Spotlight on . . .

YOU wouldn’t believe the random items and emails that arrive on the desk of an entertainment editor. In Spotlight on... I’ll highlight the ones that might otherwise slip under the radar, have some cult value or simply just be worth mentioning again. This week ...

DANCE

Sensual Africa

MALAWI, one of Africa’s most beautiful and compact countries, is untouched, pure, raw, natural, mysterious, rich in culture and life.

In a nutshell... sensual. Inspired by a trip to Malawi, choreographer Bawren Tavaziva’s Sensual Africa, which comes to Musselburgh’s Brunton Theatre tonight, is a salute to the Tumbuka and Chewa tribes, in which Tavaziva Dance company put their own interpretation on the tribal rituals experienced by young Africans as they progress from childhood to adulthood.

Certainly worth a look, even if you are not a dance fan.

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Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, today, 7.30pm, £10.75, 0131-665 2240

COMEDY

Jay and Silent Bob Get Old

OKAY, I’ll admit it, I’ve never heard of them, but then I’m told that Jay and Silent Bob are very niche. The cult duo pop into the Festival Theatre on Sunday as part of their first ever UK tour.

So who are they? Well, the award-winning Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes first appeared as their alter-egos in Smith’s View Askewniverse, a fictional universe that features in most of his films, comics and television series.

Their first screen appearance came in the 1994 movie Clerks, in which the pair spent most of their time selling marijuana.

At the Festival Theatre, Smith and Mewes will perform their comedy podcast Jay and Silent Bob Get Old, chronicling their early years and enduring friendship, in what has been described as “a sometimes touching, always hilarious look at what happens when two people grow up in Hollywood’s gaze.”

If you’re a fan, you’ll know what to expect, if not, this weekend offers a rare chance to discover Jay and Silent Bob for the first time, and what better way than live on stage, doing what they love.

Festival Theatre, Nicolson Street, Sunday, 7.30pm, £30-£35, 0131-529 6000

AMATEUR

The Demon Headmaster

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BRUNTON Youth Theatre tackle the Demon Headmaster on Sunday. Adapted from the popular children’s novels by Gillian Cross, which in 1996 were adapted for television by the BBC, The Demon Headmaster tells of strange happenings at Lloyd and Harvey Hunter’s school.

When their new foster sister Dinah arrives, she wants to find out what’s going on... but can she escape the Demon Headmaster?

A strange being with piercing green eyes, hidden behind dark-tinted glasses until he needs to hypnotise his victims, the Demon Headmaster plans to take over the world. Can Dinah and her friends defeat him?

The piece will be performed by members of the Brunton Youth Theatre, all aged between five and 18. You might even spot a star of the future.

Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, Saturday, 7pm, £6.50, 0131-665 2240

THEATRE

Snookered

SNOOKERED: 1. A position in a game of snooker or pool in which a player cannot make a direct shot at any permitted ball; 2 . (UK slang) to be in a difficult situation; to be thwarted, defeated or trapped.

Ishy Din used to be a taxi driver, now he’s a playwright who drives a taxi. Next week, at the Traverse, there’s a chance to see his first stage play, Snookered.

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On the sixth anniversary of T’s death, his four friends meet for a game of pool and a few drinks to honour his memory. Secrets are revealed and allegiances shift as quickly as drinks are downed as the four young men struggle with their guilt and work out whether their friendship can survive the evening.

Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, tonight-Saturday, 8pm, £6-£17, 0131-228 1404

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