VIRTUOSO violinist Beverley Davison and her female musicians Hot Strings have taken the performance of classical music, given it a kick up the backside and made it fun.

Forget the staid and stuffy traditions you might expect from a stereotypically sophisticated classical music performance as Beverley's Classical Cabaret is like nothing seen or heard before.

The inspiring and highly entertaining show has even given the thumbs up by Sir Simon Rattle, who described Beverley as "one of the most outrageously gifted musicians this country has ever produced".

Praise indeed.

Beverley has been playing the violin since the age of four and was classically trained at The Yehudi Menuhin school.

For several years after leaving the acclaimed school, she toured the world as a soloist, but the experience left her increasingly despondent and disillusioned.

''I began to realise it wasn't the music I disliked but the way it was being presented," she said.

''For me it didn't work. Music is wonderful and there should be no barriers to it.''

With the seed of an idea planted in her mind, Beverley began to build a career for herself, fulfilling several more ambitions in the process. "I wanted to create something which showed what virtuoso players could do," she said.

"There was a glass ceiling on the ambitions of talented female musicians at the time.

"I also wanted to create a niche for myself as - and it's the best way I can describe it - a kind of Dawn French on the violin."

So Classical Cabaret with Hot Strings was born with national and international tours and repertoire ranging from Mozart to Gershwin.

Their latest CD which includes film scores, Bluegrass and wild Hungarian gypsy repertoire is now regularly broadcast on Classic FM.

"Its completely different," Beverley says proudly of the show she created.

"Classical Cabaret has a wide appeal to a wonderfully diverse audience.

"My aim has always been to make the whole experience of listening to music much more approachable and exciting."

Beverley Davison and her Hot Strings are set to perform Classical Cabaret at the Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury, on Sunday, October 17, at 7.30pm.

Tickets are available from the box office on 01684 295074.

Bard enough to bring the house down

THE Tempest storms into Malvern Theatres on Thursday, October 14, as the acclaimed Shakespeare 4 Kidz theatre company present their new musical adaptation of the Bard's last play.

Set on a mystical Mediterranean island, it tells the story of how the magician Prospero creates a master plan to revenge the wrong doings of his wicked brother and the King of Naples.

The "music theatre Shakespeare" style is a combination of Shakespearean and modern day English, along with some unforgettable songs and dances, which conspire to create powerful storytelling.

The 13-strong cast is led by Jason Lee Scott (from the West End's Blood Brothers) as Prospero, Ellie Kirk (from TV's Ghosthunters) as Miranda, and Paul Harris (from Grange Hill) as the savage and deformed slave Caliban.

The production is ideal for those studying at Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3 and GCSE, but there is something for people of any age.

Tickets for the performances, which take place at 10.30am and 1.30pm, cost £7 and are available from the box office on 01684 892277.

BRIEFLY what's going on.

Saturday, October 9 - The Owl and the Pussycat at Malvern Theatres. Perfect for everyone aged three and upwards. 11am and 2pm. Tickets cost £5.50 and are available on 01684 892277.

Sunday, October 10 - The Knicker Lady at The Courtyard in Hereford. 8pm. Tickets cost £9 to £10 from 0870 1122330.

Tuesday, October 12 - The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy (of Romeo and Juliet) at the Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury. 7.30pm. Tickets cost £6 to £9.50 and are available on 01684 295074.

Tuesday, October 12 - Pad Hadow, one of the world's leading explorer-guides, tells his inspirational story at Huntingdon Hall. 8pm. Tickets cost £8 to £10 and are available from 01905 611427.

Tuesday, October 12 - Mouthpiece presents The Mysterious Mr Love, a tale of an Edwardian Alfie at The Marrs Bar in Pierpoint Street, Worcester 8pm. Tickets available on 01905 613336.

Wednesday, October 13 - Sticky Wicket at Malvern Theatres. Join Jonathan Agnew, Mike Gatting and Graham Gooch for an evening of anecdotes about "life in the box". 7.30pm. Tickets cost £12.50 and £14.50 and are available on01684 892277.