- May 2013
Four Cambridge comics bring you an hour of stand-up ranging from caustic wit to surreal digression, from current affairs to, well, porpoises.
Starring: Milo Edwards ‘Fantastic’ - TCS, ‘Had me sniggering appreciatively’ - The Tab Charlie Palmer ‘Stellar’ - TCS, ‘Fabulously ludicrous’ - The Tab Ryan Hocking ‘Surreal’ - Varsity, ‘Characterful’ - Varsity Henry Anderson-Elliott ‘Certainly offers a new option in the seam bowling department’ - CUCC
If you want to laugh, smile, titter approvingly and, most importantly, find out how it's possible to work porpoises into a stand-up show, come down to the ADC and find out. Not suitable for those allergic to jokes.
- May 2013
“Find another genius, I can’t be one or become one. I can’t even tell how I’ll begin.”
With less than a week before the cameras roll on his new film, Guido Contini searches wildly for inspiration. Without a script and with his personal life in tatters, Rome’s most celebrated film director finds himself faced with what appears to be the ruin of his career, his marriage, and his sanity.
Set against the exquisite backdrop of Rome’s chic sixties, “Nine” explores one man’s struggle to establish a sense of his own identity through his art. Winning the Drama Desk Award for Most Outstanding Musical and the Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Original Score, this sumptuous combination of naturalism, expressionism and film will seduce you into considering your own assumptions about art, identity, and romance.
- May 2013
As the Spanish Civil War looms, the Andalucian countryside creaks in anticipation. White paint peeling in its exposure to the scorching sun reveals a myriad of fading colours and deep cracks that penetrate into the plaster and, quietly continuing in its midst, a British couple find themselves torn in the approach of the uprising that turns the country and their world on its head. This new play explores the shadows in the still life of sweet oranges on the kitchen table, finding beauty and darkness in the simplicity of the home. As the militant radio chatters away the tea is running out and the milk turning sour. What, then, could be worse than an unexpected visit from a mother-in-law?
- May 2013
- May 2013
In Williamson’s Chicago real estate office, the Glengarry leads are in and the agents have everything to play for. Levene begs for the leads. Moss will steal for them. All the men bar top dog Ricky Roma are running on borrowed time as they slip down the leaderboard which looms over the office.
Mamet’s bleakly funny tale of bombast and desperation portrays the dark side of the American dream and proves that, in the pursuit of happiness, someone has to lose. This Pulitzer Prize-winning play will ‘grab you by the throat and punch you in the gut’ – but only after it has sucked you into its world.
- May 2013
Murray’s dream is to win the Golden Fleece, an award given to the farmer of the best sheep's fleece in the land. His father won the award for many years, and the pressure is mounting on Murray to do the same. There’s only one problem: Murray’s not very good at farming.
To make matters worse, since the death of his wife in an unusual farming accident, Murray’s obsession with winning the award has escalated, leading to a disintegration of both his social propriety and personal hygiene. However, when Murray’s enthusiastic nephew from Auckland comes to stay, Murray is given a new lease of life and suddenly winning the Golden Fleece seems not such an impossible task after all.
Shortlisted for the 2013 Footlights' Harry Porter Prize, 'The Golden Fleece' provides a quirky glimpse into life in the heartland of rural New Zealand, and explores ideas of family, farming and golden fleeces.
- April–May 2013
Blanche DuBois is not all she seems. Arriving to stay with her sister Stella in the steamy French Quarter of New Orleans, she cuts the figure of a delicate Southern belle. But what’s her secret? Stella's no-nonsense husband, Stanley Kowalski, makes it his business to find out.
A Streetcar Named Desire is Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer prize-winning masterpiece; an explosive tale of lost dreams and indiscretions, brutish actions and burning lust.
This bold new production transforms the ADC Theatre into the city of New Orleans, surging with live jazz and teeming with life. Come under its intoxicating spell to witness the raw, unpredictable feeling of Williams' heart-stopping tragedy.
- April 2013
Troubled Sleep balances universal human themes with an indefinably foreign quality. A confrontation between two sisters leads to an inevitable showdown in which dark and disturbing secrets are revealed. This first production in English will be an engaging site-specific experience.
José Sanchis Sinisterra is one of the most respected playwrights of the Spanish-speaking world. His prolific work, for which he has won innumerable prizes and awards, combines theatrical tradition with experimental innovation.
- April 2013
Something silly this way comes... Wyrd Sisters is an adaptation of one of the best and most theatrical in the Discworld series of comic fantasies by Sir Terry Pratchett. It is a surreal mash-up of pantomime, Monty Python, fairy tale and Shakespeare, with particular reference to a lunatic version of 'Macbeth', seen from the skewed perspective of the three witches or 'Wyrd Sisters'. It is a fast-moving production, suitable for all ages from 10, but expect mild and frankly theatrical peril including explosions, a demon and explicit Steam Punk.
- March 2013
The Killing of Sister George follows the professional and personal demise of the popular district nurse who selflessly ministers to the villagers in the fictional radio-soap Applehurst However, in real life and amongst her colleagues, she is the antithesis of the sweet character she plays. Against this back-drop, the play combines comedy and pathos as it follows June’s domestic relationship with the childlike and manipulative Alice McNaught. With the sudden insecurity of her character’s future, their insecure relationship becomes increasingly more self-centred than supportive.
Following highly-acclaimed runs of the original productions in the West End and on Broadway, most people may now best remember the play from the iconic 1968 film which featured Beryl Reid in the title role. Now it comes to the ADC Theatre to explore the blurred reality of fictional soaps and the even stranger real lives behind the scenes.
- March 2013
"Packed full of jokes with a fast-moving plot. It launches straight in and never lets go." — Stefan Golaszweski
The Cambridge Footlights present Cloying, a farcical murder mystery and the winner of this year’s Harry Porter Prize for a one-hour comic play.
When Jolene and Michael step aboard the cruise ship HMS Cloying, everything seems rather pleasant. There’s plenty of distractions; a lovely sea view. It’s just a bit of a shame about the murderer.
This is the tenth anniversary of the Harry Porter Prize. Cloying was selected by Stefan Golaszweski, member of the sketch group 'Cowards' and creator of BBC Three's 'Him & Her’.
Join us for a cruise worth killing for.
- March 2013
When Egyptian captain Radames captures the Nubian princess Aida, little does he know that he will be changing both of their destinies. Set against a backdrop of warfare, ambition and treachery, they are soon forced to choose between love for their nations, and love for each other.
Inspired by Verdi’s majestic opera, the timeless love story of Aida is retold by the creative team behind The Lion King. With music ranging from reggae and gospel to Elton John classics, including ‘Written in the Stars’, and with choreography inspired by everything from Latin to ballet, CUADC brings this Broadway hit to stage in a uniquely stylish and magical revival, taking the audience beyond the bounds of reality.
Winner of four Tony Awards, with a captivating story, electrifying score and beautiful design, this rarely performed musical is perfect for the whole family.
- March 2013
As they sort through their dead father's belongings, two siblings discuss their memory of the night they left the family home. As they remember, past and present blur and the boundary between the spoken and the sung collapses...
- March 2013
What good is sitting alone in your room? Come and have the time of your life at this musical theatre gala for one night only. Sit back and witness our cast defy gravity with songs from a wide range of well-loved musicals. We promise you glitz, glam and all that jazz with a live orchestra and backing choir. We will rock you with this musical extravaganza! This is the moment to celebrate being alive so follow the yellow brick road to the ADC – you’ll have to pick a pocket or two to get a ticket.
- March 2013
Cambridge's brightest Footlights are decked out, dolled up and dressing down.
With unforgettable characters and the finest wardrobe this side of Narnia, they present a hilarious, gregarious new sketch show. It's bursting at the seams with imagination and wit, and guaranteed to leave you in stitches.
The Footlights Spring Revue is one of the biggest shows in Cambridge, and has sold out for the last six years. Made to measure by writers and performers from 'Act Casual', 'i am, i am', 'The ADC/Footlights Pantomime' ,'The Footlights Spring Revue 2012' and countless Smokers, 'Dressing Down' promises to be another smash hit from the world-famous comedy club.
- February–March 2013
Ever wondered what makes all the sound come out of your radio? “Are You Sitting Comfortably?” is a brand new comedy that will take you on a journey through the radio, as we follow the life of the man who lives in there. His life in the FM section of the radio is comfortable enough, but for one thing: he can never be with the woman he loves. She lives in the AM section of the radio, and the two sections of the radio are completely isolated from one another. Three writers from Trinity’s Magpie & Stump comedy society bring you an hour-long story of boy-can’t-meet-girl, bursting with sketches, music, and all the radio-related puns you can dream of.
- February–March 2013
‘Greetings prophet. The Great Work begins. The messenger has arrived.’ New York, 1985. A pill-popping housewife and her gay Mormon husband unite with an AIDS-ridden former drag queen and his conscience-stricken boyfriend amidst the backdrop of a lost America. As one of the most inspired American plays of our time, Angels in America - Part One: Millennium Approaches transports an audience from New York to Antarctica, merging the realistic with the surreal and tackling such dynamic themes as American ideology, AIDS, liberalism, race and sexual identity. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Play and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the play is one of the most successful theatrical sagas of recent years. ‘A vast, miraculous play…provocative, witty and deeply upsetting…a searching and radical rethinking of American political drama…’ - Frank Rich, New York Times ‘An epic theatrical fever dream’ - Variety
- February 2013
What is the meaning of life? What are the side effects of drinks imbued with mysterious crystals? And what exactly is going on at the Lost Property office? Some of these questions, and more, will be answered, for those who are willing to find out. Lost Property is a new sketch show, (now better than ever) for Lent 2013, written by Simon Copley and Oliver Taylor.
- February 2013
For the first time, the finest of Cambridge’s musical theatre talent will be joining forces to create an original musical in just 24 hours! Following a similar format to the ADC’s incredibly successful 24-Hour Plays, nine creative teams will be given a theme for a musical and will have just 24 hours to compose and rehearse their song. Overnight, the composer and lyricist for each team will write their song and the following day their performers will learn it in time for their one-off performance at 11pm. The result will be a thrillingly eclectic and brand-spanking new musical. Come and be the first to witness what promises to be a spectacular celebration of new writing. http://www.adctheatre.com/whats-on/musical/the-24hr-musical.aspx
- February 2013
Amateur Dramatic Club presents ANTON: Ivanov and Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov, translated by Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn Weeks 4 and 5 mainshows, Lent Term @ ADC Theatre
...I fell in love with him the first time I saw him. I took one look and - snap! - I was caught. He said, 'Let's run off... let's go!' I stripped my life away just like you'd strip the dead leaves off a stem, and I went...
Two weeks. Two painfully funny and heartbreaking plays. Two translations by two renowned British playwrights.
One master of tragicomedy.
'Anton', a double bill of 'Ivanov' and 'Three Sisters', playing on alternate nights over two weeks. Bringing together one of his first and one of his last plays, CUADC presents a fortnight of raucous laughter and stinging tears.
A time will come when people will understand what it was all for, what the purpose was of all this suffering, and what was hidden from us will be hidden no more. In the meantime, though, we have to live...
- February 2013
- February 2013
Amateur Dramatic Club presents ANTON: Ivanov and Three Sisters by Anton Chekhov, translated by Tom Stoppard and Michael Frayn Weeks 4 and 5 mainshows, Lent Term @ ADC Theatre
...I fell in love with him the first time I saw him. I took one look and - snap! - I was caught. He said, 'Let's run off... let's go!' I stripped my life away just like you'd strip the dead leaves off a stem, and I went...
Two weeks. Two painfully funny and heartbreaking plays. Two translations by two renowned British playwrights.
One master of tragicomedy.
'Anton', a double bill of 'Ivanov' and 'Three Sisters', playing on alternate nights over two weeks. Bringing together one of his first and one of his last plays, CUADC presents a fortnight of raucous laughter and stinging tears.
A time will come when people will understand what it was all for, what the purpose was of all this suffering, and what was hidden from us will be hidden no more. In the meantime, though, we have to live...
- February 2013
Mr. Hoppy has two great loves in his life: the flowers that grow on his balcony, and his neighbour, Mrs. Silver. The only problem is that Mrs. Silver gives all of her love to someone else: her pet tortoise, Alfie. One day Mrs. Silver asks Mr. Hoppy how to make poor Alfie grow a little faster and suddenly Mr. Hoppy’s happiness is only a dubious magical spell away…
But can the nosy, bassoon-playing next door neighbour, Humphrey, figure out Mr. Hoppy’s plot before it’s too late? Or will Mrs. Silver’s heart be stolen by a man who names his favourite chrysanthemum Gerald?
Told through the eyes of Alfie - the whimsical and embittered tortoise - ‘Esio Trot’ is a new adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic tale of infatuation, deceit and celery, which poses the timeless question: should true love come before tortoises?
- February 2013
The CU Show Choir bring you a selection of classic numbers from the big screen. With their characteristic humour, charm and 12-part harmony, this will be a night of film music like you've never heard it before.
- February 2013
‘I’ve looked at all that - marriages and all that - and what do you get for it? What do you get?’
It's Bobby's 35th Birthday. He is sat in his New York apartment faced with the prospect of another surprise celebration courtesy of his “crazy married friends”. With a little help from his imagination, he begins to explore his bachelor experiences of love, relationships and monogamy. After all, who needs marriage when you've got friends like his and three great girls on the go?
Packed with show-stealing numbers including ‘Being Alive’, ‘Not Getting Married Today’, and ‘What Would We Do Without You?’, Company will ask you to ponder questions of love and commitment as Bobby’s musings come to life in this new surreal production.
- January–February 2013
35 Characters. 5 Actors. 1 Farce.
An Italian Straw Hat follows the hapless bridegroom Fadinard on his wedding day as he blazes through the streets of Paris and the idyllic French countryside on a futile quest to return a straw hat to a promiscuous young lady. Along the way Fadinard is followed by his pertinacious Father in Law and eight cabs of wedding guests throwing at the audience a whirlwind of relentless activity. Join these five intrepid actors as they are pushed to their limits to provide a dazzlingly multi-role extravaganza of a show. A celebration of vaudeville; it promises slapstick, dance, puppetry, a live band and cream pies. It will provide unadulterated mirth, joy and anarchy to the late night Cambridge audiences. Farce like you’ve never seen it before.
- January–February 2013
‘When you're caught between any kind of devil and the deep blue sea, the deep blue sea can sometimes look very inviting…’
Terence Rattigan’s modern masterpiece portrays a day in the life of Hester Collyer. Caught in a cobweb of decaying relationships – to her husband, her lover, her landlady, her neighbours – she remains alone and hopeless in a small dishevelled flat.
One of the greatest tragedies of the twentieth century, this new production of Rattigan’s beautiful play explores the biggest questions in the most human way.
- January 2013
A little while ago, not much more than a few days ago, I was a child who went about in a world of colors, of hard and tangible forms. Everything was mysterious and something was hidden, guessing what it was was a game for me. If you knew how terrible it is to know suddenly, as if a bolt of lightning elucidated the earth. Now I live in a painful planet, transparent as ice; but it is as if I had learned everything at once in seconds.
Yellow is a new sketch-show from the writers of the 2012 Footlights’ Spring Revue: Donors, sell-out Edinburgh sketch-show BEARD, Rookie and numerous Footlights’ smokers.
“Original and brilliant” Three Weeks “Sickeningly talented” Varsity “Top 5 sketch-shows to see at the Fringe 2012” The List
- January 2013
Churchill Jazz Band is one of Cambridge's premier big bands, an established and popular group playing a huge range of charts from traditional swing and jazz to funk, latin and rock.
Comprising some of Cambridge's finest musicians with the experience of countless balls and events, join us for one night only in an evening that merges the traditional with the contemporary in a performance that'll have you tapping your feet and leave you wanting more!
- January 2013
"ENIGMA"! This is the name and theme of the Cambridge University Contemporary Dance Workshop Society's Anual SELL-OUT dance show this year!! Last year's Swagger was a success and this year we're aiming for BIGGER and BETTER! With even more of a mix of the different styles of dance and more creative, original concepts!
The show will run for 5 nights from Tuesday the 22nd of January until the 26th at the ADC theatre.
"Enigma" as a theme shows that amazing dancing talent cannot simply be put into one box. The show will be a mix and fusion of dance styles you normally would not see together, somewhat puzzling at first, but ultimately creating an exciting synergetic show, breaking limitations and providing quality entertainment!
If any of you would be interested in dancing in the show and/or choreographing anything (or participating in the technical team), then please email Lolia at le265@cam.ac.uk or Laura at lecw2@cam.ac.uk!
There'll be all kinds of dance styles to pick from: including hip hop, break dancing, afrobeats, contemporary, ballet, belly dancing, salsa etc..
- January 2013
All that glisters is not gold, Often have you heard that told..
Young hot-shot Bassanio’s in a hell of a lot of debt. His magic solution? To court and marry wealthy heiress, Portia. All he needs is a good suit, speedy boat and a loan of three thousand ducats. But if the loan isn’t repaid in time, money-lender Shylock will be demanding more than just cash…
This winter, Cambridge's longest-running theatre tour will be taking on Shakespeare's most controversial 'comedy'. Set in the urban playground which is contemporary Naples, this daring production will look with unflinching eyes at man's inhumanity to man, and the Western world's obsession with wealth and beauty, through the lenses of, amongst other things, Berlusconi's immigration policy, the shiny horror of reality television, and the inertia and despondency of Eurotrash youth culture.
- November–December 2012
Terry is a postman with a thousand memories at his fingertips. All he has to do is open them.
Post is a new tragicomedy, co-written by the president of the Cambridge Footlights, winner of Best Writer/Play, 24 Hour Plays 2010, and one of the team behind Act Casual (4**** - Varsity).
It doesn't take a lot to blur the lines between funny and sad, reality and fantasy. It just takes a stamp.
- November 2012
The CU Show Choir returns to the stage with an all-new collection of songs to herald the merry season.
Traditional Christmas numbers made glitzy and glamorous alongside not-so-traditional numbers given a festive makeover - none of your favourites are immune from the CU Show Choir's ever-humorous treatment this holiday season.
Crowned Masters of Show Choir at the UK's first inter-university Show Choir competition in 2012, the CU Show Choir are not to be missed in the exciting new showcase of music that'll leave you fa-la-la-la-la-ing all the way home.
- November 2012
It's back.
Since its inception in Manhattan's Lower East Side over 15 years ago, the 24 Plays have appeared all over the world, pushing theatrical talent to its limit and creating unforgettable performances. What will happen when Cambridge is asked to create 5 new plays in just 24 hours in front of a panel of industry judges? The clock is ticking.
- November 2012
"If You Please" is a French Dada-Surrealist play and is completely different from any play you will have previously acted in or come across. Written by Breton and Soupault, two titans of the surrealist movement, and first performed in 1920, If You Please takes hackneyed and clichéd plots and transforms them into thrilling and marvellous absurdity. It is the ADC week 7 late show and has a large cast with a good mix of male and female characters. This play promises to be an entertaining but testing project for everyone from beginners to the most experienced actors.
- November–December 2012
