CAPTAIN Murderer and the Morecambe Mermaid is a pitch-black musical comedy, created by long-time collaborators John Barber and Lisa Howard, aka Captain Mermaid Theatre Company.

This new play presents a collision of Maritime myth with a little-known shocker by Charles Dickens, exploring the real, hard lives of historical fairground freaks.

After many adventures, a washed-up mermaid ends up in a washed-up side-show, the last resort of a drink-addled Clown and little Tanya, his foul-mouthed daughter.

As the fortunes of the British seaside decline, the troupe is forced into increasingly outrageous and demeaning public performances, while alcoholism, drug addiction and sheer desperation tighten their grip.

Captain Murderer and the Morecambe Mermaid is a sinister visual feast, a fast-moving parade of puppets and masks, illusions and projections, burlesque queens and geeks.

It is on Monday, April 23 at the Artrix in Bromsgrove.

For tickets and more information, call 01527 577330 or visit artrix.co.uk.