TO CELEBRATE the UK India Year of Culture 2017, experience the magic and vibrancy of Kathakali at The Haymarket on Thursday 5 October.

The Kala Chethena Kathakali Company is bringing the ancient art of Kathakali - a breathtaking blend of dance, drama, spectacle, music and storytelling – to Basingstoke direct from Kerala, India.

Kathakali is a masterpiece of sacred theatre that erupts on stage with striking visual images, revealing the magical world of South India.

Superb singers, rhythmic drummers and highly skilled make-up artists will entertain and enthral the audience in the highly colourful evening of performance.

On Thursday 12 October, Music Theatre Wales presents The Golden Dragon by Peter Eötvös.

Part-comedy, part-tragedy, it is set in a pan-Asian restaurant and follows the story of a Chinese immigrant working illegally in the kitchen. He has no money and no papers. Experiencing terrible toothache, and unable to seek medical help, he has no choice but to accept the best efforts of his kitchen colleagues - with tragic consequences.

The opera is playful and witty at the start, and as the story unfolds becomes richer and deeper, ending with a beautiful and haunting final sequence that leaves audiences moved and thoughtful.

With the orchestra taking place pride on stage, the cast of flamboyant theatrical performers switch from comedy to pathos as the company reveal the potential horrors facing those who seek refuge in foreign lands.

Peter Eötvös is one of Hungary’s leading composers, whose twelve operas include Three Sisters, Angels in America and Love and Other Demons (Glyndebourne 2008).

The following evening, 13 October, The St Petersburg Symphony Orchestra performs Russian masterpieces at The Anvil. Hear Prokofiev’s lively classical symphony, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Arabian Nights fantasy Scheherazade, full of memorable moments as the beautiful princess spins her enthralling tales, and Tchaikovsky’s powerful Fourth Symphony with its opening fanfare, lyrical slow movement and thrilling conclusion. Conducting is the renowned Vladimir Altschuler.

Anvil Arts’ full autumn season is now on sale and the most up-to-date information can be found on the website anvilarts.org.uk. For more information or for tickets, call the Anvil Arts box office on 01256 844244.