The Corn Exchange, Newbury |
Box office
01635 522733
The Corn Exchange, Newbury. Some performances may be at The Base, Communications Road, Greenham Business Park,
Greenham, RG19 6HN. Unless a specific location is given for a performance, it's
at the Corn Exchange.
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Murder She Didn't Write: Improvised Murder Mystery, 27th March
Don your deerstalker, grab your magnifying glass and get your ‘finger of suspicion’ at the ready!
Edinburgh Fringe favourites, Degrees of Error, are bringing back their multiple sell-out show for your sleuthing pleasure.
They’ll create a classic murder mystery on-the-spot in this ingenious improvised comedy. You, the audience, become the author as the cast act out your very own Agatha Christie-inspired masterpiece live on stage. At each show this extraordinarily talented company use audience suggestions to create a unique, original and extremely comical murder mystery just for you. All you have to do... is solve it!
Ms Gold poisoned at a synchronised swimming gala? Dr Blue exploded by cannon during a hot air balloon race? Professor Violet crushed to death at a Love Island recoupling? You decide!
But will you guess whodunnit before the killer is revealed?
Dr Strangelove, 27th March to 9th April
Steve Coogan
plays four roles in the world premiere stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s
comedy masterpiece Dr Strangelove. When a rogue US General
triggers a nuclear attack, a surreal race takes place, seeing the Government
and one eccentric scientist scramble to avert global destruction. In the
Corn Exchange cinema.
Murder She Didn't Write: Improvised Murder Mystery, 27th March
Don your deerstalker, grab your magnifying glass and get your ‘finger of suspicion’ at the ready! Edinburgh Fringe favourites, Degrees of Error, are bringing back their multiple sell-out show for your sleuthing pleasure. They’ll create a classic murder mystery on-the-spot in this ingenious improvised comedy. You, the audience, become the author as the cast act out your very own Agatha Christie-inspired masterpiece live on stage. At each show this extraordinarily talented company use audience suggestions to create a unique, original and extremely comical murder mystery just for you. All you have to do... is solve it! Ms Gold poisoned at a synchronised swimming gala? Dr Blue exploded by cannon during a hot air balloon race? Professor Violet crushed to death at a Love Island recoupling? You decide! But will you guess whodunnit before the killer is revealed?
In Other Words, 28th March
They call it ‘the incident’ now. What happened when they first met. He always said it was part of his ‘romantic plan’ but they both know that’s rubbish.
Connected by the music of Frank Sinatra, this intimate, humorous, and deeply moving drama examines the power of music, memory, and the nature of enduring love.
SIX the Musical, 6th to 17th April
The Original West End cast reunite at London’s Vaudeville Theatre in front of a sold-out audience to strut their stuff and re-write their Tudor traumas in an unmissable cinematic recording of the show packed full of style, sass, and sensational songs. The show tells the extraordinary story of the six wives of King Henry VIII, who step out of the shadow of their infamous husband and reclaim their own narratives.
Room on the Broom, 10th to 13th April, daytimes
Jump on board the broom with the witch and her cat in Tall Stories’ fun-filled adaptation of Room on the Broom, the best-selling picture book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The witch and her cat are travelling on their broomstick when they pick up some hitch-hikers – a friendly dog, a beautiful green bird and a frantic frog. But this broomstick’s not meant for five and – CRACK – it snaps in two... just as the hungry dragon appears! Will there ever be room on the broom for everyone? Find out in the magical Olivier Award-nominated show for everyone aged 3 and up.
Farm Boy, 22nd April, 13:30 and 16:00
Michael Morpurgo's compelling sequel to War Horse takes to our stage!
It sometimes felt as though time had stood still down on the farm - the old Fordson tractor quietly rusting away at the back of the barn, Grandpa tending his chickens - that is, until the summer his grandson came to stay, and the old man started telling stories of what it had been like when he was a boy.
Michael Morpurgo's tale returns to the stage in this delightful, family-friendly show combining drama, storytelling, and original music - a moving account of the changing face of the English countryside and a beautifully crafted reminder that stories really can reach out across the generations.
Duck, 30th April
It’s the summer of 2005, England prepare to win the Ashes and Ismail (Smiley to his friends), a British Indian schoolboy, is about to become the youngest-ever player in his elite public school’s First XI cricket team.
He sets his sights on immortality, breaking the school batting record and getting his name into Wisden. But things are about to heat up.
From award-winning playwright maatin, Duck is about adolescence, the pressures of sporting competition and finding your identity in an environment that doesn’t cater for difference.
The Baddies, 27th to 29th May
Meet the very worst Baddies in the world! Don’t you dare to come too close to a witch, a troll and an ancient ghost!
The Baddies love being bad. They roar, spook and cast wicked spells to try and scare a girl out of her wits…who will succeed? Or perhaps the girl is braver than they think…
The Baddies is a wickedly hilarious adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s smash-hit story. A laugh-out-loud riot for all the family.
Staged by
Freckle Productions.
Reviews of Dick Whittington
29th November 2024 to 5th January 2025
Review from the Newbury Weekly News and the British Theatre Guide.
It’s pun-time!
Full house at the Corn Exchange for pantomime fun with Dick Whittington
The Corn Exchange is bedecked with festive decorations, a beautiful real tree in the foyer and festoons of lights in the auditorium for this year’s Christmas panto Dick Whittington – and it’s an absolute winner.
Once again, the award-winning creative team of Plested. Brown and Wilsher return for their sixth year at the helm, with Adam Brown inventively directing what is a refreshing new interpretation of the traditional story, fizzing with energy and pace.
Saturday’s capacity enthusiastic audience was out for a fun evening and they were certainly not disappointed… it was absolute joy.
Grace Kelly Miller was our Detective Fairy Bowbells, determined to keep law and order in Newburyshire, adding a bit of magic to help out.
Our hero Dick, impressively played by the charismatic Kai Harris dressed in his Scout uniform with proficiency badges along the sleeve, quickly wins the audience over as together with his cat Cosmo (Jade Johnson) he sets off to seek fortune in old London town.
They meet Alderman Fitzwarren (Chris Rankin) and his daughter Alice (Shannon Bourne), down on their luck as their emporium is losing money because the city is overrun by rats.
Alex Crandon played the true villain as evil Percy Rat, relishing the audience’s loud enthusiastic boos.
Every panto needs their Dame and Scott Riney, making his debut, filled the role in abundance, carrying off the most outlandish costumes.
Look out for Captain Bird’s Eye fish fingers sequence – a hilarious take on the traditional ghost scene.
The hardworking ensemble Adam Craig, Finna Hardy and Jake Poolman were superb, adding so much to this sparkling production.
Miranda Wilford’s imaginative choreography was breathtakingly dynamic and the cast energetically performed with flair and brio everything from tap to breakdancing. It was exhausting to watch.
Musical director Ben Barrow, assisted by Luke Hinchliffe, provided a spirited score that was spot-on.
With puns galore, local references and oodles of audience participation, including everyone joining in the Time Warp, this vibrant production is purrrrrrfect entertainment for all the family.
Not to be missed.
ROBIN STRAPP
Review from the Newbury Weekly News.
Purr-fectly pitched for grown-ups
Dick Whittington Adult Night
With its roots stretching back over 500 years, to the bawdy theatre of Commedia dell’Arte, what is now the traditional Christmas pantomime has always sailed close to the wind when it comes to double entendres and lightly risqué scenarios. So, the idea of taking the format and performing it to an audience of adults seems only natural.
Since the early 1990s a handful of producers have dabbled with creating ‘blue’ pantomimes, laden with bad language and seafront postcard gaggery. However, as far as I’m aware, the Corn Exchange was among a pioneering (and evidently enterprising) group of civic venues who, around 20 years ago, started to set aside one evening of their annual family panto run, which was just for grown-ups. What they have done brilliantly over the years is to maintain that these performances are broadly the same show they would do for a family audience, so there is nothing additionally smutty or off-colour about them.
Staying true to this objective, the Plested, Brown and Wilsher team have written and directed a perfectly pitched panto that, on adult night, can lean a little more into the gags that would otherwise fly over the heads of a family crowd, and the audience can let their hair down a bit.
This year, with lead roles that include Dick and his Pussycat, there is some potential low hanging fruit, which is plundered to good effect, by the whole company. With the Dame traditionally given the lion’s share of near-the-knuckle material, Scott Riney’s Jolene Malone resists the urge to go off the rails. But then, their most edgy puns and plays on words are in the original script for all audiences.
Alex Crandon is a buoyantly villainous Percy (King) Rat. His playful moments with Detective Fairy Bowbells (Grace Kelly Miller) are among the funniest in the show
(both adult and family versions). Jade Johnson as Cosmo the Cat and Chris Rankin as Alderman Fitzwarren run a good line in breaking character, pulling solid laughs by exposing the hardships of a pantomime actor.
Shannon Bourne (Alice) and Kai Harris (Dick) play the whole thing straight, while trying also to hold it together. And speaking of holding it together, Adam Craig, Finna Hardy and Jake Poolman seem to be having an absolute blast as the small ensemble team; they are camper than a Strictly Christmas special.
The strongest moments were those that were authentically playful, either because the actors were caught off guard, or were genuinely having the best time! This meant that, on the odd occasion that someone tried something overtly ‘adult’, it actually felt somewhat out of place, falling flatter than more innocently hilarious moments.
This may in part be because the script itself is a fast paced, whip smart and completely bonkers reinterpretation of a classic pantomime which retains many traditional set pieces, while proving contemporary and engaging. Such is the success of the Corn Exchange’s ‘adult’ shows, there are four this year (the last one being Saturday, January 3). However, to be honest you can enjoy this festive treat at any time, with or without the kids.
TONY TRIGWELL JONES