New season highlights in Hertfordshire theatres (From Watford Observer)

New season highlights in Hertfordshire theatres

WHEN it comes to quality entertainment, Hertfordshire's theatrical establishments have it in spades. A quick glance at the Watford Observer tells you the number of highly regarded auditoriums we have at our disposal and that's just those with a seasonal programme of events throughout the year. In addition to these, we must give credit to the halls, schools, churches and other community buildings that regularly give up their floorspace to the dramatic arts. Where would Watford be without The Watersmeet or The Colosseum? Not to mention, the Henderson Hall in Abbots Langley, the Kings Langley Community Centre, Harpenden Public Halls and a host of other indoor and outdoor venues including parks, amphitheatres and walled gardens. Here are the highlights of the forthcoming season as just a sample of what's on offer. Many of the box offices are already booking so if there's a must-see comedian or top international act on your list, then lend your theatres a hand and book your seat in advance. See you in the audience.

Frank Skinner calls in at Watford and St Albans in September

Watford Palace Theatre

Continuing its recent trend in showcasing groundbreaking theatre, comedy, music and dance, The Palace is becoming bolder and widening the net to scoop in international and West End talent such as Hergés Adventures of Tintin, which ran earlier this month and the formcoming show for September, Tim Supple's exotic, sensual and mesmerising adaptation of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, featuring actors from Bombay, Mumbai and Dehli speaking in dialect. Schoolchildren can look forward to seeing the Palace's touring show The Resistible Rise Of Arturo Ui. Bertolt Brecht's allegory of Hitler's rise to power, told through the story of a Chicago gangster endeavouring to seize the city's fruit and vegetable rackets from top-dog Al Capone. Using newly commissioned music and Brechtian techniques, adapted by Ranjit Bolt, the five actors will play over fifty characters to bring this powerful and infamous story to life. As well as the school performances, the play calls in at The Radlett Centre, The Old Town Hall and The Maltings. Saving the best to last, Watford Palace Theatre is presenting a fortnight of special events in November, with performances from Palace favourite Tony Jacobs, a night of kathak dance with the Sonia Sabri Company and comedian Russell Howard. Alex Lowe introduces Barry from Watford and local arts collective Inspiral take to the stage. Book before 5 October and you can see four festival shows for just £20. Box office: 01923 225671, www.watford palacetheatre.co.uk

The Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead

This is the place to go to catch cutting-edge theatre and comedy, served up in a lovely, former town hall with its own café bar. September is Black History Month so Nuffield Theatre is presenting drama from the Bahamas That Bahamian T'ing and Tara Arts stage the UK premiere of Jonathan Payne's powerful and passionate one act play, Slavery. Other firsts for the theatre are the UK premiere of Truckstop, a fast paced poetic play about love, independence and growing up on Wednesday, October 3 and a new show by puppet masters Indigo Moon called Alice and The White Rabbit for ages five and up. Music lovers can also enjoy visits from Barb Jung and Ola Onabule and comedy fans should enjoy the verbal parry and thrust of Jo Caufield, Old Town Hall newbie Craig Hill, the irrepressible Treason Show gang and the John Hegley's new show Uncut Confetti. Box office: 01442 228091 www.oldtownhall.co.uk

A shaggy goat's tale: Theatre of Widdershins

The Radlett Centre

Famed for providing a platform for the An Audience With... series of talks, The Radlett Centre also features ballet, contemporary dance and musical shows. Children are particularly well catered for at this family friendly venue and the first date of the new season is with eternal childhood favourite Sooty. Join the much-loved glove puppet on Sunday, September 23 for Sooty's Magic Castle - a brand new show where Sooty has lost his magic and the gang have to find out why. Expect plenty of laughs and tricks along the way. Shakespeare 4 Kidz return in October with their abridged, Bard-made-easy version of Hamlet and Image Musical Theatre present a musical version of The Snow Queen, with lots of opportunities for audience participation.

The month ends with a visit from European Ballet, who bring a full-length version of the classical ballet Coppelia to the Radlett stage. Set to Delibes irresistible score, the ballet features exciting Hungarian dances such as Czardas and Mazurka, plus beautiful scenery and handcrafted costumes. Box office: 01923 857546, www.radlettcentre.co.uk

The Pump House, Watford

Small, but perfectly formed, The Pump House is home to a community based theatre group, youth theatre and children's theatre groups. Public support is paramount to the successful running of the theatre and the organisers are requesting volunteers to get involved in the management of the theatre for the future. The in-house Pump House Theatre Company are staging Philip King's quintessentially English wartime farce, See How They Run, which runs from Monday, September 17 to Saturday, September 22. The theatre will also be staging Cat On A Hot Tin Roof by Tennessee Williams in November. Box office: 07786 844541. If you are interesting in helping out at the theatre call the organisers on 01923 241362, www.phtc.info

Sooty and pals come to The Radlett Centre

The Alban Arena

St Albans' largest theatre, The Arena's forte is in attracting big name music acts and shows.

September looks spooky with the arrival of international psychic and medium Tony Stockwell on Friday, September 14, whose precise and specific evidence has changed many people's belief about the afterlife. The season also offers plenty for families, including The Tweenies Live in The Enchanted Toyshop on Wednesday, September 12 with lots of music, dancing and sing-a-long songs. Other September highlights include a tribute show to '70s supergroup Fleetwood Mac. Rumours of Fleetwood Mac In Concert on Saturday, September 15 promises to deliver all the band's greatest hits, including Need Your Love So Bad, Albatross, You Make Loving Fun and Go Your Own Way. And finally... he may have sold out but it's great to know that none other than king of comedy Frank Skinner is bringing his live show to two of our theatres, The Arena on Tuesday, September 18 and Watford Palace Theatre on Sunday, September 30. Box office: 01727 844488, www.alban-arena.co.uk

The Abbey Theatre, St Albans

The acclaimed Company of Ten theatre company is the powerhouse behind this gem of a theatre - just a few steps away from St Albans Abbey train station, which is a mere 17 minutes journey from Watford Junction. Forty years on, the Abbey Theatre opens its new season with Present Laughter, one of Noel Coward's finest and funniest comedies. Set in the glamorous '30s and packed with Jazz-Age celebrities, the play is brimming over with indiscretions and libertine behaviour. By contrast, the next show in the run, Copenhagen gives serious pause for thought. Michael Frayn's tense and exciting drama about the relationship between a German atomic physicist working for the Nazis and his mentor and former colleague, a Jewish Dane living in occupied Denmark. The laughter continues with a couple of Alan Ayckbourn plays -Communicating Doors staged by pupils from Hitchin and The Company of Ten present Season's Greetings. A festive production of Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach rounds off the year. Box office 01727 857861, www.abbeytheatre.org.uk

Present Laughter at The Abbey Theatre

The Maltings

This art house triumph has its own resident theatre company Lanternfish, who specialise in children's theatre. The Maltings runs an impressive programme of comedy, art, touring theatre and dance with locals such as jazz legend Stan Tracey and author Anne Rowe representing the home crowd. Maltings regulars Plested & Brown make a welcome return as does Sarah Jane Morris, Pip Utton as Chaplin, and Tim FitzHigham, unveils his new, virtual reality show where he lives and breathes the life of Cervante's colourful character Don Quixote. The Land by Vita Sackville-West, adapted by Sonia Ritter and Tim Laycock, is a vivid and passionate tale of changing seasons in in the English countryside. We stay in England for Chalkfoot's production of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, also on at The Old Town Hall, swapping the fields for portrait of factory life in the early 20th Century. As the season continues, there are treats for Halloween during the October half term and in November there's a play especially for Remembrance Day, as Indigo Entertainers present Testament of Youth, a stage adaptation of Vera Britten's heartbreaking account of love and loss in the trenches during World War One and Lanternfish round off the year with a festive panto, Robin Hood. Box office: 01727 844222, www.stalbans.gov.uk/mat

The Sandpit

Housed in the grounds of Sandringham School in St Albans, The SandPit plays host to community groups and showcases the talents of the pupils. In October, the recently created Alban Community Theatre, formed by members of St Mary's Players, present everyone's favourite tale from the Arabian desert, Aladdin from Wednesday, October 24 to Friday, 26 October at 7.30pm and Saturday, October 27 at 2.30pm and 7.30pm. November is off to a flying start as the children of Sandringham School present a high velocity version of Disney's High School Musical, based on the smash hit movie.

Find out how brainy Gabriella and basketball star Troy's decision to audition for East High annual musical turns their world and their school upside down. Later in the month, the St Albans Operatic Society present the powerful tale of life during the Spanish inquisition, Man of La Mancha from Tuesday, November 20 to Saturday, November. A travelling actor is thrown into prison by the Inquistion. Fearing for his life, he sets out to win over his fellow prisoners with the power of storytelling. Box Office: 01727 370 067 (opens September 5) www.sandpittheatre.co.uk

Trestle Arts Base

Through its work with masks, Trestle has built up a reputation for visually stimulating physical theatre. For starters, Trestle's own professional touring company present their highly regarded show Little India from Thursday, September 27 to Monday, October 1 - combining sumptuous storytelling theatre, rich vibrant visuals and some powerful martial arts action. Often described as the Morecambe and Wise of contemporary dance, New Art Club present their brand new comedy dance theatre show The Visible Men on Thursday, October 4. Keep your dancing shoes on for Busk - Kings of the Sidewalk. Not to be confused with a certain grafitti artist, hip hop star Banxy is joined by five other purveyors of grooves and head-spinning moves for a night of non-stop dance. Last in the physical theatre line-up is the multiple award-winning Gecko with their new show The Arab and the Jew, which comes to the theatre on Friday, November 2. Flying performers, props and tricks make this exuberant show a riot of sound and vision, celebrating brotherhood from both sides of the Arab-Israeli divide. For children, Theatre of Widdershins retell the popular tale of the Three Billy Goats Gruff and Other Furry Tales - now you can find out what really happened to Goldilocks, the three little pigs and that ugly old troll.

Last, but by no means least, are two shows by Children's Laureate, Michael Morpurgo, and produced by Scamp and Bristol Old Vic, Aesop's Fables and Private Peaceful, which is touring several theatres in the region. Check programmes for details. Box office 01727 850950, www.trestle.org.uk