Ten of the best shows taking to the stage in Notts in the coming days

1 STAGE

ADHD Unmasked, Mansfield Palace Theatre, June 19.

Open conversation, laughter and refreshing honesty are promised in an evening all about ADHD courtesy of speaker and former television and radio presenter and Hester Grainger Members of the audience will have the chance to ask questions and hear inspiring stories and experiences, while learning more about Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.

Hester and her husband Kelly are co-founders of Perfectly Autistic, a neurodiversity consultancy which they launched in 2020. They work with organisations to support neurodivergent employees through training, talks, webinars and coaching. Hester and Kelly are neurodivergent, having both been diagnosed with ADHD in their 40s, after Kelly was diagnosed as autistic. Hester is also a mother to two teens with autism and ADHD. Hester said: “I am so excited that I get to tour the UK talking about ADHD, which is something I am so passionate about. Having being diagnosed in my 40s, I’ve spent my whole life wondering why I do things in a certain way and now I know why. With the increase in awareness, a lot of people have questions and are keen to understand more. The evening is going to be an fun, entertaining and honest conversation about ADHD, where the audience will get to ask questions and nothing is off limits.”

Hester Grainger started her television career presenting on Channel 5's The Wright Stuff. She went on to work on Loose Women and Today with Des and Mel, and has appeared on radio stations including BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 5 Live and even hosted her own show on BBC Radio Berkshire. She went viral after her appearance on the ADHD Chatter podcast with Alex Partridge, with clips from her episode being viewed more than 22 million times.

Hester has been a guest on a host of other including ADHD Chatter, The Hidden 20% and ADHD Women's Wellbeing Podcast. She has written about neurodiversity for publications including Huffington Post, Evening Standard and Reader’s Digest.

Visit mansfield.gov.uk/palacetheatre or call 01623 463133 to book.

2 MUSIC

Jive Talkin, Mansfield Palace Theatre, June 11.

Bee Gees tribute show Jive Talking have actually performed with the Bee Gees. And as with the originals, Jive Talkin is very much a family affair, with brothers Gary and Darren Simmons taking the roles of Barry and Maurice Gibb, with Darren's son Jack taking on the role of Robin Gibb.

The singers are supported musically by a four piece band with lead guitar, violin, cello and drums in a two-hour explosion of music and vocal harmony, including the likes of Tragedy, Night Fever, Massachusetts and Stayin’ Alive. The Stage said of them: “The soundalike quality is quite sensational.”

Visit mansfield.gov.uk/palacetheatre or call 01623 463133 to book.

3 POETRY

Nottingham Poetry Festival, various venues, June 13 to 22.

The festival will once again showcase poetry in all its forms, from emerging artists at open mics to nationally acclaimed poets, poetry set to music, poetry slams, workshops, debates and so much more across 50-plus venues.

Headline acts this year include the Michael Pedersen, whose work has attracted praise from the likes of Stephen Fry, Bernardine Evaristo, Irvine Welsh, Kae Tempest and many more. A prize-winning author, Michael's prose debut, Boy Friends, was published by Faber & Faber to rave reviews, and was a Sunday Times Critics Choice. His third collection, The Cat Prince & Other Poems, won the Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Best Poetry 2023. Pedersen has been shortlisted for the Forward Prizes for Poetry and The Saltire Scottish National Book Awards, and won a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship. Michael is Poetry Ambassador for Independent Bookshop Week.

Tickets are available for a select number of performances while the majority of the festival programme remains free to access.

Visit nottinghampoetryfestival.com for details.

4 MUSIC

Northern Live – Do I Love You, Mansfield Palace Theatre, June 12.

Keep the faith with the original sounds of the underground movement that started on the dance floors in the North and eventually swept the nation. An 11-piece band with four lead vocalists perform more than 30 hits, including Out On The Floor, There’s A Ghost In My House, Do I love You - Indeed I Do, Tainted Love, The Snake, You Didn’t Say A Word, Long After Tonight Is Over, Looking For You and I’m On My Way.

Visit mansfield.gov.uk/palacetheatre or call 01623 463133 to book.

5 MUSIC

The Best of Queen - Starring Majesty, Mansfield Palace Theatre, June 13.

Get ready to Break Free with the the Queen tribute band Majesty. Join Freddie, Brian, Roger and John as they performing Queen’s biggest songs, while celebrating the showmanship of the UK’s favourite rock band. From Queen’s beginnings with Bohemian Rhapsody, to their sell out concerts at Wembley Stadium, the show spans the highlights from Queen’s extraordinary performances.

Visit mansfield.gov.uk/palacetheatre or call 01623 463133 to book.

6 THEATRE

The Book of Mormon, Theatre Royal, Nottingham, until June 28.

Outrageous comedy is promised with the smash-hit Tony, Olivier and Grammy award-winning musical. It’s written by Trey Parker, Matt Stone – the creators of the Emmy and award-winning television show South Park and the feature films South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and Team America: World Police – along with Robert Lopez, who co-created the Broadway musical Avenue Q and co-wrote the songs for Disney’s Frozen and Coco.

The Book of Mormon follows a pair of Mormon boys sent on a mission to a place that’s a long way from their home in Salt Lake City.

Since making its world premiere in March 2011 at New York’s Eugene O’Neill Theatre, where it won nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, The Book of Mormon has been performed on three continents and won more than 30 international awards. The musical has smashed long-standing box office records in New York, London, Melbourne, Sydney and cities across the US.

The London production opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre in February 2013 when it set the record for the highest single day of sales in West End history and went on to win four Olivier Awards including Best New Musical.

See www.trch.co.uk or call 0115 989 5555 to book.

7 STAGE Land of Hope and Glory, Mansfield Palace Theatre, June 18, 2pm to 4.40pm.

Much-loved performer Neil Sands and his cast promise the best of British entertainment, especially produced to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. This patriotic and nostalgic afternoon is filled with memorable songs, including a rousing selection from Last Night of The Proms, old time Sing-alongs, Great British showtunes and ever-popular favourites from the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s. Theatregoers are promised over two hours of timeless nostalgia, with more than 50 costume changes, including a spectacular 1940s-style VE Day party with enough bunting, flags and fun to light up the brightest stage, followed by flag-waving finale in a heartwarming tribute to the veterans of the armed forces.

Visit mansfieldpalace.co.uk or call 01623 463133 to book.

8 MUSIC

Halle Orchestra and Drivetime Choir: Out of this World, Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham, June 13, 6pm.

The choir will be performing Hubert Parry’s choral classic Blest Pair of Sirens, with the orchestral programme featuring Strauss's Sunrise from Also Sprach Zarathustra, Holst’s Mars, the Bringer of War, Respighi’s The Villa Medici Fountain at Sunset from the Fountains of Rome, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, 1st Movement, Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, Murray Gold’s Derbyshire Doctor Who Theme, Holst’s Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity from The Planets, Debussy’s Clair de Lune, Britten’s Storm from the Four Sea Interludes and John Williams’s Star Wars – Main Title.

Visit trch.co.uk or call 0115 989 5555 to book or for more information.

9 MUSIC

Steve Steinman's Love Hurts - Power Ballads and Anthems, Majestic Theatre, Retford, June 12.

A seven-piece live band and a powerhouse cast of singers perform tracks by Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Cutting Crew, Foreigner,  REO Speedwagon, Rainbow, Van Halen, Europe, Air Supply and many more.

Visit majesticretford.org to book.

10 MUSIC

Illegal Eagles, Theatre Royal, Nottingham, June 12.

The acclaimed show features the very best from the Eagles’ catalogue of classics including Hotel California, Desperado, Take It Easy, New Kid In Town and Life In The Fast Lane. Visit trch.co.uk or call 0115 989 5555 to book.