Theatre Guide Dog: Week 8

Theatre returns to a sensible volume of shows for our last week together. I, for one, am thankful. This is your last chance to get some cut-price amateur mind-candy, and the last chance for thesps to have their engorged egos massaged by largely uncritical student masses. What a fine world we live in.

West Side Story 15th- 26th March (except 20th)

Apparently Week 8 in Cambridge is rip-off-Romeo-and-Juliet week. Admittedly, this is a rather more accomplished one than last term’s attempt. Sparknotes will tell you what happens; just substitute New York names for Italian ones and you’ll be fine. But you don’t care about the plot, do you? It’s not even a very good one. What you want to know is whether there’ll be music and dancing. Well, there will be, and it might be good to boot.

ADC at 7.45  £8-12

The Tempest 15th-19th March

The Movement’s 2011 Spring Tour show, before it starts moving. Presented for our unworthy, uncomprehending peasant selves all in the comfort of Corpus. Shakespeare did an alright play about wizards and fairies, but I’m much more interested in the masks and puppets and music and other theatrical paraphernalia that these blithe spirits are adding into the mix. They have a snazzy tumblr too.

Corpus at 7  £5-6

Anything But (A One-Woman Play) 16th-19th March

If you read the title quickly enough it sounds like the answer to the question “what would you like to see at the theatre tonight?” But that’s probably not fair in this case, because Abi Tedder, this play’s monofemme, is very good. The Footlights President won a prize from the Footlights for writing this play, which says something for it, though I’m not quite sure what.

ADC at 11  £4-6

Life x 3 15th-19th March

Nothing to do with clubbing. Actually three very similar plays one after the other, which must have saved playwright Yasmina Reza some time when she was bashing this one out. We’ve already had a character drama about staging multiple realities in Corpus this term – but far from being a failing, this could be a golden opportunity to fulfill its predecessor’s missed opportunities.

Corpus at 9.30  £5-6

Sprung! 15th-16th March

Guide Dogs (even Theatre ones) don’t know much about dancing, and this show doesn’t even have a title I can do a joke about, so I’ll leave you to imagine some witty, perceptive commentary in the white space I’m about to leave.

Fitzpatrick Hall – Queens’ at 8  £4-5

Footlights Smoker 15th March

Your last opportunity of term to not see the Footlights crack some funnies because you were too slow to get a ticket.

ADC at 11 £6-7

And that’s that. If you want Theatre in the vacation you’re going to have to find it without me. I’ve heard that some unsubtle regional stereotypes helped guide you through the wilderness over Christmas. Maybe if you ask real nice they’ll come back. I wouldn’t pander to you like that, but it’s worth a try.

In the meantime I’m retiring to my penthouse-kennel to work on something big. You’ll like it – bring your bow-tie; I’ll have mine.