What’s on where around Luton: listings, August 26 edition

WEDS AUGUST 26

Adults with learning difficulties’ arts and craft sessions. Every Wednesday 10.30am to 12.30pm and Saturdays from 11am to 1pm at Arttrend, Arundel Road, Luton. Social and creative activity for adults with learning difficulties, engaging in all types of art and craft work such as painting in acrylics, papier mache, salt dough, cross stitch, rug making etc.
Please see the website www.arttrend.co.uk and go to Art ALD, then see the
gallery of work already done.
Tel 07794987796 if you would like more details. 10.30am to 12.30pm Wednesdays, 11am to 1pm Saturdays – but can come and go at any time. £6 per session including materials and refreshments.

Quiz Night every Wednesday from 8pm. £1 entry per person, maximum of six per team. St Vincents Social Centre, Houghton Regis. Prize for the winning team.

Othello is broadcast live from the Royal Shakespeare Theatre to the Grove Theatre, Dunstable, at 7pm. Othello is the greatest general of his age. A fearsome warrior, loving husband and revered defender of Venice against its enemies. But he is also an outsider whose victories have created enemies of his own, men driven by prejudice and jealousy to destroy him.
Tickets: £15. Call 01582 60 20 80 or visit www.grovetheatre.co.uk for more information or to book.

THURS AUGUST 27

The son of Lonnie Donegan, Peter, is a talented musician in his own right. Joining forces with the band that toured with the legend for the last 30 years, he will perform some of Lonnie’s classic hits, including Putting On The Style, Have a Drink On Me, Rock Island Line and Pick a Bale of Cotton.
A great night of skiffle, blues, jazz and a lot of foot-stomping fun. He plays at The Stables, Wavendon from 8pm. Tickets: £16.50. Call 01908 280800 or visit www.stables.org

Cinderella is being screened at The Grove Theatre, Dunstable at 2.30pm. When her father unexpectedly passes away, young Ella finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother and her daughters.
Never one to give up hope, Ella’s fortunes begin to change after meeting a dashing stranger.
This new version is directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden and Helena Bonham Carter.
Tickets: £7 for adults, £5 for children. Call 01582 60 20 80 or visit www.grovetheatre.co.uk for more information or to book.

FRIDAY AUGUST 28

The music of The Doors continues to reach into souls in a way little other music can, whether it be the moving intrigue of Riders On The Storm, the expansive energy of L.A. Woman or the sheer exuberance of the out-and-out rock classic, Light My Fire. With their authentic instruments and sets crafted through years of experience, The Strange Doors invite audiences to immerse themselves in the vibe, to move to the hypnotic beat and to allow the sound to help them break on through to the other side.
They play at The Stables, Wavendon from 8pm. Tickets: £15. Call 01908 280800 or visit www.stables.org

The familiar saying ‘everything is bigger in Texas’ comes to mind when describing powerhouse country vocalist and Texas native, SaraBeth.
Born and raised in Dallas, she is a contemporary country singer-songwriter who is making her mark in Nashville as the sweetly southern artist with an edge. 
Few British people have enjoyed success in country music the way Glen Mitchell has. 
Since moving to Nashville in 2001, Glen has toured with many of Nashville’s finest artists, playing lead guitar and on many occasions taking the role of band leader for artists that include Billy Currington, Frankie Ballard, Lonestar, Joe Nichols and Chely Wright, among others. The pair play The Stables, Wavendon from 8.45pm. Tickets £10 in advance, £12 on the door. Call 01908 280800 or visit www.stables.org and see page 26 for more on SaraBeth.

SAT AUGUST 29

Wrest Park opens its doors for a special evening of side-splitting splendour. The Magna Laughter crew will bring the history of Wrest Park to life for the evening, with their own brand of mirth and historical humour.
Performing on the night will be popular satirist, Andy Saltzman, who has been winning critical acclaim since his Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2001; Iszi Lawrence, who herself has a historical comedy background with the ‘Z List Deadlist’ podcast about some of the more interesting people in history; and Chris Purchase, who joins fresh from supporting Reginald D Hunter. Tickets cost £22. Call 0370 333 1183 Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm or Saturday from 9am to 5pm.

The Spooky Men’s Chorale from the Blue Mountains in Australia employ a combination of musical sensibilities, cavernous vocal chords and extreme silliness to explore the paradoxes of latter day masculinity. Their repertoire is a tour of massive, hair-raising Georgian harmonies, immaculate ballads and vaudevillian nonsense. They play at The Stables, Wavendon from 8pm.
Tickets £21.50. Call 01908 280800 or visit www.stables.org

Ginger Baker, renowned for his work with the Graham Bond Organisation, Cream and Blind Faith, is back at The Stables, Wavendon with fusion quartet Ginger Baker Jazz Confusion.
The band features a sound that is both a return to Baker’s jazz roots and an exploration of the kind of cross-genre, innovative fusion that he has championed since his afrobeat years in Nigeria with Fela Kuti. It’s an unconventional line-up and an unconventional sound from a man who has never done what anyone expected of him; once voted Musician Least Likely To Survive The 60s, Ginger Baker is still here, still playing and still pushing boundaries. Tickets: £22.50 and £24. Call 01908 280800 or visit www.
stables.org

Luton Poetry Society presents Be A Poet - History Comes Alive.
Luton poets are set to travel back in time to meet and perform as historical poets, all dressed up for the occasion The event will feature great minds like Sylvia Plath, Thomas Gray, Lady Mary Chudleigh and Emily Bronte, stretching even to 70 BC to discover ancient Roman poet Vergil (Vergilius Publius Maro). This event takes place at Luton Central Library (Conference Room), from 2pm to 4pm. More details are available at www.luton
poetrysociety.com.

THUR SEPTEMBER 3

The Big Chris Barber Band features everything from New Orleans to blues to late 1920s Ellington, all played with extraordinary panache and skill. They play to The Stables, Wavendon from 8pm. Hits include Bourbon Street Parade, Jubilee Stomp, Ice Cream and When the Saints Go Marching In. You can count on an exciting evening of high quality jazz and blues which will appeal to aficionados and newcomers alike. Tickets £23. Call 01908 280800 or visit www.stables.org

FRI SEPTEMBER 4

Join the ever-popular Misfitz at The Stables for this charity event in memory of the band’s founder, Charles Francis, to aid his nominated charities. His inspiration lives on as the band continues to perform locally with a wide variety of songs for all ages to enjoy. Sing along, dance in the aisles and have fun while helping to raise much-needed cash for Willen Hospice and the Brain Tumour Charity. The show starts at 8pm. Tickets cost £15. Call 01908 280800 or visit www.stables.org

SAT SEPTEMBER 12

Next Generation Youth Theatre bring their award-winning new The Butterfly Catcher, a play with music, to The Hat Factory in Bute Street on Saturday, September 12. Tickets are £8 or £6 for concessions. Call 01582 878100 or visit http://www.lutonculture.com to book.