THE HERBAL BED, THE WITCHES, TOAST and More Slated for Rose Theatre Kingston's Spring 2016 Season

The Rose Theatre Kingston today announces its full spring season with an array of the finest drama, children's theatre, comedy and music.

Highlights of the season include three Rose productions:

A co-production of Peter Whelan's The Herbal Bed (with English Touring Theatre and Royal & Derngate, Northampton) telling the scandalous story of Shakespeare's daughter. The evocative play, first produced to great acclaim by the Royal Shakespeare Company before transferring to the West End and Broadway, is directed by James Dacre and runs at the Rose from 26 April - 7 May as part of a national tour.

Nikolai Foster's family production of the Roald Dahl classic The Witches, co-produced with Leicester's Curve Theatre, which runs from 29 March - 10 April.

The Rose's co-production of Jacqueline Wilson's Hetty Feather returns for the spring half term from 24 - 28 February. Having premiered in Kingston last year, it has gone on to two runs in the West End, where it was nominated for an Olivier Award, as well as touring both nationally and internationally.

Robert O'Dowd, Chief Executive of the Rose Theatre Kingston said today, "Following The Wars of the Roses, our most successful production at the box office since A Midsummer Night's Dream with Judi Dench in 2010, we are all full of energy and excitement for the new year. We can't wait to share our new Rose productions The Witches and The Herbal Bed, but also the best visiting work - such as Toast, which we are proud to be opening ahead of their national tour."

The spring season also includes a programme of visiting theatre including Snapdragon Productions' revival of Richard Bean's Toast, starring Matthew Kelly, following a hugely successful London run in 2014; the return of Northern Broadsides with The Merry Wives, directed by Barrie Rutter; and the critically acclaimed Theatre Royal Bath production of Joshua Harmon's Bad Jews.

The musical programme includes visits from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen, restaurant critic and jazz pianist Jay Rayner who mixes live music with comedic confessions, and a performance of Nocturne, a chronicle of the romantic life of Frederic Chopin told through readings of letters and diary entries, counterpointed with some of the composer's best-loved works and featuring Harriet Walter and Henry Goodman.

The line-up of one-night-only shows includes performances from comedians Russell Kane, Sean Lock and Adam Hills, and ground-breaking circus from Ockham's Razor: Tipping Point.

For details on the full programme please see the listings below. Viist www.rosetheatrekingston.org for more information.

Performances play the Rose Theatre Kingston, 24-26 High Street, KT1 1HL. Box Office: 020 8174 0090 (bkg fee) - open Mon - Sat 10am - 8pm (6pm non-performance days); Sun - one hour before the show. No fees are payable when booking in person at the Box Office. An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Concessions: Only one discount per ticket, subject to availability. Terms and conditions apply - no discounts on Pit Cushion prices. Over 60, unwaged, entertainment union, children under 16 and Students: £3 off. 16- 26s & £5 tickets for best available seats on selected Tue evenings. Students £5 Please note valid ID will be required upon collection. Tuesdays Subject to availability, terms and conditions apply. Schools, Colleges Tickets are priced from £8 at selected performances for school & Universities: groups of 10 or more; 11th teacher ticket free with every 10 purchased. Please contact the Box Office for more details. Babies: Babies under 18 months old are welcome at family productions. We do not charge admission but a free ticket must be collected from the Box Office. Prams and buggies may be stored in the foyer at the owner's risk.

Access: Patrons with disabilities enjoy half price tickets. The Rose is a fully accessible organisation and we welcome everyone. There is Blue Badge parking in High Street and Rose car park.

Sensory Access: A digital hearing system is available for patrons with a hearing aid, and Sennheiser headsets for patrons without a hearing aid. Guide and hearing dogs are welcome. Please let us know in advance so we can provide a dog-sitter and water bowl.

Learning Disabilities: Please contact us in advance to discuss how we can help make your visit as comfortable as possible, on 0208 174 0090 or email access@rosetheatrekingston.org.

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Rose Theatre Kingston, Spring 2016 Season:

Thu 14 - Sun 17 Jan

Mr Popper's Penguins

Painter and decorator by day, Mr Popper spends his time dreaming of Antarctic adventures. He is astounded when one day a packing crate arrives on his doorstep, out of which waddles a penguin!

With songs, puppets and a great story to tell, this delightful musical adaptation of Richard and Florence Atwater's popular book (also made into a Hollywood film starring Jim Carrey) is brought to you by the producers of The Tiger Who Came to Tea and We're Going on a Bear Hunt.

55 minutes of family fun for ages 3 plus.

Tickets: £10.50 - £12.50*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Sat 23 Jan 7.30pm

Gyles Brandreth: Looking For Happiness

When Gyles Brandreth set out to find the secrets of happiness he started in Las Vegas and ended up in the psychiatrist's chair. What he discovered should make you laugh and could change your life, in this delightful and hilarious one-man show.

Tickets: £10-£20*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Sat 24 Jan 7.30pm

Professor Robert Winston: What Makes Us Happy?

Shall we ever really understand what makes us happy? To some extent, the ability to be happy is inherited, but social scientists have emphasized that various environmental influences - health, a stable society, economic advantages - play a major role.

Professor Winston examines the role of brain imaging, hormone study, sexuality, child development, pharmacology and psychological research in understanding how science may help us be happier.

Tickets: £12-£15*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Thu 28 Jan 7.30pm

Rose Fashion Show

An evening of catwalk fashion featuring the latest collections from top high street retailers including East, Hobbs, Jigsaw, John Lewis, LK Bennett, Monsoon, Oasis and Reiss. Goody bag included, plus beauty product sampling and designer accessory shopping.

Tickets: £20-45*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Sat 30 Jan 7.30pm

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor Simon Wright

Violin Tamsin Waley-Cohen

Mozart Marriage of Figaro Overture

Mozart Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

Mendelssohn Violin Concerto

Beethoven Symphony No.5

The world-famous Royal Philharmonic Orchestra returns to the Rose Theatre this January for a delectable programme of classical masterpieces. Led by conductor Simon Wright, the Orchestra will open the concert with layers of lively, fast paced strings in the Overture to Mozart's spirited operatic masterpiece, The Marriage of Figaro. The Orchestra will then perform one of Mozart's most beloved and expertly crafted pieces, Eine kleine Nachtmusik.

Joining the Orchestra will be soloist Tamsin Waley-Cohen, a violinist of "fearless intensity" (The Guardian). Audiences will be able to hear her perform one of the foremost violin concertos of the Romantic Era full of warmth and vitality, Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto.

Closing the concert will be one of the most instantly recognisable pieces of classical music; Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. Opening with four imposing chords, this piece has been sampled in every genre from rock to disco and here is your chance to hear it in its full, imposing glory.

Tickets: £12 - £32*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Thu 4 Feb - Sat 13 Feb

Toast

By Richard Bean

Directed by Eleanor Rhode

Starring Olivier Award winner Matthew Kelly

Another Sunday night shift. The smell of bread baking. The industrial thump, thump, thump of the machines that never stop. The ovens are cranked up to full blast, the factory is humming, and everyone wants to be somewhere else.

But this shift is going to be different. Because when a crisis hits the factory, the men have more to lose than just their wages...

From the writer of the international hit One Man, Two Guv'nors, Richard Bean's brilliantly observed drama stars the Olivier Award winning actor Matthew Kelly. After receiving huge critical acclaim in London in 2014 and prior to a New York engagement, where is will be opening the prestigious 'Brit's off Broadway' festival, this funny and moving play now comes to Kingston.

Tickets: £5 - £26*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Sun 14 Feb, 7.30pm

Fascinating Aida's Dillie Keane

Dillie Keane takes a short break from her Fascinating Aïda gal pals to present her first solo show in 557 years.

With brand new tunes, grand old favourites, gorgeous songs of love and hilarious songs of utter wickedness, Dillie will break your heart, mend it again and have it sent to the cleaners for pressing.

And she'll give you her recipe for chutney while she's at it.

Tickets: £12 - £21*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Mon 15 Feb, 7.30pm

The Blues Band

2015 sees The Blues Band Celebrate their 35th year together

Paul Jones, Dave Kelly, Tom McGuinness, Rob Townsend and Gary Fletcher.

Many of The Blues Band's 21st century fans weren't even born when these five virtuosos, already music industry veterans, decided to fly in the face of musical fashion in 1979 and form a band 'just to play the blues'. No one could have predicted that, 35 years on, they'd still be dazzling audiences with their showmanship and virtuosity. About 20 albums and thousands of gigs later, they've earned a reputation around the world as one of the finest exponents of the blues tradition in all its forms. With this line-up, it's hardly surprising.

Tickets: £14 - £21*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Tue 16 - Sun 21 Feb

The Gruffalo's Child

Following hot on the heels of The Gruffalo's monstrous success comes

The Gruffalo's Child - with attitude!

The Gruffalo said that no Gruffalo should

Ever set foot in the deep dark wood...

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?

Tall Stories Theatre Company returns, bringing Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's award-winning sequel to life in this magical, musical stage adaptation.

Recommended for ages 3+. Running Time: 55 mins

Tickets: £10.50 - £12.50*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Mon 22 Feb, 8pm

Sean Lock: Keep It Light

Every three years the comedian Sean Lock writes and tours a new stand-up show. Well he's only gone and done it again! What's he like? Come and see what he's blithering on about this time.

Tickets: £14 - £23*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Tue 23 Feb, 7.30pm

Jay Rayner: A Night of Food and Agony

Renowned restaurant critic, MasterChef judge and sometime jazz pianist Jay Rayner invites you to join him for a night of food and agony. A restaurant critic for the Observer for over 15 years, if there is one thing Jay's learnt it is that while readers like reviews, they really love reviews of bad restaurants.

Jay examines our love affair with lousy reviews, rants about his most hated restaurants fads, describes some of his most excruciating nights out and - just to balance things - reads from the worst reviews his own work has ever received.

In the second half of the evening Jay brings together his ensemble of top flight musicians to perform tunes from the Great American food and drink songbook. There'll be standards from the likes of Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen, Blossom Dearie and Dave Frishberg, alongside anecdotes from his life being paid to eat out on somebody else's dime, and stories about growing up with a mother, Claire Rayner, who was a sex advice columnist. With the singer Pat Gordon Smith, bassist Robert Rickenberg and saxophonist Dave Lewis.

Tickets: £12 - £22*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Wed 24 - Sun 28 Feb

Hetty Feather

From best-selling author Jacqueline Wilson, the tale of plucky Hetty Feather is brought thrillingly to life on stage by award-winning script writer Emma Reeves (CBBC's The Story of Tracy Beaker) and the Olivier Award Nominated director Sally Cookson, whose many five-star productions include Peter Pan, We're Going on a Bear Hunt and Stick Man. With an original musical score by Benji Bower, circus skills and a huge heart, Hetty Feather is a terrific adventure.

Tickets: £8 - £24.50*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Sun 13 Mar, 8pm

Adam Hills: Clown Heart

Widely referred to as 'the nicest man in comedy', Adam Hills has fast become one of the most popular comedians in the UK, with 15 solo shows that have toured internationally. His combination of positive, uplifting comedy and rampant spontaneity has seen him receive numerous awards, glowing reviews and a legion of fans around the world.

As host of Channel 4's groundbreaking The Last Leg, Adam won 'Best Breakthrough Act' and was nominated for 'Best Entertainment Personality' at the British Comedy Awards in 2013. 2015 has seen Adam return to The Last Leg for its sixth series, as well as three Election Specials with another series commissioned for later this summer.

Adam's solo shows are established highlights at international comedy festivals around the World. He is the only Australian comedian to have performed at the US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, and is a regular star of the Cat Laughs Kilkenny Comedy Festival in Ireland, and The Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal.

Adam's recent notable UK TV appearances include; Mock The Week (BBC1), The Paul O Grady Show (ITV1), Alan Carr Chatty Man (Channel 4), Never Mind The Buzzcocks (BBC2), The Jonathan Ross Show (ITV1), Channel 4's Comedy Gala Live At The o2 (2013 & 2014).

Tickets: £14 - £21*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Tues 22 - Sat 26 Mar

The Merry Wives

Directed by Barrie Rutter

Sir John Falstaff is past-his-prime and skint!

Vain rogue that he is, he attempts, rather clumsily, to seduce a couple of well-to-do wives ... but Mistress Page and Mistress Ford get wise to his plan and scheme to exact revenge with hilarious and unimaginable consequences.

If you like your Shakespeare light, funny and wickedly entertaining then look no further. The Merry Wives is bursting at the seams with verbal fun, physical comedy and a bevy of cunningly colourful characters.

Northern Broadsides' distinctive charisma and zest for performance squeezes every last ounce of comedy gold from this affectionately calamitous tale that will tickle your funny bone and poke a jovial finger in the eye of middle England.

Barrie Rutter will be playing the role of Falstaff.

Tickets: £8 - £25*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Tue 29 Mar - Sun 10 Apr

The Witches

By Roald Dahl

Adapted by David Wood

Directed by Nikolai Foster

"A real witch could smell you across the street... to a witch, you would smell like fresh dog droppings!"

Roald Dahl's scariest book is brought to life in a tremendously terrifying treat for the whole family.

Witches absolutely detest children. They find them revolting and are planning to wipe them out like weasels! They want to squish them and squiggle them and make them disappear. But one brave young boy and his grandmother have a plan to get rid of the witches for good... if only they can avoid being turned into mice.

Directed by Curve Artistic Director, Nikolai Foster, The Witches features a hugely talented cast of actor-musicians and mind-boggling illusions that will leave you flabbergasted!

The Witches contains stupendously scary bits and is recommended for children aged 5+ and their brave grown-ups.

A Curve, Leicester and Rose Theatre Kingston production

Tickets: £8 - £24*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Sun 17 Apr

Claire Martin OBE & Ray Gelato

"A Swinging Affair"

Friends for 30-years, multi award-winning vocalist Claire Martin OBE and legendary saxophonist and vocalist Ray Gelato have combined their love of all things 'Swing' and joined forces for their first show together, 'A Swinging Affair'.

These much celebrated and respected musicians share the stage with a world-class trio led by renowned-pianist Dave Newton to explore the Great American Songbook - including classics such as; 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off', 'They all Laughed', 'Baby It's Cold Outside' and 'Can't We Be Friends'.

If you like your music sassy, sharp and swinging - this is the show for you. A swinging affair indeed!

Tickets: £12 - £20*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Mon 18 Apr to Sat 23 Apr

Bad Jews

by Joshua Harman

Directed by Michael Longhurst

A beloved grandfather has died, and a treasured family heirloom with religious significance is up for grabs. But who is most deserving of it? Bossy, overbearing, fanatically religious Daphna? Her wealthy cousin Liam, who's just returned from skiing with his non-Jewish girlfriend Melody? Or Jonah, his brother, who would prefer not to get involved in the fight?

A Manhattan apartment becomes the setting for a viciously hilarious brawl over family, faith and legacy as the contenders set at each other's throats on the night after the funeral.

Following packed houses and rave reviews, this phenomenal hit play returns for a national tour. Don't miss the chance to experience a night like no other...

Tickets: £8 - £28*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Sun 24 Apr

Russell Kane

The multi-award-winning comedian returns with his new show - a blisteringly funny stand-up performance about growing up.

Russell Kane is best known as the host of BBC Three's Live At The Electric, and regular appearances on BBC One's Live At Apollo, BBC Three's Unzipped and ITV2's Celebrity Juice.

Tickets: £12-21*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Sun 15 May

Nocturne

Scripted by Lucy Parham, Nocturne chronicles the romantic life of one of the greatest and most popular composers for solo piano - Frédéric Chopin.

The narrative follows his turbulent relationship with the controversial literary figure George Sand, their time together in Majorca, his fragile health and his ultimate demise in poverty in Paris at the age of 39. The readings are interspersed with some of his most loved and poignant compositions.

Performed by Harriet Walter, Henry Goodman and Lucy Parham

Tickets: £12-22*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Tue 26 Apr - Sat 7 May

Rose Theatre, English Touring Theatre and Royal & Derngate's

The Herbal Bed

Written by Peter Whelan

Directed by James Dacre

"I have always wanted that which I cannot have."

When William Shakespeare's daughter is publicly accused of adultery with her neighbour, her husband chooses to stand by her, suing her accuser for slander. In doing so, their lives fall under the glare of intense public scrutiny in this emotional thriller, based upon real events from Stratford-upon-Avon in the summer of 1613.

A powerful exposé of the contradiction between human desire and social convention which seeks to repress it, Peter Whelan's moving and uplifting play provides a beautiful evocation of life in Shakespearean England.

The Herbal Bed was first produced to great acclaim by the Royal Shakespeare Company before transferring to the West End and Broadway.

Tickets: £8 - £28*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Sun 8 May 8pm

The All-Star Stand-Up Tour 2016

The biggest comedy tour of the year featuring double Sony Award winner and star of Mock The Week Gary Delaney, top comedy trickster and star of BBC 1's The Magicians Pete Firman, Kiwi compere Jarred Christmas and Never Mind The Buzzcocks team captain and one of Channel 4's '100 Greatest Stand-Ups in the World', Sean Hughes.

Tickets: £12 - £20*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.

Fri 24 - Sun 26 Jun

Tiddler

Under the sea, out on the farm and into the jungle, these terrific tales are woven together with live music, puppetry and a whole host of colourful characters from Julia Donaldson & Axel Scheffler's best-loved titles: Tiddler, Monkey Puzzle, The Smartest Giant in Town and A Squash and a Squeeze. Funky moves, toe tapping tunes and giggles are guaranteed!

The perfect treat for children 3+ and their families!

Tickets: £10.50 - £12.50*

*An additional £1 per ticket booking fee and £1.60 per booking transaction fee are payable when booking online and by phone.