10 things coming up in the Worthing and Brighton area

1 Theatre. Charlotte Keatley’s My Mother Said I Never Should. plays Worthing’s Connaught Theatre on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 19 and 20. Kathryn Ritchie returns to play Jackie Metcalfe and will be joined by Rebecca Birch (Rosie Metcalfe), Lisa Burrows (Margaret Bradley) and Judith Paris (Doris Partington). Artistic director of LCT Michael Cabot directs the production, which tours to a further 14 venues in 2019. Set in Manchester, Oldham and London, My Mother Said I Never Should is a poignant, bittersweet story about love, jealousy and the price of freedom. The play details the lives of four women through the immense social changes of the 20th century. Using a kaleidoscopic time structure, Charlotte Keatley’s story focuses on four generations of one family as they confront the most significant moments of their lives.

2 Theatre. Worthing Musical Theatre Company are relishing all the challenges of going back to Bad Girls The Musical. Julie Jordan, who played Yvonne when they first staged it ten years ago, is directing the show this time, at Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre from March 13-16.

3 Comedy. Barnstomers comedy is promising another top line-up of stand-ups at Shoreham’s Ropetackle Centre on Saturday, March 16 at 8.30pm. Longstanding Barnstormers Comedy MC Kevin Precious will be on hand to introduce performers from the London Comedy Comedy Circuit and beyond. “This month, they comprise skilled racounteur Jason Patterson, the sardonic and frequently-topical edge of Mary Bourke and the wonderfully-amiable grouch that is Pierre Hollins. Jason Patterson is an award-winning comedian who started out in comedy in 2006 and since then he’s performed at comedy clubs all over the UK including Manchester, Nottingham, Birmingham, Brighton and Derby to name a few. Jason also won the Comedy Store Gong show (March 2008) and has gone on to perform a series of impressive spots there. Jason’s strong performances led to him being nominated for Best Newcomer at the Black Entertainment Comedy Awards 2008. Mary Bourke was born in Dublin.She lives in leafy Buckinghamshire with her comedian husband and her large collection of Betty Page memorabilia. Before she became a comic, she was a burlesque dancer and choreographer in San Francisco.”

4 Theatre. Storrington Dramatic Society’s Spring production 2019 is based on the true story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in this country. The Thrill of Love by Amanda Whittington will be directed by Sue Goble. The cast includes Mel Newton (Ruth Ellis), Lena Richardson-Hill (Sylvia Shaw), Stella Russell (Doris Judd), Angela Munnoch (Vickie Martin) and Ian Stuart (Jack Gale). Sue said: “This is an intense drama, based on the true story of Ruth Ellis. A Soho nightclub hostess, Ruth had a stormy relationship with an abusive, upper-class, racing driver. Performances will take place at Sullington Parish Hall from Thursday, March 14 to Saturday, March 16, all at 7.45pm. Tickets, priced at £10, are on sale now via the ticket link on www.storringtondramatics.co.uk, or can be obtained in person at Fowlers Estate Agent, The Square, Storrington.

5 Theatre. Get your teeth stuck into a night of rocking music with Vampires Rock featuring X Factor winner Sam Bailey. She plays the Vampire Queen in the hit touring musical extravaganza Vampires Rock Ghost Train for the 2019 spring tour which will be hitting Worthing’s Pavilion Theatre on Friday, March 22. Factor winner Sam will be stepping into the shoes of singer and actress Toyah Willcox who played the part for two years, performing more than 200 shows. Winner of the tenth series of X Factor, Sam Bailey went on to get Christmas number one with her cover of Demi Lovato’s Skyscraper and supported Beyoncé on a date of her UK tour in 2014. Her debut album, The Power of Love reached number one in the UK albums chart. She has starred in the musical Chicago and Fat Friends –The Musical. Sam will be joined on stage by the creator of Vampires Rock, Steve Steinman, plus a full cast of dancers, singers and musicians.

6 Theatre. The play of The Silver Sword will be the spring production from the Rustington Players – a piece based on the celebrated children’s book by Ian Serraillier. The play of The Silver Sword takes place from Wednesday, March 13 to Saturday, March 16 at 7.45pm at the Woodlands Centre, Woodlands Avenue, Rustington. Doors open 7pm. Tickets £10 are available on Ticketsouce.co.uk/rustingtonplayers or phone/text 07546306438. Also available on the door.

7 Music. Another year, another tour. Paul Carrack is delighted to be so busy. He plays the Brighton Centre on March 16.

8 Comedy. Stand-up and former Chichester College student Suzi Ruffell calls those moments her “3am press conferences” – those moments when all the worries come crashing in. She’s a natural born worrier – and that’s the starting point for her latest show Nocturnal which she is currently touring, including a date at Brighton Komedia on Monday, March 18.

9 Music. Sarah Darling is coming to Brighton’s Komedia on March 20. On this tour Sarah will be previewing tracks from her forthcoming album Wonderland – due for release later this year. With Wonderland, Sarah did something rare – she left Nashville and wrote and recorded a country record over here in the UK. .

10 Opera. OperaUpClose bring their acclaimed, 2011 Olivier Award-winning (Best New Opera Production) English version of Puccini’s La Bohème to Worthing’s Connaught Theatre on Saturday, March 23. At the heart of Puccini’s La Bohème is the romance between aspiring novelist Rodolfo and immigrant cleaner Mimi as his friends flirt, fight and struggle to make ends meet around him. La Bohème was OperaUpClose’s first production.

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