"Evita" by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd-Webber.

Loughborough Amateur Operatic Society (LAOS).

Loughborough Town Hall.

It's been three years since I last reviewed anything at Loughborough Town Hall and six years since I last reviewed a production by LAOS, therefore I eagerly accepted the invitation to pop over to review this gorgeous piece of theatre.

This is another musical that I have seen many times over the last 25 years, and a musical I never tire of seeing, and quite rightly dubbed "a modern classic".

The story is of Eva Peron and her rise to fame, if that's the correct word. The play starts with the announcement of the death of Peron during a cinema screening of a film. There's great outpouring of love for Eva, from most Argentinians, apart of course from Che, who is also the narrator of the play. It follows her early life, her varied love life, rise to power, charity work and eventual death.

Helena Stone, who I last saw on stage in Burton On Trent in "Guys 'n' Dolls", takes on the iconic role of Eva Peron. A powerful performance in her rise, and then the change in the way she treated some of the staff who worked for her, shown subtly. The costumes for Eva are glamorous, especially the white satin/silk number that she was so famed for wearing, especially in the balcony scenes. Helena's vocals could cut glass they were so crystal-like, aided by the excellent sound system that they have at Loughborough Town Hall. London may have Rachel Zegler as Evita, but Loughborough has a worthy rival in Helena.

Che is played by David Sturla. Cynically giving his (Che) view of the grief of Peron's death, comparing the grief as a circus in "Oh What A Circus". I've had the pleasure of reviewing David a couple of times before at Iveshead School, where I remarked about his vocals, which are very well highlighted in this production. It was only four months ago I saw David as Prince Eric in "The Little Mermaid", but in that short while, he not only looks so much more mature, but his voice seems to have matured as well. Che features in fifteen of the twenty seven musical pieces and his vocals were as strong at the end as they were at the start.

Richie Phillips is Peron, and a new name to me. Richie has a very distinctive voice and plays the handsome Peron, who has an eye for the ladies aside from Eva, wonderfully. Excellent casting as the lead romantic male role.

Rhianna Boulton and Allie Sturla plays the role of The Mistresses. One of my favourite songs from this musical, which by the way is completely sung through in a cross between a rock opera and classic opera, is "Another Suitcase In Another Hall", and Allie's vocals have that wonderful clear but haunted quality; you can tell vocal ability obviously runs in the family. 

Andy Longley-Brown plays Magaldi. The song "On A Night Of A Thousand Stars" is Magaldi's song and Andy gave it his all with smoothness and just a side of cheese, as most cabaret singers do. The comedy is subtle, to an extent, and played that way sublimely by Andy, with just a nod to the modern man's scratch and sniff habits.

The ensemble are made up of Linda Bolam, Gemma Baxter, Kelly Bennett, Kirstie Bennett, Rachael Chinnery, Charlie Cound, Adrian Dobson, Jo Dring, Adey Greasley, Joanna Hayes, Kate King, Allison Cundell and Clare Proctor.

The Booth Singers are Lewis Fenn-Griffin, Nicole Ray, Daniel Robinson and Andy Stockley.

The Children's Ensemble are Annabelle Bailey, Evie-Mai Cowdroy, Eliza Fardell-Wilson, Sophia Littlewood, Ellie Simphin, Amelie Vickers, Eva Wills, Niamh Wilson and Lucie Wortley. I spotted one young lady at the front of the ensemble who was really giving it some; I love that passion for a role when they are so young, and just hope that the passion that the whole ensemble showed stay with them, especially when they are on the same stage as this particular cast.

Directed by Sally Bruton, who I last saw on stage four years ago at Loughborough Town Hall. This is a wonderful production, which makes me think that this piece of musical theatre must be one of Sally's favourites due to the love for the show bursts forth from that stage. The cast have been chosen, as far as I could see, for their personal strengths, and when you get the perfect cast in a musical of this size, it can only result in the success that evokes the show's second standing ovation this week.

Choreographed by Lianne O'Connor. With such a large ensemble of varied ages and ability, choreographing a show like this, I imagine, is not going to be the easiest. Seeing the results though make it look like a walk in the park because everyone on stage has obviously lapped up the choreography, highlighting the fact that the show has a talented choreographer. Just look at the attention paid to their hands and arms, beautifully turned out, and the straightness of the backs, in and out of hold, depicting class in character, and class in dancer and teacher.

Musical Director is Josh Hill. I've seen the results of many of Josh's musicianship, so when I saw his name in the programme, I knew that, music wise, this show would be a hit. There are some lovely sweeping pieces in this musical - well what else would you expect from Lord Lloyd-Webber? - and that lush and layered sound just overflowed from the orchestra pit, and let's face it, who doesn't love a powerful crescendo as heard in "Don't Cry For Me Argentina". 

If you listen carefully as well to the arrangements, you can hear that Andrew Lloyd-Webber has re-used a couple of his older musical arrangements and tunes for a couple of songs for this musical (think "Jacob and Sons" from "Joseph And His Technicolour Dreamcoat").

Set design is by Encore, which shows a platform flanked by steps, giving the actors another level, as well as providing Eva with that famous balcony scene. You don't need fancy scenery or design with a story like this, and the set provided exactly what was needed.

Costumes by Gemma Baxter and Vintage Years. As previously stated, the costumes are very stylish, for both men and women. Eva's costumes got ever more glamorous as she worked her way up the success ladder.

Sound is by Ryan Heath. Loughborough Town Hall, for me, has a reputation of having some of the best acoustics and sound design system, and this was bore out with this sound design. A lovely mix between on and off stage singers and the orchestra pit. When the whole cast sang with the orchestra it was like a tsunami of sound flooding the theatre.

Lighting is by James Cladingboel, whose work I know from Iveshead School. A lovely design which created atmosphere for the storyline and the songs when needed and at other times, for songs like "Buenos Aires" wonderfully splashed in colour.

With a large cast, making sure that everyone and everything on and off stage is a job in itself, and that takes a stage crew who know what they are doing. This stage crew consist of Kevin Clarke, Richard York, Ed Dring, Debs Pettitt, Laura Hambleton and Connor Bennett.

If you love big orchestral numbers, sung and acted brilliantly with gusto and emotion and an historical storyline to go (literally) alongside the on stage action, you will love this show. As Che so rightly states "Oh What A Show", and he is spot on with that analysis.

"Evita" is at Loughborough Town Hall until Saturday 13 September.

 "Blood Brothers" by Willy Russell

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

"So did you here the story
Of the Johnston Twins
As like each other as two new pins
Of one womb born on the self-same day
How one was kept and one given away

And did you never hear how the Johnston's died
never knowing that they shared one name
till the day they died when a mother cried
my own dear sons lie slain

And did you never hear of a mother so cruel
there's a stone in place of her heart
Then bring her on and judge for yourselves
How she came to play this part."

This opening is one of the most iconic openings for a musical and anyone who knows me, knows that "Blood Brothers" is my all time, as well as current, favourite musical so, given that, you can guarantee that this is going to be ever so slightly biased. In the last ten years, I've seen this musical eight times, this is the ninth.

For anyone who doesn't know the story it's all about Mrs Johnstone who has several children and takes a job cleaning for Mrs Lyons. Just as she is making ends meet, Mrs J discovers that she is pregnant again, with twins. An agreement is struck between the two women that when the twins are born Mrs J would give one of the babies away to her employer, Mrs Lyons, who has discovered that she is having problems conceiving. Mrs Lyons then sacks Mrs Johnstone and moves away to the country with her husband and Eddie, the twin to Mickey. Thinking that this has separated the two forever turns out to be far from what she had planned.

The story is one of the most powerful in British theatre and, like a game of football, it's in two halves. the first being high spirited and comical with the adults playing the kids. Life is carefree for the kids but not so much for the parents. Act One ends on a high, giving no premise to the dark act two to come. Although this musical is 42 years old, it's still as fresh today and covers the subjects of depression, murder, addiction, class, secrets and superstition, which is why it's one of the most popular musicals around. And there's not many musicals who can turn the atmosphere around as fast as this one with its' subject matter.

Vivienne Carlyle plays Mrs Johnstone, who I saw last in this role in January of this year, so straight away I knew I was in for a great night. A powerhouse of a role for any actor to take on, due to the emotional commitment required. Vivienne's voice is so expressive at all ends of the scale and has the comedy element down pat; but she knows how to pull at your heart strings as well. Even after seeing this musical as many times as I have, that ending still gets me every single time. 

Kristofer Harding, who I saw last in 2016 in this role, is The Narrator, adding that touch of menace, as if the devil had their number and was watching over the families. A vital role in this musical, applying the glue to the storylines, sprinkling a supernatural unease whenever he appears. A dark character that often haunts the background like a circling shark, creating tension and atmosphere. The "Devil" that can only be seen by the paranoid Mrs Lyons, whose number he certainly has!

It's so good to see Sean Jones back as Mickey. As far as I can remember I have seen Sean in this role almost every time that I have seen this show and for me, he is Mickey. No-one plays this character in the same way as Sean does. As always, his performance is great fun to watch as the seven - nearly eight year old. In comparison, as adult Mickey, he creates an aura of a very different kind, and he still evokes that nervousness in me, even though I know this musical so well, he still makes me believe in the role.

Joe Sleight returns as Eddie, Mickey's blood brother. As always, it's wonderful to see, and hear the change from a seven-year-old to a local Housing Councillor, making the time change absolutely believable. The costumes for both Mickey and Eddie also make this credible as they grow out of shorts and jumpers into work clothes. I have it on reliable authority that Sean is only on his third baggy green jumper since he has played the character. Joe's vocals are very easy on the ear, harmonising beautifully with the duets he gets to sing.

Paula Tappenden returns as Mrs Lyons. I've had the pleasure of seeing Paula in this role previously, so I know how good she is. The decline in her sanity creates a perfect tension, driven by the Narrator's invisible intervention. The duet with Vivienne, "My Child", when they are both musing about how their child is going to be raised is quite a sad affair, especially when you know the future that their child has coming. A gorgeous pairing of voices.

Mr Lyons is played by Tim Maxwell-Clarke in the performance seen on Tuesday night. Mr Lyons injects a levelling influence within the Lyons family, or tries to, but his wife seems to wear the trousers in this relationship, and makes all the decisions while he earns the money.

Gemma Brodrick plays Linda, and for anyone who has not seen "Blood Brothers" ever before, you get to see an actor portraying a character who grows from a gangly street kid to a sexy, long-legged teenager and through to a defeated wife and mother. I first saw Gemma in this role at the start of the year in Derby, so again, I knew this role was in safe hands. Her guttural scream when she races into the Council Offices at the end completely rips through you, showing the emotion and passion Gemma injects into this part.

Michael Gillette plays Sammy, Mickey's big, bullying brother, and one of the new cast members. Filling Daniel Taylor's boots as Sammy was always going to be a big ask, but Michael does this role justice. Anyone who has seen this musical before may spot a couple of subtle additions to Sammy's part like the part in the first act when it's announced they are all going to be re housed and Mickey grabs Sammy's hand in excitement, and Sammy pulls his hand away with a look of disgust, showing a particular bond between the younger brother, but not the other way around.

Alex Harland, another "Blood Brothers" regular, is the Policeman, who shows the different ways that the law deal with the different classes.

Francesca Benton-Stace doubles up as Donna-Marie, Mrs Johnstone's elder daughter, and Miss Jones, who has the unenviable task of typing out the redundancy letters to Mickey and the rest of the workforce, as well as her own! Francesca is another new name in the cast who blends into this family style cast excellently.

Graeme Kinniburgh is the Bus Conductor and Postman, but also plays various other roles in the ensemble.

Danny Knott plays Perkins, the "goody-goody", nerdy school boy, as well as other characters in the ensemble.

Dominic Gore reprises his role as the Neighbour, and like some of the others, also plays various other roles.

Latesha Karisa  plays Brenda, Linda's friend.

Much of the cast has not changed over the years and this shows that the producers and directors have so much faith in these actors to give incredible performances. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! It may be corny to say but this cast have an obvious chemistry, and not only on stage, and while on tour become a family, and that shows from the way that they perform on stage. 

Co Directed by Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright, the pace and presentation is perfect. Resident Director is Tim Churchill, whose name you may know if you're a "Blood Brothers" geek like me, as the actor who normally plays Mr Lyons.

The songs in this show, for me anyway, are just brilliant. From the playful “Kids’s Games” to the optimistic “Bright New Day”, the jazzy "Long Sunday Afternoon", the wistful “Marilyn Monroe” to the iconic “Tell Me It’s Not True”, which on it’s own, played on the radio is a beautiful ballad. In the context of this musical it is highly emotional. Willy Russell who is a great playwright also wrote the score for this musical. Musical Supervisor for this show is Matt Malone.

The set, designed by Andy Walmsley, doesn't really change but is as iconic as the musical itself.

The lighting design, by Nick Richings, is also one of the most technical for this musical, and the timings of such has to be spot on, which they all were, as usual.

A wonderful Sound Designer in Dan Samson with a gorgeous use of echo throughout. I sometimes note that the sound design for shows in the Theatre Royal is not always the best, but tonight the quality of the sound was perfect.

This story of brotherhood, motherhood, friendship, love, superstition, jealousy and depression will always be relevant, and as long as the emotional element remains as high as it has over the last few decades, this musical will remain one of the best loved pieces of musical theatre.

It's one of the most outstanding pieces of theatre ever - I did say earlier that I was biased, but rightly so - and tonight the standing ovation was probably the longest I've seen for any musical. There can't be too many musicals that give you such a thrill, no matter how many times you see it, and even with a musical that does not have a happy outcome, the appreciation from the packed Theatre Royal audience was plain to see.

Go and see this if you've never seen it before, and if you have seen it before, go and see it again, and take your hanky, you'll need it! Still, in my humble opinion, the best musical running, and as comfortable as slipping into a comfy pair of slippers; obviously not placed on the table!

The wonderful “Blood Brothers” is at Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 13 September.

 "Romeo & Juliet/Macbeth" by William Shakespeare.

Bard In The Yard.

Nottingham Shakespeare Company.

Castle Rock Brewery Yard, Nottingham.

Shakespeare wrote plays to be performed in the open air for the man in the street, and I love that the Nottingham Shakespeare Company keep that tradition alive by performing in various open air spaces, bringing the Bard's work to anyone and everyone, and all for free because they love what they do.

You can always guarantee that when they take on a piece of work by Shakespeare, they put their own stamp on it, which makes for an interesting and easy to understand piece of theatre, These two pieces are no different, especially in this abridged form.

These two classics, performed at the Castle Rock Brewery Yard, close their current 2025 mini tour, so I was very pleased that I managed to fit both in the one sitting. Thankfully the weather was kind to the group and, despite some blustery gusts of wind, which saw the company having to change parts of their "backstage gazebo area", there was only one other thing that threatened to derail their performances, but more of that later when the old showbiz adage, "the show must go on", certainly came into play.

Five actors performed all the roles, the same in both performances, often having just enough time to disappear behind the gazebo and walk out the other side in a change of outfit to depict another character, en route adding make up when required.

I've seen the Nottingham Shakespeare Company perform both these plays previously but this time around I could see that some clever directorial work had been added to make both slightly different to the other productions of these plays I'd seen, keeping them fresh and as if this one was the first time of watching.

"Romeo & Juliet" started off as not being an out and out tragedy but was liberally interspersed with great big dollops of comedy and bawdiness. This lead to the scenes of true tragedy with the bloody murders of Tybalt and, as we all know then Juliet's faux suicide and then Romeo's suicide. 

Image wise Romeo, played by Lachlan Charles, is a cross between the cool of James Dean crossed with the goofiness of Danny Zuko from "Grease", complete with leather jacket and quiff. There was even a line from Romeo advising Nurse, played by Michelle Bard, not to mess with his hair. There are bawdy jokes about erections and virginity and the spirit of naughty fun is sustained by Romeo and Benvolio’s jokes, as well as the Nurse’s ribald talk later on.

Esther Warren is a perfect Mercutio, who often steals the scenes wonderfully, especially with his witty put downs and comments.

Friar Lawrence, played by Ken Ogborn, is a kindhearted cleric who helps Romeo and Juliet throughout the play. He performs their marriage and gives generally good advice, especially in regard to the need for moderation, but as we all know has ulterior motives for this.

Juliet is played by Emma Webber, in a direct opposition to the role that she plays in "Macbeth". Often the role of Juliet is played with great naivety but this characterisation is of a modern woman who takes charge of what she wants, and that's not the arranged marriage sorted by her Father, also played by Esther Warren. 

There's a lot of physicality in all of these roles, especially with the sword and knife choreography, and there's a lot of being thrown to the floor, and it's one of those parts where Emma took a bad fall and caused damage to her wrist. You could see that the fall was not as choreographed but Emma concealed the pain throughout the first play, and it was only in the interval between the two plays that I was told of the extent of that bad fall. However, that showbiz adage now came into play with Emma receiving medical attention and strapped up, along with painkillers, she carried on valiantly with her role as Lady Macbeth in the second play.

Lady Macbeth is a passionate and fiery woman; if you caught a previous production of "Macbeth" by Nottingham Shakespeare Company, you'd have seen the extent of that passion and power she held over her husband. That passion and power was all in this version of Lady Macbeth as she dominated the stage (concrete yard) with eyes that blazed.

Ken Ogborn was on the receiving end of Lady Macbeth's power and passion; at times I thought that the bucket of water in the backstage gazebo area may have been to throw over them to cool their ardour.

Lachlan, Michelle and Esther played several roles over the two plays, but each time they switched character, they made sure that you knew who they were playing with no blurring of the edges, often with just a change of costume. I must though highlight the three witches, played by Lachlan, Emma and Esther, whose voice transformation at one stage was almost unearthly.

Anyone may have thought that having the sides of the backstage gazebo taken off - due to the wind whipping around the sides and it being in danger of heading into the stratosphere - may have tempted the audience member's eyes to stray to what was happening in that area. That was no temptation for me because when you have the hypnotising qualities of the centre stage actors up front and central, they made sure that all eyes were on them.

Brilliantly directed and choreographed, the costumes are excellent - special mention must go to the Nurse's 1950's outfit and Juliet's black Marilyn Monroe-esque dress - as are the props, staging, make up and some very real looking fake blood, which actually looked like real blood.

I love Shakespeare, but would not profess to know that much about every play he wrote, or understand everything that he wrote, but in the hands of this company, you don't need to know everything about the plays or understand every word spoken because they bring the Bard's humour or tragic stories to a level that everyone can appreciate and follow.

Looking around the audience for both plays and there were people of my age, as well as young children, and it's the younger audience members who sat there with their mouths open, faces transfixed on the cast's incredible storytelling and performance skills. And when you see the young ones mesmerised in stories over 400 years old, you know that you're doing something right and you have them hooked and their love of Shakespeare has just been germinated.

If you see anything advertised by the Nottingham Shakespeare Company that they are doing, make a note in your diary because their shows are of the highest quality and are not to be missed. They perform for free but donations, however small, are always welcomed at the end of the performances, where you also get the chance to chat with the actors as well. Michelle told the crowd that they receive no help from funding from Nottingham Arts Council, the funding this year was 100% retracted, but this, and many other groups have to fund their own shows, and that's not cheap when you consider rehearsal space, props, costumes etc, so any donations, which you can also make through their website, all help, meaning that they can continue to produce quality shows for free.

Sunday afternoon saw five very talented actors perform several varied characters in two classic Shakespearian plays. Personally, I couldn't think of anywhere else I'd have rather have been this afternoon.

 "Matthew Bourne's New Adventures - The Midnight Bell"

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

There's just something very special about Matthew Bourne's shows that create a sizzling tingle in the air, and this show is no different.

"The Midnight Bell" is a 1930's fictional London hostelry where ordinary people emerge from cheap boarding houses nightly to pour out their passions, hopes and dreams in the pubs and fog-bound streets of Soho and Fitzrovia. It's  a tavern where one particular lonely-hearts club gather to play out their lovelorn affairs of the heart; bitter comedies of longing, frustration, betrayal and redemption.

It's inspired by the English novelist Patrick Hamilton who created some of the most authentic fiction of his era; stories borne out of years of social interactions with the working man and woman at his favourite location – the London Pub.

This production though is quite different to any other show that I've seen from New Adventures because it includes many of the performers lip-synching to 1930's classics. Think of Dennis Potter style, who Sir Matthew confirmed to me after the show that he was a fan, and you'll get a hint of how different this particular style is.

The feel is quite cinematic, especially the way that the scenes and props are changed over; the fluidity of both dance and execution of the scenes are a lesson of how a show like this should be done.

There's a lot going on with the various characters in "The Midnight Bell". Singletons pick up other singletons, with varying degrees of success, we see the put upon bar staff, the sleazy cad, as well as repressed sexuality - in public anyway, and also the protection of this to keep job status and recognition. Remember, same sex relationships in public or in private were illegal at this time. It's one of those productions that you'd be able to see something that you may have missed from seeing the show previously.

There's also a lot of sensuality depicted at various levels, but everything done in the very best possible taste.

The cast features some of New Adventures’ finest leading actor/dancers; Cordelia Braithwaite, Reece Causton, Glenn Graham, Michela Meazza, Andy Monaghan, Liam Mower, Dominic North, Bryony Pennington, Danny Reubens and Ashley Shaw.

I really don't need to say individually how talented this cast is as it goes without saying that if they're good enough for Sir Matthew Bourne, then they are the best performers on stage.

Directed and choreographed by Sir Matthew Bourne. Beautiful choreography with trademark humour interspersed throughout, plus the added element of lip-synch.

The music has been composed and orchestrated by Terry Davies. Combined with some classic 1930's songs, the new compositions feel like they should have been written at the same time as the originals and dovetail perfectly.

The sets for New Adventures are always fantastic and this is no different. Designed by Lez Brotherstone they segue smoothly from Midnight Bell bar room to bedroom to exterior scenes and back to different bar room sections. This gives opportunity for couples to meet, dance and contact others via a telephone section and the equivalent of the lions in the Market Square, a park bench.

The Lighting Designer is Paul Constable and the sound design is by Paul Groothuis. Both areas add to that cinematic feel of the production and are completely faultless.

Every time I see anything from Matthew Bourne I know that I've seen the best of the best, but then every time I see a new production, it feels as if again I have seen a new favourite. This production is very different to any other New Adventures production, but is as humorous and as entertaining as anything seen before. It's my new favourite, until the next one. 

The Midnight Bell premiered in 2021 and received five nominations at the 2022 National Dance Awards, with Matthew Bourne winning the award for Best Modern Choreography and Michela Meazza for Outstanding Female Modern Performance.

You can revel in the delights of this gorgeous piece of dance theatre at the Nottingham theatre Royal until Saturday 6 September, which also includes matinee performances on Thursday and Saturday with an audio described and pre show touch tour performance on the Saturday matinee.

 "The Business Of Murder" by Richard Harris.

Tabs Productions.

Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Season 2025.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

This psychological thriller about revenge focuses on the three-way relationship between Dee, a successful television playwright; Hallet, a Detective Superintendent; and Stone, a humourless, prissy man. But what is their connection to each other?

Dee arrives at Stone's flat, having accepted an invitation to discuss a murder mystery story written by Stone's wife. She is rather surprised when Hallett, with whom we discover she is having an affair, also arrives, apparently to investigate a matter concerning Stone's son and his involvement with a drug ring. But where are Stone's wife and son? After many twists and turns, Stone's intentions become clear as he slowly reveals the precise nature of the trio's relationship: all three are very much concerned with the business of murder.

I had not heard of this play previously, neither had I heard of the playwright. After doing a bit of detective work myself I found out that, while I hadn't heard of Harris, I had definitely seen some of his work over the years. Harris had written episodes of The Avengers, The Sweeney, Target, The Saint and Shoestring among his many credits.

With these credits it's no wonder that this play is incredibly good. It's a very cleverly scripted thriller which has every detail worked out to the smallest element, and even things that you thought were trivial return to the storyline later on down the line and fit like a jigsaw piece.

Needless to say, to bring such a wonderfully clever and entertaining script to life, it takes an incredible cast, and with this trio, and direction of the actors, this play I feel has to be one of my favourites. It's also one of the finest performances I have seen from Tabs Productions; taking nothing away from their long history of incredible performances over the years.

John Goodrum plays DS Hallett, and it's really nice to see a couple of role reversals in this play. John plays the sinister one a lot of times, and plays them with excellence, but here he plays the law contingent. OK, Hallett may bend the rules slightly, but basically he's the "good guy" with the Cockney swagger. Close your eyes and you could imagine David Jason on stage in this role. There's just a couple of moments where we see Hallett's steely exterior slip and the nerves show; but what has Hallett got to be nervous about?

Sarah Wynne Kordas plays Dee. It's lovely to see the character get ever the more nervous around Stone as his story slowly unravels and makes Dee practically fall apart in front of your eyes. I love Sarah's physical performance of this character and you can see her whole body shaking with fear at some of the things that Stone was saying. Sarah is a brilliant character actor and playing Dee just has to be one of my favourite roles that she has played, mainly because she transmitted her character's nervousness to the audience.

Stone is played by David Gilbrook and as with John, this is a role that is very different to many of the others I've seen David perform. Stone is one of those villains who does not look villainous, quite plain looking, but how looks can be deceiving as we all soon found out. This is a very wordy play and David gets the lion's share of the script. This role also shows his ability to play clever, devious and dangerous people. It's not that often that we get to see David in such a meaty role, but when he does, he really shines, as he does here.

Directed by Karen Henson. I've placed in print just how much of a fan I am of Karen as a Director, as well as an actor, and in this play really brings out the steady approach of menace up to the end of the first act, which then continues to raise the nervous feelings all the way through to the final twist at the end. I'll say it again, this is one of the best thrillers that I have seen in all the years that I've been attending the Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Seasons, and it's all due to the actors and Directors who bring out the best of the scripts and the actors.

Set Design is by Conal Walsh. The play is set in the first floor flat situated in a London suburb in the 1980's near Wimbledon Common. Stylishly decorated, for the period, showing a living room area and kitchen with a bedroom door to stage right and just upstage of that the entranceway from the front door.

I am always impressed by Tabs Productions' array of props, I think that I may have mentioned this area in previous reviews, and the sourcing of said props is all credit to Alison Wilcox.

Geoff Gilder is in charge of the wardrobe side of the production, and the costumes are a vital part of the storyline of the show - without giving anything away. This is another part of the show that threw me slightly, but it all became apparent the further you get into the story. Typically early 1980s which straight away gets you anchored into the appropriate time zone of the play.

Lighting Designer is Duncan Hands, who also doubles up as Production Manager. Nothing fancy in this department but often simple lighting design is all that is required.

Sound Design is by David Gilbrook, not sure who operated the sound but this area was carried out, as usual, perfectly.

Fran Buxey also gets a mention for her work as Deputy Stage Manager.

The first night of the final production was a bar raiser, showing that even after all these years, Tabs Productions continue to produce classic shows to an exceptional standard, and they never fail to entertain, whether that be in a comedy thriller or a serious murder mystery such as this. I can't wait to see what next year's season brings, all I know is that these Thriller seasons get better every single year. After all, who doesn't love a murder mystery and who doesn't love a Whodunnit?

"The Business Of Murder" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 30 August.

 "Everybody's Talking About Jamie" by Zak Scott Productions.

2025 Summer School.

Squire Performing Arts Centre, Nottingham.

"Everybody's Talking About Jamie" is a coming-of-age stage musical with music by Dan Gillespie Sells and book and lyrics by Tom MacRae. The musical is inspired by the 2011 British television documentary "Jamie: Drag Queen at 16". The musical follows and is based upon the true-life story of 16-year-old schoolboy Jamie Campbell, as he overcomes prejudice and bullying to step out of the darkness into the spotlight and become a drag queen, and also gets to go to the school prom dressed how he wants to dress.

I watched the original TV documentary and loved it. You have to admire a young person who wants to change the way people see certain things and fights for what they believe is right, breaking down prejudices along the way. This production, like some of the other wonderful productions works so well because the actors are around the same age as the original Jamie New, so immediately become relevant and recognisable.

This is another show that I've now clocked up a few times of viewing, but every time seems to get better, and I am sure there are a couple of new things in this; I could be wrong or maybe it's just this time around they've stuck out more for me. Who cares, let me start properly by saying that I could just describe the production in three syllable FAB U LOUS, but why use three syllable when a few thousand would work more?

Playing the titular role is Rio Cundy. I was sat behind a very proud Mrs Cundy tonight and she told me that Rio has only been in one other show that I had seen, "Legally Blonde" from Kristian Thomas Company, and I tried to think of the role that he had played, and then, on the way back home, realised that he had played Nikos, the pool boy. I may not have remembered straight away that role but I will remember for a very long time Rio Cundy as Jamie New. 

Wonderfully executed and a voice that is filled with emotion as well as fire. He has stage pazazz by the bucketload and plenty of swag and attitude. You can always tell if an actor enjoys their role on stage and I think that everyone in the audience had no doubt that Rio was enjoying his time on stage. There's also a lot of behind the scenes work with a role like this as well, not least learning to walk in killer heels with the ease that Rio did. I also love the last scene with Jamie and Dean.

Maddi Woodland is Margaret New, and as a parent, you understand what Margaret is going through and will protect your child to the very end. Maddi gets to sing one of my favourite songs from the soundtrack, the gorgeous "He's My Boy". Maddi wrung every ounce of passion from that song and left it all on stage in an incredibly raw performance. The other massive song for Margaret is "If I Met Myself Again" which is equally as gorgeous.

The scene with Wayne, her ex and father to Jamie, was equally full of passion and the scenes with best friend Ray had that lovely comedy element, balancing out the more emotive scenes. I love it when a young actor gets to show these levels of emotion because it highlights their acting skills so well.

Harriet Campion plays Ray, Margaret's ballsy best friend. Harriet shows off her powerful vocals on "Limited Edition Prom Night Special", as well as some great dance moves of her own. Everybody needs a friend like Ray in their life, as shown by Harriet.

Pritti Pasha, Jamie's best friend, #forever, and confidante, is played by Avaani Babra. Her vocals on the beautiful "It Means Beautiful" are just gorgeous and the stripped back start to the song just highlights perfectly Avaani's voice. Because Avaani made you believe in this character so well, when she dropped the "F Bomb" near the end, it actually came as a shock, even to myself who'd seen the show several times previously.

Bella Syson is Miss Hedge, the careers teacher at Jamie's school who, when finding out that Jamie wants to become a performer tells him to "keep it real" and bans him from turning up to Prom Night wearing a dress. Love the strict school teacher vibes, which by comparison made her rap section completely POP!

Miles Potter plays Hugo Battersby/ Loco Chanelle. Hugo is the owner of a shop that supplies drag attire, and also performs under his alter ego, Loco Chanelle. I have mentioned several times about the quality of Miles' voice and how every time I hear him on stage that voice gets better and better. One thing I noticed in this role was his wonderful vibrato. Miles has possibly one of the best vibratos in a young actor that I have heard in a long time. I loved the understated campness that Hugo emitted and in full drag as Loco, Miles ramped the camp just enough to make the Drag Queen believable.

Jamie's bully, Dean, is played by one of my favourite local actors, and someone who has played a multitude of characters in several different theatre productions; once again, this is a very different role to his others. The man in question is Findlay Parker. Away from the stage Findlay is one of the nicest, most unassuming young people ever, but when he gets into character on stage, he is a completely different persona. As the vile bully, and let's face it some of the disgusting, racist things that Dean spouts to Pritti and the homophobic insults he spits out to Jamie, he gets your blood to boiling point, and even the audience seemed shocked and booed Dean. This shows what a fabulous actor Findlay is to make you believe the character he is playing. 

Playing a nasty person is always more fun, so I believe that Findlay may have enjoyed playing this character, and maybe because it is so different to the others on his very extensive theatrical CV. This also shows what a fine and flexible character actor Findlay is.

Will Mellor plays Sandra Bollock, one of the drag artists at the Legs 11 club, and Wayne, Jamie's Dad. Wayne is disgusted and disappointed as to how Jamie had turned out and made no bones about telling Jamie so. There is one scene where Jamie goes to thank his Dad for what he had done for him, and this is where Jamie finds out what his dad is really like and what his true feelings are for him. The whole auditorium was in silence at this piece. It takes a good actor to make an audience react either positively or negatively and the silence reflected their feelings.

Jamie Higgins plays Tray Sophisticay and Taylen Brodsky plays Laika Virgin, the other two Drag Queens at the Legs 11 Club where Jamie New, or Mimi Mee, makes their debut. 

Drag is an art form of it's own and not many can pull off this particular area of entertainment. I know a few drag artists and they are, out of drag, the loveliest people, but when in drag, the fiercest of entertainers, for whom you do not want to try and get the better of and Tray and Laika sound and look like they could hold their own if it came to a cat fight!

One nice thing about this production is that all three Drag Queens appeared in full drag at the end of the show and they looked spectacular!

Becca is played by Ella Charlesworth and Bex is played by Heidi Parsons. Two school friends who also have Jamie's back, especially at the Prom scene when confronted by Miss Hedge. Both Ella and Heidi play the schoolgirls with a lovely attitude and chemistry.

Levi is played by a very familiar face to me, Finlay Tomlinson. Always a cheeky addition to a cast, especially when he is playing a character in his own age range.

Another very familiar face is Quillen Parker, who plays Sayid. Again another cheeky character actor who brightens up the stage and delivers the humour.

Lexie-May Hart plays Vicki, Fatima is played by Evie Perks and Alex Povey is Cy completing the kids in the class.

The ensemble are made up of Lottie Ellis, Lucy Coulson-Jones, Violet Graney, Neve Johnson, Phoebe Litherland, Roisin Parker, Isobel Pickering, Megan Price, Molly Price, Keeley Rickerby, Niamh Syson, Millie Weston, Isla Baskill-Conroy and Ruby Bonsall.

Directed and produced by Zak Charlesworth, a man who knows just about everything there is to know about the theatre, let's face it he's done just about every job within theatre, on and off stage. This whole Summer School production took just EIGHT days from page to stage, and everything about this show screamed professionalism, and it makes you wonder why some professional touring shows take months to complete rehearsals of their shows and manage to present a professional production when local theatre groups like Zak's can present a musical of this quality in just over a week.

The show had been workshopped with someone who knows everything about this particular show, Layton Williams, so when you're learning from the best, you just can't go wrong!

Choreographed by Alexandra Tavener and Harvey Tavener, two of the most talented choreographers locally. This show is massive on large ensemble choreographed pieces. It's always the job of a choreographer to make the performers look good on stage, whatever the level of talent, and thankfully this cast are no beginners in that area. In turn, the performers make the choreographers look great because of the standard of choreography they perform. I think that It's very clear that both performers and choreographers have succeeded in making both teams look incredible.

Technical Director is Roydon Charlesworth who also looked as if he was involved in Stage manager duties as well, moving props on and off the stage, along with cast memberes. While I am on that subject it was also nice to see the sets being put into place and removing whilst the performance was ongoing, as well as when the incidental music was being played by the band. This made for some very fluid scene changes. 

Musical Director is Ben Ward who played keyboards and conducted his six piece ensemble of AJ Hill (Keys 2/Guitar), Dan Emery (Bass), Dawn Bratby (Saxophone), Gemma Fuller (Trumpet), Magnus Hawker-French (Trombone) and Dave Shipley (Drums). Lovely sound and a nice punchy and bright feel.

The soundtrack is made up of some brilliant songs that could so easily had been chart successes. Songs like "And You Don't Even Know It", "If I Met Myself Again", "Beautiful", the title song, "He's My Boy", "My Man Your Boy", "Wall In MY Head" and the epic "Out Of the Darkness".

Sound is by Olivia Michaud. The last few productions at The Space have fallen to sound to issues, mainly with mic pacs that crackle and pop, and that continued here, also with some mics not working at all or sound cues for the actors being late or missed. There were also a few times that I, personally, would have liked to have had the volume on some of the mics increased, but this was first night and running the sound check without bodies in the auditorium will alter the volume needed for the show.

 

I know I bang on about this area of production, but I also know that it's one of the hardest areas to get perfect, especially when mic pacs are out of the sound operators control, and there's such a big group of mic'd up actors on stage. Needless to say the odd mic pac issue did not mar anything to do with production for me; just thought I'd mention it

Lighting is by Abby Catto who provided a wonderfully colourful design. there were only a few times that the actors were slightly in the shadows, mainly when there were two or more people on stage and the main character was spotlit. Maybe the other actor was just a foot or so in the wrong spot on stage, who knows. Even so, it didn't cast any shadow over the quality of the lighting and production.

Let's not forget that this is based on a true story and this sort of prejudice is here all the time. Whether it be racism, homophobia, or just a dislike of anyone who happens to be just a little different we need to embrace the difference in people and just be kind to everyone.

There will always be a place for the Underdog wherever you look, and we always love to back that Underdog, so when a musical like this comes along, we always get behind the underdog character, which the audience did tonight

At times emotional, at times immense fun, what this musical is not, is run of the mill and bland, plus it has a very important message to deliver and I imagine will lead to a great deal of conversation when you leave the theatre, which is exactly what it should do. Hopefully everyone will be talking about this brilliant show and the brilliant cast for a while.

"Everybody's Talking About Jamie" is at Nottingham's Squire Performing Arts Centre, near the Girls High School, until Saturday 23 August, where there's a special BOGOF offer for the matinee performance. 

Photography by Bara Erhayiem.