Roald Dahl, an evening with veteran magician Paul Daniels, classic Dickens and a dark comedy about birdwatching - they're our picks of the week.

AN AUDIENCE WITH PAUL DANIELS, Chequer Mead Arts Centre & Theatre, East Grinstead, Saturday March 8 He may be your granny's favourite but the nation's most famous magic man performs live shows like a pro.

His lively banter, ability to entice audience participation out of the most sterile group, and, of course, unnerving skill at making the most complex trick look easy, all promise to make this a surprisingly satisfying evening.

Starts 7.30pm, £15.50. Call 01342 302000.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS Corn Exchange, Brighton, March 11-15 This production, aimed at nine to 14 year olds, adapts Charles Dickens' tale about young Pip's coming of age as he leaves the warmth of his home for the brutal yet exciting city of London.

The array of eccentrics and odd bods that litter the novel are brought to life here by Unicorn Theatre Company with live music and spooky, atmospheric sets.

Various performance times, £5/£8. Call 01273 709709.

GIRL WATCHING De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, until March 8 Anna, a young girl, spies a drama unfold between an estranged couple while out birdwatching.

With notebook and binoculars in hand, she secretly records all she sees - the nesting terns and waders and the glamorous, defiant Sibylla and David.

This darkly comic play charts Anna's rite of passage from observer of life to participator through the language and rituals of birdwatching.

Starts 7.30pm, £10/£5. Call 01424 787949.

GEORGE'S MARVELLOUS MEDICINE, Hawth Theatre, Crawley, until March 8 Roald Dahl's taste for all things twisted has long captured the imagination of the young and this tale about a boy who makes a magic medicine for his grandmother is no exception.

George's subsequent adventures have been adapted for the stage by the Birmingham Stage Company, a leading producer of Dahl's work. For ages four to 12 years.

Various performance times, £12.50. Call 01293 553636