MR BENN Among Upcoming Performances at the Rose Theatre

Rose Theatre has announced its schedule of upcoming performances. They include:

Wednesday 18 May - Saturday 21 May
MR BENN

Mr Benn, an ordinary man, lives on an ordinary street, and makes the same ordinary journey every day to his ordinary office. One day everything changes: he stumbles across an extraordinary costume shop, with an extraordinary changing room which leads to adventures... For ages 3+. Press tickets available.

Tickets £11

Sunday 22 May, 5pm
AN AUDIENCE WITH PAM AYRES

Following her sell-out performance in 2008, Pam Ayres returns to the Rose with material from her bestselling books, Surgically Enhanced, With These Hands and The Works, along with new poems and stories.

Tickets £10-£22.50

Tuesday 24 May - Saturday 28 May
HAMLET

Northern Broadsides' haunting production employs theatrical sleight of hand to conjure ghosts of the dead and demons of the mind, bringing you an inventive and insightful take on the tortured Danish Prince. Production photo attached.

Tickets £8-£28

Wednesday 25 May, 1pm
LIONEL SHRIVER

Lionel Shriver found fame with her Orange Prize-winning novel, We Need to Talk About Kevin. As part of the Kingston Readers' Festival, she will talk about her new book So Much For That, which is a tense study of the US healthcare system, and offers the same forensic analysis of situations and relationships. Chaired by Alison Baverstock of Kingston University.

Tickets £8

Sunday 29 May, 7.30pm
THE COMEDY STORE

The Comedy Store continues its monthly residency, presenting the best stand-up from around the globe on your doorstep on the last Sunday of the month. Line up includes Geoff Norcott, Mike Gunn, Dave Fulton and Jeff Innocent.

Tickets £12, £14

Monday 30 May, 7.30pm
ONE-MAN STAR WARS

Charles Ross presents the whole of the Star Wars^TM Trilogy in one show. He single-handedly plays all the characters, sings the music, flies the ships, fights the battles and condenses the plot into just sixty minutes! Whether you're a committed Star Wars fan or simply want to enjoy a fast-paced, side-splitting evening that's out of this world, make sure you don't miss it!

Tickets £12, £16

Tuesday 31 May, 4pm
CHINESEWISE VARIETY SHOW

A specially selected presentation which celebrates the achievements of all enthusiasts in Chinese culture, this unique event will have a wide appeal to families. Programme includes Chinese folk dances, martial arts, music, choir, drama, poetry recital, story-telling, Beijing Opera and Cantonese Opera excerpts, and exclusive guest performances.

Tickets £6.80-£15

Wednesday 1 June, 7.30pm
LIVE SUGGS

Live Suggs reveals the Madness front man on a mission. He takes us on his unique journey across Britain in search of his long-lost father and his Scottish clan roots, in a show that is part music, part personal vision, part music hall extravaganza. It's a surprising, hilarious and sometimes sad story.

Suggs will be joined on stage by a pianist and the occasional surprise guest!

Tickets £15, £25

Friday 3 June, 7.30pm
PENGUIN CAFE

Penguin Café's music has infiltrated daily life from films like Napoleon Dynamite to countless themes tunes, and they've played festivals from Bestival and The Big Chill to the Royal Albert Hall as part of the BBC Proms. Their sound is at once familiar and new, combining acoustic power and a beguiling feisty charm.

Tickets £18, £20

Saturday 4 June, 7.30pm
JIMMY TARBUCK

Having successfully spent more than 40 years in the notoriously fickle world of showbusiness, Tarby revisits the Rose this summer. A master of live performance, he will be sharing anecdotes, demonstrating his quickfire wit and thoroughly entertaining the audience in a show which promises comedy for grown-ups rather than adult comedy.

Tickets £18, £22.50

Monday 6 June, 7.30pm
LADY ANTONIA FRASER

Lady Antonia Fraser speaks with Richard Cohen of Kingston University about her writing. The discussion is followed by a question and answer session and a book signing.

As the author of many acclaimed historical works, which have been international bestsellers, including Marie Antoinette and memoir Must You Go, Antonia Fraser was made CBE in 1999 and awarded the Norton Medlicott Medal by the Historical Association in 2000.

Tickets £6

Saturday 11 June, 7pm
CARNIVAL VIBES IN KINGSTON

Celebrate the summer solstice in sizzling fashion with this special colourful evening, showcasing the best of Kingston's Carnival artists in the run up to 2011 and 2012. Get into the groove as bands, singers and dancers representing diverse communities and cultures come together for one night only at this special fundraising event.

Tickets £15

Monday 13 June, 5.30pm
TIME TO TALK WITH Gyles Brandreth

Writer, broadcaster, former MP and Government Whip, Gyles Brandreth is also one of the most popular after-dinner speakers on the circuit. He joins us at the Rose to chat about his varied career.

Tickets £5

Friday 17 June, 7.30pm
RICHARD DURRANT - THE GUITAR WHISPERER

In this unique son et lumiere show, Richard Durrant takes us first to Paraguay, then to Spain and beyond. We hear Debussy, JS Bach on the humble ukulele and the story of the earliest surviving guitar by CF Martin told with a musical twist. Spellbinding.

Tickets £10, £12

Sunday 19 June, 7pm
TWICKENHAM CHORAL SOCIETY PRESENTS VERDI REQUIEM

Twickenham Choral Society celebrates its 90th anniversary with Verdi's powerful and ever-popular Requiem. The 120-strong choir will be joined by four internationally acclaimed soloists - Orla Boylan, Hetna Regitze Bruun, Ulrik Andersson and Richard Wiegold. Christopher Herrick, the choir's conductor, will direct the choir and the Brandenburg Sinfonia, a top-ranking London orchestra. This is a concert not to be missed.

Tickets £15-£20

Friday 24 June - Sunday 26 June
THE GRUFFALO'S CHILD

From the creators of the monstrously successful stage version of The Gruffalo. One wild and windy night the Gruffalo's child ignores her father's warning and tiptoes out into the snow. After all, the Big Bad Mouse doesn't really exist... does he? For ages 3+.

Tickets £11

Tuesday 26 July - Sunday 31 July
MR STINK

A scratch ‘n' sniff musical adaptation based on the hilarious children's novel by David Walliams of Little Britain fame, which will bring Mr Stink pongingly to life!

When her mother, an awful snob who wants to be an MP, tries to rid the streets of its homeless, Chloe needs to help her only friend, Mr Stink the local tramp, to find a secret hiding place...but is there more to him than meets the nose?

Tickets £8-£18.50

Wednesday 31 August - Saturday 3 September
KORCZAK

Presented by Youth Music Theatre UK, the country's leading music theatre company for young people, Korczak is an uplifting musical which tells the true story of a Polish jew in the Warsaw ghetto who, in the most impossible circumstances, kept childhood alive through love and imagination.

Tickets £9-£35

2 December 2011 - 8 January 2012
THE SNOW QUEEN

The Rose stage will be transformed into a winter wonderland for The Snow Queen, the perfect Christmas treat for all the family. Fabulous group discounts and family ticket packages are available. If you love The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and are looking for a magical adventure this Christmas, The Snow Queen at the Rose is the show for you.

Adapted from the story by Hans Christian Andersen and written by Charles Way, this charming tale of friendship sees the power of love triumph over wickedness, as Kai and Gerda embark on an epic journey to conquer the evil Snow Queen.

Address:24-26 High Street, Kingston KT1 1HL
Box Office:0871 230 1552 
Website www.rosetheatrekingston.org
Nearest Train Station Kingston/Surbiton (Zone 6) 
Tickets £8, £15, £20, £24, £26
Family ticket for 4 (2 adults, 2 children) £70, and generous group discounts available