A STAGE adaptation of TV show Dinnerladies and the film Blonde Bombshells of 1943 are just two of the country's top touring productions coming to Colchester's Mercury Theatre in its upcoming season, it was announced last night.

Roddy Ashworth

A STAGE adaptation of TV show Dinnerladies and the film Blonde Bombshells of 1943 are just two of the country's top touring productions coming to Colchester's Mercury Theatre in its upcoming season, it was announced last night.

As well as the theatre's nationally-renowned in-house productions, a selection of touring shows, one-nighters and musical evenings also feature in the programme of events.

From Wednesday February 11 to Saturday February 21, theatregoers will be able to catch Noel Coward's A Song at Twilight.

The play stars Peter Egan - known for Hound of the Baskervilles and Ever Decreasing Circles - and Belinda Lang, who was recently Myra Arundel alongside Dame Judi Dench in the West End production of Hay Fever.

Direct from a sell-out London season and based on the award-winning TV film, Blonde Bombshells of 1943 is a musical comedy filled with classic hits from the 1940s including Fats Waller, Glenn Miller and The Andrews Sisters.

This show features an eight piece swing band and girl group and will run from Monday March 23 to Saturday March 28.

Victoria Wood's hugely popular hit TV show Dinnerladies is coming to the Mercury as part of it's first national tour from Tuesday May 5 to Saturday May 9.

Starring original TV cast members Andrew Dunn and Shobna Gulati - who also played Sunita in Coronation Street - the stage production has been specially adapted from the second TV series and follows the reluctant love story of Bren and Tony, egged on by Dolly, Jean, Twinkle and Anita.

A new drama, Deceptions, by acclaimed writer Paul Wheeler, relates the story of a disillusioned psychiatrist and a young man who reinvigorates her work, and runs from Wednesday June 10 to Saturday June 20.

And from Monday July 13 to Saturday July 18 Christopher Ellison, best known as DCI Frank Burnside in The Bill, leads an all star cast in Write Me A Murder.

One night shows coming up include music from Fascinating Aida, The Counterfeit Stones, and the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.

There will also be a number of celebrity appearances, including evenings with veteran politician Tony Benn, poet Pam Ayres, comedian Ed Byrne, and also a three man anecdotal show with cricketing legends Jonathan Agnew, Mike Gatting and Graham Gooch called In the Box.