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AFTER all the excitement, it has finally arrived. Barnum, billed the ''greatest show in town'', opens at the Cultural Centre tonight with a charity gala, and runs until December 12.

 The show, the first full London musical to appear before Hong Kong audiences, is more than just the story of American showman P T Barnum, it is a fully fledged circus.

  Barnum is played by Britain's household favourite, Paul Nicholas, who has had lead roles in London musicals such as Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar.

  The 19 stage musicians will be joined by ringmasters, clowns, acrobats and jugglers who together will chart the highs and lows of the life of P T Barnum, entrepreneur, businessman, politician and, of course, circus showman.

      ONE of the world's violin greats comes to Hong Kong for a single solo concert performance on December 5 at 8pm.

  Ruggiero Ricci made his debut in 1928 at the age of 10.

  His programme at the Tsuen Wan Town Hall will include the Sonata in B Flat Major by Geminiani, and Achron's Improvisation.

  Those renditions will be complemented by one of Bach's immortal, unaccompanied violin pieces, Parita No 2 in D Minor, among other melodies displaying the superb qualities of the violin.

  This year marks the 65th anniversary of the start of Ricci's career, in which he has performed more than 5,000 concerts in 65 countries, and made more than 500 recordings. He now teaches at the Mozarteum Conservatory in Salzburg.

       THE classic yuletide fable, A Christmas Carol, comes to the Shouson Theatre tomorrow for two days as part of a worldwide tour by the American Drama Group Europe.

  The group, comprising mainly of professional Australian actors, has played in Singapore, Sweden, Japan and Turkey.

      ST John's Cathedral extends an open invitation to its Third Annual Family Christmas Concert next Tuesday, December 7 at 7.30 pm.

  The concert includes a full programme of traditional holiday music performed by the Hong Kong Medical Association Orchestra, the Hong Kong Welsh Male Voice Choir and the Filipino Fellowship Choir.

  The concert is in aid of The Society for the Promotion of Hospice Care and the Bradbury Hospice.

      TWO Chinese orchestral concerts by the Ling Nan Orchestra will be presented by the Regional Council next month.

  Jiangnan Classical Music will be performed at the Sha Tin Town Hall on December 3 at 8 pm and Guangdong Music will be staged at the Tuen Mun Town Hall on December 4 at 8 pm.

  Both recitals will feature traditional Chinese instruments played by members of the orchestra, most of them graduates from the Xinghai Music Conservatory of Guangdong.

      IT'S pantomime time again. Dick Whittington and his Cat, performed by the Hong Kong Players, tops the billings from December 9 to 18, with matinees on December 11, 12 and 18.

  The 11 characters and their merry band of villagers, Londoners and rats, all played by pupils from local schools, will be performing at the Shouson Theatre.



Old favourites light up season