Events in Allerdale

Monday 30 January 8pm Film:ANONYMOUS A big budget political thriller with an intriguing concept and a superb British cast. Set against the backdrop of Elizabeth I’s succession, it explores the (oft debated) suggestion that the works of William Shakespeare were in fact penned by the then Earl of Oxford, Edward de Vere. £4.50 (£3.50 u.18) 5:4 D

Wednesday 1 February 7.30pm COCKERMOUTH FILM CLUB: SUNSET BOULEVARD : 1950 : Dir . Billy Wilder : 110 mins Non-members £4, pay on the door.

Ever popular Opera della Luna returns to Theatre by the Lake with a new production of Lehár’s tune-filled operetta The Merry Widow in a sparkling new English translation. The imaginative and witty staging captures the glamour and decadence of turn-of-the-century Paris while infusing the production with Opera della Luna’s trademark wit. Early booking is advisable for this fantastic production.

In a pre-industrial landscape, an unsettling love triangle emerges between a young woman, a ploughman and a miller. As the young woman journeys from ignorance to knowledge, she discovers a language that corresponds with her feelings. David Harrower’s gripping drama is regarded as a modern classic having become one of the most produced Scottish plays since Peter Pan. Strong language, nudity and scenes of a sexual nature.

Ever popular Opera della Luna returns to Theatre by the Lake with a new production of Lehár’s tune-filled operetta The Merry Widow in a sparkling new English translation. The imaginative and witty staging captures the glamour and decadence of turn-of-the-century Paris while infusing the production with Opera della Luna’s trademark wit. Early booking is advisable for this fantastic production.

Friday 3 February 8pm Matt Panesh (aka Monkey Poet) presents WELCOME ! Radical Manchester-based comedian and poet Matt Panesh presents a show of two halves. The first, “Welcome! - to Afghanistan” is a hard-hitting account, funny and macabre, of Britain’s first entanglement with Afghanistan in the 1840’s. Based on contemporary first-hand accounts we see the development of the campaign as the Brits rejig government policy to see off the Russians by invading Afghanistan first, with disastrous and far-reaching consequences. The second half, “Welcome! - to the UK” is a set of satirical stand-up comedy poetry that questions national identity and what it means to be British nowadays. Think Bill Hicks meets Mark Thomas mixing it up with Byron, Shelley, Keats and John Cooper Clarke, with a dash of rhyme thrown in thrown in for good measure, and you’ve got Monkey Poet. Warning : contains strong language . Recommended age 16+ www.monkeypoet.co.uk online booking £9 (£5 16-18 yrs) D