Our guide to the best events in and around Sussex
Golem 1927 - 29 December - 16 January
Tickets: £22-£25; The Old Market, Hove: 01273 201801
10am-12pm. 1927 bring their new award-winning show Golem to The Old Market, following sell-out seasons in London and Paris.
Like a giant graphic novel burst into life, 1927 invites audiences to take a step through the looking glass into a dark and fantastical tale of an extraordinary ordinary man. Blending 1927’s synthesis of handmade animation, claymation, live music and performance, Golem is a dystopian fable for the 21st century, which cleverly and satirically explores one of the great questions of the modern world – who or what is in control of our technologies?
Holiday on Ice - 5-10 January
Brighton Centre, Kings Road, Brighton: 0844 847 1538
Taking the audience through the journey that each skater experiences, from the passion of the ice to the ambition, challenges and beauty of this fascinating world, Passion follows the true-life stories of the cast members, who every night bring the glamour of Holiday on Ice to life for audiences world-wide to enjoy.
Featuring top class performers, breathtaking costumes, great music, a spectacular wheel, kick line and fireworks.
Times vary. Tickets: £15-£90.
Wildlife Walkabouts
RSPB Pulborough Brooks Wiggonholt, Pulborough: 01798 875851
Every Thursday 10am-12 noon: Pulborough Brooks is providing all sorts of animals a home, and their regular gentle ramble is an ideal introduction to some of their very special wildlife. Cost: £8 per person (£2.50 per RSPB member).
London Gay Symphony Orchestra and Actually GayY Mens’s Chorus - 10 January
Concert Hall, Brighton Dome: 01273 709709
7.30pm. A classical delight for all ages, Carnival of the Animals will be performed by LGSO and narrated by cabaret star Miss Jason. Brighton and Hove’s AGMC will sing highlights from HMS Pinafore. Acclaimed guest soloists will perform classics from Puccini, Albinoni, Wagner and Lutos?awski, with the incredible Poulenc Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra. Tickets: £8-£25.
Annie - 12-16 January
Theatre Royal, Brighton: 0844 871 7650
7.30pm. The world’s favourite family musical, starring Birds of a Feather star Lesley Joseph as the tyrannical Miss Hannigan. Set in the 1930s New York during The Great Depression, brave young Annie is forced to live a life of misery at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage. Determined to find her real parents, her luck changes when she is chosen to spend Christmas at the residence of famous billionaire Oliver Warbucks. Miss Hannigan has other ideas and hatches a plan to spoil Annie’s search.
Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday matinees 2.30pm. Tickets: £12.50-£49.50.
Loot By Joe Orton - 15-23 January
New Venture Theatre, Brighton: 01273 746118
7.45pm. Loot depicts the fortunes of two young criminals, Hal and Dennis.
Hal’s mother has just died. Having robbed the bank next door to the funeral parlour where Dennis works as an undertaker, and in order to conceal the proceeds of the crime, they hide the money in Hal’s mother’s coffin. This, though, leaves no place for the body.
Their plans are thrown into further chaos when the police arrive on the scene in the shape of Inspector Truscott.
Playing with the conventions of popular farce, Orton creates a nihilistic, dark, chaotic world, which attacks the most deep-seated myths of English culture concerning authority, religion and death. Sunday performances are matinees starting at 2.30pm. There are no performances on Mondays.
The Royal Pavilion Ice Rink - until 17 January
Royal Pavilion’s Eastern Lawns in Brighton
Open daily, the huge 880-square metre rink includes a beginners’ area, penguin skate aids and skate sizes from just walking to adult. Tickets cost from £10 for adults (aged 12 and over), £7 for juniors (children under 12). Concessions for students and season tickets. Box office open 9.30am-9.45pm.
www.royalpavilionicerink.co.uk
Ross Noble: Warm Up - 19 January
The Hawth, Crawley: 01293 553636
8pm. Don’t miss your chance to see Ross Noble in this intimate venue as a warm up for his brand new 2016 tour. Suitable for 15 years and over Tickets: £16.50.
An Introduction to Birds and Birdwatching - 19 January-31 May
Sussex Wildlife Trust | Tuesdays 7pm-9pm and Saturday mornings: Multi-session monthly course
Sussex Wildlife Trust is running monthly beginners’ birdwatching sessions from January to May on alternate Tuesday evenings at Woods Mill nature reserve near Henfield. There will also be the opportunity to visit some of the top bird sites around the county on Saturdays. Whether you are hoping to see the iridescent blue flash of the kingfisher, hear a nightingale sing, or watch a majestic buzzard hovering overhead, course leader and Sussex Life columnist Mike Russell knows the best places to go and the best time to go there. Topics include: birdsong, migration, habitats, bird conservation and tips on identification techniques.
Booking is essential. For further information, prices and booking please call 01273 497561 or go to www.sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/whats-on
Gandini Smashed - 20 January
Festival Theatre, Chichester: 01243 781312
8pm. The dark art of juggling. Eighty apples, nine performers, four crockery sets. You are cordially invited to a tea party that you will never forget.
Gandini Juggling bring their award-winning sensation Smashed to Chichester for a limited run. A mesmerising mix of circus and theatre, inspired by the work of Pina Bausch, this is a rare opportunity to catch this global smash-hit. Tickets from £16.
South Coast Jazz Festival - 21-24 January
Ropetackle Arts Centre, Shoreham
The festival is curated by jazz singer Claire Martin OBE and saxophonist Julian Nicholas, and offers a rich and diverse programme that reflects many styles of jazz music including educational workshops, guest speakers and the return of the popular jam session. The line-up features some of the leading lights from the UK’s vibrant jazz scene.
www.southcoastjazzfestival.com
Frant International Music Festival 2016
Frant Church, High Street, Frant
22 January 8pm: Carolyn Sampson and Joseph Middleton | 29 January 8pm: Pascal and Ami Rogé
Frant’s 12th season of music kicks off in January with recitals by one of the most sought after opera stars, Carolyn Sampson and a week later, brilliant piano virtuoso Pascal Rogé, who will be joined by his partner in life and in music, pianist Ami Rogé. Tickets for both concerts £18.
Oysters3 - 24 January
De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill: 01424 229111
7.30pm. John Jones, Alan Prosser and Ian Telfer, the three founder members and creative heart of folk-rock legends Oysterband, invite you to an evening of fresh acoustic performance. Tickets: £14.50
Flare Path - 27-30 January
Connaught Theatre, Worthing: 01903 206206
7.30pm. Based on Rattigan’s experiences as a tail gunner during World War II, Flare Path paints an evocative portrait of life in wartime Britain for the RAF bomber crews and the wives and sweethearts who were left awaiting their return. Combining highly charged drama with a truly authentic taste of the fear, camaraderie and passion experienced by the men and women who fought to save their country, their families and each other. Thursday and Saturday matinees 2.30pm. Tickets: £24.50-£29.
Hetty Feather - 27-31 January
Festival Theatre, Chichester: 01243 781312
Roll up and join Hetty on her escape from the Foundling Hospital. Tremble as she faces Matron Stinking Bottomly. Thrill as she discovers the squirrel house and Tanglefield’s Travelling Circus. Gasp as she endures a night locked in the attic. Quake as she braves the scary streets of Victorian London and cheer as she overcomes all in the search to find her real mother and a true family of her own.
From bestselling author Jacqueline Wilson, the tale of plucky Hetty Feather is brought thrillingly to life on stage. Featuring beautiful storytelling, original songs, live music and circus skills. Tickets from £10.
Anton & Erin - 28 January
Dome Concert Hall, Brighton: 01273 709709
7.30pm. Anton du Beke and Erin Boag return in a thrilling new show for 2016. Featuring exciting new choreography, sparkling costumes and timeless music from the golden age. Tickets: £31.50-£44.50.
Big Garden Birdwatch - 30-31 January
More than half a million people are expected to watch and count their garden birds for this year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch in January. The world’s largest garden wildlife survey, now in its 37th year, takes place on 30 and 31 January 2016. Over the last 30 years it has provided valuable information about the changes in numbers of birds using our gardens in winter.
London Philharmonic Orchestra - 31 January
Congress Theatre, Eastbourne: 01323 412000
Wagner Prelude to Act 1, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg | Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1 | Khachaturian Masquerade Suite | Tchaikovsky Swan Lake (excerpts) | Matthew Wood conductor | Tianwa Yang violin
A selection of classical treats to welcome in the New Year including excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, the work that proved that ballet music has a place in the concert hall. Tickets: £13-£29, under 16 and students £5, family £40.
