Christmas Treats

This year we have two very different Christmas offerings, although there is no home-grown 'pantomime for childish grown-ups' (fear not - Friends Theatre Company will be back with a vengeance in 2010).

First up is PETITE ROUGE: A CAJUN RED RIDING HOOD, which is being staged by Canvas Theatre from the University of Gloucestershire. The familiar fairy tale has been reworked into an enchanting musical where Red is a duck and the Wolf is now an alligator named Claude! This show is a perfect Christmas treat for children of all ages but has enough humour and intelligence to be enjoyed by adults too. The music is infectious and provides an ideal change from traditional pantomime. The performances take place at 7.45 on Thursday 10 December and 2.30 on Saturday 12 December, with full price tickets costing £8 and concessions for children, students and OAPs at just £6.

Then we have the UK premiere of a stage version of the classic film IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE. The play, like the film, is the ultimate in inspirational/feel-good entertainment in the run-up to Christmas as we see the effect George Bailey has on the world and what a different place it would be if he threw his life away. Performances take place from Thursday 17 - Saturday 19 and Monday 21 - Thursday 24 December at 7.45, with the exception of Christmas Eve when the performance will commence at 7.00. Tickets are £9 with concessions of £7 for students and OAPs and £5 for under-16s.