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Theatre PREVIEWS Being Tommy Cooper Lichfield Garrick, Tues 4 June; New Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham, Wed 12 June; Regent Theatre, Stoke-on-Trent, Wed 19 June Tom Green’s celebration of one of Britain's favourite comedians has proved to be a real winner with theatre critics. It’s garnered plenty of plaudits for the way in which it presents both the Tommy Cooper beloved of so many, and also a darker, more troubled Tommy Cooper, who lurked in the shadows behind the comedy fez and dodgy magic tricks. Bringing to the stage once again some of Cooper’s classic routines, the play is also a study of the characters who inhabited the comedian’s world - including the manager with whom he engaged in a ‘hate-hate’ relationship and the woman who became his wife. Lionboy Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, Tues 18 - Thurs 20 June The company behind this show is the awardwinning Complicite, who’ve been widely praised for the imaginativeness of their threatrical productions. This is their first show for families and young people, and is based on Zizou Corder’s bestselling Lionboy trilogy. When eleven-year-old Charlie Ashanti’s parents are kidnapped, the young lad sets off on a rescue mission, assisted only by a floating circus, its pride of performing lions, and his rather unique ability to speak to cats... The show is suitable for children aged eight and older. Are You Being Served? Artrix, Bromsgrove, Tues 25 - Sat 29 June Are You Being Served? is yet another in a long line of stage shows derived from classic television sitcoms. The trend is certainly a well-established one, with theatrical versions of Rising Damp, Yes, Prime Minister, Dad’s Army, Fawlty Towers, Steptoe And Son, Porridge, Birds Of A Feather and Dinnerladies all having done the rounds in recent years. The original TV series focused on the alwayshumorous goings-on in the department store of Grace Brothers, where characters such as Mr Humphries and Mrs Slocombe kept the tills ringing merrily and the double entendres coming thick and fast. This amateur production by All And Sundry finds the Grace Brothers staff heading off on their hols while the department store is redecorated. But all’s not quite how they expected to find it in sunny Costa Plonka... The 39 Steps Malvern Theatre, Mon 17 - Sat 22 June Anybody who remembers the various film versions of John Buchan's classic spy thriller will be hard-pressed to call any of them 'humorous', so it's a bit weird, to say the least, to think of this stage version having bagged the Olivier Award for Best New Comedy! Nonetheless, that's exactly what it's done, courtesy of some imaginative thinking on the part of its creative team. So why not catch up with handsome hero Richard Hannay as he battles to remain impressively stiff-upper-lipped in the face of dastardly murders and encounters with double-crossing secret agents. Oh, and there are some beautiful and mysterious women involved, too, so it's not all bad news for our intrepid hero... Four fearless actors play no fewer than one hundredand-thirty-nine roles in this real gem of a show. Catching Snowflakes Blue Orange Theatre, Birmingham, Thurs 27 - Sat 29 June Humour, drama and music are here combined in a production which reflects on one woman’s quest for lifelong happiness, and her growing realisation that she may never be able to find it. Young, exuberant and enigmatic, Paula loves Jerry and wants to spend the rest of her life with him in a state of marital bliss. But then Anton appears on the scene, and Paula begins to realise that living ‘happily ever after’ may be a harder thing to do than she’d originally imagined... A Midsummer Night’s Dream Stafford Castle, Thurs 27 June - Sat 13 July Accessible language, likeable characters, romantic liaisons, magical creatures and a series of comic capers with an ass combine to make this one of the Bard’s most popular works. Lysander and Demetrius both fancy Hermia, Helena’s sitting on the shelf, Titania and Oberon are up to no good, and Puck’s got his finger in more pies than Mr Kipling. Add a group of rude mechanicals and the recipe for success is guaranteed. This outdoor production of the Bard’s farcical comedy marks the twenty-third production in Stafford Festival Shakespeare, an annual event recognised as one of Europe’s largest open-air Shakespeare events. A scene from last year’s production of Romeo And Juliet Widower’s Houses New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Fri 14 - Sat 29 June George Bernard Shaw’s first ever play throws the spotlight on the skeletons that lurk in the most middle-class of cupboards. Cupid’s arrow does its work when the impetuous Harry Trench encounters beautiful heiress Blanche Sartorius. A match made in heaven, it seems the sound of wedding bells will soon be in the air - until, that is, Harry discovers the truth about is soon-to-be father-inlaw... James And The Giant Peach Belgrade Theatre, Coventry, Tues 11 - Sat 15 June; Crewe Lyceum Theatre, Tues 9 - Sat 13 July One of Roald Dahl's best loved and most famous masterpieces, James And The Giant Peach tells the tall tale of a little boy (bet you can't guess what his name is!) and the truly torrid and terrible time he has with his revolting old aunties, Sponge and Spiker. Given how generally unpleasant his life is, it's no surprise that James leaps at the chance to have an adventure - and suddenly finds himself involved with a mystical old man who gives him a bag that contains the strongest magic the world has ever known. And when James accidentally spills the contents of the bag near an old peach tree, it isn't long before the most incredible things start to happen... www.whatsonlive.co.uk 33