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The third largest arts stage in the world opens in Brighton and Hove in May; welcome to the magical world of the Brighton Fringe

Festival Fever will be kicking off in May as Brighton and Hove flings open its city doors for a stunning array of Festival Fringe performances and events.

An Evening of Playback Theatre

Hundreds of exciting happenings will be taking place in the city throughout May with more than 600 performances and exhibitions for visitors and residences alike to indulge in a month of artistic pleasures.

You’ll find all the usual favourites: plus the new, weird and the wonderful – all detailed in the Fringe brochure. Brighton Fringe is also very pleased to announce a major new sponsor in the shape of First Capital Connect.

Nick Stockman, Fringe Manager said: “I am delighted to announce a major new sponsorship with First Capital Connect. This new commercial relationship gives us a huge opportunity to attract significant numbers of people into Brighton for the Fringe. We look forward to working with First Capital Connect in the long-term to help raise awareness of the Fringe in the rest of the Southeast and beyond to London.”

Club Novak - Music

Elaine Holt, Managing Director of First Capital Connect said: “First Capital Connect is an active member of the communities where we serve and we are very proud to be the sponsor of the Brighton Fringe Festival. We hope that many people will travel with us to the Fringe and take advantage of our great value off-peak fares, as well as enjoying themselves at the many and varied Fringe events. I am looking forward to working more closely with our friends at the Brighton Fringe Festival.“

Lively and effective - Workshop

So it’s time to book your tickets and get ready to take advantage of the thrilling film section, indulge in theatrical spectacles, tune in to music, get down to some workshops, be awestruck at the exhibitions, dose up on your laughter medicine with the comedy, treat the kids, be literal in the debates, see some opera, learn about our city on a tour, trail round the galleries or live out a life long ambition and learn flamenco…

The motto and tip of the Fringe is to “Try something new”, so go for it! The Fringe is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of reasonable ticket prices and go see something you wouldn’t normally do.

What ever you do this May make sure it’s Fringe! Tickets are on sale now.

www.brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk

Call for tickets 01273 709709; office: 01273 260832;
info@brightonfestivalfringe.org.uk.

Is this the end of French and Saunders? James Rampton asked the celebrated comedians why they swear this tour will be their last

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are like fish and chips: great on their own, but there’s something special and comforting about them when they’re together.

Now the greatest British female comedy double act of all time are bringing their partnership to a close. After 30 years of making the nation roar with laughter, they are calling a halt to their sketch show. Time to reach for the hankies.

Their gigs this week as part of their Still Alive 2008 tour could well be the last time they perform comedy in Brighton together.

When the curtain finally falls on this widely loved duo, it promises to be a highly charged occasion. “I’m sure I’ll be a blubbering wreck on the last night,” Dawn predicts. “But we felt the time was right to stop. We’ve got lots of other things we want to do together – we jointly run a production company and we will still write and act together. But as a double act, we wanted to quit while we were ahead.”

Jennifer adds: “We’ll never stop working together, but we’re stopping the sketches – otherwise we’d end up just doing sketches about old people. We’ve done decades of stuff about young people, but I don’t think we can still pretend to be Britney Spears!”

Read the rest of this article »

Is this the end of French and Saunders? James Rampton asked the celebrated comedians why they swear this tour will be their last

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are like fish and chips: great on their own, but there’s something special and comforting about them when they’re together.

Now the greatest British female comedy double act of all time are bringing their partnership to a close. After 30 years of making the nation roar with laughter, they are calling a halt to their sketch show. Time to reach for the hankies.

Their gigs this week as part of their Still Alive 2008 tour could well be the last time they perform comedy in Brighton together.

When the curtain finally falls on this widely loved duo, it promises to be a highly charged occasion. “I’m sure I’ll be a blubbering wreck on the last night,” Dawn predicts. “But we felt the time was right to stop. We’ve got lots of other things we want to do together – we jointly run a production company and we will still write and act together. But as a double act, we wanted to quit while we were ahead.”

Jennifer adds: “We’ll never stop working together, but we’re stopping the sketches – otherwise we’d end up just doing sketches about old people. We’ve done decades of stuff about young people, but I don’t think we can still pretend to be Britney Spears!”

Read the rest of this article »

Are there ghosts in Preston Manor? Rachel Pegg donned a proton pack and 80s boiler suit and headed in.

It is nearly midnight and I am sitting on the floor in Preston Manor, in the pitch dark, talking to a ghost. And the ghost is talking back.

I’m not the world’s biggest sceptic, but I’m not exactly in the habit of trying to communicate with the dead. So when I was asked to take part in a paranormal investigation, I thought it would just be a bit of a laugh.

Four generations of the Stanford family: do they haunt the house today? Image © The Royal Pavillion, Libraries & Museums, Brighton & Hove

Ever since being conned by Sarah Greene and Michael Parkinson on Ghostwatch in the early 90s I haven’t really paid much – or any – attention to shows such as Most Haunted. But the idea of having a private tour of Preston Manor in a small group and going into rooms not normally visited by the public sounded appealing, even if I didn’t get into the paranormal stuff.

“People have been locked in rooms. Doors slam shut. You can hear voices shout at you”

Hours later, I am wandering around with a Ghostbusters-style electro magnetic frequency monitor, pointing it into every shadowy corner and desperately willing it to start flashing to indicate an other-wordly presence. I might not have believed in ghosts before the lights were turned off, but things are different now. Egged on by the hype of the evening (medium Sue keeps telling me a dead woman is standing behind her), I am desperate to catch sight of something supernatural.
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