Out & About July 2017

The summer season is upon us and it’s worth travelling the extra mile to see something special, in addition to the first-class entertainment on our own doorstep. Arts Editor TRISH LEE’s pick of events in July. For reviews and arts news see N2 in the Newbury Weekly News each week July dates for your diary

THE wonderfully-inventive Creation Theatre’s outdoor summer shows are always eagerly anticipated – over 20 years, 58 shows and half- a-million audience members aged between five and 95 speaks for itself – and this year, with the Lewis Carroll Oxford connection in mind, they are building a Wonderland in which to unleash their White Unexpected Alice Creation Theatre: Alice University Parks, Oxford July 15 - August 19 Box office (01865) 766266 www.creationtheatre.co.uk Rabbit, Mad Hatter and Queen of Hearts in a non-traditional Alice at the beautiful University Parks, Oxford. The whole family can fall down

Broadway comes to Bagnor A Little Night Music

The Watermill, Bagnor July 27 – September 16 www.watermill.org.uk

Bagnor will be soon be buzzing to the sound of Send in the Clowns and A Weekend in the Country … Sondheim fans will be in seventh heaven at the end of the month when his award- winning romantic musical A Little Night Music (book by Hugh Wheeler) will be performed by actor musicians for the first time on the Watermill stage. Sophisticated and witty, the show is based on Ingmar Bergman’s Smiles

Riverside Razzmatazz Henley Festival River & Rowing Museum, Mill Meadows, Henley-on-Thames July 5-9 Box office: 01491 843404 / www.henley-festival.co.uk Dust off the posh frock or DJ (dress code strictly black tie) and head for Henley Festival’s Moet Champagne Lawn for a glass of fizz, grab some street food and prepare to party at the five-day, quintessentially British festivities on the Thames riverbank. The razzmatazz includes music that ranges from pop, World Music, on a Summer Night , a passionate story of intertwined love affairs, regret and longing, centred on elegant actress Desirée Armfeldt, and her family and flirtations. When Desirée performs in the town of her former lover, old passions rekindle and during a weekend in the country, the entangled romances of four couples are laid bare – with the magic of music on a summer’s night, love’s joys and complications play out in three-quarter time. Past Watermill productions of Sondheim have gone down a storm, including the Tony award-winning Sweeney Todd , which transferred to the West End and Broadway, so book early.

the rabbit hole and enjoy plenty of magic, music, puppetry and acrobatics as they join Alice on her journey towards adulthood… great fun. Expect the unexpected; an eccentric, fun, lively, quirky and fast daydream adventure that’s definitely not like any version you’ve seen before. It’s a weatherproof show so don’t worry about rain, take a picnic and enjoy a summer afternoon in the park before the adventure unfolds in the Big Top – it’s always dry in Wonderland.

Tea-guzzling tiger The Tiger who Came to Tea

Corn Exchange, Newbury / Monday 24 (1.30pm) Tuesday 25 and Wednesday 26 (11am & 2pm)

Box office: (01635) 46044 / www.cornexchangenew.com

The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it possibly be? What they certainly don’t expect to see at the door is a big, stripy tiger! We all have fond memories of

jazz and blues to classical, with a good helping of art installations, comedy shows and gastronomy areas. Headlining the spectacular floating stage this year is R&B pop princess Jess Glynne, 80s electronic duo Pet Shop Boys, ex-Rufus vocalist Chaka Khan, Goldie and the Heritage Orchestra and girl band All Saints. The floating stage concerts can be seen from the Lawn or the undercover Grandstand and

reading Judith Kerr’s The Tiger Who Came to Tea to our little ones – such was my son’s love for the story of the tea-guzzling tiger, I can still recite it word for word. Now the UK’s leading writer of plays and musicals for children, Olivier Award-winning David Wood, has adapted it for the stage and following a smash-hit in the West End, brings this delightful tale of teatime mayhem to Newbury. This grrrrrrrrrrreat

tickets are priced depending on the sightlines; general admission tickets don’t afford such a view. If it rains, the show goes on as there are many covered areas within the enclosure. If you are on the Lawn or have a general admission ticket, make sure you take protective outerwear for the main stage concert, in exceptional weather, wellington boots are welcomed and the more colourful the better. There’s lots to see and do, so turn up early to make the most of it.

family show for ages three and over runs for about 55 minutes, without an interval and is packed with music, magic, singalong songs and clumsy chaos.

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