Roundup of theatre shows in South Cheshire and the surrounding area

Jul 28 2010 by Will Harris, Crewe Chronicle

SPAMALOT (Regent Theatre, Hanley, August 2-7)

AUDIENCES all around the world have been roaring with laughter since Monty Python’s Spamalot, by Eric Idle and John Du Prez, won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2005. It features the hilarious songs He Is Not Dead Yet, Knights Of The Round Table, Find Your Grail and Always Look On The Bright Side of Life. The show runs from Monday until Saturday, August 7. Tickets are £19.50-£37.50, phone 0844 871 7649.

UNCLE ERIC’S ITALIAN JOB (New Vic Theatre, Newcastle, August 17-28)

THE hilarious antics of Uncle Eric are back. Eric, Madge and the rest of the gang find themselves in beautiful Rome, in a world of fast cars, crime and hot money. It’s the latest misadventures of the ultimate dysfunctional family, back with a non-stop night of comedy, nostalgia and the greatest music of the 1960s. Tickets are available now, priced £12.50-£17.50, to book phone the box office on 01782 717962 or visit www.newvictheatre. org.uk

LA CENERENTOLA (Clonter Opera Theatre, Swettenham, July 29 and 31)

THE superb Rossini work is performed for two more nights. Rossini wrote his unique take on the Cinderella story as a bet in 1817. The result took Europe by storm and was one of the musical sensations of the age, dispensing with pumpkins and panto, to present the familiar rags-to-riches story as a human comedy. Shows start at 7pm and include a 70-minute supper interval. Tickets are £30-£65, phone 01260 224514 or visit www.clonteropera.com

KEEPING UP APPEARANCES (Regent Theatre, Hanley, July 26-31)

THIS new show has been written specially for stage and follows Hyacinth Bucket (‘it’s Bouquet!’) and her dysfunctional family with sisters Rose and Daisy, and neighbours Elizabeth and Emmet.

Shows start at 7.30pm with 2.30pm matinees on the Wednesday and Saturday. Tickets are priced £11.30-£27, to book phone 0871 871 7649.

GUYS AND DOLLS (Palace Theatre, Manchester, August 12-14)

THIS Stage Experience production features over 100 young people aged 10-21 who will have auditioned for the show, rehearsed and perform this full scale production in just two weeks during the summer holidays. Shows start at 7.30pm with a 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Tickets are £14.25-£16.25, phone 0844 847 2277 to book.

FAME (Empire Theatre, Liverpool, August 5-7)

A CAST of young people from across Merseyside star in an exhilarating stage adaptation of the Academy Award-winning movie and popular TV series of the same name. This breathtaking show, brought together by Stage Experience, follows the lives of a group of students attending New York’s High School for the Performing Arts. Shows start at 7pm with a 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Tickets are £16.25, phone 0844 847 2525.