TREVOR HEATON, EDP Whats On Editor A mix of music, comedy, family entertainment and blockbuster films is on the way for Hunstanton Princess Theatre this summer.

TREVOR HEATON, EDP Whats On Editor

A mix of music, comedy, family entertainment and blockbuster films is on the way for Hunstanton Princess Theatre this summer.

An izzy, wizzy summer season, in fact.

For running every Monday during the six-week summer holidays it's The Sooty Show, with Sooty and friends heading off to the jungle for more comic adventures. On Tuesdays, talent show Search For A Star returns (grand final September 4), while on Wednesdays Smackee present ABBA The Show. On three Thursdays there is music hall fun in Palace Of Varieties, while Fridays see family pantomime Goldilocks And The Three Bears. There'll be regular film shows, too.

And, as usual, there'll be plenty of star names calling in to the West Norfolk resort for one-off shows over the coming months.

The Princess Theatre is one of East Anglia's premier venues for Irish and country music, and there are many crowd-pleasing names appearing. Singer-songwriter Raymond Froggatt gets things off to a rousing start when he makes his usual spring visit from April 29-May 1 (£12.50-£8.50).

Irish stars The Fureys and Davey Arthur call in on May 28 (£13.50-£8.50), with singer Stephen Smyth – you'll know him from Irish showband The Indians – going solo the following day (£11.50-£8.50, concs £1 off). They are followed by big favourite Dominic Kirwan (June 19, £15-£8.50) and American star Joni Harms (July 10, £12.50-£8.50), making her debut Princess appearance.

Fellow American George Hamilton IV, in contrast, is a regular visitor and will be back again on July 17 (£13.50-£8.50, concs £1 off). During high summer there'll be visits from Country As It Used to Be (July 24, £12.50-£8.50), The Spirit of Ireland (August 27, £14.50-£8.50) and The Indians (August 28, two shows, £13.50-£8.50).

Other Saturday/Sunday celebrity concerts for summer season weekends include the widely-acclaimed Halfway To Paradise: The Billy Fury Story (July 23, £14-£8.50), Good Vibrations! (July 30, £13-£8.50, concs £1 off), evergreen comedy group The Barron Knights (45 years in the biz!) on July 31 (£13-£8.50), Bachelor Boy (August 6, £12.50-£8.50), musical nostalgia show Forever in Blue Jeans (August 7, £13.50-£8.50, concs £1 off), The Cavern Beatles (August 13, £12.50-£8.50), The Songwriters (August 14, £13.50-£8.50), British rock'n'roll legend Marty Wilde (August 20, £15-£8.50), Phantom and the Musicals (August 21, £12.50-£8.50) and The Fabulous 50s and Swinging 60s (September 3, £13.50-£8.50, concs £1 off).

Earlier, there are visits from tribute show Both Sides of Phil Collins (May 10, £13-£8.50, concs £1 off), ever-popular musical nostalgia show Rockin' on Heaven's Door (May 22, £14.50, concs £1 off), one of the first (and still one of the most popular) tribute shows Magic: A Kind of Queen on June 4 (£13-£8.50), Carpenters celebration A Voice of the Heart (June 18, £13.50-£8.50, concs £1 off) and classic jazz and blues with The Big Chris Barber Band (July 16, £14-£8.50).

There's something special for dance fans in the new programme, too, with visits by Swansea's Ballet Russe with the enchanting Les Sylphides (May 8, £14.50-£8.50), together with extracts from selected classical ballets. And Independent Ballet Wales will be presenting Shakespeare's classic A Midsummer Night's Dream on July 1 (£14-£11, under 12s £8.50), as part of the Hunstanton Festival Of Arts.

Other attractions include nostalgic music treat the VE Day Celebration Show (May 7, £11.50-£8.50, concs available) and the Princess Theatre Club in Bedroom Farce (May 19-21, £8, concs £7)

Films will also be running on a regular basis. Confirmed titles include the excellent offbeat comedy Sideways (April 27-28), adventure remake Flight of the Phoenix (May 4-6), Will Smith's hit comedy Hitch (May 11-13), and acclaimed drama Hotel Rwanda (June 29-30).

For more details and bookings, call 01485 532252.