"The Red Shoes" by Matthew Bourne's New Adventures.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Everybody should know that Matthew Bourne is the king of modern ballet choreography. This is his adaptation is of the Academy award winning Powell & Pressburger’s 1948 film of the same name and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. It’s about a girl, Vicky Page, who lives to dance, and the two men who inspire that passion within. It's about passion. It's about dancing. It's about control. It's about obsession. What more could you want from ballet?

Vicky hopes to impress Boris Lermontov, the poker-faced director of an innovative ballet company, and she manages to attract his attention. He’s impressed and invites her, as well as a moody young composer, Julian Craster, to join his company. The pair’s talents flourish under his guidance and then romance rears its head for Craster and Page and that's where the problems start.

The set and costumes are designed by Lez Brotherston. The set is cleverly designed utilising a large stage within a stage where the curtains can revolve allowing you to see both sides of the stage. it also acts as a split section allowing the stage crew to change one side of the scenery while the other half is being used. With a smooth rotation of the curtains we can then move to the other half.

We visit the ballet stage, the beach at Monte Carlo, A sleazy music hall and we even get a steam train in there as well. There are brilliant blasts of cinematic scenes, moving to monochrome sets that create that old time movie feel and introduces even more drama to the story.

The costumes, as only to be expected from Sir Matthew's ballets are eye-catching, exciting and blending the contemporary with the outlandish. Visually a treat for all. There's a lovely red and purple pin stripe suit matched with black shirt and vivid red tie that immediately pops out at you, and would look great in my wardrobe.

Paule Constable has designed the lighting. It changes from stark to Hollywood glamour, from brilliant sunshine on the beach to dark eerie castle gloominess and from cavalcades of colour to stark black and white.

The gorgeous, rich and romantic sound is the responsibility of the New Adventures Orchestra. sweeping strings transport you to a far away place and then bring you back to the darker side of the ballet with just a staccato exchange. 

Paul Groothius designs the soundscape. He makes you feel like you're sitting by the Monte Carlo beach with a gentle sound of the waves washing over you, then later creating the sound imagery of an approaching train.

The music itself is orchestrated by Terry Davies using the magical music of Hollywood composer, Bernard Herrmann, who has worked on scores for Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles among other legends.

Helping you locate the various scenes and places, there was a lovely fun and atmospheric projection design by Duncan McLean.

Matthew Bourne combines several dance styles in his ballets, from Latin American, ballroom, lindy hop via contemporary and also includes a wonderful comedy Wilson and Keppell sand dance routine. And comedy is one thing that Mr Bourne loves to inject into his work and there's loads of humour in this one. Just watch the dancers physicality, as well as their musicality, and even just a shrug or a raised eyebrow can relate comedy here. But this ballet also has a darker underbelly as well.

I'm not going to spout loads of wonderful things individually because the whole cast and ensemble are the best of the best; they wouldn't be in New Adventures if they weren't, but here's who played who....

Andy Monoghan (Boris Lermontov - Ballet Impresario), Cordelia Braithwaite (Victoria Page), Dominic North (Julian Craster), Katrina Lyndon (Irina Boranskaya - Prima Ballerina), Will Bozier (Ivan Boleslawsky - Premier Danseur), Glenn Graham (Grischa Ljubov - Ballet Master, Choreographer and Character Artist), Rosanna Lindsey (Nadia), Shakiera Ward (Svetlana), Daisy West (Beryl), Isabella Chandler (Pamela), Jarrod McWilliams (Mikhail), Matthew Potulski (Anton), Kingston Taylor (Serge), Thomas Ireson (Frederic), Molly Shaw-Downie (Lady Neston, Joyce and Edith), Tom Barnes Standing (Sergei Ratov) and Mark Austin (Dimitri).

I don't know much about ballet but I know when I have been entertained of an evening, and I was royally entertained, as I always am when a Matthew Bourne show is in town. I don't know about anyone else but I just find it so relaxing to watch these dancers glide over the stage and the music to wash over me, transporting you to a completely other world. 

The dancers are masters of their craft, athletes who train harder than most sport stars, and get to perform this magical choreography for our entertainment. If you've never been to a ballet before, let this be your introduction to a most wonderful and disciplines dance form, and if you've been a ballet fan for a while, but not seen this production, go on treat yourself!

Matthew Bourne's New Adventures "The Red Shoes" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 7 February.

 "Rapunzel" by Mansfield Hospitals Theatre Troupe.

Mansfield Palace Theatre.

For anyone my side of Nottingham who may not have heard of Mansfield Hospitals Theatre Troupe, they are a group of people who get together to put on a pantomime each year, something they have been doing since 1980, to raise money for local charities. This was my first time seeing any of their work, and I must thank George Morley for inviting me along to see their latest production.

Princess Rapunzel has been kept locked up in a tower for almost eighteen years by witch Gothel, who she believes to be her mother. But her royal parents, have not given up hope that one day she may return to them. And every year they celebrate her birthday, by releasing one sky-lantern for every year she’s been gone.

Rapunzel’s loneliness is broken by the arrival of three Fairies, who persuade her to let them transport her to the outside world. Gothel discovers Rapunzel has been freed, and enlists the help of two villains to return her to the tower. The scene is now set for a daring rescue.....

With the amount of local theatre groups I am blessed to see, it always astounds me of the quality of each individual production and every individual performance, especially when you roster into the equation that they have regular jobs, family life, children etc., but somehow they all manage to create entertainment that is worthy of being on the stage.

Rapunzel is played by Paige Allen. At the start of the panto, Paige is sat in the tower looking every bit a Disney Princess, and from that moment on all I saw and heard was a Disney Princess. Her voice is exquisite and when she gets to duet with her Prince on a couple of numbers, their voices seem to just melt into each other.

Nurse Hetty Hairspray is played by Martin Killick. I think this winter period there has been a few bars raised with both panto baddies and panto Dames, and here is another fantastic Dame, and what I like about Dame Hetty Hairspray is the common factor; no airs, no graces, just a good down to earth character who talks in the same way as her audience, which straight away endears the character to them. With the Mansfield Hospitals Theatre Troupe, I have seen only one person in this group previously, so I have nothing else to compare any of them to, but Martin has an obvious flair for Damehood, so I have to conclude that this can't be Martin's first rodeo in a frock, he is so comfortable in the role. He has some great lines but I think on Monday night the audience needed to catch up with Martin. I also liked the way that he came to the aid of another cast member when a line was missed, and while bringing the panto back on track, created the gentlest of prompt and worked it into the performance.

Prince George is played by  Sam Mycroft. Not your archetypal Prince figure but the surprise, for me at least, came when he opened his mouth to sing. What a voice this young man has! It's contemporary and really easy to listen to. There's a duet/mash up with Paige of Meghan Trainor's "Dear Future Husband" and Olly Murs' "Dance With You Tonight" which sounded incredible together - great choice of songs for that mash up by the way. Sam would be a boon in musical theatre with the voice he has; again I know nothing of these actors so know not if that is something that he has done in the past, or may want to do in the future, but his confidence on stage is really boosted when he sings.

The three magical fairies, Fairy Good, Fairy Well and Fairy Nuff are played by Alice Apark, Donna Ramsden and Hannah Brown. There's a lovely comedy section with Rapunzel regarding their names and the accidental use of them in conversation. I really liked the way that Fairy Nuff was the rebel fairy of the three; you could see this right from the start with the image, which gave this trio an edge.

George Morley played Willy Widdle, and straight away you just knew that the troupe would be having great fun with the name "Willy", as did the audience. George is the only one that I have seen in the past when he played the role of "Shrek", but this role is very different to that one, and just as fun. Willy is the character who gets a lot of the silly lines, the silly dances, the silly jokes and the slapstick, and is responsible to get the audiences involved, and he does that perfectly. It also helps in panto that you have a cheeky face which is smiling every moment that he is on stage.

The evil Gothel is played by Selina Payne. Now, you know that I love panto baddies, and I said earlier in this piece that the quality of panto baddie has risen, well Selina is another incredible panto baddie. the make up, wig and costume completely transforms Selina into this character who the audience, again took a bit of time to properly "boo", but they got there from the start of the second act. Deliciously devilish character but another gorgeous voice. I think Gothel's version of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" is possibly the best stage version I have heard and another clever mash up of Blondie's "One Way Or Another" and The Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" was genius, all sung with such ease. Maybe Selina is a rock chick in disguise! Another brilliant baddie and another excellent voice.

The comedy duo in this pantomime are a pair of roguish villains called Ball and Socket. Ball is played by Rachel Best and Socket is played by Brett Maynard in a great pairing with Ball being the brains behind the duo and Socket being superbly silly. One scene they are involved in is with a stolen ladder which belongs to a window cleaner, played by James Robinson, who also gets a comedy cameo of his own. Ball and Socket are hired by Gothel to retrieve the missing Rapunzel after the three fairies give her freedom. As you can imagine there's cases of mistaken identity and several comic scenarios that arise.

On the hunt for Rapunzel as well is the army, which Willy signs up for, and is led by Sergeant Hawkeye, played by Sharna Allsop. Another minor comic role but what adds to the comedy is the large handlebar moustache Sharna has to keep control of.

While locked away in the tower, Rapunzel befriends a group of mice, led by Chief mouse, played by Liane Worth, who comes to the rescue of Rapunzel near the end. More than that I shall not say, as I don't want to give too much away.

Playing Rapunzel's real parents are Simon Roebuck as The King and Emily Gent as The Queen. Here's another fun pairing, both script wise but also height wise, proving some of the best deliveries come in small packages. Loved the chemistry between the King and The Queen.

There's  just two more cameo parts to mention, the first is from Bernadett Birzulis who comes on as The Ghost in the section where some of the characters are chased away by a ghost. there's a different look to this ghost, something I didn't ex-spectre see, and again no spoilers from me.

The other cameo part was right at the end and played by Caroline Hogg. Now if you were looking for Caroline's face to spot her, you wouldn't have been able to, but again, no spoilers from me!

The chorus consist of Rebecca Evans, O'Cean Tucker, Bernadette Birzulis, Laura Cassell and Jake Chapman.

The Senior dancers were Poppy Payne, Khaleesi Boreham, Lacey-Grace Hallam, Lucy Saucedo, Kacie-May Blyton and Holly Ann, all adding even more glamour to the show.

The young dancers are from Happy Feet Dance School and are Sophia Humphrey, Frances Lindley, Lucy Carter, Alice Gullett, Charlotte Ekins and the cutest curly-headed, blond young man Alfie Robinson, who all did their dance school extremely proud. So jealous of their moves as well.

Directed by Sarah Tideswell, who along with Deborah Wilson are the Finance Directors; Deborah also being the Chairperson for the Troupe. They also agreed to have a chat with me last Sunday on my radio show about the production, as if everything else wasn't stressful enough for them! Seriously though the pace of this show was incredibly well done and the scenes flowed beautifully with everyone knowing where they needed to be at all times, with maybe a little help from the Backstage Crew Neil Burzulis, Matt Henson, Glyn Dring (what a great name), and Stevie Cassell.

Musical Director is Nathan Fox. I have mentioned just how strong the vocals all are in this troupe and I reckon that Nathan may have had a hand, or a baton with this area. The live band sounded brilliant and consisted of Ryan Wilson (Guitar), James Wells (Keys and Guitar), Pete Smythe (Keys), Nathan (Drums), Hannah Bowler (Woodwind), Chrissie - who doesn't have a surname (Bass guitar) and Rachel Bowler (Woodwind). This seven piece band sounded gorgeous, showing that a live band will always sound better than recorded click tracks.

The choice of songs in this show really do cover the full age range from the 1940's to modern dance bangers, and I loved hearing a song that had been written and performed by one of my favourite guilty pleasure and fairly local band, the Lancashire Hotpots. I won't spoil it by telling you the title, in the same way that this very same track was teased in the telephone interview I had with Deborah and Sarah, but as soon as the music started I knew it was the one. Just don't go to this show without having your dinner/tea first as salivation may be brought on!

Choreographed by not one, not two but three choreographers, Kelly McCubbin, Evie Robinson and Sarah McCubbin. It's a big cast, along with the ensemble and dancers, but you can see just how much work has been put into this show choreographically. And I bet it was not the easiest of jobs getting everyone in the same place at the same time for dance rehearsals as well, but I loved how everything dance wise looked on the night.

The costumes are brilliant for every one on stage, right down to the young cast members and have been provided by Alice Apark, Donna Ramsden and Molly Limpet's Costumes. Lottie Peake and Deborah Wilson were also on hand to help Nurse Hetty in and out of her costumes, all of which looked marvellous.

Make up Artists for the pantomime are Lottie Peake and Elisse Hardy.

Sound and Lighting at Mansfield Palace Theatre are always very good, and they gave me nothing to grinch about in this show.

All profits from this production go to support local charities, so every ticket you buy helps make a difference in the community, which is why it is so important to support local theatre like this.

"Rapunzel" will be at Mansfield Palace Theatre until Saturday 7 February with both matinee and evening performances; go on let your hair down and get over there, see this show and have a really good chortle.

 "Pippin" by 3rd Year MADD Students.

The Space, Richmond House, Nottingham.

Here's a musical from the 1970's that rarely seems to be performed, although there's a revival of this musical due this year in London. It was originally written as a "student musical" so it's very apt that the students of the Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama have chosen this to showcase their talents this year. It's also another musical that I can tick off of my first time bucket list.

As told by a traveling troupe of actors led by the cunning and charming Leading Player, "Pippin" is the story of a young prince, heir to the throne, who is searching for his own “corner of the sky.” Pippin returns from university certain that he will find a fulfilling purpose in life. As encouraged by the Leading Player, Pippin dabbles in bloody battle, licentious and lusty sexual entanglements, and savvy political maneuvers, only to discover that true happiness is more complicated than he thought. 

The music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz are gorgeous and the score includes the wistful "Corner Of the Sky", but there are more gems included in the soundtrack, such as the opening number "Magic To Do", that don't get the same attention paid to by musical theatre auditionees.

The venue itself is one that I have never visited before and while being stark, is perfectly adequate for the style of show because the story and music carry the show without need for scenery or too many props.

Pippin, Charlemagne’s eldest son is played by Tilly Bull, who I hope will not mind me saying that she looks like Dani Harmer (Tracey Beaker) younger sister. Tilly won my heart straight away as just as she had started to sing "Corner Of the Sky", the second song in, the fire alarms were set off by the theatrical haze which meant that she had to stop, unaware of what was happening or the cause, and then restart when the all clear was given. A lot of young actors would have been completely put off by this occurrence but Tilly just went back to the start of the song and delivered it marvellously - a true trooper. Tilly delivered playful, serious, comical, gleeful along the way with a side dose of acrobatic tumbling, plus a lovely set of vocals throughout the whole performance.

Leading Player is played by Megan Blake. With echoes of Emcee from "Cabaret" Megan played us all with the authority of a ringmaster in charge of her circus. all the while looking like she was letting us into some juicy secrets when breaking the fourth wall. Vocal wise it was not too long before her voice was sending tingles up my back; powerful and crystal clear, showing us that she knew who was boss in this arena.

Charlemagne (King Charles) is played by the only man in the group, Jamal Moyo. There's a brilliant comedy streak flowing through Jamal in both his delivery and the physicality of this role. A really strong voice and can shake a funky tail feather or two as well. There's a brilliantly comical line Charles delivers when his wife, Fastrada tells him about her bank balance asking if all the fornication he is getting worth all the fornication he is receiving; clever and  observant and tells us everything we need to know about Fastrada.

Fastrada, Pippin’s mother and Charlemagne’s conniving and manipulative wife, who is just the same as all the other hard working wives and mothers out there, is played by Leila Williams. Lovely comic lines delivered brilliantly, making sure that we all understand what she is really saying and what she is really like.

Catherine, Pippin’s quirky attractive leading lady and mother to young step son Theo, is played by Jessica Henley-Marshall. Jessica portrays Catherine like an original "Housewife Of wherever", slightly simple but you can take the mick out of without her really understanding that she is the butt of the joke. There's a really funny scene with Catherine and Pippin "under the covers" plus another one where Catherine is trying to get Pippin to say something positive to Theo regarding his pet duck that looked fit for that evening's dinner plate. Jessica obviously has a flair for comic roles and in particular comedy musical characters. 

Berthe, Pippin’s energetic, comedic, and still attractive grandmother, is played by Tegan King. This musical is packed with an array of well written comedy characters and here is another. Berthe seems to absolutely rampant and full of half dubious advice to hand down to Pippin. I think that you can tell that Tegan enjoyed this role, almost as much as the audience enjoyed watching her perform it.

Lewis, Pippin’s younger brother, is played by Tashan Rose Stockdale. This is a brilliant character, all gung ho and a star warrior in King Charles' army and the favourite son of Fastrada. I loved the costume which was like a padded six pack with muscled pecs and handlebar moustache, always ready to take on any one for a wresting match of a battle. As with Tegan, I imagine that Tashan had such fun with this character. 

Theo, Catherine’s young son, step-son to Pippin, is played by Indie Wharton. I am just wondering if Indie has a young brother because the whole image of Theo was wonderfully apt to a young boy. All the mardy tantrums when he couldn't get what he wanted was joyful to watch. Indie has obviously studied someone of that age to get this so spot on.

The ensemble/dancers are made up of Darci Cowling, Jessica Grant, Mazie Wood and Leila Ritchie.

There's no need for me to say how wonderful the vocals were because I have been reviewing productions by MADD students now for a decade, so I know the standard that their tutors expect from them and just how good they all deliver. There's a quality and sheen of professionalism in every show that I have had the pleasure to see, and that has made me a fan of MADD since I first saw them in 2016. Their alumni include Jay McGuinness of The wanted and many West End roles, including his latest musical "Sea Witch" which is due to premiere in London later this year. West End actor Rakesh Boury, and resident director on Phantom of the Opera, also in the West End, Mark Hedges.

The academy offers BTEC to degree-level courses and brings in the best choreographers and musical theatre directors from around the country to teach its students.

Musical Director and Director is Harry Hindley and the show is choreographed by Meg Hindley. The choreography is almost like watching a circus at times with many feats of acrobatics blended in beautifully with some very sharp Bob Fosse moves. Fosse was the original choreographer back in 1972 and it's so good to see so many Fosse trademark moves kept intact within this show. The Direction is excellent in every area and the timing from this cast would squeak if it were any tighter.

If I had any niggle at all it would be that at times the backing track volume could have been turned down a smidge to allow the vocals to flow over the top better, but I wouldn't say that it had any negative impact on my enjoyment of this 1970's musical, and you know what, it was lovely to hear that slightly dated sound from a musical; it had a very comfortable feel about the soundtrack. I've the soundtrack at home and it was also nice to connect the soundtrack and the various songs to where they are placed within the musical and get the full story.

This is a one night only production of "Pippin".

You can also join "Friends Of Richmond House Nottingham" on Facebook to find out more about MADD and the various shows that are put on at The Space, Richmond House, Canal Street, Nottingham.

 "Beauty & The Beast The Pantomime" by Bradford & Webster.

Kaleidoscope Players.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

I can't believe that this is only the second production that I have seen by The Kaleidoscope Players; the last time was back in 2023 with "Made In Dagenham".

Most people know the story of Belle and The Beast, but let me recap the storyline of the pantomime version of the story as there are a few differences with the pantomime version. There's no Chip, Luminiere, Cogsworth or Mrs Potts to be found anywhere, but the replacement panto style characters are even better.

Belle lives in the village of Petit Pois with her mean older sisters, Chardonnay and Lambrini. Their mother, Madame Dolores Lilly Chantilly Tres Jolie, or Dolly Jolly for short, is keen to marry them off to rich husbands. The vain and egotistical Jean‐Claude and the spoiled but good‐natured Prince Louis both have their eye on Belle.

Chardonnay and Lambrini want Jean‐Claude for themselves and continually try to outdo each other, to get him to notice them. Meanwhile, the evil Countess Cruella is obsessed with Prince Louis and, in a jealous rage, she turns him into a hideous beast. The girls’ Papa, lost in the cold, snowy mountains with Gigi, is imprisoned by the angry Beast. Gigi though has deserted the old man and has returned to tell the villagers of what has happened. There's a comical bit as he relates the facts, followed by a comment about Skippy, the bush kangaroo (Google it).

Gigi, then leads Belle to the Beast’s castle, where Belle offers to take her father’s place in the Beast’s dungeon. Belle’s kindness calms the Beast’s anger and he falls in love with her. Meanwhile, encouraged by Cruella, Jean‐Claude rallies a mob to storm the castle and kill the Beast.

In the final confrontation, the Beast appears mortally wounded. Jean‐Claude believes he has proved himself worthy and that Belle will love him. Belle, however, realises she loves the Beast, and her kiss magically transforms him back into Prince Louis and they all live happily ever after. No spoilers that you didn't already know, but there's so much more to see and enjoy throughout this version, including a brilliant accents sketch to start the show off with, and you know I love a good accent!

Belle is played by Alice Goodall, and knowing that she played the role of Rita in Kaleidoscope's "Made In Dagenham", I knew that vocal wise, I was in for a cracking night, and I was. I think vocally the highlight for me by Alice was in the duet of "Come What May". Love the way that Belle rejected constantly the brilliantly entertaining Jean Claude, as well as the distanced relationship with her sisters. A lovely light and shade performance with the Beast topped off a very strong stage presence.

Prince Louis is played by Evie Barfield, and yet another strong vocal performance, especially in the duet as above. There's also a lovely scene that involves The Beast and Belle dancing in the castle, and just like that scene in the movie "Ghost" where Molly is dancing with Oda Mae, suddenly the spirit comes through and Molly is dancing with Sam, Prince Louis and Belle get to dance together in a sweet fantasy scene. Louis is a traditional version of the Prince, which nicely counters some of the more updated characters.

The Beast is played by Jason Kramer who really delivers the drama. His voice, as The Beast, is commanding and angry, full of frustration, and then the more emotional side of The Beast is heard and seen. Seeing Jason without the rather wonderful Beast head, you would not have thought that voice came from Jason. Not only was the voice dramatic but the whole physicality was full of drama. Again, the performance was on the more traditional side of the story.

Chardonnay is played by Mikey Panichi and Lambrini is played by Tessa Raum. I loved this pair, and it's they that helped deliver more of the panto feel to the story. Chardonnay and Lambrini are a spoilt pair of young ladies and act in that way until they get what they want. Brilliant comic duo.

Dame Dolly Jolly is played by Paul Margett, who of course gets all the best costumes and wigs to wear every time that he breezes on stage to an audience call and response of "Hello Dolly". Paul gets some nice cheesy lines to deliver as well as delivering a fun traditional Dame.

Jean-Claude is played by Emily Mughal. Jean Claude is the equivalent of Gaston, but here is so smarmy and self important; if he was made of ice cream, he'd lick himself to death, he loves himself that much. The make up for this character really transforms Emily into a very convincing male character, and I think what also helps you believe in that transformation is how she moves around the stage. One of so many brilliant character roles.

Countess Cruella is played by Lucy Cadney, and just like Emily above, the make up transformation really changes the look of the actual person playing that role. I'll admit that I find the more evil characters great to watch because of the complete transformation of their character. Looking wonderfully wicked Lucy completely embraced the evilness of the role and soon had the packed Duchess Theatre booing and hissing her whenever she appeared, but I was so pleased that Lucy received a rapturous round of applause when she came on for her final bows.

Gigi, the horse, is played by Jess and Charlotte, who managed to keep in sync all the time they were on stage, not the easiest of roles for a duo to take on without loads of practice in costume.

The Rose Fairy was played by Zoe Shepherd and did a magnifique job of narrating scenes and moving the story on in a wonderfully "Allo Allo" style French accent.

Papa was played by Ron Murfin, and again a nice physicality to the role.

The ever true servant, Jacques, was played beautifully by Shannon Smart.

The other named roles are as follows....

Josephine Walker (Madame Tricot) and Rebekah Street (Madame Botox) appeared in a comical scene with the two sisters in the Beauty Parlour. Beth Margett (Jean Claude's PA), Caitlin Wright (Tarquin), Lily Rawson (Tiffany), Olivia Parker (Chelsea), Samantha Moss (Svetlana), Lauren Victoria Wells (Portrait) and Amy Bradford (Portrait), both appeared in The Beast's castle.

The ensemble are made up of Hannah Bradford, Michelle Bradford, Freya Moseley, Julie Black and Rachel Robinson.

The Junior Cast, who worked so hard in this show are Alex, Elise, Ava, Rosie and Madison.

Directed by Amy Bradford. This is the first time that I have ever seen this done in pantomime style and I am so pleased that Amy has kept the tradition of the story and blended the more modern panto style characters so smoothly into the story. Nicely paced and very funny, and a great choice of cast as well.

Choreographed by Evie Barfield, Amy Bradford and Josephine Walker with Dance Captain being Hannah Bradford. Plenty of dance to take in but I will say that, even though all the dance scenes were done very well, I adored the short ballet section carried out by the Junior Team. I watched their hands and feet and every move was beautifully turned out making the piece look extremely delicate. I am going to be picky here as well but Alex, the young man in the Junior dance quintet led the entrance with the four young ladies following, which looked fine but I thought while watching that when they lined up at the back, maybe Alex should have been in the middle, with two girls on either side to keep that balanced look. Anyway, who am I? Craig Revel Horwood? Choreography wise I loved the energy in this show.

Musical Director is Bethan Davies-Taylor. There's a mix of recorded tracks and live musicians which all joined together well. The trio of live musicians were Bethan, Josh Barber and Tony Gordon. It can sometimes be a bit of a juggling act when the live music is in front of the stage and the actors have to sing over the band and to start with some of the vocals were lost a bit, but I noticed that only after a very short while this was rectified and the vocal to music mix settled in nicely. This of course is something that can only really be done when there's a full theatre, as there was on Thursday night, to give the sound mixer chance to get the levels right, which they did.

The set design and Construction is by Dan Goodall, Barry Smith assisted by David Dilmore, Des Dunn, Ron Murfin and the cast. There were a couple of clumpy set changes, but as they were done in the dark, and this was opening night, they may have been expected, but I would notice that kind of thing wouldn't I?

Stage managed by Martin Church and Sammy Hempsall.

Costumes by Denise Brown and Debbie Weetman. What a brilliant array of costumes and Dolly Jolly's outfits were almost illuminous and with more colours than Joseph had on his Dreamcoat. Fabulous costumes all round.

The Prosthetics for The Beast were wonderful all thanks to Jason Kramer.

Lighting Designer is by Aaron Mace with Aaron and Jack Clarke listed as the technicians, and a cavalcade of colour beheld our eyes. I did spot one follow spot just slightly off an actor, but you can never tell if it's the lighting person or if the actor is maybe a foot out of where they should be. Extremely minor point; I find myself that way when I'm watching a production by such a wonderful theatre group as Kaleidoscope.

Sound Designer and operator is not listed separately but I know that Jack is also a bit of a whizz Sound Operator so it might be Jack.

Produced by Alice Goodall and Samantha Moss.

"Beauty & The Beast" has always been one of my favourite Disney musicals, and even more so on stage, but this pantomime version, with its' modern family friendly and localised script has done nothing to sway me away from that opinion, in fact it's quite refreshing to see the story in a different light with the added comedy elements performed by such a hard working and talented cast.

"Beauty & The Beast The Pantomime" by The Kaleidoscope Players is at The Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 31 January with a BSL interpreted performance on Friday 30th by Seb Probert.

Photographs by Jason Savage.

Bonsoir mes petits legumes de Kaleidoscope; until we meet again.....

 "Peter Pan - The Pantomime" by Alex Jackson.

Burton Joyce Players.

Burton Joyce Village Hall.

Peter Pan, Nanna, Wendy, John, and Michael Darling take flight in a magical world full of pirates, fairies, and The Lost Boys; the most terrifying, tyrannous, traitors trampling the turbulent territory. Peter faces off against the sneaky Captain Hook who is batting away the inimitable panto dame Nanny McSmee.

This family-friendly show bursts out with catchy tunes, silly jokes, and plenty of chances for the audience to join in the fun. Whether you’re cheering for the lost boys or booing the pirates, there’s something here for everyone.

This is possibly the largest cast I've seen for Burton Joyce Players, and there are plenty of parts to play so let's take a look at who's who in this magical Neverland story....

Peter Pan, the boy that never grew up, is played by Isla Hilton with a lovely amount of theatricality. From the moment that Peter bursts through the open window of the Darling children's bedroom, to the final bows, Isla gives the role everything she has with perfect pomp and precision.

Tinker Bell, Peter’s best friend, the good fairy is played by Lily Musson, who gets to show off a fine pair of lungs as she duets on a couple of numbers, including "You're My Best Friend", the Queen classic, showing that both Lily and Isla have royally good voices.

Wendy Darling is played by Isabelle Williams, always keeping that mature "big sister" air as she looks after her siblings, the Lost Boys and of course, Peter Pan.

John Darling Wendy’s younger brother, is played by Henry Chaloner. I am so pleased to see that the costume includes the top hat, stick and big glasses, as I have seen several versions of Peter Pan where this isn't the case, and this, for me, defines John's character.

Michael Darling Wendy and John’s younger brother, is played by Charlie Cauldwell. Michael always looks to be having the best time, being the youngest of the Darling family, but I get the feeling that Charlie is having such a good time playing him by the big grin on his face at the final bows.

Nanna Darling Wendy, John and Michael’s pet dog is played marvellously by William Cauldwell. the scene where Nanna tells Peter where the children are is so much like those comedy sketches where the dog relates what has happened to the missing people in a conversational style, that it did not fail to make me smile.

Nanny McSmee The Darlings’ nanny and in this pantomime Smee Jnr’s mother is another wonderful Dame of the pantomime. Played by Greg Nicholas, there's just the right amount of smuttiness for the adults and lots of childish carrying on for the kids, although I got the feeling that some of the kids in also got the slightly naughtier innuendos as well! Great costumes and make up for Nanny.

Smee Jnr. Mrs Smee’s son is one of Captain James Hook's crew and played by Steve Armstrong. Steve carries the comedy along well and drives a lot of the scenes with great pace.

Mr Darling/Captain Hook, the evil captain of the Jolly Roger is played by one of my favourite comedy baddies, Christopher Mercer. Whatever character Chris plays he really gets under that character's skin and morphs into the character and he does that again as Captain Hook. From his first black booted step onto the Burton Joyce Village Hall stage he commanded the stage as well as the audience to give him their best booing, and they did not disappoint. It's a good job that Chris has one of those voices that booms through projection as we could hear every word over the booing sea of audience members, and I noticed that it was a collaborative effort of children as well as adults providing the boos, showing that everyone got in on the act.

Gentleman Starkey Pirate is played by Bertie Black, not that you'd notice him with the heavy beard, eye patch and pirate's hat pulled over his face. Great physicality in the role as he slowly made his way on and off stage, showing the aged pirate years in his gait as well as his loss of hearing, which resulted in some comical moments. One thing there is no mistaking is his voice though and in that sone where the whole audience join in and then are separated to see who sings it the loudest, you can instantly tell that distinctive voice.

Snarky Pirate is played by Molly Fitches, Snarly Pirate is played by Hannah Smith in another lovely double act. The other pirates were played by Anthony Owen, James Whitby and Patrick McDonald.

Brown Owl, the leader of the First Neverland Brownies is played by Avril McCormack, showing a brusque authoritarian side of the leader.

The ensemble of Brownies are played by Olivia Pearce, Dixie Kirk, Inez Wood, Tahmina Hollins, Molly Williams, Florence Pietrantonio and Jasmine Pietrantonio.

The Mermaid, who is in charge of Mermaid Lagoon is played by Sheila Millington, and completely unrecognisable. A lovely fun, tongue in cheek rendition of "It's Raining Men" featured two topless and muscle bound hunks, well sort of!

Tiger Lily, who is captured by Captain Hook and his crew is played by Inez Wood.

Peter Pan’s Shadow is played by Molly Williams in a very clever scene showing the shadow darting about all over the place and when caught by Nanna, they try to attach the shadow to Peter, as in the original story, but the shadow only appears to be attached to Peter with a trick of the light!

Crocodile is played by Olivia Pearce in a lovely fun way, and a brilliant crocodile costume as well.

Peter Pan's Lost Boys are played by Jessie Murdock, Austin Kirk, Sarika Hare, Charlotte Morris and Robyn Stephen.

As you can see a large cast.

Directed by Kathy Matthews who has put together a lovely and fun cast to work their magic on these roles. They kept the pace up and the comedy and songs rolling on throughout the show.

Musical Director is Christopher Mercer who has chosen some toe tapping and APT tunes for the pantomime, making sure that the ends of both acts were closed with big numbers. There's a nice mix of musical theatre show tunes, pop bangers and singalongs to keep your ears happy.

The costumes by Jill Toogood and Kathy Matthews were excellent, especially Hook's and Nanny McSmee's, but every one of them really stood out.

Lynn Carr was the Set Designer, as well as the Stage Manager, keeping everything rolling along.

The Stage Crew consisted of Molly Fitches, Mark Hilton, David Matthews, Patrick McDonough, Bob Mercer, Trevor Moseley, Greg Nicholas and Steve Wright. And when there are so many cast members, this job is not always as smooth sailing as it was on Wednesday night.

Sound and Lighting Technician is Steve Armstrong with the light operation by David Matthews and sound operation by Deborah Craddock.

There's also a lovely touch with video showing Peter and the Darling children and Nanna flying over some recognisable landmarks at night, created by Dan Byrne.

The Graphic Designer is Dan Miller (89 Design).

Helen Sharp co-ordinated the fight scenes.

Another swashbuckling and fun production by Burton Joyce Players which is always enthusiastically supported by the surrounding areas, in fact there are very few tickets left for the rest of the week, so you'd better hurry up if you want to try and get a ticket for this one.

Oh, and I must not forget to mention the wonderfully comfy new seats that Burton Joyce Players have for their audiences to sit on; another reason to get yourself tickets!

"Peter Pan The Pantomime" is at Burton Joyce Village Hall until Saturday 31 January.

 "Christmas Carol Goes Wrong" by Mischief.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Charles Dickens would be proud of this production as it was performed word for word in the way that Dickens had written it. And in no way did I see a giant Tiny Tim eat the main character in one swallow!

Mischief, the multi award-winning company behind "The Play That Goes Wrong", "Peter Pan Goes Wrong" and "The Comedy About a Bank Robbery" return to Nottingham with their latest hilarious production about the Charles Dickens classic Christmas story, "A Christmas Carol".

The Cornley crew battle miscommunication, delays to their set, actors missing in action and a growing feud over who will play the lead part, Ebeneezer Scrooge. Will Cornley finally change their ways, or will their misfortunes wreak happy havoc yet again.

The play starts with Chris, the Director, auditioning the usual suspects, along with Annie to find who'll be playing the thirty three roles needed for "A Christmas Carol", and of course which actor will play Ebeneezer Scrooge. Dennis, the one thar everyone feels sorry for and has to have prompts to remember his lines, straight away received a massive show of support when he entered the room and Robert, with the best booming voice since Brian Blessed, tried several times under several guises to snatch the main role, not only at auditions, but throughout the play.

All the character from Cornley had their moments to steal scenes in various ways, making not only Cornley a brilliant ensemble group, but also the actors playing the Cornley crew, playing the Dickensian characters. 

Every move, every line of this production is split second timed to create just the desired comedy effect. From lines Dickens wrote being said wrong to physical humour, it's always an additional level of unnaturalness to an actor to make the "wrong" things said and done, to appear natural to their particular character. Take for instance Les Dawson when he used to play the piano just a few notes out all the way through a tune; it's so much harder to perform things incorrectly than it is to perform them as they are supposed to look and sound like, because it's unnatural to them. Mischief make the unnatural seem natural, as well as extremely funny and entertaining throughout.

There are so many "mishaps" that I couldn't possibly even start to list what goes wrong, which is why it's best to see this show for yourself. I would not be able to even mention highlights as I wouldn't know where to stop. Look out though for the finished set design, Tiny Tim's appearance as part of the play within a play, the Ghost of Christmas "Present" - literally - the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come (Future), which gives Eddie from Iron Maiden a run for his money and a mystery performer who recognises that it's Christmas Day!!

Mischief get better with every new show they bring to the stage, and while I have given little hints as to what you can expect, nothing I can say, without giving too much away, will reveal just how talented and fun this group really are.

As I mentioned earlier, Mischief are truly a talented ensemble, so I don't need to tell you wonderful things individually about each one of them, so here's who, playing who, playing who.

Matt Cavendish (Max Bennett who played many....many, many roles including Young Ebeneezer)

Daniel Fraser (Chris Bean - Ebeneezer Scrooge)

Sasha Frost (Sandra Wilkinson who played the part of Ebeneezer's childhood love, Belle, Mrs Cratchit and the Charity Collector). 

Chris Leask (Trevor Watson who played the part of The Ghost Of Christmas Future, with a Scottish accent but silently) 

Henry Lewis (Robert Grove who played the role of The Ghost Of Christmas Present and The Clerk)

Jonathan Sayer (Dennis Tyde who played Bob Cratchit and the School Teacher)

Dumile Sibanda (Annie Twilloli who played The Ghost Of Christmas Past). This role in some shows is played by Nancy Zamit.

Greg Tannahill (Jonathan Harris who played Jacob Marley and Fezziwig).

Mr Garibaldi played the role of "Tiny" Tim.

The  merry, mischievous understudies will be Alex Bird, Will Bishop, Siobhan Cha Cha, Colm Gleeson, and Ashley Tucker.

The show is written by Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields. I hope that my words above is enough to demonstrate what a completely off the wall piece of theatre this show is. It's so cleverly written and so laugh out loud funny that it has to be experienced on stage instead of read about in reviews.

Directed by Matt DiCarlo. What fun this man must have had when thinking about directing this show and the cast.

The brilliant Set Designer is Libby Todd. Again the set in all of its' many guises has to be seen to be appreciated.

Costume Designer is Roberto Surace and when you see just how wacky this show is, you'll appreciate the work that went in to the quality of these costumes.

Sound Design is by Alexandra Faye Braithwaite and was a lesson in timed sound cues.

Lighting Designer is David Howe and is quite spectacular to be honest. I didn't think that I'd be paying that much attention to the lighting design but it was something that warranted a special mention.

Something else that really deserves a special mention is the brilliant playbill/programme. Not only is it packed with information about the actual actors, but it has bios of the actors that the actors are playing as well as loads of fun snippets of information about the play, Mischief, Dickens (a bio written by Max Bennett) and even some games for younger audience members to complete, and alternative use for the programme.....

"Christmas Carol Goes Wrong" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 31 January, so don't be a Scrooge, get your tickets now!