There’s a lot going on at The Mill at Sonning this month.
Noël Coward’s effervescent comedy of bad manners – Hay Fever – written in three days when he was 24 – is set in a country house in Berkshire. Judith Bliss is a famous West End actress, technically retired. Husband David churns out romantic novels. Their grown-up children – Simon and Sorel – resolutely refuse to grow up.
The pathologically self-absorbed Blisses invite a quartet of hapless guests for the weekend – a career diplomat, a predatory society girl, a conventional sporty chap and a sweet-natured flapper. The guests turn out to be cannon fodder in the family’s ongoing fantasies.
Hay Fever, coming to the Sonning theatre from March 16, has something for everyone. A delirious roller-coaster of a play, encased in wit, comic brio and emotional truth.
And if you love Noël Coward why not book to see the show on April 19 and enjoy a pre-dinner conversation between playwright Marcy Kahan, author of BBC Radio 4’s Noël Coward Quintet, and director Tam Williams about the extraordinary life and work of Noël Coward – from Hay Fever to The Italian Job via Private Lives and Brief Encounter.
With an unparalleled reputation across the UK, Europe and beyond, for more than 50 years the Pasadena Roof Orchestra have been re-creating the sounds of a golden era of music from the 1920s and 1930s to widespread acclaim. And they are coming to The Mill on March 19.
Enjoy beautifully arranged songs from Irving Berlin, Ray Noble, Cole Porter and their contemporaries and relive the electrifying hot jazz from Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington.
Presenting the show, and putting on the top hat and tails, is the suave singer and band leader Duncan Galloway. So pack up your troubles, come on get happy, and experience an evening of superlative live music, with more than a dash of wit and humour.
The MONKEES became a smash hit just weeks after the first episode of their TV comedy series in 1966. That first ever ‘manufactured’ boy band was the brainchild of TV executives Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider; selling millions of singles and albums.
Yet even today it remains shrouded in mystery. What really happened behind the scenes? Hear the uncensored truth about Davy, Micky, Mike & Pete on March 26 with all of the MONKEES hits performed live by a talented young band as our seasoned host unfolds the fantasy and fiction.