CityLife

Theatre news round-up

Rambert Dance and European Ballet may keep the spirit of dance alive, but, in a considerably more light-hearted way, so do Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, who appear at The Lowry on Friday (September 21) and Saturday (September 22). This sixteen-strong, all-male troupe will have you clutching your ribs with laughter as they set out to prove that you can love classical ballet and be capable of all the moves and yet still take the ''Michael'' out of its pretensions. Purists might be horrified, but anyone with a sense of humour should be highly entertained.

THE water-borne theatre company Mikron celebrates its thirtieth year of touring on the national waterways this year. Since 1972, this small professional theatre company has been travelling the country's canals and rivers by narrowboat, performing its unique style of musical plays in pubs and other local venues along the way. From next week (w/c September 24), they'll be celebrating another landmark as the company temporarily forsakes the water to take to the open road, with Salford's Playhouse Theatre, Westerham Avenue, as one of their first ports of call next Thursday, September 27. They'll be performing Warehouse Hill, a new production written to celebrate the re-opening of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal in May. There'll also, no doubt, be an opportunity to purchase copies of Mikron founder Mike Lucas' book I'd Go Back Tomorrow, a chronicle of the perils and pitfalls of running such a unique company.

THE Royal Exchange's second performance space, The Selfridges Studio, begins its season next Thursday with a new play by Claire Dowie. Provocatively entitled Adult Child/Dead Child, it's performed by Lara Maitland, who recently appeared in the Exchange's production of Les Blancs, and tells the story of a young woman as she grows up coping with the voice in her head. Her ''imaginary friend'' starts out as a soul mate and a means of escape from her lonely world but then becomes the dominant personality. Adult Child/Dead Child runs from Thursday until Saturday September 29.

EUROPEAN Ballet are a company of first-class international dancers led by Stanislav Tchassov, former principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet. Their production of Coppelia, featuring music by Delibes, is as traditional as they come and you can enjoy it next Wednesday at Bolton's Albert Halls.

''IS living in Britain driving black men mad?'' is the provocative question posed by Under Their Influence from Kushite Theatre Company, opening at the Green Room on Wednesday. A sell-out success last summer, it follows the story of Randoulf, a black man who has murdered his wife-beating neighbour. Despite being diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, Randoulf is convinced of his sanity and we meet him and his dominant alter-ego as they come face to face in the psychiatrist's chair. From Wednesday until Friday September 28.