Theatre Picks In Bath
Sat 10 Jun-Sat 1 Jul. Theatre Royal Bath. Roman Holiday. Evening shows plus matinees on Wed and Sat. The 1953 movie with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck did much to boost tourism in post war Rome – in this production the leads are Michael D. Xavier and Rebecca Collingwood who take the audience into the fanciful world of 1950s Italy where a youthful princess and an American journalist on a frenetic 24-hour adventure through the delights of the Italian capital featuring the music of Cole Porter to add to its romantic sparkle.
Thu 19 Jun. Rondo Theatre. The Half. Danielle Ward’s bitter sweet comedy about two female comedians reunited for a new show after not speaking to each other for years. Presented by Tread Softly Productions. As they prepare backstage to revive their comedy sketch show based on the cult gothic movie, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? their unresolved acrimonious split sees accusations spill out.
Thu 22 Jun. Ustinov Studio. Godot Was A Woman. A comic feminist and non-binary rebuttal to Samuel Beckett’s dictate that no woman can play the characters in Waiting for Godot. 8pm.
Sat 1 Jul. Rondo Theatre. The Marriage of Figaro . 7:30pm. Bath Opera bring Mozart’s comic opera to the city following a short tour. The production is set at Almaviva Studios, a big budget film studio in the 1950s run by a powerful and influential producer who insists on being called “The Count”.
Sat-Sun,1-2 Jul. Egg Theatre. The Snail and The Whale. Various performance times. A play with music inspired by the book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. Join an adventurous young girl and her seafaring father as they re-imagine the story of a tiny snail’s incredible trip around the world.
Tue 4-Wed 5 Jul. Masonic Hall at Old Theatre Royal The Haunting of Richard the Third. 7:30pm. The eve of the Battle of Bosworth Field: Richard the Third passes an uneasy night, visited by spectres who lead him through the journey of his life. This Richard is neither the villain of Shakespeare nor the hero of romantic fiction. He is driven to tragedy by a love for his family and political circumstances. The play was premiered at the Frome Festival last year by Kairos Theatre, a local company, who are now taking the production on a short tour.
Tue 4-Sat 8 Jul. Mission Theatre. A Streetcar Named Desire. Nightly at 7:30pm with a Sat matinee. Tennessee Williams’ drama set in New Orleans – a powerful portrayal of love, lust and loneliness.
Wed 5-Sat 8 Jul. Rondo Theatre. Henry VI. 7:30pm. Rondo Theatre Company produces William Shakespeare’s trilogy of history plays (adapted by Nic Proud) in support of the Royal Osteoporosis Society. For students of the bard and for those who have not seen this classic of the canon – it’s a don’t miss.
Tue-Sat, 20-22 Jul. Kingswood Theatre, Lansdown. Oliver! With the students of Bath Theatre School who stage the musical version of the Charles Dickens’ novel with Lionel Bart’s Oliver!
Theatre Picks Outside Bath
Wed 7-Sat 24 Jun. Bristol Old Vic Theatre. Anna Kareninina. Tolstoy’s story of doomed love in 19th century Russia is given an update.
Thu 22-Sat 24 Jun. Bristol Old Vic. Henry V. Bristol Old Vic Theatre School brings the setting from Medieval England to 1980s New York in a business power struggle.
Wed 5-Thu 6 Jul. Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham. Sense And Sensibility. Jane Austen’s story of the Dashwood sisters is brought to the Studio in Cheltenham by Hotbuckle, in this new version by Adrian Preater.
Wed–Sat, 13-15 Jul. Tobacco Factory. The Cherry Orchard. Bristol School of Acting stage Anton Chekhov’s powerful evocation of a world on the brink of immense social change.
Pick of Diary Events in Bath
Thu 1-Sun 11 Jun. Bath Fringe. Various events with a festival of all the arts in numerous venues. Venues include: Alice Park; The Assembly Inn; The Barley Mow; Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution; The Bell; Burdall’s Yard; Chapel Arts Centre; The Edge, University of Bath; The Grapes; Green Park Brasserie; Komedia; The Little Theatre Cinema; Magdalen Chapel; The Mission Theatre; The Museum of Bath at Work; New Oriel Hall; Newark Works; Outdoor – New Bond Street / Milsom Street junction; Rondo Theatre; Roper Theatre, West Wing, Hayesfield Girls School; Secret Location in Bath; St Nicholas Church Field; St Swithins Church; St. Michael’s Church; Walcot House; Walcot Methodist Chapel; Widcombe Social Club. See https://www.bathfringe.co.uk/ for all the events. There really is something for everyone including children.
Sat-Sun, 10-11 Jun. The Edge, University of Bath. Bonnie and Clyde. Thrilling and sexy musical with a non-traditional score, combining blues, gospel and rockabilly music.
Sun 11 Jun. Chapel Arts. Flamenco Express. With guitar virtuoso Chris Clavo, singer Antonio El Pola, and dancer Juan Carlos Avecilla from Cadiz.
Fri 16 Jun. Komedia. The Saviours. R&B soul in aid of the Genesis Trust a Bath-based charity offering immediate practical help to people who are hungry, homeless and vulnerable, and providing long-term help and opportunities for them to rebuild their lives.
Fri 16 Jun. St Luke’s Church. A Concert of Light and Hope for Oleksandriya, Ukraine. The Silver Ring Choir of Bath are joined by beautiful young Ukrainian soloist Nicole Medin for a summer concert of light and hope. Proceeds will go to the Friends of Oleksandriya charity to provide essential medical supplies for the Children’s Hospital in Oleksandriya.
Sat-Sun17-18 Jun. Widcombe Arts Trail. It is community based organisation where a group of talented local artists display their works of art and you get the opportunity to explore the beautiful parish of Widcombe.
Tue 20-Thu 22 Jun. The Forum. 5.30pm. WWDF KS1 Dance Festival. West Wiltshire Schools Sports Partnership stage shows by young dancers to perform on the big stage. They will also be inspired by two KS3 performances from local schools with a theme of books.
Sun 25 Jun. Bath’s Jewish Cemetery Open Day. 11am to 4pm, free. About 100 people from Bath’s 18th and 19th century Jewish community are thought to be buried in this peaceful semi-secret place behind high walls. There is a printed guide – or if you bring your smartphone you can find out about the history of the community and find online biographies for the people buried here with our online guide. The burial ground is located on Bradford Rd by the roundabout entrance to Mulberry Park, 1 Greendown Place BA2 5DD. Bus no 2 from Bath Railway Station stops close by. Free parking along Bradford Rd. Wheelchairs can come down the steps via a ramp (though the ground is uneven once inside).
Fri 30 Jun. Chapel Arts. ‘Your Song’ – a Celebration of the Songs of Elton John. Performed by singer-songwriter John Reilly and pianist and composer Lewis Nitikman. This is not a tribute, so no dressing up, no miming and no backing tracks. Just two consummate professionals celebrating amazing, timeless songs.
Sat- Sun, 1-2 Jul. 165 Newbridge Hill, Bath, BA1 3PX. Sculpture to Enhance a Garden. ‘Sculpture to Enhance a Garden’ returns for its 9th year with three amazing sculptors – Daren Greenhow, Steve Mansfield, Jacquie Primrose – who will be exhibiting their work in this Bath in Bloom gold medal winning garden. Opening in conjunction with the National Garden Scheme (NGS) which supports nursing charities this opening will also raise money for The Peggy Dodd Centre in Combe Down which supports those suffering from memory loss and their carers. Delicious homemade cakes, scones and light lunches are served. Pieces of sculpture are for sale. Entrance £5 at the gate or in advance. 07793085267. helen@thehiddengardensofbath.co.uk
Sat 8 Jul. Bath Abbey. Mendelssohn’s Elijah. Bath Bach Choir. Matthew Brook and Southern Sinfonia. With Laura Lolita Perešivana soprano; Lotte Betts-Dean mezzo soprano; James Way tenor; Matthew Brook baritone; Marcus Sealy continuo.
Pick of Diary Events outside of Bath
Sat 1 Jul. St Pauls Carnival Bristol. Bristol’s annual celebration of African and Caribbean culture, St Pauls Carnival, returns this summer to the city’s streets under the theme of Learning from Legends.
7-9 July. Priddy Folk Festival. With a line up of bands including The Drystones and The Jeremiahs plus a free fringe festival, a children’s festival, workshops, food and drink and dance from morris sides and display dance groups and ceilidhs. Priddy is a small village with a famous green in the Mendips. Tickets/info at www.priddyfolk.org
Exhibition Picks in Bath
American Museum, Bath. Claverton. The Museum features collections from the United States where you can visit room sets that recreate periods of American history giving the feeling that someone has just stepped out, as well as our world-renowned folk art, quilt and map collections. The Exhibition Gallery has a rotating programme of temporary exhibitions showcasing different links to American culture such as dinosaurs, photography, fashion, American music, history and travel. As part of an exciting new partnership with the Saatchi Gallery, the American Museum & Gardens presents America in Crisis in our Exhibition Gallery from 11 March to 4 July 2023. America in Crisis brings together over 80 works from 39 top American photographers, exploring social change in the US through the lens of a diverse group of artists from the 1960s till today. Experience events close-up, with incredible photography capturing different perspectives during tumultuous times, and get involved with the interactive, immersive displays exploring image classification and consumption.
Museum of Bath at Work. Julian Rd, Bath BA1 2RH. A Visual Record of a City at Work exhibition continues with photos and videos. Enter the world of working Bath through a series of authentically reconstructed workplaces, workshops and display galleries. Two thousand years of working life are on display from a Victorian ironmongers and engineering works, a soft drinks making factory and even a Bath Stone mine working, all on show in a former Real Tennis court, dating from 1777. Displays in two galleries: Landscapes and Livelihoods and Knowing Your Place.
Victoria Art Gallery. Bath Society of Artists 118th Annual Exhibition. In its 118th year, this exhibition showcases the best of the region’s artistic talent through many different forms, including paintings, drawings, prints and sculpture. Many distinguished 20th-century painters have exhibited with the Society in the past, including Walter Sickert, Mary Fedden and Howard Hodgkin.Until June 24.
Herschel Museum of Astronomy. Commemorating 200 years since the death of William Herschel. Star Viewfinders. Come and make a star viewfinder and take part in the National Star Count. Find out how light pollution can affect our views of the constellations and see how many stars you can spot from your back garden. Drop in activity. Free with museum entry. Activity will run daily in the gallery.
Burdell’s Yard. Vivid by Melissa Wraxall. Until 24 June. Art exhibition. Free.
Exhibition Picks outside Bath
Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, Queens Road. The art of Japanese porcelain. The exhibition examines how Japan became the global leading makers of porcelain between 1640 and 1680. Until 30 July 2023. The Cave Art of Lascaux: a Virtual Reality Experience at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. Step back in time 21,000 years and visit the incredible Stone Age cave art of Lascaux in immersive 3D. Until 10 Sept 2023.
Stonehenge Visitor Centre. Circles of Stone: Stonehenge and Prehistoric Japan is a new exhibition celebrating the rich culture of prehistoric Japan. Through a number of exquisite objects, some seen for the first time outside of Japan, the exhibition tells the story of Japanese settlements and stone circles of the middle and late Jomon periods, roughly the same time when Stonehenge was built and used. Until 20 August 2023.