WHAT’S ON

What’s on in December

Luke Jerram’s Moon at Bath Abbey

Adventure golf at Royal Victoria Park

ARTISTS’ SHOWCASE Throughout December

n Out of the Blue Gallery A beautiful new gallery right in the heart of Bath is showcasing some of the best British artists and ceramicists. Set across two floors, the gallery is packed with great pieces. Look out for must-see exhibitions arriving at the gallery soon. outofthebluegallery.com

SIX Until 11 December

n Theatre Royal Bath From Tudor queens to pop princesses, the six wives of Henry VIII finally take to the mic to tell their tales, remixing 500 years of historical heartbreak into a 75-minute celebration of 21st-century girl power. These queens may have green sleeves but their lipstick is rebellious. This sell-out London smash hit was nominated for five Olivier Awards. Tickets from £29. theatreroyal.org.uk

SQUIRREL Until 24 December

n Theatre Royal Bath The Egg’s hugely popular production of Squirrel is back in Bath, with performances daily from Tuesday to Sunday at 9.30am, 11.30am and 1.30pm. This beautifully engaging show for the youngest theatregoers delighted audiences when it premiered at The Egg in 2019. Recommended for children aged 6 months to 4 years, the Christmas show is a story of new growth, with a sprinkling of snowy magic and puppetry mayhem. Presented in collaboration with The Paragon school. theatreroyal.org.uk

BATH ON ICE Until 3 January

n Royal Victoria Park, Bath With 1,000 square metres of smooth ice, Bath on Ice is bigger than ever! Glowing in an array of atmospheric lights, with music to set the wintery scene, a cosy bar area and seasonal drinks, you will be transported to a dreamy winter wonderland.Glow Golf, the adventure golf course with glow in the dark balls, is just next door to the ice rink, and will be decked out with its very own fairy light installations.From £11. bathonice.com

NATURALS AT TYNTESFIELD 2 December –2 January

n Royal Victoria Park, Bath The Natural Theatre Company has a residency at Tyntesfield during this period (all days except 24 and 25 December) where the house will be brought to life with members of the Gibbs family, telling stories of a Victorian Christmas from the late 1890s; nationaltrust.org.uk/tyntesfield; naturaltheatre.co.uk

COUNT MAGNUS: TWO GHOST STORIES 3 December, 7.30pm

n Rondo Theatre, Bath Two classic ghost stories by M. R. James, presented by Nunkie Productions. In Count Magnus a travel-writer’s inquisitiveness leads to a chase from darkest Sweden to rural Essex. Denmark is the setting for Number 13, where a hotel room with the unlucky number conceals a ghastly secret. £14–16. ticketsource.co.uk

SERENITY: SONGS OF BLESSING AND REFLECTION 4 December, 7.30pm

n St Mary the Virgin, Bathwick The 2021/22 season brings new hope and fresh opportunities, including an exciting partnership for The Handful with their new musical director Vicente Chavarría. Join them in a contemplative yet joyful evening as the choir weaves its way through a rich tapestry of music. From Stanford to Schoenberg, Guillaume to Gjeilo, the programme includes UK premieres from two hugely talented young composers Sydney Guillaume and J. Michael Saunders, and a few jolly drinking songs to welcome the festive season! Tickets £15 (£5 for under 25s, free for under 16s). Bath Box Office 01225 463362; bathboxoffice.org.uk; thehandful.org

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Squirrel at The Egg theatre

Light and Love Remembrance Service, virtual ceremony A Baroque Christmas with the Bath Abbey Choirs Beasts and Beauties at the Mission Theatre

NOWELL, NOWELL: TUDOR CHRISTMAS SONGS AND CAROLS 4 December, 7.30pm

n Picture Gallery, Holburne Museum A concert to herald the Christmas season sung by The Dowland Youth Works Choir which was founded to encourage talented young singers, specifically lute players, with an interest in early music. The choir of around eight voices will be accompanied by Sam Brown on the lute, and conducted by musical director Laurence Williams. Tickets £18. holburne.org/events

MOON-TASTIC FAMILY DAYS 4 and 18 December, 10am –12.30pm

n Bath Abbey Enjoy some family fun including listening to magical stories while sitting under the Moon and making Cosmic Christmas decorations in the new Learning Room down in the vaults. Ages 5 and over. Drop in. Free, no tickets required. Pick up the complimentary ‘Cosmic Wonder’ trail and explore the abbey to find out more about the amazing Moon and the birth of Jesus. bathabbey.org

MOONLIGHT LATES From 5 and 6 December, Sunday and Monday evenings in December, 11am – 6pm

n Bath Abbey Experience the magic of Luke Jerram’s moon after hours. The accompanying soundtrack created by BAFTA and Ivor Novello winner Dan Jones can also be enjoyed. 6pm – 9.30pm (check website for all dates). You can also interact with Bath Astronomers in the Abbey Nave and there will be a ticketed opportunity to climb the Tower for some moon and star gazing (weather dependent).Tickets for the evening: £6/£3; eventbrite.co.uk

LIGHT AND LOVE REMEMBRANCE SERVICE 6 December, 11am – 6pm

n Virtual ceremony The Forever Friends Appeal, the charity for the Royal United Hospitals Bath, invites the local community to come together for its annual remembrance service. The virtual ceremony will be streamed through The

FILM SCREENINGS

n Throughout December, The Little Theatre Cinema, Bath

There’s Christmas fun for everyone at The Little. For the smaller ones, the annual CBeebies Christmas Show is back with an adaptation of the poem The Night Before Christmas (4–5 December); there’s the much loved Paddington (2017), with our favourite bear voiced by Ben Whishaw (11 December) with Hugh Bonneville as Mr Brown; and Frozen 2 (2019) where Elsa ventures into the unknown to the enchanted forests and dark seas beyond Arendelle (19 December); and finally there’s The Nutcracker from both the ROH Live (9 December) and The Bolshoi Ballet (19 December).

For the more serious opera types there’s the Met Opera Live: Eurydice (4 and 10 December), reimagining the familiar tale from Eurydice’s point of view and the ROH Live: Tosca (2001) where love and evil come thrillingly face to face in Jonathan Kent’s intense production (15 and 20 December).

See the full programme online: picturehouses.com/cinema/little-theatrecinema

Forever Friends Appeal website and will allow people to reflect together and celebrate the lives of loved ones who they have lost. The event will help support the hospital’s RUH Palliative Care and End of Life Butterfly Fund. foreverfriendsappeal.co.uk

DIRE STRAITS’ JOHN ILLSLEY 8 December, 7.30pm

n Christ Church, Julian Road, Bath Dire Straits filled giant stadiums and sold hundreds of millions of records. In his book My Life in Dire Straits, founding member, bassist and mainstay John Illsley evokes the spirit of the times and tells the story of one of the great live acts of rock history. £20, including book. toppingbooks.co.uk

AARON ANGELL & STEVEN CLAYDON IN CONVERSATION 9 December, 7pm

n Bath Abbey Hornet, hailstone, crab eye, aerodrome…(etc) presents the results of an anagama kiln firing by British artists Aaron Angell and Steven Claydon. Join the artists in conversation with Will Cooper from the Holburne, where they will discuss their display which is drawn from an anthropological investigation into this type of ancient pottery kiln. Free but booking required. eventbrite.co.uk

THE PANTO AND THE PEA 9–19 December, 7pm

n Rondo Theatre, Bath The Natural Theatre Company are bringing their bonkers new production to the Rondo. This colourful, bouncy show links all the pantomimes and Christmas tales into one fabulous family treat. The story comes to life before our very eyes and it involves a pea

The Panto and the Pea at the Rondo

The cast of Cinderella

Carols by Candlelight at the Pump Room

Untamed Burlesque features the rawest, wildest and untamed Burlesque and cabaret stars from the south west and beyond! The badass bootyshakin’ burlesque performers include Mx Cyanide, Ana Kiss, Violent May and Hadria Hellbound. £20/£22; chapelarts.org

MEDIEVAL REVIVALISM IN PRE-RAPHAELITE FASHION 16 December, 7pm

n Bath Abbey Fashion historian and writer Amber Butchart delves into the fashion of the Pre-Raphaelite era to consider the romantic medieval revivalism at the heart of many styles and techniques, before reflecting on its continued influence on fashion from the 1960s to today. Free but booking required. eventbrite.co.uk

LORD OF THE RINGS AND THE HOBBIT –THE CONCERT 16 December, 7.30pm

n Bath Forum, St James’s Parade, Bath The fantastic world of hobbits and elves from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings comes as a concert with symphonic orchestra and choir, from the threatening sounds of Mordor to the beautiful lyrical melodies of the elves. Tickets from £29.99. bathforum.co.uk

CAROLS BY CANDLELIGHT 16–17 December, 7.30pm

n The Pump Room, Bath Welcome back to the true start of Christmas in Bath. Join Bath Bach Choir in the atmospheric Regency Pump Room for this heartwarming annual tradition of Christmas music, virtuoso soloists and a touch of safety-conscious audience participation with accompanist Marcus Sealy and conductor Nigel Perrin. Tickets from £15. (See also our feature on page 42). bathboxoffice.org.uk

CINDERELLA 16 December –9 January

n Theatre Royal Bath The best-loved pantomime of them all is back in Bath! With a brand new joke-filled script by Bath’s own award-winning writer and all-round pantomime legend Jon Monie, Cinderella promises the best family fun and festive frivolity you’ll find this Christmas. With award-winning actress Dani Harmer as the Fairy Godmother and Jon Monie as Buttons, with Elly Jay, Josh Rose, Nic Gibney and Duncan Burt. Daily at 2pm and 7pm or 1pm and 5pm. £9–£38.50. (See also our feature on page 20). theatreroyal.org.uk

A BAROQUE CHRISTMAS WITH THE BATH ABBEY CHOIRS 18 December 7–9pm

n Bath Abbey, Bath Featuring Vivaldi’s Gloria and Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit. Bath Abbey’s Choirs are joined by Baroque instrumentalists Rejouissance playing on historic instruments. With carols for audience and a feast of glorious Christmas music from Venice and Paris. Directed by Huw Williams. Tickets £20, £15 and £10 (16s and under half price). bathboxoffice.org.uk; bathabbey.org

BATH CAMERATA CHRISTMAS CONCERTS 20 December, 5pm and 8pm

n St Mary’s Bathwick BA2 4EB The incomparable John Rutter leads Bath Camerata (and the audience!) in a magical celebration for the festive season, with two concerts of around 70 minutes, including songs and carols old and new to celebrate this most wonderful time of the year. Tickets £25/£20/£10 (half price for under 18s) bathcamerata.co.uk

SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR UPDATES AND NEW EVENTS ADDED THROUGHOUT THE MONTH: thebathmagazine.co.uk

MYTHS AND MONSTERS

n Victoria Art Gallery, Bath Is there anyone in your family who loves monsters? Family activities at Victoria Art Gallery to support the gallery’s Myths and Monsters exhibition are taking place throughout December:

• Monster Mobile – make a flying monster mobile using card and string, 4 and 5 December, 11am to 1pm • Monster Marine – create a sea-going monster using tissue paper and pens, 11 and 12 December, 11am to 1pm • Monster Metal – make a moving monster using metallic card, 18 and 19 December, 11am to 1pm • Monster Mission – join the gallery’s monster of a trail to spot different kinds of monsters, from 20 December to 1

January. Activities are included in admission price for exhibition (£6 and Discovery Card holders free). victoriagal.org.uk n