Events at the Merlin Theatre this year

THE Merlin Theatre has an exciting line up of entertainment in the months ahead.

Events range from Mike Wozniak to dinosaurs and from the National Theatre Live to cop-turned-comedian Alfie Moore.

Here’s what is coming up: Mike Wozniak. Wednesday 25th January at 7.30pm. Tickets: Adults £15, Concessions £13 Ever wondered how Mike’s Great-Aunt Zusa made it from Poland to Luton with a war nipping at her heels? Here’s your chance to find out. As seen on Taskmaster (Channel 4), Man Down (Channel 4) and Would I Lie To You? (BBC One). As heard on Small Scenes (BBC Radio 4), the St Elwick’s Neighbourhood Association Newsletter podcast and the Three Bean Salad podcast.

The Crucible, National Theatre Live. Thursday 26th January at 7pm. Tickets: Adults £16, Concessions £10.50 A witch hunt is beginning in Arthur Miller’s captivating parable of power with Erin Doherty (The Crown) and Brendan Cowell (Yerma). Raised to be seen but not heard, a group of young women in Salem suddenly find their words have an almighty power. As a climate of fear, vendetta and accusation spreads through the community, no one is safe from trial. Lyndsey Turner (Hamlet) directs this contemporary new staging, designed by Tony Award-winner Es Devlin (The Lehman Trilogy). Captured live from the Olivier stage at the National Theatre.

Mrs Churchill – My Life With Winston. Saturday 28th January at 7.30pm. Tickets: £16 Winston Churchill is arguably one of the most famous Englishmen that has ever lived. His inspirational leadership helped win the Second World War, and his parliamentary career of 62 years ensured he was responsible for many momentous decisions. They say that behind every great man, there is a great woman. Was this true in Churchill’s case? What of Clementine, his wife for 56 years? Did he bully her like he did so many other people? Was he as grumpy and irascible at home as he often was in the House of Commons? Given his strength and conviction, did Clem have any influence on him at all? Or was she ‘the little lady at home’? All these questions will be answered, and many more, in Liz Grand’s superb, moving, sensitive and informative portrayal of Clementine Churchill. (Liz’s other current shows are The Second Best Bed and Where Is Mrs. Christie? Winston himself said, “my most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.”

Dinosaurs And All That Rubbish. Tuesday 14th February at 2pm. Tickets: Adults £14, Concessions £10 One small step for man, one giant pile of rubbish left behind! Man’s dream to reach the stars leaves the world in ruins and disturbs the sleeping dinosaurs. Will they wake up and save planet Earth? An imaginative adaptation of Michael Foreman’s environmental tale with dancing dinosaurs, fuelled by rock’n’roll. This riotous hour, packed with signature Roustabout silliness, will have you tapping your toes from start to finish!

Othello, National Theatre Live. Thursday 23rd February at 7pm. Tickets: Adults £16, Concessions £10.50 An extraordinary new production of Shakespeare’s most enduring tragedy, directed by Clint Dyer with a cast that includes Giles Terera (Hamilton), Rosy McEwen (The Alienist) and Paul Hilton (The Inheritance). She’s a bright, headstrong daughter of a senator; elevated by her status but stifled by its expectations. He’s a refugee of slavery; having risen to the top of a white world, he finds love across racial lines has a cost. Wed in secret, Desdemona and Othello crave a new life together. But as unseen forces conspire against them, they find their future is not theirs to decide. Othello is filmed live on the Lyttleton stage of the National Theatre.

Good, National Theatre Live. Thursday 20th April at 7pm. Tickets: Adults £16, Concessions £10.50 David Tennant (Doctor Who) makes a much-anticipated return to the West End in a blistering reimagining of one of Britain’s most powerful, political plays. As the world faces its Second World War, John Halder, a good, intelligent German professor, finds himself pulled into a movement with unthinkable consequences. Filmed in front of a live audience at the Harold Pinter Theatre, London.

Door To Door Poetry: Nationwide. Friday 21st April at 7.30pm. Tickets £12.50 Rowan McCabe is the world’s first Door-to-Door Poet. Knocking on strangers’ doors, he writes poems for them, for free, on any subject of their choosing. It’s a bit like the Avon lady, except with rhymes. In March 2019, Rowan set out to visit 12 locations across England, one every month. Through this bold and arguably stupid act, he was trying to find out what matters to people, what is the state of our nation and if strangers are really as scary as they’re made out to be. But as March 2020 approached, world events pushed the project in a very different direction. A show about trust, class and community, this funny and thought-provoking mix of theatre and spoken word tells the story of what happened to Rowan on his trip around the country. In a post-pandemic world, it asks what lessons we’ve learned and suggests a bold rethinking of our relationship with those around us.

Alfie Moore: Fair Cop Unleashed. Friday 12th May at 7.30pm. Tickets £18 Join BBC Radio 4’s cop-turned-comedian Alfie Moore for his latest stand-up tour show. Fair Cop Unleashed is based on a dramatic real-life incident from Alfie’s police casebook. Relive with him the thrilling ups and downs of the night a mysterious clown came to town and more than one life ended up in the balance. It was no laughing matter – but this show certainly is! Enjoy Alfie’s unique brand of humour hilariously woven together with his personal insights into his life on the front-line of the police force. It’d be a crime to miss it!