MURDER, mythology, mirth-making, a trilogy of Shakespeare and one of the world's best dames - and all under one roof.

The autumn season at the New Theatre in Cardiff has something for everyone.

It begins in September, when the Welsh National Opera will give their final performances at the theatre that has been their home for half a century. The WNO began its residency in 1954, but after this year's productions it will begin 2005 in a new home, the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay.

The orchestra has lined up three classic operas for its swan song, including a brand-new production of Richard Strauss's classic Ariadne auf Naxos.

Conducted by Carlo Rizzi, directed by Neil Armfield and starring Janice Watson, Alice Coote and Peter Hoare, it promises to be a memorable farewell.

The WNO is also performing Gluck's timeless Iphigenie en Tauride and Puccini's final masterpiece Turandot.

Tickets for the operas, performed from September 11 to October 2, range from £47 to £8.

In October, ex-pop star and housewives favourite Jerome Flynn comes to the theatre to portray a South Wales hero.

Comedian and magician Tommy Cooper was born in Caerphilly in 1922, and died on stage before an audience of millions.

Jus' Like That, from October 12 to 16, is the story of his extraordinary life and a tribute to an entertainer who became one of Britain's best-loved comics.

From October 18 to 23 Wales Theatre Company, which debuted with a stunning production of Under Milk Wood last year, brings a trilogy of Shakespeare to Cardiff.

Directed by Michael Bogdanov, who has reportedly taken an overtly political approach, the company will perform Cymbeline, Twelfth Night, and The Merchant of Venice within a week and on Saturday, October 23, all in one day.

Lenny Henry's one-man comedy show So Much Things To Say, acclaimed as a return to form by the popular comic, is in town on Sunday, October 31.

And this year's pantomime is Cinderella, starring one of Britain's best-known female impersonators Danny La Rue as the Fairy Godmother. It runs from December 11 to January 22.

For tickets or more information, call the box office on 02920 878889.