Dundee’s best on SHOW

THEATRE

When blue skies turn to drizzle, the theatre is the perfect place to while away the summer hours. Whether you are looking for a little bit of light relief or some serious drama – there is a show for everyone in Dundee this summer.

James Graham’s heart-stopping thriller The Angry Brigade has

never felt more relevant. Against a backdrop of Tory cuts, high unemployment and the deregulated economy of 1970s Britain, a young Urban Guerrilla group mobilises: The Angry Brigade. Its targets are MPs, embassies, police and pageant queens.

A world of order is shattered by anarchy and the rules have changed. An uprising has begun. No-one is exempt.

Directed by Lisa Williamson, this gripping production will lure you into a frenzied world that looks much like our own.

Dundee Rep Young Company present The Angry Brigade from July

4-6 at the Dundee Rep.

Fancy adding a little bit of magic to your summer? Then Joseph Purdy’s production of Sleeping Beauty is definitely for you.

This enchanting fairy tale retelling is full of charm, with glittering sets, sparkling costumes and a laugh-aminute script.

Joseph Purdy Productions presents Sleeping Beauty from July 12-14 at the Gardyne Theatre.

The creative team behind the Hairy Maclary Show has turned author and illustrator Nick Sharratt’s classic Shark in the Park series into

a wonderful new show, coming to Dundee this summer.

This fin-tastic musical is full of fun and adventure.

Shark in the Park is at the Gardyne Theatre on July 19.

Legendary actor Ian McKellen is celebrating his 80th birthday by touring the UK theatres with a new solo show and the Dundee Rep is one of them.

The Lord of the Rings and X-Men star, widely regarded as one of the world’s best actors, will present an evening filled with acting and anecdotes from his glittering career.

All profits from the show will benefit a campaign to celebrate 80 years of Dundee Rep Theatre, 20 years of its resident ensemble and 10 years of its young person’s Enterprise scheme.

Ian McKellen on Stage is on August 9.

Meanwhile, Rhythm of the Dance is celebrating its 20th Anniversary with a world-wide tour, including a stop at Dundee’s Caird Hall.

The two-hour dance and music extravaganza features a wealth of Irish talent, including 22 awardwinning world and Irish dance champions and an incredible 25 costume changes.

With flailing fiddles, flutes, inspiring dances, live vocalists, a live Irish trad band and a sensational sound and light show – the Rhythm of the Dance will have you tapping your toes and clapping those hands, all night long.

Rhythm of the Dance is on August 10 at the Caird Hall.

The world’s first cycling theatre company, The HandleBards, cycle from venue to venue with all the set, props and costume necessary to perform environmentally sustainable Shakespeare across the globe.

This summer its all-male troupe is using pedal power to visit HMS Unicorn, where it will be performing Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. Expect riotous amounts of energy, a fair old whack of chaos and a great deal of laughter.

The HandleBards present Much Ado About Nothing on August 30.

Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s Tony-award winning musical Evita will come to life once more at the Rep this summer.

Set in Argentina, Evita tells the story of Eva Person’s short life and charts her meteoric rise to sainthood.

From humble beginnings to her powerful position as first lady, Eva was worshiped and adored by her people. Filled with powerful, gutwrenching ballads, including Don’t Cry For Me Argentina and Another Suitcase Another Hall, Dundee Schools Music Theatre’s moving production will have you singing along and weeping in equal turns.

Dundee Schools Music Theatre presents Evita between August 14-17 at Dundee Rep.