High flying French farce Boeing Boeing touches down at the Maddermarket, the Reduced Shakespeare Company plunder history for the funniest bits, Marlon Davis headlines the latest Off The Kerb comedy night, Sign of the Times is at Bury Theatre Royal and there is Parisian chamber music. SIMON PARKIN picks six cultural highlights not to miss this weekend.
THEATRE
Boeing Boeing
Maddermarket Theatre, Norwich, January 22-31, 7.30pm, 2.30pm Jan 31, £12-£8, 01603 620917, www.maddermarket.co.uk
The Maddermarket stages this classic farce of the 1960s written by the French playwright Marc Camoletti, which revolves around Bernard, an American architect residing in Paris who is engaged to three stewardesses from three different airlines, and none of them are aware of the others existence. When Robert, an old school chum comes to stay and the new, faster, Boeing aircraft is introduced causing schedule changes for the fiancées, Bernard's life takes a serious change for the chaotic. The English language adaptation, translated by Beverley Cross, recently enjoyed a successful West End revival. The production's director Rob Morris is a former commercial helicopter pilot; while Christopher Neal, who plays Robert, has his pilot's licence and flies light aircraft as a hobby.
SHOW
Reduced Shakespeare Company
Norwich Playhouse, January 24, 7.30pm, £15 (£12 cons), 01603 598598, www.norwichplayhouse.co.uk
They've skewered history, the Bible and the Bard — among many subjects stripped to their basics for comedic effect — now the Reduced Shakespeare Company is tackling comedy through the ages — from high-brow to low, Aristophanes to vaudeville, Charlie Chaplin to Nick Clegg — is the subject of the ever inventive ensemble's latest show, The Complete History of Comedy (Abridged). From cavemen telling 'Rock Rock' jokes to Chris Rock and everything in-between, the bad boys of abridgment leave no joke untold as they deconstruct the entire history of that very funny business of making other people laugh.
COMEDY
Off The Kerb
Norwich Arts Centre, January 23, 8pm, £12.50 (£10 cons), 01603 660352, www.norwichartscentre.co.uk
London-born comic, entertainer and improviser Marlon Davis, who has enjoyed a string of acclaimed shows, becoming a hot ticket on the stand-up circuit and enjoying a sold out run at London's Soho Theatre, is the headliner for the second of this new comedy club at Norwich Arts Centre. He will be joined by Michael Fabbri, who manages to effortlessly slip between some harsh, controversial topics to light-hearted silliness, and Irish stand-up Andrew Ryan. After TV appearances, Marlon fronted his own series on MTV called Brown Eyed Boy, while his one-man show Enter The Davism received much acclaim while he took his follow up Once Upon A Grime to Edinburgh.
THEATRE
Sign of the Times
Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, January 22-31, £36-£8.50, 01284 769505, www.theatreroyal.org
Tim Firth has had several goes at Sign of the Times, which opens the spring season at Bury Theatre Royal. He first wrote it as a one-act play nearly 20 years ago when it was called Man of Letters. After another rewrite, it became Absolutely Frank and was finally in 2011 as Sign of the Times. It concerns with Frank, an electrical installation engineer who has spend 25 years putting up giant letters on buildings. But his true ambition is to write novels. It is also the story of his assistant, a work experience teenager called Alan, who dreams of being a rock star. This Bury production stars Robert Gill and Thomas Pickles.
CONCERT
Chamber Music from Paris
John Innes Centre, Colney, January 24-25, £22, £8 students/under-25s, 01603 628319, www.norwichchambermusic.co.uk
Violinist Tedi Papavrami and pianist François-Frédéric Guy perform alongside the Parisii Quartet during weekend of three concerts featuring chamber music from Paris. Ravel, Debussy and Franck feature on January 24 (7.30pm). While the two concerts on January 25 featuring an Around the Groupe des Six programme of Poulenc Nocturnes for piano, Auric Sonata for solo violin and piano and Milhaud: String Quartet No.4 (11.30am); Chausson and Franck Violin Sonata in A major (3pm).
THEATRE
When You Cure Me
Sheringham Little Theatre, January 24, 7.30pm, £10 (£5 students), 01263 822347, www.sheringhamlittletheatre.com
Second Side's production of this bittersweet and poignant tale of love and misunderstanding centred around a group of teenagers' lives, an early play from Jack Thorne who went on to write Edinburgh Fringe hit Bunny and to adapt Let The Right One In and Stuart A Life backwards for the stage. Rachel and Peter are 17 and love's young dream. Then Rachel gets seriously ill. She doesn't want her mum to fuss; she doesn't want Alice to pretend she's her best friend; and she certainly doesn't want Alice's boyfriend telling bad jokes at her bedside. Also at the Seagull Theatre, Lowestoft (Feb 14) and Platform Theatre, Norwich's City College (Feb 20).
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