Am dram with Alison Norton

But he has a rival – young Olivia Ashley Smith, who is also playing the young lad with the lamp in Kinver Light Operatic Society's version of the festive favourite. From December 3 to 10, the group will present Aladdin at The Kinver High School, Enville Road, with performances at 7.30pm nightly and three matinee performances over the weekends too.

Olivia is joined by Claire Jackson as Wishee Washee and Phoebe Stait as Princess Jasmine. Watch out for a formidable Widow Twankey and a host of colourful chorus members too.

For tickets visit www.kinverlightoperatic.sharepoint.com or email s.houlston@icloud.com

I do love a good festive play, but I think my absolute favourite has to be A Christmas Carol. Not only is this a wonderful story from the master, Charles Dickens, who wrote so many outstanding novels of course, but it is a really thought-provoking look at the lives of others less fortunate than yourself and certainly brings you down to earth at a time of year when so many people lose track of the real meaning of Christmas amid foray of festivities, food and spending too much money.

Musical

The Little Theatre at Donnington will present Scrooge, a musical version of this fine tale by Leslie Bricusse, from Thursday until November 26.

The story opens on Christmas Eve 1860 in London where merchant banker and moneylender Ebenezer Scrooge is closing up his premises for the night, complaining that his clerk, Bob Cratchit who is overworked and underpaid has begged him for the next day off to spend Christmas with his family.

Ebenezer Scrooge thinks nothing of the festive period, but then his deceased partner, Jacob Marley, comes back from the dead to visit him later that evening, asking Scrooge to change is miserly ways and Ebenezer is taken on an adventure by the three ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, which change his life forever.

It's a classic. For tickets visit www.littletheatredonnington.co.uk or call 01952 407959.

Meanwhile, over at Sneyd Community Centre in Bloxwich, the Willenhall Singers are presenting a concert in aid of Parkinson's UK tomorrow at 7.30pm.

The singers are accompanied by Edd Caine and Nick Jeavons, two very accomplished, talented pianists as they entertain their audience will a variety of popular music, as well as performing solos and a duet together. Tickets are available on the door, or by calling 01902 606428.

This group work hard every year to raise money for their chosen charities. Last year they raised £1,750 for Macmillan nurses, so well done guys.

Let's hope this year is just as successful. Please support this very worthy cause.

At the Netherton Arts Centre from December 8 to 11, Dudley Little Theatre is presenting a faithful adaptation of Roald Dahl's classic story, The Witches.

It's a humorous play which offers many opportunities for illusions and inventive puppetry and just the ticket for a pre-Christmas treat.

For tickets, visit the Dudley Little Theatre Facebook page or visit www.dudley.gov.uk/kids/performing-arts

Over in Shropshire, Bridgnorth Players are presenting production of Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa at Birchmeadow Centre tonight and then at Alveley Village Hall on November 25 and at Bridgnorth Community Hall tomorrow and November 26. It's positively a tour!

For tickets, priced at £8 and £7 for concessions, call 01746 764514 or visit www.bridgnorthplayers@wordpress.com

Albrighton Players, who perform at Albrighton School are presenting Dave Freeman's comedy Kindly Keep It Covered, from Wednesday until November 26.

Kindly Keep It Covered is a fast paced, frantic farce with lots of laughs and ridiculous outfits apparently! Sounds fun.

For tickets visit www.albrightonplayers.org.uk or call 07434 830142.

Finally this week, LADS Theatre, based at Llanymywech Village Hall, will be performing A Concerted Effort by Margaret Kynaston on November 24 to 26.

The leading lights of the village community are putting on a concert, and the concert committee is an interesting mix to say the least! There's a self important local councillor, a new vicar, a shy young helper, a few hidden secrets amongst the group, not to mention a few simmering resentments.

As opening night looms and the tension builds, will the team be able to put their differences aside and pull together to make it a success? Sounds familiar? I bet it does!

It's lots of fun and guaranteed to brighten a winter's evening.

For tickets visit www.ladstheatre.co.uk or call 01691 830558.

Well that's all for this week. Keep those emails and good quality photos coming to a.norton@expressandstar.co.uk, call me on 01902 319662 or follow me on Twitter @AlisonNorton

Break a leg!