CHRIS and Simone Smith will be well and truly In the Mood when they appear at the Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans on Saturday evening. Former Ivy Benson musician Simone and her husband Chris, who hails from the band of Glenn Miller s brother Herb, feat

CHRIS and Simone Smith will be well and truly In the Mood when they appear at the Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans on Saturday evening.

Former Ivy Benson musician Simone and her husband Chris, who hails from the band of Glenn Miller's brother Herb, feature in the show which brings together a host of classic Big Band/Swing songs from artists ranging from Frank Sinatra and Glenn Miller through to Jools Holland.

Chris said: "I've been brought up with this style of music as my father played trombone for Frank Sinatra on his European tours. It's great that there's a strong resurgence in jazz and swing music enjoyed by all generations."

Simone, who sings and plays lead alto saxophone in the band, has played with such prestigious artists as Paul Weller and John Williams while Chris sings, plays trumpet and piano and is well-known in the jazz world for his arrangements and compositions, frequently played on Jazz FM and Radio Two.

In the Mood begins at 8pm and tickets at �12 with concessions �10, are available from the box office on 01727 844222.

l Friday Night at the Movies next week (April 9) is given over to X-Men Origins: Wolverine, which starts at 7.30pm and is rated 12. Tickets are �5 with concessions �4.50. The following day, Saturday, April 10, Children's Theatre takes a leaf out of cinema's books with a performance of Finding Alice based on Alice in Wonderland.

As the lines between the worlds blur, Miriam gets lost in Wonderland. Mr W. Rabbit is looking for Alice - and he is late. The sports-mad Mad Hatter is looking for his cricket ball and the Queen of Hearts is threatening to chop off everyone's head as usual.

The 50-minute show is for children aged four and upwards and tickets are �5.