FOLLOWING on from the success of previous shows the Vagina Monologues, Rat in the Skull and Shirley Valentine, the Seagull Rep have begun rehearsals for the live stage version of Fawlty Towers, which opens next Friday at the theatre in Pakefield.

FOLLOWING on from the success of previous shows the Vagina Monologues, Rat in the Skull and Shirley Valentine, the Seagull Rep have begun rehearsals for the live stage version of Fawlty Towers, which opens next Friday at the theatre in Pakefield.

Marking the start of a busy week, tonight sees the visit of the acclaimed production of Shakespeare's tragedy Othello from Mad Dogs and Englishmen theatre company.

The company bring this powerful production to the Seagull in Morton Road after a National tour and successful run in London.

Tomorrow sees international storyteller Andy Jennings return from a foreign tour to the Seagull with a fantastic evening of stories from around the world and across time.

Andy has visited the Seagull before and all have enjoyed his lively and dynamic style. From local legends to Chinese myths and retellings of Chaucer, this is an evening that revitalizes the art of storytelling and shows just how powerful and effective the spoken word can be.

Sunday is also a real treat with the visit of the recently featured on Radio 2 acapella group The Testostatones.

Having recently recorded jingles for the BBC and Sky, the four piece local group are performing Totally Wireless, a slice of 50's America with street corner soul and doo wop, but also sees them treat some modern songs to an acapella twist and features two radio plays from the long running and popular 1950 sci-fi radio drama series Dimension-X, the Outer Limits and Operation Tomorrow.

The group includes Lowestoft Players favourites Stephen Amer and Bim Ainslie.

Bim said: 'Everybody is going mad for 80's and 50's nostalgia. It's a chance for the audience to see something a little kitsch and hammy with the radio plays and also gives us the chance to perform on home turf. We have been so busy lately that it's nice to be able to do a gig a little closer to home and the intimacy of the Seagull will really suit the show'

The talented family group have also been successful in auditions for GMTV's Number 1 Family competition, and are through to the quarter-finals of the national competition. If selected as a finalist, the group will be performing live on GMTV and have the chance to win a recording contract with a Christmas single to be released later this year.

Monday sees the first classical concert at the Seagull since the first flight festival.

Reknowned violinist James O' Toole brings his string quartet to the venue with Baroque the House. In this programme they will play Vivaldi's Sonata La Follia, and Handel's Trio Sonata, as well as exploring some less well-known numbers like Biber's experimental Harmonia Artificioso Ariosa no.4 -which involves tuning the strings to different pitches to create unusual effects.

Tickets for all these shows are available from the Seagull Box office on 01502 589726.