A Landlord's laugh-in

THERE are comedy treats, stage musicals, pop, rock and classical concerts lined up in the Derby Live autumn season.

Al Murray on October 7, Stephen K Amos on November 9 and Joe Pasquale on October 25 lead a strong comedy line-up at Derby Assembly Rooms.

And the classical concert season sees Derby-based orchestra Sinfonia Viva's dates added to by visits from orchestras from St Petersburg and Poland. There's also a chance to see Vivaldi's Four Seasons performed in period costume by candlelight on November 28.

Steve Earle leads off the autumn rock gigs, with the singer-songwriter and guitar-toting maverick playing on September 12.

Sultry soul diva Mica Paris visits Derby on November 24, just a day before former The Jam and Style Council frontman Paul Weller makes a welcome return to the Great Hall.

Although Weller's gig on November 25 is a sell-out.

Medium Colin Fry will also be making a return visit to Derby on October 5.

For those seeking something a bit different there's the spectacle of the Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers on October 13 and the macabre and ghoulish delights of The Circus of Horrors on November 18.

But there's no joy for opera and ballet fans.

Producer Ellen Kent's retirement has left a gap in the city's cultural life after being a perennial visitor to Derby with her adaptations of ballet and opera favourites.

Derby Live is still hoping to plug the gap left by Ellen's absence but hasn't managed it for the new season.

Bob Rushton, Derby Live programme manager, says: "Derby has had a fantastic track record of working with some of the top producers of opera over the past few years – most noticeably Ellen Kent – and has seen audiences increase significantly for the genre as a result. Although grand-scale, professional opera is not part of our current season we are still very much in discussion with other producers to hopefully secure its return for future seasons as we believe it is an incredibly important strand of our artistic programme.

"We are also working to provide accessible routes into these areas through discussions with smaller scale companies that would enable us to offer lower-priced events. There was some fantastic opera over the summer via the Big Screen in the Market Place, with various screenings of operatic performances which were all free for the public, and it is hoped that this can continue along-side the indoor programme."

Theatre, however, is very much on the agenda. A full-programme of homegrown theatre has already been announced by Derby Live, including a Christmas production of The Snow Queen (from November 26) at the Derby Theatre (the new name for the old Playhouse) and more cutting-edge offerings at The Guildhall, including Conor McPherson's Shining City from October 15-31.

The theatre season will also see visits from touring productions, such as Wayne Sleep in the musical Cabaret from September 21-26 at the Assembly Rooms.

The season ends as usual with a panto at the Assembly Rooms, with Neil Morrissey in Cinderella from December 9. Visit www.derbylive. co.uk or pick up a brochure from the Tourist Information Centre in the Market Place for more details.