TWO top funny men and an acclaimed touring theatre company are among the class acts in the new entertainment-packed Heron Theatre season.

NTC Northern Touring Theatre brings a powerful blend of historical realism and ‘grotesque’ melodrama to the Beetham theatre next Tuesday, September 12 (7.30pm) in Barnaby Rudge.

Set against the backdrop of the Gordon Riots of 1780, Barnaby Rudge is a story of mystery and suspense with high drama, strange secrets and ghostly doublings, which begins with an unsolved double murder, goes on to involve conspiracy, blackmail, abduction and retribution, and features Grip, a talking pet raven.

NTC is followed on the Friday (September 15, 7.30pm) by A Cartoon History of Here courtesy of Yorkshire poet, broadcaster and comedian Ian McMillan and Cartoonist of the Year, Tony Husband, in a fast-flowing, rapid-rafting adventure in which popular pair reflect upon local stories and legends.

Ian is poet-in-residence for the Academy of Urbanism and Barnsley FC. He presents The Verb every week on BBC R3 and he’s a regular on Coast, BBC Breakfast, Countryfile, Pick of the Week, Last Word and The Arts Show.

Meanwhile, Tony is cartoonist-in-residence at The Lowry and has been awarded Strip, Gag and Sports Cartoonist of the Year no fewer than ten times by the Cartoon Arts Trust. His work appears regularly in many national newspapers and magazines.

Also playing the Heron (Friday, September 29, 7.30pm) is Beckett's Last Act, Isosceles Theatre Company's stage adaptation of Mora Grey's novel of the same name. Mora worked alongside Samuel Beckett at the Royal Court Theatre in the 1970s. The play sees Beckett in a theatre setting, deeply troubled by the latest production of his acclaimed play Krapp's Last Tape.

On the music front, the Heron hosts a performance on Saturday, September 23 (7.30pm) by Twelfth Day - Orcadian fiddler Catriona Price and Peebles harpist Esther Swift.

Catriona and Esther say they are not so much a duo, but a two person quartet. Their distinctly different musical voices, with the fiddle, and the pedal harp, build layer upon layer of a complex and ever-evolving sound, rich with rhythm, harmony and texture.

Classically trained, they bring outstanding technical ability as well as an adventurous mix of folk, jazz and classical influences to their compositions and arrangements, blended with the folklore and inspirations of their respective Scottish Highland and Lowland upbringings.

As they perform, the strength of their decade-long musical partnership, friendship and shared humour is evident. It’s this depth of connection, and tangible desire to have fun, that gives Twelfth Day its extra edge.

The Heron film programme continues on Tuesday, September 19 (7.30pm) with South Korean director Chan-wook Park's The Handmaiden (18), a brilliant adaptation and radiant makeover of Sarah Waters’ novel Fingersmith. Highly praised for its visual design, the beautifully filmed erotic drama of passion and betrayal set in 1930s Japan and Korea tells the story of a beautiful young Japanese lady living on an isolated estate with her eccentric guardian. A young Korean woman is hired to serve her as her handmaiden but she is in fact a part of a confidence trick to defraud her of her large inheritance. The twist at the end is both surprising and satisfying.

Heron Theatre box office 015395-64283.