Weekend of change

Experience it live in Cape Town by seeing the final performances of Gilbert and Sullivan's fantastic The Yeomen Of The Guard at the Artscape Theatre; if you are looking for a great night out, this sumptuous production and first-rate cast offers first-class entertainment. It is directed by Teddy Davies with musical direction by Alastair Cockburn, who conducts the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra. You can also find out more about the life of life of literary genius Herman Charles Bosman as a schoolteacher in the Groot Marico Bushveld, which is explored in A Teacher In The Bushveld at the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio.

The Imperial Russian Ballet Company will be entertaining audiences in Port Elizabeth this weekend before heading for Cape Town next week with a sensational programme that includes Carl Orff's Carmina Burana, Walpurgis Night, the one-act ballet from the opera Faust by Charles Gounod, Adagio from the ballet Scheherezade by Rimsky-Korsakov, the grand pas de deux from the ballet Don Quixote by Ludwig Minkus and, finally, the Can-Can Surprise by Jacques Offenbach.

Action-packed ice spectacular

The action-packed ice spectacular, Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy in Joburg this weekend before heading for Cape Town next week. Whisking audiences on a captivating adventure to four magical locations, this spectacular production includes the auto-racing terrain of Cars and a visit to Andy's bedroom for some fun with the stars of Toy Story 3. It also delights audiences with a journey under the sea to Ariel's world from The Little Mermaid and then into the mystical land of Pixie Hollow for a presentation of Tinker Bell.

In Durban the World of Wonders is a show woven together with music and the focus is on a slick and well-presented piece of entertainment. "Each of the 10 performers is an essential part of this show and our aim is to create an unforgettable evening," said illusionist Ricki Gray.

On the big screen, Manny, Diego, and Sid embark upon another animated adventure in Ice Age: Continental Drift after their continent is set adrift. Using an iceberg as a ship, they encounter sea creatures and battle pirates as they explore a new world.

Stephen Sondheim's sensational musical Company revolves around Robert (Neil Patrick Harris) - a single man unable to commit fully to a steady relationship, let alone marriage - the five married couples who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends.

A beguiling and refreshingly innocent period romance

If you are looking for more discerning viewing, director and co-writer Phillip Stölzl returns to the very wellspring of romanticism, Goethe's loosely autobiographical masterpiece The Sorrows of Young Werther, and conjures up a beguiling and refreshingly innocent period romance; and Being Flynn follows Nick Flynn (Paul Dano) who is shocked to have his eccentric and long-absent father, Jonathan (Robert De Niro) reach out to him unexpectedly.

On the home-entertainment front, the DVD Age of Heroes is based on the real-life events of Ian Fleming's 30 Commando during the Second World War; a team that was one of the most secretive and exclusive Special Forces regiments and created the mould for the modern day SAS.

Inspired by the true story that captured the hearts of people across the world, the rescue adventure Big Miracle tells the amazing tale of a small-town news reporter and a Greenpeace volunteer who are joined by rival world superpowers to save a family of majestic gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.

Fun, fun, and more fun

The Muppets offers fun, fun, and more fun for the whole family! Jason Segel is sensational in this song-and-dance extravaganza in the style of the Gene Kelly classics. Kermit the Frog is back on the big screen and, this time, he's teaming up with Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper and newcomer Walter, plus the whole Muppet gang, for a brand new adventure. "It's funny, upbeat and full of laughs for everyone - frogs, pigs, bears, even people," said Kermit. "For new fans, it's a chance to see the Muppets in action on the big screen. And for old fans it's a chance to get together with old friends, and get a little crazy together."

For more on these events, shows, films and DVDs, go to www.writingstudio.co.za