The Riverside Journals - Festivals Issue 38 - FULL

What to see Where to go Rebecca Monday 12-Saturday 17 October Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford A young bride becomes consumed by jealousy on arriving at Manderley, where she is surrounded by memories of her husband’s late ﬁrst wife, the glamorous Rebecca. She sets out to uncover the secrets of the house and a past ﬁercely guarded by sinister housekeeper Mrs Danvers. Award-winning director Emma Rice has created a spellbinding new production of Daphne du Maurier’s masterpiece, the iconic novel beloved by generations and a timeless study of jealousy that was made into a classic Alfred Hitchcock ﬁlm. Performed by the internationally-acclaimed theatre company Kneehigh, it conjures up Cornish romance and theatrical magic. Millbrook, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3UX, 01483 44 0000; yvonne-arnaud.co.uk The Smallest Show on Earth Monday 19-Saturday 24 October Wycombe Swan Liza Goddard and Brian Capron lead a cast of 14 in this new feel-good musical comedy inspired by the hilarious 1950s Ealing ﬁlm starring Peter Sellers, now spliced with fabulous classic songs by Irving Berlin. Newly-weds Matt and Jean Spenser inherit a cinema and think their fortune is made. But the Bijou, better known as the ﬂeapit, is the victim of a dirty tricks campaign from its rival ﬂashy neighbour the Grand. To outwit the opposition and restore the Bijou to its former glory, they need the help of eccentric manageress Mrs Fazackalee (Goddard) and unreliable projectionist Mr Quill (Capron). St Mary Street, High Wycombe, Bucks HP11 2XE, 01494 512 000; wycombeswan.co.uk 78 the riverside journals Stardust Road Tuesday 27 October-Saturday 21 November St James Theatre London Skylark, Stardust, Georgia on My Mind, Heart and Soul, The Nearness of You – just some of the songs in this brand new musical celebrating legendary composer Hoagy Carmichael. Director Susan H Schulman describes it as “a musical journey, from innocence to experience, from youth to maturity, from farm to the city, that grows more sophisticated, more urban and urbane”. With a live band and a West End cast of singers and dancers, the show captures the rhythms and mood of early 20th century America, from the age of jazz, blues and ragtime in the Twenties to the golden age of Hollywood. 12 Palace St, London SW1E 5JA, 0844 264 2140; stjamestheatre.co.uk/ theatre/stardust-road/ Annie Tuesday 10-Saturday 14 November New Wimbledon Theatre Strictly Come Dancing judge Craig Revel Horwood stars as the tyrannical Miss Hannigan in this family favourite musical, a sparkling new production currently on tour and at Wimbledon for eight performances only. Set in 1930s New York during the Great Depression, brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery and torment at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. She is determined to ﬁnd her real parents, and her luck changes when she is chosen to spend Christmas at the residence of a famous billionaire, Oliver Warbucks. But spiteful Miss Hannigan has other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil the search… 93 The Broadway, London SW19 1QG, 0844 871 7646; atgtickets.com/venues/new-wimbledon-theatre/ The Illusionists – Witness the Impossible Saturday 14 November-Sunday 3 January Shaftesbury Theatre Britain’s Got Talent phenomenon Jamie Raven, who captivated the public with his unique magic tricks, stars in the West End premiere of this Broadway blockbuster which showcases seven of the world’s greatest illusionists. Full of hilarious magic tricks, sleight of hand and death-defying stunts, it’s a fast-paced spectacular that has mesmerised families across the world. The show includes Italy’s star escape artist Andrew Basso, forensic mind reader Colin Cloud, inventive illusionist Kevin James, and Ben Blaque who has dazzled crowds worldwide with a display of archery and showmanship which culminates in him shooting an apple off his own head, blindfolded. 210 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8DP, 020 7379 5399; shaftesburytheatre.com/shows/the-illusionists Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty Monday 1 December-Sunday 24 January Sadler’s Wells London Billed as a gothic romance for all ages, this dazzling production by the popular innovative choreographer breaks off a national tour for an eight-week Christmas season in London. Bourne’s interpretation of the fairy tale about a young girl cursed to sleep for 100 years premiered in 2012. It was the fastest selling production in the history of his company, New Adventures, and completed his trio of re-imagined Tchaikovsky masterworks that started with Nutcracker! and Swan Lake. We meet our heroine, Aurora, at her christening in 1890, when fairies and vampires fed the imagination, before the story moves forward to the modern day. Rosebery Avenue, London EC14TN; 0844 412 4300; sadlerswells.com/whats-on/2015/matthew-bournessleeping-beauty/

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