Salisbury

MARTHA, JOSIE AND THE CHINESE ELVIS
by Charlotte Jones

Salisbury Playhouse To 25 March 2006
Mons-Wed 7.30 p.m. Thur-Sats 8pm Mat Thu & Sat 2.30pm
Audio-described 23 March 2.30pm & 8pm
BSL Signed 22 March
Post-show talk 21 March
Runs 2hr 10min One Interval

TICKETS: 01722 320333
www.salisburyplayhouse.com
Review Mark Courtice: 8 March 2006

Odd gang at a birthday party have charm and attractiveness aplenty.

London

THE ODYSSEY
by David Farr based on Homer

Lyric Theatre Hammersmith To 1 April 2006
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat Wed 1.30pm Sat 2.30pm
Captioned 23 March
Runs 2hr 25min One interval

TICKETS: 08700 500511
www.lyric.co.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden 13 March

Don’t delay: by the end of the run there won’t be a seat to be had for this exhilarating, excellently-acted production.

Derby

MASTER CLASS
by David Pownall

Derby Playhouse
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat Wed & Sat 2.30pm except 8 April
Audio-described 1 April 2.30pm, 5 April 7.20pm
BSL Signed 6 April
Post-show discussion 6 April
Runs 2hr 50min One interval

TICKETS: 01332 363275
www.derbyplayhouse.co.uk
Review: Alan Geary: 16 March 2006

A wordy and demanding play, certainly; but Pownall’s scrutiny of the plight of the artist in a totalitarian state is worth the revival.

Sanity Productions.

Runs: 2hrs 20 mins. Interval: 20 Mins

Ranjit Khutan: Wolverhampton Arena Theatre: 8th March 2006

Packed with good one-liners, but could do with fleshing out

London/Tour

THE BEST OF FRIENDS
by Hugh Whitemore

Hampstead Theatre To 1 April 2006
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat Sat 3pm
Audio-described 25 March 3pm
Captioned 15 March
Post-show discussion 21 March
Runs 2hr 30min One interval

TICKETS: 020 7722 9301
www.hampsteadtheatre.com
Review: Timothy Ramsden 9 March

Letters, frequently made to seem conversations, make for a quietly satisfying evening.

Leeds

SCUFFER
by Mark Catley

West Yorkshire Playhouse (Courtyard Theatre) To 1 April 2006
Mon-Sat 7.45pm Mat Sat 2.30pm & 30 March 2pm
Audio-described 23 March
BSL Signed 28 March
Captioned 31 March
Post-show discussion 22 March
Ruins 1hr 30min No interval

TICKETS: 0113 213 7700
www.wyp.org.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden 18 March

All you need is love, luck and a baseball-bat.

York

MRS PAT
by Pam Gems

Theatre Royal To 1 April 2006
Tue-Sat 7.30pm Mat Thu 2pm Sat 2.30pm
Audio-described 30 March 7.30pm 1 April 2.30pm
BSL Signed 30 March 7.30pm
Captioned 25 March 2.30pm
Runs 2hr 20min One interval

TICKETS: 01904 623568
www.yorktheatreroyal.co.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden 15 March

The woman with a past treads the boards with increasing certainty.

Sheffield

THE CLEAN HOUSE
by Sarah Ruhl

Crucible Studio To 8 April 2006
Tue-Sat 7.45pm Mat 25 March & 8 April 3pm, 30 March 2pm
BSL Signed 29 March
Runs 2hr One interval

TICKETS: 0114 249 6000
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden 21 March

The house may be clean, but life – that’s a more complicated matter.

Coventry.

HOME OF THE WRIGGLER
by James Yarker devised by Stan’s Café.

Warwick Arts Centre To 2 February 2006.
Runs 1hr 25min No interval.
Review: Timothy Ramsden 2 February.

People power in more than one sense.

London

POET NO 7
by Ben Ellis

Theatre 503 Latchmere Pub 503 Battersea Park Road SW11 To 18 March 2006
Tue-Sat 7.30pm Sun 5pm
Runs 1hr No interval

TICKETS: 020 7978 7040
www.theatre503.com
Review: Timothy Ramsden 12 March

Brief, sharp and pointed play in equally sharp production.

Ha Ha Ha: Sam Dowling
1157 Performance Group.

Runs: 1 hr 30 mins. No Interval. Wolverhampton Arena Theatre

Ranjit Khutan: 15th March 2006

Smile funny - but sometimes I longed for the end

London

THE WINTERLING
by Jez Butterworth

Royal Court Theatre (Jerwood Theatre Downstairs) To 8 April 2006
Mon-Sat 7.30pm Mat Sat 3.30pm
Audio-described 8 April 3.30pm (+ Touch Tour 2pm)
BSL Signed 21 March
Runs 2hr 20min One interval

TICKETS: 020 7565 5000
www.royalcourttheatre.com
Review: Timothy Ramsden March

All very clever – but haven’t we seen something like this before?

Tour

NIGHTS AT THE CIRCUS
by Angela Carrter adapted by Tom Morris and Emma Rice

A Bristol Old Vic and Lyric Hammersmith Co-Production
In association with Kneehigh Theatre
Tour to 15 April 2006
Review: Stewart McGill 20 March at Bristol Old Vic

Powerful and engaging.

Sheffield

ASSASSINS
book by John Weidman music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

Crucible Theatre To 1 April 2006
Tue-Sat 7.30pm Mat Sat & 22 March 2.30pm
Audio-described/BSL Signed/Talkback 23 March (+ Touch Tour 6pm)
Captioned 30 March
Runs 1hr 50min No interval

TICKETS: 0114 249 6000
www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden

110 minutes pass with the swiftness of a bullet.

London

ROCKABY/OHIO IMPROMPTU
by Samuel Beckett

Barbican (The Pit) To 28 March 2006
Mon-Fri 7pm & 9pm Sat 4pm & 8pm
Runs 35min No interval (short pause between plays)

TICKETS: 0845 121 6833 (booking fee)
www.barbican.org.uk (reduced booking fee)
Review: Timothy Ramsden 22 March

The drama of darkness visible, yet exhilaratingly beautiful.

Hull

UP ON ROOF
by Richard Bean

Hull Truck Theatre To 25 March 2006
Mon-Sat 8pm Mat 22 March 2pm
BSL Signed 24 March
Runs 2hr 20min One interval

TICKETS: 01482 323638
www.hulltruck.co.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden 16 March

Plenty of comedy and an air of mystery.

Exeter/Tour

THE CROWSTARVER
based on the book by Dick King-Smith, adapted by Daniel Jamieson

Theatre Alibi Tour to 27 May 2006
Runs 2hr 20min One interval
Review: Hazel Brown 4 March at Northcott Theatre, Exeter

Truly touching, unsentimental and inventive theatre for young people of all ages

London

DR FAUSTUS/THE DEVIL IS AN ASS
by Christopher Marlowe/Ben Jonson

White Bear Theatre 138 Kennington Park Road SE11 To 26 March 2006
Tue-Sat 7.30pm Sun 4pm
Runs 2hr 20min One interval

TICKETS: 020 7793 9193
www.ticketweb.co.uk
Review: Timothy Ramsden 11 March

Less than sophisticated verse-speaking in a fascinating coupling.

Nottingham

THE RETIREMENT OF TOM STEVENS
by William Ivory

Lakeside Arts Centre: To 25 March 2006
Mon-Sat 8pm Mat 18,22 March 2pm
Audiol-described 22 March 2pm & 8pm
BSL Signed 23 March
Post-show discussion 20 March
Runs 2hr 15min One interval

TICKETS: 0115 846 7777
www.lakesidearts.org.uk
Review: Alan Geary: 10 March 2006

Mercilessly and humorously, it takes its complex, alarmingly real, characters to pieces, laying their past bare and leaving a hopeless pile of wreckage.

SHIVER: Hattie Naylor
Platform 4 on tour (details www.platform4.org)
Runs: 1h 5m, no interval, till 30 April
Review: Rod Dungate, mac Birmingham, 9 March 2006

Haunting and strange