September sees the opening of the Merlin Theatre's new season and joyful arrival of an upbeat autumn.  

With the first event of the season (or arguably the last event of the summer!) determined to honour the traditional Indian Summer that so often blesses the South West as the show will be held outdoors.  

The ECOS amphitheatre will host the UK's longest-running open air professional touring theatre company, Ilyria, as this talented bring the much-loved and hilarious Twelfth Night to the stage on the afternoon of Sunday 3 September.  Patrons are encouraged to bring rugs and picnics and make the most of the very special Merlin experience but, of course, if the predictions are wrong and the heavens open, the show will go on, indoors.

Next up, on 22 September,  Merlin Director, Claudia Pepler, let us know her delight that one the finest one-person show performers in the country, and certainly Frome's favourite, multi-award-winning actor Pip Utton will be putting on a double bill of two plays in one evening!   She explains, "We are so lucky to have a significant number of professional performers living in Frome but Pip holds a special place both on our stage and in our hearts.  For those who don't know his work, Pip is one of the world's most respected solo performers. Over the past three decades he has written and performed many internationally successful solo shows, receiving five-star reviews, awards and recognition, with reviewers calling him 'a legend', 'a star', a 'cult' and a 'National Treasure'.  And while he has toured in over 30 countries, been translated into 8 languages and acted in 24 new plays at the Edinburgh Fringe since 1992 (having written 19 of them!), we get him right here in Frome, because it is where he lives!" 

Pip Utton will be making it a memorable night when he performs two plays in one evening, starting with Hitchcock.  Written, as well acted, by Pip, the drama brings famous film director Alfred Hitchcock to life, warts and all.

As Pip explains, "Alfred Hitchcock was a strange man; a self-confessed 'fat and ugly baby' who grew up to be a 'fat and ugly man'. His obsession with beautiful blondes in his films, his confession that 'Of course I don't think that actors are cattle, but I do believe that they should be treated like cattle', his almost celibate relationship with his wife, his sometimes cruel practical jokes and his seemingly unquenchable appetite for food, are all facets of the greatest ever director of suspense films. A fascinating but strange man who was nominated FIVE times for Best Director at the Academy Awards, but never won an Oscar."

Post-interval, Pip will reappear in the guise of Bob Dylan where he will invite the audience to join him, sometime in the imaginary future, at Bob Dylan's final concert. The show creates an intimate, revealing 'final reckoning' as Dylan settles old scores, spins a few tall tales and reflects on over 60 years in the public eye. In his inimitable style, Pip Utton will removes the mask of a legend before, like most of the audience, taking a short walk home in his favourite place.  As he tells us, "I've lived in Frome for 37 years and lost count of the number of times I've performed at the Merlin. I think of this theatre, and the Edinburgh Fringe, as being the launchpads of a fantastic, so far, 30 years touring the world performing on stage; my dream come true!"

Information about Illyria's Twelfth Night,  Hitchcock, Dylan and the whole season of 35 performances including A Vicar of Dibley Christmas (in October), Elf The Musical, a recorded screening of James Norton in the brilliant, shocking and compelling A Little Life, as well as a one-night stand up with Mock The Week's Mark Simmons and the arrival of comedy kings, Le Navet Bete, can all be found on the theatre's website at www.merlintheatre.co.uk