Ten things to see in Sussex, Friday to Thursday, May 11-17

Wondering what do over the next seven days? Here are ten of the best events.
Amanda Palmer. Picture by  Martin OllmanAmanda Palmer. Picture by  Martin Ollman
Amanda Palmer. Picture by Martin Ollman

1. Present Laughter.

Until May 12, Chichester Festival Theatre, 01243 781312. Actor Garry Essendine is at the height of his fame and he’s about to take his latest theatrical hit overseas. But he’s also in the middle of a mid-life crisis. This sparkling comedy about sex, fame and a man wrestling with his own self-image is widely regarded as Noël Coward’s most autobiographical play. Actor, comedian and presenter Rufus Hound plays Garry, returning to Chichester following Neville’s Island in 2013.

2. Someone Like You – The Adele Songbook.

Friday, May 11, 7.30pm, £20, Clair Hall, Haywards Heath, 01444 455440. Someone Like You is a tribute to one of the 21st century’s finest singer-songwriters. Hand-picked by Adele herself on Graham Norton’s BBC Adele Special, Katie Markham has the outstanding voice to deliver all the captivating Adele hits. The concert aims to faithfully recreate the magic of Adele’s three record-breaking albums – 19, 21 and 25 – and features the songs ‘Chasing Pavements’, ‘Someone Like You’ and ‘Skyfall’.

3. David Baddiel.

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Saturday, May 12, £27.50, 7.30pm, The Royal Hippodrome, Eastbourne, 01323 802020. Following a sold-out run at London’s Menier Chocolate Factory and two critically-acclaimed West End runs, David Baddiel takes his Olivier-nominated one-man show to theatres nationwide. My Family: Not the Sitcom is a show about memory, ageing, infidelity, dysfunctional relatives, moral policing on social media, golf and gay cats. David was first known as one of the stars of The Mary Whitehouse Experience and then Newman and Baddiel In Pieces. In 1994 David and Frank Skinner created Fantasy Football League. Then the pair, along with The Lightening Seeds, wrote the iconic unofficial England anthem Three Lions.

4. An Evening with Amanda Palmer.

May 13, £18-£20, 7.30pm, Brighton Dome, 01273 709709. Plus support from Andrew O’Neill. Half of the cult-favourite punk-cabaret duo the Dresden Dolls and alt-rock icon Amanda Palmer has long been a controversial figure. Since her beginnings in the band and now as a solo artist, she has been keeping up a non-stop schedule of releasing art, dressing up like a conjoined twin and doing things that make think-piece writers outraged. A previous collaborator with musicians like Ben Folds and St Vincent’s Annie Clark, Palmer is certainly a polarising public figure with a dedicated fanbase.

5. Bill Bailey.

Monday, May 14, £31, 8pm, and May 15, White Rock Theatre, Hastings, 01424 462288. Musical comedian Bill Bailey performs Larks In Transit. The show is a compendium of travellers’ tales and the general shenanigans of 20 years as a travelling comedian. With music, surreal tangents and intelligence, Bill looks at politics, philosophy and the pursuit of happiness.

Monday, May 14. Ticket prices from £38.50, 6.30pm, Brighton Centre, 0844 8471515. With support from K T Tunstall. Gary Barlow is a singer-songwriter and record producer who found worldwide fame as a member of Take That. Since forming in 1989 Take That has won eight BRIT awards and sold more than 45 million records.

7. Attractor.

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Tuesday, May 15, £10-£20, 8pm, and May 16, Brighton Dome, 01273 709709. Australia’s dance luminaries Dancenorth, Lucy Guerin Inc and Gideon Obarzanek collaborate with Indonesian music duo Senyawa to create a visceral tour e force where sound and movement drive each other into heightened states. Succumb to the ecstatic power of music and dance and immerse yourself in a transcendent contemporary ritual. Combining Indonesian folk and heavy metal, the music performed live on stage builds to a frenetic pitch that propels the dancers into wild, hypnotic abandonment. Find out more at brightonfestival.org. Picture by Gregory Lorenzutti.

8. John Finnemore’s Flying Visit.

May 17, £17-£21, 7.30pm, Brighton Dome, 01273 709709. John Finnemore, writer and star of many multi-award winning BBC Radio shows brings his brand new live show to the stage. With the help of special guests from his show Souvenir Programme, John will be performing brand new sketches, some old favourites and quite possibly a song.

9. Peter James book signings.

The crime writer Peter James has enjoyed enormous success. His Brighton-set Roy Grace novels have had 12 consecutive Sunday Times No 1s and have sold more than 19 million copies around the world. Peter carries out extensive research before writing his novels, and his new book Dead If You Don’t, took him from travels to Albania to gain a better understanding of the Albanian community in Brighton, to investigating the untraceable cryptocurrencies used to pay ransoms and working behind the scenes with the pyrotechnic team of the explosive Top Gear series. Set in Peter’s hometown of Brighton, Roy Grace faces his most complex case yet. The novel is a gripping tale of a young boy ‘Mungo’ who disappears while attending a football match with his dad, at the Amex stadium. Not long after, his dad ‘Kipp’ receives a ransom demand and a warning not to go to the police if him and his wife want to see their son alive again. Book signings will take place on Thursday, May 17, at Sainsburys in Hove (10am-12pm), WHSmiths, Churchill Square (1pm-2.30pm), Tesco in Shoreham (3pm-5pm) and Waterstones in Brighton (6pm-7pm). Signings on Friday, May 18, will be held at Asda Hollingbury (10am-11.30am), Tesco Lewes (12.30pm-2.30pm) and Morrisons, Seaford (4pm-5.30pm). Find out more at www.peterjames.com.

10. Danny Baker.

Thursday, May 17, £26, 7.30pm, White Rock Theatre, Hastings, 01424 462288. Good Time Charlie’s Back. Following his critically acclaimed Cradle To The Stage tour earlier this year, which played more than 50 dates across the UK, broadcasting legend Danny Baker returns to the stage in 2018 with a brand new show, Good Time Charlie’s Back, which he has vowed will serve as his farewell tour. Visit whiterocktheatre.org.uk.

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