Top entertainment shows are not to be missed at leading venues across our area

The long-running – and chilling – West End hit Ghost Stories is at the Theatre Royal in Nottingham this week until May 3.

Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman’s worldwide cult phenomenon Ghost Stories visits as part of its first full UK national tour.

Dan Tetsell (Riders) plays Professor Goodman, David Cardy (Birds Of A Feather) plays Tony Matthews, Clive Mantle (Casualty) plays Mike Priddle, and Eddie Loodmer-Elliott (Modi: Three Days on the Wing of Madness) appears as Simon Rifkind.

Please be advised that Ghost Stories contains moments of extreme shock and tension. The show is unsuitable for anyone under the age of 15, but those of a nervous disposition are strongly advised to think very seriously before attending.

For more on ticket availability, go to www.trch.co.uk

Bestwood Male Voice Choir will be hosting this year’s National Association of Choirs Midlands East Group’s Five Choir Concert.

The concert will take place on Saturday, May 10, from 7pm at St Mary Magdalene Church, South Street, Hucknall.

The choirs involved will be Bestwood Male Voice Choir, Boundary Singers, Eastwood Collieries Male Voice Choir, Leaside Singers and Pye Hill and District Male Voice Choir.

Tickets are £10 and available from TryBooking.com or from Peter Fletcher on 07935 281537.

Following its hit run at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Camden Fringe and 2022 UK tour, Shoddy Theatre are taking slapstick comedy A Shoddy Detective and The Art Of Deception back on tour, but this time bigger than ever. It will visit Mansfield Palace Theatre on May 13.

Described as “witty, endearing and good clean fun”, we follow a bumbling detective as he is called upon to uncover the mystery of a priceless stolen painting, but when he cannot solve it himself, he is forced to enlist the help of an old nemesis.

Together, the pair must interrogate the many characterful suspects that reside at the manor, in order to catch the conniving culprit and solve the crime of the century.

Shoddy Theatre was first established in 2018. Their first production A Shoddy Detective and the Art of Deception was such a hit that it was awarded funding from Essex University to become an established theatrical production company.

Since then, spearheaded by Mitch Donaldson, Shoddy have gone from strength to strength and their new partnership with Joshua Beaumont and Matthew Emeny will see their largest tour yet and lots more to come for the future of Shoddy Theatre.

For more on ticket availability go to www.mansfieldpalace.co.uk

The Dales Music and Drama Group is set to delight audiences again with its latest production: Michael Frayn’s fast-paced, door-slamming farce Noises Off.

The show will run at the Dales United Reformed Church, in Parkdale Road, Bakersfield, promising a riotous behind-the-scenes look at life in the theatre.

Known for its sharply timed comedy and chaotic charm, Noises Off is a play within a play, following a hapless group of actors as they attempt to stage the fictional farce Nothing On.

As things spiral wildly out of control, the line between performance and reality begins to blur, with hilarious consequences.

Long-time group member Jim Green, who is directing the production, said: “Noises Off is famously tricky because the comedy relies so much on precision and timing.

“But our cast has thrown themselves into it with such enthusiasm. It’s been a lot of work and a lot of laughs. I think audiences are going to love the energy and sheer chaos of it all.

“Whether you're a seasoned theatre-goer or just in the mood for a night of laughter, this production promises an evening of comic brilliance.”

Founded almost 70 years ago, the Dales Music and Drama Group has built a reputation for ambitious and entertaining productions, drawing talent from across Nottinghamshire.

The group welcomes both seasoned performers and enthusiastic newcomers, creating a strong sense of community spirit and creativity.

Performances start at 7.15pm on May 21 to 24. For more information and to book tickets, visit https://dmdg.co.uk/tickets.

Notts-born comedian Matt Forde is back in his home city on June 5 for a gig at Nottingham Playhouse as part of his The End Of An Era Tour.

After enduring what he thought was sciatica during the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Matt was diagnosed with cancer.

A few weeks later he was having the base of his spine removed. Since learning to walk again, Matt returned to work on his acclaimed Political Party, British Scandal and Down The Dog podcasts, alongside hosting Absolute Radio’s Rock ‘n’ Roll Football Show.

His final challenge was to return to the stage with a new show, lampooning new government’s in the UK and US.

2024 ended with Matt entertaining King Charles with his Donald Trump impression at the Royal Variety Performance, followed by him winning Celebrity Mastermind thanks to him choosing Nottingham Forest as his specialist subject.

Matt wrote and voiced characters for Spitting Image (BritBox/ITV) including Boris Johnson, Keir Starmer and Donald Trump. Spitting Image delivered record subscribers for BritBox UK, the BBC and ITV created streaming platform, as well as picking up huge critical acclaim.

Across official social media channels, series content has been hugely popular with over 200 million views globally, three No. 1 trending videos on YouTube and achieved praise across political the political divide.

For more on ticket availability, you can go to www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk

A bold new response to Shakespeare’s most popular play is reaching its final stages of rehearsal as Hamlet: The Rest is Silence prepares to take the Royal Concert Hall stage this June.

It can be seen at the city centre venue on June 10 and 11.

Produced by the Theatre Royal & Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham (TRCH), in collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), this ambitious ‘people’s theatre’ production has brought together local actors, technicians and creatives of all ages through an 11-month creative journey, from workshops and devising, to masterclasses and technical upskilling.

Directed by Rebecca Morris, who also crafted the adapted script, the production has stayed true to the core of Shakespeare’s plot while dynamically reshaping it for a 21st-century audience.

“We’ve created an adaptation shaped by the stories of the people involved,” Morris explains. “It’s not just about the performance, it’s also been about the process — collaborative, rigorous, and profoundly human. This production is really what the Shakespeare Nation is all about, from those participating to those watching, looking at what is relevant and beautiful about these timeless stories, and sharing our interpretation in a way that is clear and accessible to everyone.”

Set within the uniquely resonant space of the Royal Concert Hall, the show explores the sound and silence within Hamlet, focusing on storytelling clarity and theatrical invention. The script has been carefully sculpted using questions like: What is the purpose of this scene? What do we need to keep in, to tell the story? Can it be visual? What language do we love?

The result is a two-hour production that retains the heart of Shakespeare while embracing contemporary voices and visual storytelling. It is suitable for everyone, from seasoned fans of Shakespeare to those accessing the work for the very first time.

For tickets, go to www.trch.co.uk

Finally, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band will be back in the area on June 29 at Sheffield’s Greystones.

The band has performed in 38 countries and 48 states. They have been featured in Rolling Stone Magazine, Living Blues, Elmore, donned the cover of Vintage Guitar Magazine, have been number one on the Billboard, iTunes and Sirius XM Blues Charts and have been nominated for three Blues Music Awards by the Blues Foundation in Memphis.

Often called, ‘the greatest front-porch blues band in the world’, the Big Damn Band is led by Reverend Peyton, considered to be the premier finger picker playing today.

Rev has earned a reputation as both a singularly compelling performer and a persuasive evangelist for the rootsy, country blues styles that captured his imagination early in life and inspired him and his band to make pilgrimages to Clarksdale, Mississippi, to study under such blues masters.

Accompanied by Rev’s wife, the washboard virtuoso, Washboard Breezy Peyton, and kept on time by the deep rhythms of Jacob “The Snakob” Powell, Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band will leave you clapping, stomping, and singing along.

The new album from Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band, Honeysuckle, was released on February 21.

For more on the gig, go to https://www.bigdamnband.com/shows/