The art of Hockney

Twice as much fun with two very different comedians at Preston Guild Hall over the weekend. Omid Djalili, “the thinking person’s Iranian comedian” comes to the city on Saturday night as part of his national tour.
Artist David HockneyArtist David Hockney
Artist David Hockney

It follows a sell-out, four-week West End residency and a sold-out season at the Edinburgh Festival for a performer with several stand-up awards, besides a Best Actor trophy for his lead performance in The Infidel.

The film also picked up a Loaded LAFTA award and the Peter Sellers Award at the London Evening Standard British Film Awards.

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On Sunday afternoon, the star of the Charter Theatre’s Christmas pantomime returns to the same stage with his Value for a Tenner Show.

Like the name suggests, Jimmy Cricket is keeping tickets at £10 – £2.50 for under 16s – for a variety show aimed at family audiences.

Box office: 01772 804444 or www.prestonguildhall.com

There’s a screening of one of the most popular movie musicals of all time at The Dukes in Lancaster next Monday.

A newly-restored print of Guys And Dolls (PG) is the film chosen to kick off the 2015 series of Journey Cafes at the Lancaster venue.

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Starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, this 1955 classic tells the story of gambler Sky Masterson who takes a bet from Nathan Detroit that he can win the affection of a Salvation Army ‘soldier’, setting himself up to lose both his money and his heart.

The screening is part of a series of arts events at The Dukes, presented in association with Age UK Lancashire, for people with memory problems and their families.

During the screening, which is open to everyone, changes are made to lighting and sound to ensure a comfortable environment is created. Box Office: 01524 598500 or www.dukes-lancaster.org/journeycafe

At the same venue, there’s an artistic theme to a couple of the new DukesDocs lined up at the Lancaster cinema – the best new documentary films from around the world.

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On Monday there will be a screening of Hockney (15), above, an exploration of one of the most significant artists of his generation, while on February 17, National Gallery (12A) provides an insight into London’s world-famous art institution.

Hockney sees the artist giving access to his personal archive of photographs and film for the first time. National Gallery is a portrait of a place, its way of working and relations with the world, its staff and public, and its paintings.

A documentary on a completely different subject is screened next Thursday.

Citizenfour (15) focuses on Edward Snowden. Filmmaker Laura Poitras was years into the making of a film about the abuses of national security services in post-9/11 America when she began receiving encrypted emails from a potential whistleblower who turned out to be Snowden. She subsequently interviewed him in a series of tense encounters.

Box Office: 01524 598500 or www.dukes-lancaster.org.

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Triple Olivier award-winning musical Top Hat – featuring classic songs of Irving Berlin and based on the film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers – comes to the Opera House, Manchester from next Tuesday to February 21.

Stepping into the shoes of Astaire and Rogers, in the lead roles of Jerry Travers and Dale Tremont, are Alan Burkitt and Charlotte Gooch, who both return to the show having previously performed these roles in the West End.

Travers, the ‘famous American tap dancer’, arrives in London to appear in his first West End show, meets the irresistible Dale Tremont, and then follows her across Europe in an attempt to win her heart.

The musical comedy includes Irving Berlin classics such as Cheek to Cheek, Isn’t It a Lovely Day to be Caught in the Rain and Top Hat, White Tie and Tails. In addition, from Berlin’s back catalogue, a further ten numbers have been used including Let’s Face the Music and Dance and Puttin’ On the Ritz.

Box office: 0844 871 3019 or www.atgtickets.com/
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