Packed season at Winchester's Theatre Royal (From Romsey Advertiser)

Packed season at Winchester's Theatre Royal

11:10am Wednesday 11th April 2012 in Winchester By Warwick Payne

THE summer season at the Theatre Royal in Winchester aims to offer a feast of treats for all.

It will start with a visually rich costume drama, Sense and Sensibility (10-12 May) featuring six actors and an original score.

The show is a clever adaptation of the classic novel by one of Winchester’s most celebrated former residents, Jane Austen.

It contains themes that are as relevant today as they were more than 200 years ago in this tale of two sisters and their search for love in a society bound by financial fortune.

The Vanishing Horizon (15 May) is the story of a woman on a journey through the crowded airports of the modern world.

Her past is revealed as she discovers lost memories of the pioneers of aviation in the 1920s, when flight was exciting and Croydon Airport was the gateway to the globe.

Mary Shelley (6–9 June) is the world premiere tour of the drama telling the extraordinary events that led to her writing Frankenstein when she was just 18.

It explores her relationship with her father, the radical philosopher William Godwin, and her scandalous love affair and elopement with the poet, Percy Bysshe Shelley.

It also follows her fortunes to the moment she began to write the book that secured her place in literary history.

On a lighter note, quick-witted fun is to be had by all in the physical comedy, I’m an Aristocrat, Get me out of Here!

It is a spoof of the Scarlet Pimpernel’s antics, set in Paris when revolution gripped the city.

The comedy continues with Irish/Australian stand-up Jimeoin (16 May) which aims to provide some good old-fashioned laughs.

Chis Addison (10 June) then returns to Winchester with his razor-sharp take on the absurdities of everyday life.

The comedienne Francesca Martinez will then appear on June 14 with a show exploring what happens when people are branded ‘abnormal’.

Broadcaster, writer and Celebrity Masterchef finalist, Hardeep Singh Kohli, will then be on a mission to find Britain’s best Indian takeaway (3 June).

Having invited an audience member to order a curry from a local takeaway, Hardeep will race against time to cook his own feast before the order arrives.

Along the way, he’ll share recipe tips, anecdotes and stories of his shared Scottish and Indian heritage.

For young children, Peppa Pig returns to the theatre with Peppa Pig’s Treasure Hunt (16-17 June).

After that, be prepared to share your jam sandwiches with an unusual guest, with The Tiger Who Came to Tea (20-21 June).

Hairy McLary and Friends (24 July) sees the return of the adventurous dog from Linley Dodd’s much-loved picture books.

Small Wonders (6-7 July) will be a day of activities, entertainment and performance for young children and their families. It is part of a series of events that will be jointly hosted by The Hat Fair and Theatre Royal during Hat Fair Weekend.

It will see the piazza in front of the Discovery Centre next door temporarily transformed into a green space for families to enjoy open air entertainment.

Before that, Blue Apple Theatre, one of the leading disability arts companies in the south, will take to the stage. It will present a new version of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet (28-30 June).

Winchester Fashion Week will be celebrated with La Fille à la Mode (11-13 June), a performance including music and vintage costumes.

And Winchester-based touring theatre company, Wet Picnic, will be performing their acclaimed show Death and Gardening (31 July).

It explores the fiercely competitive world of gardening and reveals the characters behind the floral facades in a playful comedy laced with dark humour.

Visit theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk or call 01962 840440 to find out more the new season.