'Darling Buds of May' actor Tyler Butterworth tells the funny, moving and unashamedly nostalgic story of his much-loved parents, the nation’s first female TV impressionist Janet Brown, and the inimitable 'Carry On' star Peter Butterworth.
From heroic wartime escapades at POW camp Stalag Luft III to a night at Chequers with Mrs Thatcher, 'A Bit of a Carry On' is a warm and uplifting journey from wartime to showtime, taking us deep into the golden age of British TV and film comedy. With classic film and tv clips, rare photographs and a Q&A with Tyler, 'A Bit of a Carry On' is your chance to really get to know two of British comedy’s brightest stars, who lived to make us laugh.
Related upcoming events
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20/06/2024 7:30 pm - 22/06/2024 8:30 pm“Because whatever has happened to humanity, whatever is currently happening, it is happening to us all. No matter how far off the screams of pain and terror, we live in one world.” (Alice Walker) //
Premiere of an experimental play that takes for its structure the four parts of the Geneva Convention – Wounded & Sick / Maritime / Prisoners of War / Civilians – to tell an ancient/contemporary story of the random depravity of war and its existential / psychological impacts for those who are involved and those who are not.The work grows out of an international collaboration between local writer/theatremaker Mark C. Hewitt and renowned Norwegian percussionist/composer Thomas Strønen. Stylised and kaleidoscopic, the fractured evolving narrative is performed by 4 actresses from 4 different countries, variously delivering lines in English, French, Polish and a smattering of other languages.
• “BRILLIANT. Thought-provoking, raw, provocative, multi-dimensional; use of music, space, silence ... the brave lack of ‘closure’ or conventional narrative.” (Audience feedback)
• “Loved the performance, the set and how it changed, likewise the music ...” (Audience feedback)
• “A really powerful provocative piece.” (Audience feedback)
Written & directed by Mark C. Hewitt. Performed by Marta Carvalho, Leann O'Kasi, Melissa Sirol, Maria Ziołkowska. Music by Thomas Strønen, performed and recorded by Time Is A Blind Guide. Technical design by Paul Phillips. Videography by Matt Parsons. Movement consultant: Miriam King.
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27/06/2024 7:30 pm - 29/06/2024 9:30 pmRoad
'Road' explores the lives of a small, close-knit community living in the eponymous 'road' in a working class, Lancashire town during the era of the 1980's Thatcher government - a time of high unemployment, civil unrest and deprivation.The action takes place over the course of one evening as the residents of the road prepare to go out to the pub and then on home afterwards. Despite its explicit nature, it was considered extremely effective in portraying the desperation of people's lives at this time, as well as containing a great deal of gritty, Northern humour.A passionate, poetic and positive portrayal of working class life wherein in the audience is invited to follow the narrator, Scullery, as he travels along the road, visiting the different homes of the characters and getting messy in the local pub.'Road' is the first play written by Jim Cartwright, and was first produced in 1986. The play was initially performed at the Royal Court Theatre "Upstairs", with Edward Tudor-Pole as Scullery, moving "Downstairs" in 1987 with Ian Drury as the narrator. It was later made for television by renowned director Alan Clarke and starred many young actors who later became well-known including Jane Horrocks, David Thewlis, Moya Brady and Lesley Sharp. The play has won numerous awards including the George Devine Award, Plays and Players Award and the Samuel Beckett Award.