, May 9. Contact (01223) 503333 / cambridgeartstheatre. purchase-tickets-online.co.uk
How The Koala Learnt to Hug You’d find it tough to find a creature more cuddly than a koala, hence Steven Lee’s bestselling book How The Koala Learnt to Hug. Starring Natascha the Witch, the Reggae Beavers and Karen the Koala (silly name for a koala, but go with it), the People’s Theatre Company have transformed the story in an allsinging, all-dancing extravaganza with a whole lot of audience interaction. There’ll be a book signing with Lee after the show too. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Sunday, April 12. Contact (01223) 35781 / cornex.co.uk
Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo Want to get up, close and personal with some prehistoric giants? Now’s your chance. Erth’s Dinosaur Zoo returns with its live, interactive show complete with some scaly, razor-toothed marvels – it’s all very Jurassic Park. Little ones can learn about, touch and wonder at a range of mechanical beasts, from adorable baby dinos to fully-grown predators and skeletons. ROAR. Suitable for over-3s, choose the ‘danger’ seats when booking for an even more terrifying experience. Cambridge Corn Exchange, Saturday, February 14 – Sunday, February 15. Contact (01223) 357851 / cornex.co.uk
The Tiger Who Came For Tea Grrr! A very hungry, very thirsty tiger arrives on Sophie’s doorstep, just as she and her mother are sitting down for tea and cakes. Well, they can’t just leave him moping on the doorstep, can they? What ensues is charmingly calamitous, but you probably already know that. Who hasn’t read Judith Kerr’s classic storybook? Suitable for over-3s, this adaptation comes with sing-a-longs, magic and lots of fun. Cambridge Arts Theatre, Sunday, May 10 – Wednesday, May 13. Contact (01223) 503333 / cambridgeartstheatre. purchase-tickets-online.co.uk
50 SPRING SHOWS: FILM
50 SPRING SHOWS: BOOKS
Watersprite Festival
Cambridge Spring Literary Festival
We don’t know yet who’ll be aappearing at The Cambridge Student International Film Festival, S Watersprite, but in previous years W tthey’ve bagged some serious names from the world of film to chat – f Eddie Redmayne, Jim Broadbent and Rob Brydon were definite
highlights. The team have now closed the submissions process for the short film programme, so you’re going to have to wait to see what this year’s crop of budding directors have imagined. Cambridge Arts Picturehouse, Friday, March 6 – Sunday, March 8. Contact watersprite.org.uk
The line-up of this spring’s News-backed Cambridge Literary Festival has yet to be announced (watch this space, or stay up to date by visiting cambridge-news.co.uk/ whatson), but 2014 saw the likes of Rachel Joyce (The Unlikely
Pilgrimage of Harold Fry), Hanif Kureshi (The Buddha of Suburbia), Carol Ann Duffy and Jacqueline Wilson take to the stage. We’re expecting some even bigger names to be involved come April. Cambridge Union, Wednesday, April 15 – Sunday, April 19. Contact (01223) 515335 / cambridgeliteraryfestival.com.