FANS of live entertainment in Melksham are in for a treat over the next month as the Assembly Hall is set to host a trio of live shows.
The bumper month will see three shows take place before the end of February with live screenings of Private Lives and the National Theatre’s War Horse and Coriolanus, with tickets for all three events still available for £10 per show.
The first show will take place on Thursday 30th January with a live screening of Coriolanus, the hugely anticipated National Theatre performance which tells the story of a threat on Rome as the city calls on a hero and a defender – Coriolanus. But he has enemies at home too. Famine threatens the city, the citizens’ hunger swells to an appetite for change and on returning from the field, Coriolanus must confront the march of political unrest and the voice of an angry people.
The show, which starts at 7pm, stars Tom Hiddleston (star of The Deep Blue Sea, Thor and War Horse, and BBC’s The Hollow Crown and Return to Cranford) in the title role and Mark Gatiss (star of BBC’s Sherlock, the League of Gentlemen and Doctor Who) as Menenius. The production is directed by the Donmar’s highly-acclaimed artistic director Josie Rourke.
The following live event takes place on Friday 7th February with a live screening of Private Lives, a West End Theatre Series Screening with the show starting at 7.30pm. This explosive production has the power to thrill, provoke and delight as it tells the story of Elyot Chase and Amanda Prynne who are glamorous, rich, reckless . . . and divorced. Five years later, their love for one another is unexpectedly rekindled when they take adjoining suites of a French hotel while honeymooning with their new spouses. This chance encounter instantly reignites their passion, and they fling themselves headlong into a whirlwind of love and lust once more, without a thought for partners present or turbulences past.
This production of Private Lives has received much critical acclaim: ‘one of the finest productions of the play I have seen …. startlingly fresh, funny and unexpectedly moving’ (The Daily Telegraph), ‘You don’t want the night to end’ (The Sunday Times), ‘Quite possibly the performance of a lifetime for Stephens’ (The Independent) , Amanda Prynne is a role Anna Chancellor was born to play’ (The Financial Times).
The trio of upcoming live events is concluded with a live screening from the National Theatre with their performance of War Horse on Thursday 27th February with doors opening at 6.00pm for a 7.00pm start.
Since its first performance at the National Theatre in 2007, War Horse has become an international smash hit, capturing the imagination of four million people around the world.
Based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel and adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford, War Horse takes audiences on an extraordinary journey from the fields of rural Devon to the trenches of First World War France. Filled with stirring music and songs, this powerfully moving and imaginative drama is a show of phenomenal inventiveness. At its heart are astonishing life-size puppets by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, who bring breathing, galloping, charging horses to thrilling life on stage.
For more information about the live performances or other events at Assembly Hall call 01225 709887 or visit www.melkshamassemblyhall.com
