Stars of stage and screen will be flocking to the town in abundance for the autumn 2004 season at Malvern Theatres, billed as the biggest ever.

Theatre chief executive Nic Lloyd says he hopes the increased variety of entertainment on offer will bring even more people into the theatres complex.

Drama, comedy, dance, music, opera and pantomime are all part of the mix.

"There's nothing on this season that I don't want to see," said Mr Lloyd.

One of the highlights for Mr Lloyd is Arthur Miller's The Price in September, the hit of the West End last year, which won star Warren Mitchell an Oliver Award.

"I saw it in the West End and I've been trying to get it ever since. It really is an absolute corker," he said.

There will be classic comedy with Penelope Keith in Noel Coward's old favourite Blithe Spirit, Patricia Routledge and Roy Hudd joining forces for The Solid Gold Cadillac and Liza Goddard and Matthew Kelly in Ayckbourn's Season's Greetings.

The Peter Hall Company bring Bernard Shaw's Man and Superman, Moliere's Don Juan and Wertenbaker Galileo's Daughter for a run from August 17-28.

John Alderton and Pauline Collins appear together for the first time in 20 years in the world premiere of Richard Harris' Going Straight.

David Suchet returns to Malvern in Terence Ratt-igan's powerful drama Man and Boy, and Tara Fitzgerald and Lloyd Owen appear in Michael Frayn's romantic comedy Clouds.

Musical treats include Su Pollard in Annie and Susie Blake in High Society, and the Russian Ice Stars return to the venue to present Cinderella On Ice.

Richard Alston Dance Company makes a welcome return, and two more cutting-edge companies, ACE Dance and Music and Yolande Snaith Theatre-dance, make their Malvern debuts.

Music events include the exhilarating Soweto Gospel Choir and the thundering rhythms of Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers, swinging jazz with Back to Basie Orchestra and Bill Wyman's inimitable Rhythm Kings.

For cricket fans, the BBC's cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew is joined by former England captain Mike Gatting with tales from Test Match Special in October.

Added to this is a range of education events and children's theatre.

Full details of all these shows, including dates and ticket prices, are in the brochure, available now from Malvern Theatres.