Theatre
Theatre goes out for the summer Blithe Spirit/
Made for Measure T
he Changeling Teatre Company is proud of its Kentish roots, being the county’s only outdoor theatre group. And, this year, it is back on the road with two plays to celebrate its 21st birthday.
A public vote determines which shows the company will perform, and this year the players have gone for Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit, with Measure for Measure as this year’s Shakespeare offering.
“Every year, we ask our audience to vote for their choice of plays the following year,” creative director Rob Forknall said. “We have a real connection with our audiences, and the vote is an important part of what we do.
“Measure for Measure has been in the running before, but lost out to All’s Well that Ends Well in 2016. We have wanted to stage Measure for Measure for a long time, and we can’t tell you how excited we are to be touring it in 2018. It’s a very funny Shakespeare play, full of twists and turns. “Noel Coward is also a Changeling favourite and a writer very close to my heart. Blithe Spirit is just so much fun and will work really well in the open air. Audiences are going to love their choices.”
As always, the season for Changeling both starts and ends in Boughton Monchelsea, with a total of 46 performances lined up across the county – and beyond – until August 19.
Blithe Spirit is an enduring comedy focusing on novelist Charles Condomine, who, as he searches for new material for his latest book, invites a medium into his home for a séance. But he gets more than he bargained for when
she accidentally summons the spirit of his late wife, leading to a shambles as she torments both him and his new wife.
Changeling’s version of Measure for Measure is inspired by the Moulin Rouge, the bawdy and wity comedy full of twists and turns as sin meets virtue and good batles against evil. In the play, Isobel is leſt with an impossible choice aſter pleading for her brother’s life, sentenced to death for sleeping with the wife-to-be of strict Angelo in a Vienna rife with brothels, loose morality and ludicrous characters. On July 21, there is a special performance at Allington Castle in aid of Heart of Kent Hospice, see the website below. Tis venue is not normally open to members of the public and promises to be a special evening. Tickets
are £40. Tickets vary in price, depending on venue.
http://changeling-theatre.com/tickets/
Sense & Sensibility, Great Danes Hotel
Austin’s classic Sense & Sensibility to Mercure Maidstone Great Danes hotel. Adapted by award-winning writer Laura Turner, the play follows Elinor and Marianne Dashwood’s first forays into the world of love and heartbreak, with their mistakes helping them in their bid to find the balance between
The Chapterhouse Teatre company tours 180 venues every year. Originally created in 1999 to tour Shakespearean productions, it has grown to be one of the biggest classical literature touring companies in the UK. In July, Chapterhouse brings Jane
28 Mid Kent Living
sense and sensibility. Mercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel, July 29, 4pm Tickets £17.85 for adults, £11.25 for
children, family and group tickets also available. Call 01622 528565 or go to
www.mercuremaidstone.co.uk.
Romeo & Juliet
Bringing the popular story of Romeo & Juliet to life, the Handlebards girl troupe has an evening of jam-packed fun. Carrying all the set, props and costumes on bikes, the cycling actors formed in 2012 due to their love of exploring and have visited six different countries with their outdoor plays.
Set in fair Verona, the Montagues and Capulets have a lifelong feud - that is, until their children fall in love. Turning a tragic tale of love into a ‘seriously silly’ production, expect a lot of laughter and a bit of mayhem.
Te cycling theatre company has an all- male troupe too, which is touring Twelſth Night, but not appearing in the south-east.
Riverhill Himalayan Gardens, Sevenoaks. July 29, 5.30pm. Tickets £15. Call 01732 459777 or visit
www.riverhillgardens.co.uk.
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