Theatre

Tickets for The Stables’ Christmas show are now on sale. Touching, funny and utterly original, A Christmas Tail, created and performed by leading theatre company Dizzy O’Dare, promises to be the perfect festive treat for the whole family to enjoy. Having got lost in a snow-storm, a mischievous but lovable puppy faces an epic journey to get home in time for Christmas. Featuring a series of hair-raising escapades along the way, including chaotic snowball fights and side-splitting sledging antics, the show offers a whirlwind of laughter, surprises and heartwarming moments. Can our young but brave puppy make it back home safely in time? All will be revealed in this pawsome adventure for everyone over 4 years old. Fusing comedy, circus and puppetry, and interwoven with music and songs, the action will be fast-paced, with lots of visual humour, music and song – and plenty of opportunities for audience participation. Dizzy..

This December will be the 50th Anniversary of the opening of Stantonbury Theatre, MK’s first purpose-built theatre. Since its inception, Stantonbury Theatre has endeavored to champion locally produced theatre and support local dance schools and youth theatres in producing the next generation of performers. Announcements will be made soon with our own celebratory events, but in the meantime, there will be plenty more to commemorate as we are hosting a great selection of comedy, children’s theatre and music along with the local theatre groups coming out in force with etcetera Theatre Company’s Steel Magnolias (13th Oct) and Company MK’s Sister Act (23rd-26th Oct) – Not to mention the anniversary concerts of Olney Brass Band’s 50th (28th Sept), MK Brass’ 40th (19th Oct), The Living Archive’s 40th (6th Oct) and the Wolverton Gilbert & Sullivan Society’s 50th (7th/8th Nov)! MK Theatre of Comedy revisit the quirky inhabitants of Dibley for the..

Lots of variety, funnies and music for you in this month’s selection of theatre choices, which comes by Royal appointment, with lots of conspiracy discussion and a deadly school visit. Pulse’s Sammy Jones explains more... If you want a show bursting with colour and filled with sensational songs, Hairspray (Sept 2-7) is this month’s choice at Milton Keynes Theatre. Just like the press bumf will tell you, it’s a big, bold and beautiful musical, just the same as the 80’s film which came first. Taking the reins as Edna Turnblad is Neil Hurst, who some of you will recognise from his time on the Corrie cobbles. Brenda Edwards was a smash hit in the show when she starred as Motormouth Maybelle, directed by Paul Kerryson. This time around the Loose Woman and stage star will be flexing her talent behind the curtain - sharing directing duties with Kerryson. Tracy Turnblad..

She has been a pop star and a soap star, but for her latest role, Kym Marsh – one time chart topper with Hear’Say and Rovers Return regular in Coronation Street – is channeling an altogether more unsavoury character; starring as Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians The Musical. This production, which visits Milton Keynes Theatre in October, comes with plenty of bark and bite, and Kym is relishing the challenge of playing the dog murdering fashionista. It’ll test her acting skills too: “Trying to get into the head of a person who wants to skin puppies to wear is especially alien to me because I’m such a huge dog lover!” she laughed, “I’ve got two of my own, and I adore them.” This being a musical, Kym is getting to flex her vocal chords once again, something that she’s not needed to do for quite some time. “If you..

This September, Milton Keynes Theatre will open its stage up to Re:INCARNATION which will bring all of the spirit of Lagos here to the new city. Forecast to become the world’s biggest city by the turn of the century, Lagos is massive, youthful and exciting – and the Nigerian megalopolis is also where the show’s choreographer Qudus Onikeku was born. “Lagos is very much captured in the show,” he promises, “The energy of Lagos, the vibrancy, the youthfulness, the craziness, the madness, the beauty, the ugliness – are what I was really inspired by...and it is showcasing the young energy encapsulated in the city with a lot of joy and a lot of colour.” Re:INCARNATION’s UK premiere was hosted at London’s Southbank Centre, brought to life by 10 dancers and two musicians collectively delivering a live soundtrack featuring West African music genre Afrobeats and dynamic dancing - contemporary, salsa, hip..

‘Age is but a number,’ goes the saying, and it’s an accurate one – just ask the folks who swell the ranks of Milton Keynes drama group The Third Age Players; some are in their 30s, and the oldest? Two members are a sprightly 90 years young! The group, part of the u3a, a movement that unites people with the purpose of learning new skills and enjoying fun activities, staged its first full-length play in the late 1990s. More than a quarter of a century on, they are still going strong. “There are very few scripts written specifically for older thespians, other than rather stereotypical plays, for example, set in residential homes. We are so much more than that!’ promises Greta Langdale, group coordinator and director of production. You won’t get salacious sex scenes or edgy behaviour with The Third Age Players, perish the thought, but they’ve still got plenty..

Our regular dip into the world of theatre on our doorstep – Pulse’s Sammy Jones has the best of the bunch for you... Funny man and chat show host Clive Anderson (June 6) will be pulling up a pew, and delivering the live version of his hit podcast, My Seven Wonders at Wavendon venue, The Stables. Previous guests have included Stephen Fry, John Bishop and Omid Djalili. Who will he be nattering with this time? I’d take a guess that it won’t be Barry Gibb. If you are old enough, you’ll remember that car crash of an interview. One of the stars from the nation’s best loved teen sitcoms will be taking your questions, when 15 Years of The Inbetweeners: In Conversation with Joe Thomas arrives on June 12. The blue comedy, about four socially awkward pals making their way through adolescence, was a small screen blast and broke records..

Belt up for a fantasmagorical show! More than two decades since the delightful Chitty Chitty Bang Bang first premiered at the London Palladium, a brand-new scrumptious production will hit the stage of Milton Keynes Theatre for a flying visit in July. Ian Fleming wrote the book more than 50 years ago, and the version of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang soon coming to town will be an amalgamation of his original story, the film version by Roald Dahl, and the previous stage production. “For me, Chitty is like an old friend,” said director Thom Southerland, “I used to watch it as a child and was in fact in the audience at the very first preview of the Palladium production, so it’s a show that has always stuck with me and it now feels very special to be putting my own stamp on it.” In Chitty Chitty Bang Bang you will meet..

Sammy Jones shares this month’s top choices on a stage near you – including work by the sublime pen of the much-missed Kay Mellor, a Disney classic and some giggle bringers.... It has one lamp, three wishes and infinite possibilities – and Disney’s Aladdin is currently enchanting audiences at Milton Keynes Theatre, with tickets selling fast. The curtain won’t come down, but the magic carpet will fly off for the last time on Sunday, May 19. There won’t be time to get comfortable though, with a week of one nighters following, starting with The Chicago Blues Brothers in The Cruisin’ For A Bluesin tour (May 21), the magnificent Johannes Radebe who delivers House of JoJo (May 22), funny fella Ed Gamble brings his Hot Diggity Dog stand up (May 23), the Dreamboys (May 24) will show off their oiled muscles and then What’s Love Got To Do With It? takes..

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, or rather everybody is talking about the rising talent who is currently starring as the teenager in the award-winning smash hit show. And when Ivano Turko steps to the stage at Milton Keynes Theatre next month (June 10-15) he’ll be playing to his home crowd, having grown up here in the new city. It was while singing in church in these parts as a youngster that Ivano first set his sights on performing. So, that’s how it started, and it’s been going gloriously well since; having graduated drama school in 2020 he was personally chosen by Lord Lloyd Webber to be the male lead, Prince Sebastian, in Webber’s hotly-anticipated new musical, Cinderella, in the West End. From there, he transformed into reggae icon Bob Marley for the bio-musical Get Up, Stand Up! - with just two weeks to get everything ship-shape and fit for the stage...

Dino’s and spooky shows, and a magic lamp and the Godfather of Punk Poetry. You want variety? Sammy Jones talks you through lots of it with a peek behind the curtain at April’s theatre opportunities... You’ll get chills, and they’ll probably start multiplying at Milton Keynes Theatre this month, but it won’t have anything to do with the students of Rydell High. In fact, April’s first play to devour is thrilling, exciting and fear inducing all rolled into a package known as The Woman in Black (April 2-6). Susan Hill’s chilling ghost story is horrifyingly good – and more than seven million ticket sales prove the point. Arthur Kipps is obsessed with a curse he believes has been cast over him and his family by the spectre of a Woman in Black, so he engages a sceptical young actor to help him tell his terrifying story and exorcise the fear..

It promises one lamp, three wishes and infinite possibilities, and this April, Milton Keynes Theatre invites everyone to revel in the wonder of Disney’s breathtaking spectacle, Aladdin. The magic carpet will touch down for a month-long stay in the new city from April 24. The exuberant production features iconic music by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice, truly making it a ‘sound’ proposition as much as a visual spectacular! Superstar composer Alan has accrued a terrific number of accolades for his work on Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and the film version of Aladdin. “It’s always been a dream of mine to somehow restore the telling of Aladdin the way Howard Ashman and I first envisioned it, and how we wrote it,” Alan said, “The Disney film version is a dazzling action-adventure tale with great animation effects and a handful of songs, some with lyrics by Howard..

Following record-breaking runs on Broadway and in the West End, as well as on a US tour and in cities around the world, Pretty Woman is now on the road in the UK – and will be at Milton Keynes Theatre this March. According to his wife Barbara and daughter Kathleen, director of the film and co-writer of the musical Garry Marshall would have been thrilled to learn of its ongoing success. He passed away in 2016 after working on the production with the movie’s writer J. F. Lawton for many years and dreaming that it might open in New York some day. “Had someone told him it would be such a hit around the world he wouldn’t have believed it,” Barbara said, “Not only did it make it to Broadway, it’s bringing joy to so many people in so many other places.” Kathleen agreed: “As well as being a..

A feel-good month of upbeat musicals and comedy awaits on our local stages – just what the doctor ordered to banish any dull moods. Pulse’s Sammy Jones talks you through what’s on, where... Shrek the Musical is the perfect pick-me-up for this dreary time of year, and it’s a show the whole family will be wowed by. Join Shrek – the most famous green star of stage and screen since Kermit – and his trusty sidekick Donkey as they set out on a quest to defeat the fearsome dragon and rescue Princess Fiona, in the hugely popular tale. Antony Lawrence has previously brought the goods to leading roles in The Lion King, We Will Rock You and Matilda the Musical, and now he’s Shrek, while Strictly star Joanne Clifton (now a seasoned stage star herself) is Princess Fiona. We asked Donkey why people should take in a performance and he..

Stock Aitken Waterman (SAW) filled the pop charts with gargantuan tunes and soundtracked a generation with era-defining songs from Kylie, Rick Astley, Jason Donovan and a whole heap of others. Now that music is making its way to theatre stages with the world premiere of the SAW musical, I Should Be So Lucky. The upbeat delivery will bring some colourful cheer to the stage in Milton Keynes in early March. The worlds of theatre and music share many of the same disciplines, but it’s not necessarily an easy transition, as Pete Waterman found out. “This is a very different genre for us – musical theatre – it’s hard work, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life,” Pete told us, “My admiration for the cast is unbelievable. The hours they work and the detail they put in. “The last thing you want is the writers of the..