Powerful line-up (From Daily Echo)

Powerful line-up

1:32pm Wednesday 25th January 2012 in Stage News By Lorelei Reddin, Entertainments Editor

THE Nuffield’s spring 2012 season gets off to a strong start with a hot-blooded new version of the world’s greatest love story, Romeo and Juliet (February 2 to 18), co-produced with Headlong.

That’s followed by the powerful drama Mogadishu (March 13 to 15). Set in an inner city school a white teacher is accused of racism.

Missing (March 20 to 24) is the brand new show from physical theatre company Gecko. It will lift the lid on your imagination and sweep you into a bizarre world with floating scenes and outrageous apparatus!

Theatre Alibi brings us Dick King-Smith’s novel The Crowstarver (March 27 to 31). Set against the backdrop of the Second World War it’s an action- packed story with live music.

Award-winning theatre company Tamasha return to Southampton with the new play Snookered (April 3 to 5) about the inner lives of young British men who happen to be Muslims.

Dance company Earthfall revives its award-winning adaptation of Jamie O’Neill’s At Swim Two Boys (April 17 and 18). Staged entirely in water and set against the background of the Easter Rising in Ireland this is a visual exploration of the developing love between two young men.

Years after the Second World War Otto Frank sent a rose to Japan in memory of his daughter.

It grows in the gardens of Hiroshima and in every Japanese city as a symbol of peace and reconciliation. In Souvenir d’Anne Frank (April 19 and 20) the stories of Anne and her rose are woven through Colin Decio’s haunting Het Achterhuis trio. A bush grafted from the original rose is planted in each community that this extraordinary project visits.

The Pirate Project (April 24 to 26) combines the escapades of notorious female pirates Anne Bonny, Mary Read and Ching Shih with modern-day tales of derring-do in the performers’ own lives.

Spymonkey are back with a no-holds-barred subversion of the quintessential Greek tragedy! Inspired by Barbarella and a little bit of Bond, Oedipussy (May 1 to 5) is a tale of forbidden lust, accidental incest, murder and the ultimate dysfunctional family.

Every year The Nuffield brings an exciting international circus spectacular to Southampton – and this year is no exception! Soaring through the air with their dizzying cartwheels, multiple back-flips and vaulting stunts in all directions, Circus Mandingue from Guinea bring us Foté Foré (May 10 to 12).

May sees The Nuffield Theatre Company join Hightide and Headlong to present Boys (May 16 to 25), a brand new play from Ella Hickson. It’s finals day for the Class of 2011 and tonight marks the end of an era. Stepping into a world that doesn’t want them four boys start to wonder whether there’s any point in getting any older. How will they find the fight to make it as adults?

In Fresh Glory’s Lilies on the Land (May 29 to June 3), four young women sign up to become Land Girls. Torn from their families and bereft of all basic home comforts, will they deal with the hardships of farming life?

As well as Saturday children’s shows in the Studio, The Nuffield Theatre Company teams up with Forest Forge to delight families with The Phoenix and the Carpet (March 16 to18).

Other studio highlights include The Man Who Left the Titanic (January 30 to February 1), the story of Bruce Ismay, managing director of the White Star Line, best remembered for being the man who jumped into the last lifeboat instead of going down alongside his captain and crew.

A fantastic season of comedy stars includes Trevor Lock (March 25), Chris Mayo (May 6), Simon Munnery (April 29), Shappi Khorsandi (May 20) and Mark Steel (May 27).