The girls are in charge at the start of Perth Theatre’s 2012:2013 season, as artistic director Rachel O’Riordan directs a cast of six sassy ladies in Neil Simon’s female version of The Odd Couple. A riot of 1980’s colour, The Odd Couple thrusts female friendships into the spotlight with uproarious results. Cara Kelly plays neat freak Florence and Abigail McGibbon is serial slob Olive in this up-dated and up-gendered adaptation of the smash hit comedy of opposites The Odd Couple runs in Perth Theatre from Friday 28 September until Saturday 13 October.

Aberdeen Performing Arts (APA) brings The Cone Gatherers to Perth Theatre from Tuesday 30 October to Saturday 10 November. Leading Scots actor Tom McGovern stars as tortured gamekeeper, Duror in this Peter Arnott adaptation of the classic novel by Robin Jenkins. Directed by Kenny Ireland, The Cone Gatherers follows two brothers gathering cones in a forest on a Scottish estate. Their innocence and happiness is threatened by the gamekeeper Duror and the deep prejudices of the class system of the time. As his perfect life begins to fall apart, Duror’s obsessions grow stronger, building to a devastating climax.

Chook-full of heroes and villains, with booing and cheering, slapstick, silliness and sing-along fun aplenty, the panto with the eggs-factor Mother Goose comes to roost in Perth Theatre from Friday 7 December until Saturday 5 January.

From Friday 8 to Saturday 23 February Rachel O’Riordan directs the Scottish premiere of Conor McPherson’s Olivier Award nominated The Seafarer in Perth Theatre in co-production with the Lyric Theatre, Belfast, which will then host the Northern Irish premiere. This chilling and darkly comic tale follows James ‘Sharky’ Harkin as he returns to his home town to look after his recently blinded brother. Joined on Christmas Eve by some old buddies for a festive tipple and a game of poker in the company of a mysterious stranger, Sharky soon comes to realise that the drink is not the only demon he is facing that night. The Seafarer is a tale of redemption and past mistakes that come back to haunt you, posing the question – would you gamble with your soul?

Straight talking, snappy and peppered with dry Northern wit, April in Paris is in Perth Theatre from Friday 15 to Saturday 30 March. When bickering couple Bet and Al win a dream break to Paris in a magazine competition it seems the ideal way to inject some joie de vivre into their humdrum lives – but will the city of lovers pull them out of their romance rut, or has their relationship been lost in translation? Rachel O’Riordan directs this fast-paced comedy by John Godber, creator of Hull Truck Theatre Company.

Unveiling her second season as artistic director, Perth Theatre, Rachel O’Riordan said:

“I am delighted to be presenting work from such brilliant playwrights as Neil Simon, Conor McPherson and John Godber; these writers are, simply, wonderful interpreters of the human condition. Great writing is at the heart of this 2012/13 season here at Perth and I am particularly pleased at the diverse and exciting casting opportunities that these shows present, allowing me to work, once again, with a range of talent from across the UK,

“I am looking forward to sharing these wonderful plays with our audiences.”

Further highlights for 2012:2013 include the return of the acclaimed Perth Theatre/Communicado co-production of Tam O’Shanter from Wednesday 5 to Saturday 8 September in Perth Theatre. This is a second chance to see the cantering booze-fuelled ghost story that proved a sell-out success in 2009 when it was created to celebrate Robert Burns’ 250th anniversary.

Lesley Mackie stars in Judy from Wednesday 29 August to Saturday 1 September. Following her sell-out success as Edith Piaf in Toujours l’Amour, Lesley is joined by a cast of musicians and actors to bring the legendary voice and captivating story of Judy Garland to the Perth Theatre stage.

Guy Masterton plays a 50 year-old actor who pins all his hopes on an ambitious one man production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in The Half. Written by Richard Dormer (Hurricane), humour, pathos, physicality and Shakespeare combine in this tour de force on Saturday 15 September in Perth Theatre.

Four monologues on faith, lust and family are woven together in Sex and God by Edinburgh’s Magnetic North in Perth Theatre on Tuesday 16 October. Sell a Door Theatre Company in association with Mull Theatre presents Arthur Miller’s The Man who had all the Luck on Tuesday 23 October.

Any Dream will Do runner up Keith Jack stars in West End smash Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Perth Concert Hall from Tuesday 11 to Saturday 15 September and Clare Buckfield (Dancing on Ice, Two Point Four Children), Vicky Entwistle (Coronation Street) and Hayley Tamaddon (Emmerdale, Dancing on Ice) bring laugh-out-loud favourite The Vagina Monologues to the Perth Concert Hall stage on Thursday 8 November.

Tickets for all of the shows are on sale now from Horsecross Arts Box Office on 01738 621031 and at www.horsecross.co.uk

Source: Horsecross