Natalia Makarova returns to the U.K.'s Chichester Festival in George Bernard Shaw's Misalliance, now through Sept. 6 at the Minerva Studio Theatre.

Natalia Makarova began her career in ballet and was named "Russian Prima Ballerina Assoluta," having danced principal roles in ballets including Giselle, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. She won the Tony Award in 1983 when she made her Broadway debut in the musical On Your Toes, later repeating her performance in London and winning the Olivier Award. She made her Chichester debut in 1991 in the musical Tovarich, which later transferred to the West End.

In Misalliance, chaos ensues when an airplane crashes into Lord Summerhays' garden, bringing a beautiful Polish acrobat and a gunman into his already complicated life. The unexpected visitors join the excitement and status-seeking Hypatia, who Summerhays has just proposed to, and his neurotic son Bentley, who just might steal Hypatia away from his father.

Frank Hauser returns to Chichester to direct a cast that includes festival alumni Joss Ackland and Tony Britton. The production is designed by Saul Radomsky.

The festival is in Oaklands Parks, north of Chichester in East Sussex. For tickets or more information call 01243 781312 (in North America dial 011 44 first and omit the first 0). --By Laura MacDonald