THE LONELINESS OF A MIDDLE DISTANCE RUNNER

OLYMPIC themes from 2012 bring a contemporary flavour to the stunning new production by Pilot Theatre of Alan Sillitoe’s classic The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, playing at Theatre Royal Winchester from Tuesday to Saturday.

Since it opened a few weeks ago, the play has had excellent reviews in the national press for its fresh and accessible take on this classic text which deals with class divisions in society today.

The show stars BBC1’s Waterloo Road actor Jack McMullen (Finn Sharkey) who plays Jase, Colin’s best friend, along with a cast of nine talented young actors. The role of Colin was made famous in 1962 by Tom Courtenay in the film directed by Tony Richardson, and Pilot’s production brings the play up to date by adapting the script and the themes to tie in with the events of 2011 and the 2012 Olympics.

The actor who plays Colin (Eliot Barnes-Worrell), the disaffected young offender incarcerated in an institution for petty crime, is a ‘real life’ long-distance runner who spends much of the play running a total of 4K on a treadmill, pausing to act in flash-backs of his life with the rest of the cast.

THE SACRED FLAME

WHAT happened on the night the young Great War hero, Maurice Tabret, died at home in his bed? His doctor says he died from natural causes, but his nurse points a finger of suspicion at his beautiful wife, Stella...

Putting a twist on the classic murder mystery, The Sacred Flame, a part thriller, part love story is by the enduringly popular playwright and novelist, W Somerset Maugham, whose brilliance is discovered afresh in this vivid new production.

This tense and graceful play is an exploration of love, devotion and family and is at The Nuffield from Tuesday to Saturday.

CHRIS PACKHAM

FOLLOWING a sell-out visit in 2011, TV wildlife expert Chris Packham returns to his native south coast this autumn with a live show at Fareham's Ferneham Hall tomorrow night.

Chris, who was born in Southampton, is famous for a whole host of TV programmes.

His stage show is an equally fascinating insight into the magical world of wildlife.

It's also a chance to see his amazing photographic images of the natural world. His work is more photographic art than mere wildlife pictures, and Chris will share his passion in capturing the perfect moment in time and space.

WOT? NO FISH!!

A CHARMING tale about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people is presented in one-man show Wot? No Fish!!

Performed by author and performer Danny Braverman, the piece chronicles the life of Jewish family man Ab Solomons.

In 1926, Solomons brought his wage packet home for his wife Celie and as a token of his affection drew a cartoon on it to make her smile. From that moment on, each week Ab doodled on his wage packet, recording the highs and lows of his family’s life. Births, deaths, marriages and, er, catering all documented through Ab’s humourous, often wry, sketches.

Wot? No Fish!! is the first public sharing of Ab’s cartoons woven into a unique and poignant show by storyteller Braverman.

The show is at The Point in Eastleigh tonight.