January is traditionally a quieter month on the amateur theatre scene, as most thespians have taken some well-deserved time out over the festive period, but readthroughs and rehearsals are underway as we speak and there are some fabulous shows to look forward to.
The Pepperpot Players invite you to a comedy murder mystery, Agatha Crusty and the Village Hall Murders.
There has been a sudden crime wave in sleepy Chortleby!
Why are the members of the Village Hall committee seemingly in danger?
Can the renowned author Agatha Crusty (ably hindered by the world’s most incompetent detective) track down ‘whodunnit’ and restore peace to the village?
Cheer up your January with this very funny murder mystery by coming along to Niton Village Hall at 19:30 on 28th and 29th January or 14:00 on 30th January for some new year laughs.
The play focuses on the life of Alan Turing, regarded as the father of the modern computer and a central figure in the breaking of the Enigma codes used by German military during world war two.
His work as part of the team of code-breakers that became “the geese that laid the golden eggs but never cackled” resulted in him being decorated by Winston Churchill.
However, Alan Turing was a code breaker in a different way; his conviction for homosexuality and his subsequent treatment at the hands of the British establishment overshadowed the part he played in helping to shorten the war and save countless lives.
Breaking the Code runs from Friday, February 4th to Saturday, May 12th. There are no performances on February 6th or 7th.
Tickets can be obtained from the Apollo Theatre online at https://www.apollo-theatre.org.uk/breaking-the-code/ or by calling 01983 210010.
Meanwhile, The Island Savoyards, who are also celebrating their Golden Anniversary this year, are back in the rehearsal room for their spring production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
The show has an incredibly beautiful score with songs from the Disney animated film, which our choir, ensemble and principals are enjoying the challenge of learning.
Tickets are on sale now from Shanklin Theatre box office: https://www.shanklintheatre.com/events/the_island_savoyards_present_the_hunchback_of_notre_dame/details.aspx
Also coming up in the next few months, Trinity Theatre will be staging The Shadow Factory; Ventnor Theatre Group bring us the musical Legally Blonde and Bembridge Little Theatre Club will be producing the classic Noel Coward comedy Blithe Spirit.
Later in the year look out for some Gilbert and Sullivan, while the team who have brought you a variety of Shakespeare plays over the last few years are teaming up with the well-known Ad Lib Theatre at Northwood House to bring you a version of Hamlet unlike any you have seen before!
So whatever your theatrical tastes, there should be something for you to enjoy over the coming months – and you will be able to keep up to date about what’s coming up month by right here – I look forward to sharing the dramatic joys of 2022 with you.
