Superstar’s sister, Fairport favourites and a whale of a time at the Alban Arena

Arena images (Image: Archant)

Dolly’s sister Stella honours her superstar sister in Parton sings Parton at the Alban Arena next Friday, March 4.

Stella has found her own pathway to success from the foothills of the Great Smokey Mountains to becoming a singer, songwriter, actress, author and producer.

In Parton sings Parton, she goes back to the era when the family was born and brought up, performing her own hits and Dolly’s. The show also features rare footage of the sisters together at various times in their career.

It begins at 7.30pm and tickets at £22.50 are available from the box office on 01727 844488 or online.

Having made music for nearly 50 years, Fairport Convention return to the Arena next Saturday, March 5.

Credited with originating the British folk-rock genre, the band has been through many changes but the current members are Simon Nicol on guitar and vocals, Dave Pegg on bass guitar, Chris Leslie on fiddle, mandolin and vocals, Ric Sanders on violin and Gerry Conway on drums and percussion.

This year’s Winter Tour features a mix of long-established Fairport favourites and new material from their most recent studio album.

Brighouse-based singer-songwriter Roger Davies opens the show.

The evening gets underway at 7.30pm and tickets are £22.

* Ron Howard’s acclaimed film In the Heart of the Sea is being screened at the Arena next week.

In 1820, crewmen (Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy) aboard the New England vessel Essex face a harrowing battle for survival when a whale of mammoth size and strength attacks with force, crippling their ship and leaving them adrift in the ocean.

The tale, which inspired Herman Melville to write Moby Dick, can be seen at 7.30pm next Tuesday and Wednesday, March 1 and 2, with a matinee at 1.30pm on Wednesday. Tickets are £5 for matinees and £7 with concessions £5 in the evening.