KEY FOR TWO

John Chapman and Dave Freeman's wickedly hilarious British comedy.

Performance Dates:
April 6 - 30, Wed to Sat at 8pm
Saturday matinees at 2pm

Venue:
Promethean Theatre
116 Grote Street, Adelaide

Bookings:
Phone 8346 9272
Adults $16 Concession $12 Matinees $12

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

Written by Eleanor & Ray Harder
Director John Fitzpatrick

Based on the famous Dik Browne Comic Strip, Hagar The Horrible, tells the tale of this gruff piratical Viking Chief. Unfortunately, his supposedly equally dreadful band of Viking marauders, don't quite fir the mould Hagar visualises. The plot wanders through invasions of England, and France where we find Hagar and Eddie dining at a Parisian street cafe. Grog parties at the local tavern, and nights at sea abaord Hagar's ship with an animated dragon's head prow.Many zany characters brought to life in this great musical, comedy play.

Performance Dates:
April 15 - 30 (Fri & Sat) at 8pm
April 23 and 30 at 2pm

Venue:
The Arts Centre (Old Institute Building)
22 Gawler Street, Port Noarlunga

Bookings:
Phone Robert Wiese on 8384 7334
Adults $15 Concession $12

ONE SMALL STEP

Written by Heather Nimmo
Director Catherine Fitzgerald

Move over Shirley Valentine...and bring on Regina! A fast stepping Australian mum, not quite 'barefoot in the kitchen' but definitely in need of new shoes! Will she make the leap?

Performance Dates:
April 19 - 30 (Tues - Sat) at 8pm

Venue:
Bakehouse Theatre
255 Angas Street, Adelaide

Bookings:
Phone 8227 0505 or tickets at the door.
Adults $15 Concession $12 Preview and Groups 8+ $10

ABSURD PERSON SINGULAR

A series of dinner disasters, maddening mishaps, and social catastrophes replace the usual carolers, candy canes, and cheery family gatherings associated with Christmas time in Sir Alan Ayckbourns' "Absurd Person Singular". In this wacky British Comedy, we meet three couples who meet on three successive Christmas Eves to struggle amongst themselves to save face and their places on the social ladder.

First, we find ourselves in the kitchen of Jane and Sidney Hopcroft, a couple overly eager to impress Sidney's superiors. Jane and Sidney bussle around trying to perfect their household- but even days of careful planning could not anticipate the disasters that lie ahead....

The following year, womaniser Geoffrey Jackson finds himself dealing with a disaster of his own in his untidy kitchen involving his suicidal wife, a large opinionated dog and high voltage electricity.

Finally, the upper-class couple Ronald and Marion host a Christmas party of their own. One of our friendly characters struggles with an alcohol addiction and all the guests find themselves out in the cold.

By the end, the social ladder has completely shifted and it's a complete surprise as to who comes out on top!

Performance Dates:
April 21 - 23, 28 - 30 at 8pm
April 23 at 2pm

Venue:
Domain Theatre,
Marion Cultural Centre

Bookings:
Phone Christine on 8356 0039.

EVOLUTION

Written by Cathy Cox

Evolution! The Comedy: A gigantic giga-blast that takes you by the scruff of the neck and drags you forcibly through the dark alleys and musty cupboards of our chequered heritage. We answer the big questions: Was God a success at school? Why did dinosaurs become extinct? And learn more about Douglas Mawson's trousers. Be there or Be a throwback

Performance Dates:
May 6 and 7 at 7.30pm
Meals commence 6pm

Venue:
Caos Café
186 Hindley Street, Adelaide

Bookings:
Phone BASS on 131 246 or book online.
Adults $16 Concession $13

THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR

Written By William Shakespeare
Director Alice Teasdale

A night of mild smut, beer, song, bad decor, and worse manners! In The Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare has taken the most lovably silly of his comic characters and given them a whole play to annoy, deceive, provoke, and seduce each other (not to mention throw one another into the muddiest bits of the Thames). The sharp-tongued, the devious, the argumentative, the honest and the extremely stupid alike are out to get Falstaff who's seduced and insulted his greasy way into everybody's bad books.

Performance Dates:
May 14, 17 - 21, 24 - 28 at 7.30pm

Venue:
The Little Theatre, The Cloisters (off Victoria Drive)
University of Adelaide

Bookings:
Phone 8303 5999 or visit www.adelaide.edu.au/clubs/theatreguild
Adult $20 Concession $15

LEND ME A TENOR

Directed by Theresa Dolman.

One of the best loved stories in show business is the understudy who becomes the star overnight, and playwright Ken Ludwig has captured this scenario brilliantly in his very witty and popular comedy "Lend Me a Tenor".

Set in the mid-1930's in Cleveland, Ohio, the fate of a sell out charity concert is in jeopardy when the Italian tenor, hired to sing the lead, has fallen into a drunken stupor and is presumed dead. There is much wailing as everyone is searching for a solution, when the impresario's unassuming assistant, who has operatic ambitions, steps into the breech and wins acclaim as Othello.

But when the tenor awakens, dons his costume and heads for the stage, the result is a hilarious comedy described as "furiously paced with more than a touch of the Marx brothers, a marvellous combination of wonderful farcical moments and funny situations". Ad a volatile Italian wife, an outrageous bellhop and a cynical impresario it is a recipe to rival the classic farces.

Performance Dates:
May 19 - 21, 24 - 28 at 8pm
Matinees each Saturday at 2.30pm

Venue:
Tea Tree Players Theatre
Surrey Downs

Bookings:
Phone 8289 5266
Adults $11 Concession $9

INFLUENCE

World premiere production
A Sydney Theatre Company production

STARRING Zoe Carides + Edwin Hodgeman
DIRECTOR Bruce Myles
SET DESIGNER Laurence Eastwood
COSTUME DESIGNER Ingrid Weir
LIGHTING DESIGNER Peter Neufeld

Williamson in top form - scathing and bitingly funny.

Ziggy Blasco is a talk-back host whose power rests in his influence. He fills the airwaves with his appeals to commonsense, his hard line with terrorists and his lashings at political correctness. Politicians beg to be on his show. He is courted by the world. But in the private sphere, Ziggy's influence is fading away. He can barely maintain a conversation with his glamorous young wife Carmela. His daughter swings between truancy and dabbling in the stockmarket - with his money. His sister despises all that he stands for and while Ziggy preaches to the metropolis that there is no such thing as the working poor, his own housekeeper struggles to provide for her family. Now his elderly migrant father reveals a dark family secret and threatens to go to the press. Just how far does Ziggy's influence reach?

Performance Dates:
May 18 - June 4

Venue:
The Dunstan Playhouse
Adelaide Festival Centre

Bookings:
Phone BASS on 131 246 or visit www.bass.net.au

STEAMING

Matt Byrne Media will shock Adelaide sensibilities when it unveils Nell Dunn's riotous, irrepressible and revealing comedy Steaming at Holden Street.

Matt Byrne will produce and direct the show and outstanding young Adelaide designer Louise Dunn will recreate the East End London Turkish bath in the intimacy of The Studio at Holden Street.

"Nell Dunn's heart-warming, side-splitting, gut-wrenching comedy is a contemporary classic of British theatre and we are delighted to be the first Adelaide company to present this wonderful play," Mr. Byrne said.

"Steaming is a gritty, irreverent, ribald, passionate, intimate and uncompromising piece of theatre that will astonish audiences with its audacity, eccentricity and full frontal honesty. Audiences will laugh and cry with these superbly crafted characters whose situations mirror the lives of so many women."

Byrne said the show was known for its colourful characters, its razor sharp dialogue and YES its nudity.

"Nell Dunn has set it in an ageing Turkish bath house where disrobing is an essential and natural part of this illuminating look at a group of women who find friendship and support in a place where they can reveal their true hopes and fears," he said.

The cast for Steaming is a wonderful mix of experienced and fresh faces who will play the six women in the show.

Glaswegian-born actor and now Adelaide standup comedienne Maggie Moore - better known as "Mags" to radio listeners - will play the plum role of Violet who runs the Turkish bath with a mighty heart and a shrinking budget.

Exciting newcomer Dianne Corston will play the role of unquenchable fireball Josie whose passion is needed to save the Baths when the local council decides to demolish them to make way for yet another library.

Legendary Adelaide performer and TV producer Penni Hamilton-Smith will play the role of the redoubtable Mrs. Meadow whose life revolves around the baths and her child-like 35-year-old daughter Dawn. Stirling Players stalwart Maxine Grubel-Wilson will play the dizzy Dawn who is a 12-year-old in a 35-year-old body. They are a double act still joined by the umbilical cord of interdependence.

Joanna Webb, just returned from a 10-year stint in the UK will play the corporate wife with no real life, Nancy, and Rosanne Joyner, known for her award-winning performance in Bed Among The Lentils will play the bohemian Jane who keeps the women on an even keel when things threaten to boil over.

Performance Dates:
May 19 - 21, 25 - 28 and June 1 - 4 at 8pm
May 28 at 2pm

Venue:
The Studio, Holden Street Theatres
34 Holden Street, Hindmarsh

Bookings:
Phone 8262 4906 or Venue Tix on 8225 8888 or visit www.mattbyrnemedia.com.au for further details.
Adult $25 Concession or Groups 10+ $20

SILLY COW

Directed by Robert Andrews

Ben Elton is a prolific and innovative master of comedy who has written for both stage and screen, being responsible for many a laugh or two in BBC television series including "The Young Ones" and "Black Adder". Silly Cow is one of his first three professionally produced plays written originally for live theatre and published in the same volume with Gasping and Popcorn.

The plot revolves around Doris - a brassy, witty journalist who has her own theatre column that is pure abuse. Needless to say, Doris gets her comeuppance in a way that only Ben Elton could write. Doris will be played by Pamela Munt who is really looking forward to being on the other side of the stage and having a break from directing.

Ann Portus who has appeared in many and varied roles at the Bakehouse Theatre will play the role of Doris's personal assistant Peggy. Ann has recently returned from London and is looking forward to working with Pamela again after first doing so in Unseen's 2002 production of Lords and Ladies.

The Silly Cow cast also includes Steven Parker as Sidney, the populist tabloid newspaper man who likes to think of himself as a rough diamond, Sean Venning as the kindly but astute accountant and Mark Drury as Eduardo - Doris's street-wise toy boy.

Performance Dates:
June 24 - July 9 (Wed - Sat) at 8pm

Venue:
Bakehouse Theatre
255 Angas Street, Adelaide

Bookings:
Phone the Bakehouse on 8227 0505 or BASS on 131 246.
Adults $15 Concession $12 Groups 10+ $10

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

Written by William Shakespeare
Director Gerard Ryan

Gerard Ryan always brings a fresh take on the plays he directs, and this year brings us a very funny new version of Shakespeare's battle of the sexes comedy, exploring the culture of the late 1970s.

Enjoy our cabaret style seating and bar facilities, or BYO.

Performance Dates:
July 6-9, 13-16 July at 8pm
Special twlight performance Sunday 10 July at 6pm
Matinee Saturday 16 July at 2pm

Venue:
Burnside Ballroom
Corner Greenhill and Portrush Roads

Bookings:
Phone BASS on 131 246 or call 0500 520 105 (local call)
Adults $16 Concession $12 Groups 10+ $14

BABES IN THE WOOD

A traditional pantomime - fun for all the family!

Performance Dates:
July 14 - 16 at 7.30pm
Saturday matinee at 2.30pm

Venue:
Tea Tree Players Theatre
Surrey Downs

Bookings:
Phone 8289 5266
All tickets $8

SATURDAY, SUNDAY, MONDAY

Written By Eduardo de Filippo
Director Geoff Crowhurst

Saturday, Sunday, Monday is exquisite Italian fare: love, marriage and ragu - cooked to perfection in the warm Naples sun - simmered slowly in the rich sauce of Neapolitan passion - seasoned with comedy and peppered with laughs. One of Italy's greats, Eduardo de Filippo invites you to share the comedy and tragedy that make up the theatre of life in his hometown, Naples.

Performance Dates:
August 6, 9 - 13 and 16 - 20 at 7.30pm

Venue:
Little Theatre, The Cloisters (off Victoria Drive)
University of Adelaide

Bookings:
Phone 8303 5999 or visit www.adelaide.edu.au/clubs/theatreguild
Adults $20 Concession $15

IT CAN DAMAGE YOUR HEALTH

A hilarious British comedy about a hospital ward and its endearing patients.

Performance Dates:
August 5 - 20 (Fri - Sat) at 8pm
August 13 and 20 at 2pm

Venue:
Arts Centre
22 Gawler Street, Port Noarlunga

Bookings:
Phone 8322 5845
Adults $15 Concession $12

MOON OVER BUFFALO

Hilarious misunderstandings pile up on madcap adventures!

Performance Dates:
August 18 - 27 (Thurs - Sat) at 8pm
Saturday matinees at 2.30pm

Venue:
Tea Tree Players Theatre
Surrey Downs

Bookings:
Phone 8289 5266
Adults $11 Concession $9

MIRACLES

When a supermarket cashier hears the voice of God through her cash register, her life is changed forever. She is lauded by pilgrims, despised by the church and exploited by her boss as her cash register becomes a shrine. A delightful Australian urban fable.

Performance Dates:
September 15 - October 1
Thurs, Fri and Sat at 8pm
Sun, Tues and Wed at 6.30pm
Matinee Saturday 24 September at 2.30pm

Venue:
Promethean Theatre
116 Grote Street, Adelaide

Bookings:
Phone 0439 533 173
Adults $25 Concession $17

BOMBSHELLS

A Melbourne Theatre Company production

STARRING Caroline O'Connor
DIRECTOR Simon Phillips
DESIGNER Shaun Gurton
LIGHTING DESIGNER David Murray
COMPOSER Elena Kats-Chernin

"A triumph of writing, performance and direction… immensely entertaining… a remarkable tour de force" The Age
"O'Connor is jaw-droppingly good" Sunday Times

Following a sell-out season in Edinburgh, a dream run in London's West End and two huge seasons in Melbourne, the critically acclaimed one-woman show Bombshells explodes onto the Playhouse stage starring the phenomenal Caroline O'Connor. With stunning versatility, O'Connor portrays six women barely coping with the stresses of modern life. A mother of three tells of her day as if she were a war correspondent. From romantic thrill to cynical chill, a bride negotiates the emotional terrain of her special day. A teenage schoolgirl fights tooth and nail in an amateur talent quest. A cabaret artiste reveals more emotional baggage than could be borne in any torch song.

Local Adelaide girl and now Broadway, Hollywood and West End star, Caroline O'Connor comes home in this multi-award-winning, sell-out show. A rocket blast of a ride, a brilliant, breathtaking triumph!

Performance Dates:
October 5 - 22

Venue:
The Dunstan Playhouse
Adelaide Festival Centre

Bookings:
Phone BASS on 131 246 or visit www.bass.net.au

ENTERTAINING MR SLOANE

Written by Joe Orton
Director Geoff Brittain

Every generation thinks they're the shocking generation, the original sinners. So lets go back to the 60s when the first wave of the post-war "Me Generation" were thumbing their noses at their parents' morality and narrow existence, and meet a handsome, likeable opportunist (or are we being kind?), a shameless middle-aged woman (who should know better!), and a respectable self-made man (so why is he still single?).

They're the perfect mix for Joe Orton's blackly comic menage a trois. As witty as Wilde, as well crafted as Rattigan, as unorthodox as Pinter - Entertaining Mr Sloane is a modern classic.

Performance Dates:
Saturday 15 October at 7.30pm
Tuesday 18 - Saturday 22 October at 7.30pm
Tuesday 25 - Saturday 29 October at 7.30pm

Venue:
The Little Theatre, the Cloisters
University of Adelaide

Bookings:
Phone 8303 5999 or visit www.adelaide.edu.au/clubs/theatreguild.
Adults $20 Concession $15

NOISES OFF

STARRING Brett Hicks-Maitland, Caroline Mignone + Bridget Walters
DIRECTOR Adam Cook
SET DESIGNER Graham Maclean
COSTUME DESIGNER Jodie Fried

The stage is set and the final dress rehearsal is underway for the sex comedy, Nothing On and chaos abounds. Lost lines, missed cues and disappearing actors do not auger well.

Noises Off follows the on and off-stage antics of a hapless touring company as they stagger from disastrous dress rehearsals to the calamitous final night of Nothing On. Everything that can go wrong does - jealousies, rivalries, not to mention romantic dalliances - as the actors desperately try to hang on to their lines, their performances and the furniture. Sardines go flying, actors go AWOL and trousers go every which way until mayhem takes its final curtain call. Adelaide audiences flocked to Copenhagen. You'll be amazed at Michael Frayn's versatility as he explores the Uncertainty Principle once again as it's unleashed among the riotous members of a touring acting company.

A perfect festive finale for season twothousand+five.

Performance Dates:
October 28 - November 19

Venue:
The Dunstan Playhouse
Adelaide Festival Centre

Bookings:
Phone BASS on 131 246 or visit www.bass.net.au