The Haymarket and The Anvil, Basingstoke

Box office

01256 844244.
Haymarket Theatre, Wote Street, Basingstoke, RG21 7NW.
The Anvil, Churchill Way, Basingstoke, RG21 7QR.
A map is here. Seating plans are here.

Performances are at The Haymarket unless another location is given.

Next

Absent Friends, 16th to 20th March at The Haymarket
By Alan Ayckbourn. Past and present collide at the tea party from hell. Five old friends rally round to support their mutual friend Colin after the sudden death of his fiancée. Organising a tea party to welcome him back proves to be the trigger for unresolved tensions among the group to resurface with a vengeance. When Colin arrives, the others are baffled to find that, far from needing their help, he is blissfully happy with his memories of the time he spent with his fiancée. His presence makes it uncomfortably apparent that it is the others in the group who need consoling for their lost dreams and disintegrating marriages. With the action unfolding in real time, Ayckbourn’s dissection of middleclass illusions has never been more acute. More ambitious than just pure comedy or farce, Absent Friends is a bittersweet masterpiece.

Victory, 24th to 25th March at The Haymarket
STAX, Anvil Arts Youth Performance Group, returns with the next in a cycle of plays exploring the drama of teenage life. Set at the end of the Second World War, Victory takes us back to the ‘birth’ of the teenager in the 1940s. It is VE day and a young man turns 17, but it’s too late for him to see active service... What was it like growing up in austerity Britain? How did young people cope with being forced to become adults so quickly in such troubled times? This new piece of devised performance tells the story of living in the aftermath of conflict.

The Black Veil, 6th to 10th April at The Haymarket
A chilling thriller by John Goodrum, based on a short story by Charles Dickens. One winter’s evening, towards the close of the year 1800, or within a year or two of that time, a young medical practitioner, recently established in business, was seated by a fire in his parlour, listening to the wind which was beating the rain in pattering drops against the window. When a visitor arrives from the dark streets, dressed in deep mourning, the upper part of her figure carefully muffled in a black shawl, her face, as if for concealment, is covered by the black veil. The woman appears distressed and frightened but what is her deadly secret? What terrifying and tragic mystery lies behind her shroud? What shocking events await the new doctor as he ventures in the darkest, most miserable parts of London?

Alice in Wonderland, 13th to 17th April at The Haymarket
You are invited to a very special tea party… Follow Alice down the rabbit hole on an enchanted journey. Amid the madness underground, meet the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Walrus and the Carpenter, Tweedledum and Tweedledee, and a cast of quirky characters! Enter a surreal and fantastical world of colour, song and riddles, ruled by a Queen with a very short temper. The further you journey with Alice, the stranger and funnier this world becomes… Alice and her adventures have been a favourite of children all over the world for over 140 years, and are magically brought to life with original music in a spectacular Easter treat for the whole family.

Hi-de-Hi!, 20th to 24th April at The Haymarket
The hilarious stage version of the much-loved TV sitcom.

The Graduate, 4th to 8th May at The Haymarket
When Ben graduates from college, his parents expect great things from him and push him towards a successful business career. Confused about his future and not wanting to follow the commercial path his affluent family and their friends seem to assume he will take, his life becomes complicated when he is embroiled in a seductive affair with an older woman, Mrs. Robinson, the wife of his father’s business partner. Although the affair eventually ends, the relationship comes back to haunt him as he finds himself falling for Elaine, Mrs. Robinson’s daughter!

Up on the Roof, 26th May to 5th June at The Haymarket
A poignant and affectionate musical comedy which celebrates the enduring power of friendship. It is 1975 and five students are up on the roof of their student digs for the last meeting of “The Roof Club” – their a capella singing group who perform doo-wop covers. In between the songs they reveal their hopes, dreams and aspirations. The next ten years sees how their individual journeys, successes and failures, are reflected in the changing relationships within this tight knit group of friends.

The Gruffalo, 11th to 12th June at The Haymarket
A delectable tale about the adventures of a clever mouse in a forest full of predators, The Gruffalo is packed with songs, laughs and scary fun for children aged 3 and up, and their adults…

The Late Edwina Black, 15th to 19th June at The Haymarket
An intriguing whodunit set in late Victorian England. The invalid Edwina Black has died and is about to be buried when, the night before the funeral, Detective Martin from Scotland Yard arrives to say that there is some suspicion about her death and a post-mortem must be carried out. By this time we know that Edwina’s widower Gregory and her ‘companion’ Elizabeth are lovers, freed by her death and her bequeathed fortune to run away to Italy together, a plan to which Scotland Yard’s arrival puts an abrupt and unwelcome end. Will the couple find happiness or will Edwina continue to dominate their lives in death as she did in life? The twists and turns in this gripping thriller will keep the audience on the edge of their seats until the very end.

Wife Begins at Forty, 29th June to 3rd July at The Haymarket
By Ray Cooney. It seems that, for some people, forty is a rather traumatic age. For Linda Harper, it certainly appears to be, as she starts worrying three years before her fortieth birthday. She is dissatisfied spiritually and physically with her seventeen-year marriage to the slightly staid George. However following a drunken night, during which George recounts passionate stories involving a flamenco dancer from the top of a grand piano, he moves out. When he returns to the family home a few weeks later to sort out maintenance arrangements with the help of neighbours Roger and Betty, he and Linda discover that the flames of passion are not quite dead, albeit in need of a little fanning! Accompanied by the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, Linda helps George to put the ex back into sex.

Reviews of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

4th December 2009 to 2nd January 2010.

From the Newbury Weekly News.

Wintery alternative to panto The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, at The Haymarket, Basingstoke, on Saturday, December 12 This was the ideal solution for any parents becoming weary of the usual round of (over?)-familiar pantomimes. A Christmas show with all the trimmings; a strong children's story, goodies and baddies, lots of brilliant lighting effects, glinting snowflakes falling though a colourful backdrop, animal characters and even a brief snapshot appearance by Father Christmas. Hang about though, surely there is no Christmas in CS Lewis' Narnia, just permanent winter decreed by the wicked White Witch. Ah, but that is before our band of four young heroes, two male, two female, arrive on the scene, fresh from the wardrobe transport system and raring to link up with the goodies, to restore Christmas and peace and harmony to the region. Of course, good prevails and the righteous triumph but not before coming up against a series of setbacks and near disasters. The story, adapted for the stage by Glyn Robbins, had good acting all round from the young heroes, Howard Sadler who doubled as the Professor and Aslan and Caroline Corrie who took on Mrs Macready and the White Witch. Full marks to designer David Collis, lighting designer Stephen Holroyd and director Richard Williams, who secured good performances and also choreographed several short dance routines in the action sequences. It all moved at a fairly brisk pace and was visually a pleasure to watch. My co-reviewer Elliott writes: When I found out I was going to see The Lion The Witch &The Wardrobe, I was very excited. It was always one of my favourite stories as a younger child. I remember being engrossed in a magical tale of an icebound land, full of wonderful creatures and a wicked queen of ice and snow. I thought it was spectacular. The beavers especially make it very funny and clever and at other points, such as the battle, it becomes deadly serious. It has moments of urgency, such as when the wolves come, and as far as I'm concerned if a play can do all that it's a runaway success. I just really enjoyed it. It is definitely a family treat because there were children there from as young as four years old, laughing their little socks off. A sensational evening's entertainment. DEREK ANSELL AND ELLIOTT LELAURE, AGED 11

There is a review by The Stage here: "intriguingly staged production... there are moments when the different levels gel somewhat incongruously due to the use of diverse techniques... for a children’s Christmas show, the terrible consequences of the White Witch’s actions also seem like gratuitous violence for the sake of effect".

Review of Cinderella

10th December 2009 to 3rd January 2010.

From the Newbury Weekly News.

It's hiss and boo time Chav-ulous ugly sisters whip up some good old-fashioned audience participation Cinderella, at The Anvil, Basingstoke, until Sunday, January 3 Cinderella is perhaps one of the best-loved and well-known pantos. It is a magical story of rags to riches. Anvil Arts have once again joined forces with UK Productions to produce this year's Anvil pantomime and it's great family entertainment, with something for everyone, although some of the jokes are perhaps a touch risqué. Anna Williamson as Cinderella gave a confident, exuberant performance, despite having an injured ankle, and Jamie Rickers was the buoyant Buttons, although suffering from a throat infection, but in true showbiz tradition the show went on. And didn't they do well?... Oh yes they did. There was a lovely rapport between them from their years working together in ITV and CITV's Toonattik. The plot followed the traditional story. Baron Hardup (David Oakley) had remarried and Cinders now had two stepsisters who forced her to work hard both day and night. Byron Mondahl (Lily) and David Ball (Daisy) were splendid as the spiteful 'chav' ugly sisters who made Cinders' life a total misery Their costumes were outlandish and they quickly worked up the audience to demonstrate their disapproval with their 'boos and jeers'. There were bags of good old-fashioned audience participation throughout. However, help is on hand when Cinders meets her Fairy Godmother, the singing star Sonia, who has been promoted from being on 'the top of the tree' - lots of reasons for singalong songs. Sam Cassidy was the handsome Prince Charming who swapped places with his servant Dandini (Gavin Lee Rees) in order to search for his love, Cinders. The transformation scene when the Fairy Godmother turned the pumpkin into a coach was a delightful moment that included two real Shetland ponies. The excellent chorus of villagers and courtiers were from the Basingstoke Academy of Dance and Kelly Hopkins Theatre Arts, slickly choreographed by Graeme Henderson. Beautifully-costumed and with lovely sets, director Ian Good's Cinderella was great fun and thoroughly enjoyed by an enthusiastic audience. ROBIN STRAPP

For more details

See The Anvil and Haymarket web site at www.anvilarts.org.uk.

Reviews of previous productions

See the Archive for these reviews:
Aladdin (December 2008)
A Christmas Carol (December 2008)
The Wizard of Oz (December 2007)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (December 2007)
The Borrowers (December 2006)
Private Lives (July 2006)
Whatever Happened to Bette and Joan? (February 2006)
The Wind in the Willows (December 2005)
The Canterville Ghost (December 2004)
The Playboy of the Western World (September 2004)
Thérèrse Raquin (January 2004)
The Three Musketeers (December 2003)
Mack and Mabel (November 2003)
Tartuffe (October 2003)
April in Paris (September 2003)
Perfect Pitch (June 2003)
The Daughter-in-Law (April 2003)
East (March 2003)
Relatively Speaking (March 2003)
Othello (February 2003)
Alice the Musical (December 2002)
Ghosts (April 2002)
Pickwick The Musical (December 2001)
The Sound of Music (November 2001)