Unity Wroe's guide to the top stage shows over the next seven days, updated every Friday.

SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, Congress Theatre, Eastbourne, May 11
Set in Oregon in 1850, this classic musical follows the story of Adam, the eldest of seven brothers.

When Adam (Dave Willetts) gets married, his wife Milly (Shona Lindsay) arrives to find her six brothers-in-law living in his cabin.

Anxious to get wives of their own, the brothers follow Adam's inspired idea of getting the women they want by kidnapping them.

Tickets cost £10 to £24.50. Call 01323 412000.

THE DRAGON VARIATION, Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, May 7-11
Thriller set in a lonely cottage where Ellen (Britt Ekland, pictured) may or may not have killed her womanising husband.

She is visited by a number of strange men throughout the show.

The producers are keeping the plot under wraps for fear of giving the game away but they guarantee it will keep the audience guessing.

Tickets cost £10 to £15.40. Call 01323 412000.

ENGLISH TOURING OPERA, The Hawth, Crawley, May 9-11
The leading opera company will be performing La Traviata and Don Giovanni.

La Traviata will be performed on Thursday and Saturday and follows opera's most famous heroine, Violetta, in a tragic tale of passion.

Mozart's Don Giovanni will be performed on Friday, which depicts the licentious young libertine of 17th-Century fiction.

Tickets cost £14 to £20.50. Call 01293 553636.

THE MERCHANT OF VENICE, Burgess Hill Triangle, until May 4
This is the Royal Shakespeare Company's first visit to Burgess Hill.

This touring production follows the story of Shylock, a Jewish money-lender who uses his enemy's misfortune to claim revenge.

Brought forward to 19th-Century Venice, the production stars Ian Bartholomew as Shylock and Hermione Gulliford as Portia.

Tickets cost £13.50 to £18. Call 01444 876060.