"Fun,Fright & A Bit Of Delight" by Burton Joyce Players.
Burton Joyce Village Hall.

Adam Miller & Tom Shepherd make their directorial debut with this variety show which has been a long time coming. Raising money for two charities, Cancer Research UK and the Henry Chowdhury Fund, makes this just another reason to support this event.

Variety shows are few and far between but are an excellent way of showcasing talents that may not have been evident before to the general public. And there's a lot of variety on show at Burton Joyce.

You could say that it's an A to Z of variety because we start off with an Abba medley from the whole cast and ends up with Zombies with the cast dancing and singing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller"; timely as Halloween is upon us.

There are comedy sketches, a few I'd not seen before, singing dancing, magic, tap routines, burlesque and even a brass band thrown in. Who can keep their feet still to the rousing "Floral Dance"? Songs from the musicals as well as from modern artistes like Keane and Jimmy Eat World, covering all age groups and musical tastes.

This isn't Shakespeare or The Royal Variety Show and the little errors just made the comedy seem more, human if you like. One thing that Burton Joyce Players do really well is entertain, whether it be in a comedy play, panto or something as diverse as this. And let's be straight here, a show like this is more difficult to produce and direct than a play. There's the running order and making sure that the acts are spaced out and the act flows, as well as keeping the diversity. At least with a play the director will know the order of events.

There are eighteen of the company performing as well as additions from Mark Sansom, who plays guitar in the Kinks tribute band The Kinx and The Carlton Brass Training Band.

i especially liked the Birley Shassey section where two Shirley Bassey tribute acts are booked for the same night and they both perform some big Bassey numbers.

The ensemble numbers were choreographed by Kathy Matthews and Elaine De Villiers. A good clear sound and some excellent lighting both by Steve Armstrong and Jenny Cowan and some wonderful costumes thanks to Jenny Harwood.

There's just one more chance to see this variety show, which is on until Saturday 29 October 2016 at Burton Joyce Village Hall, but I guarantee that you'll get exactly what it says on the tin. A lot of fun, a great deal of delight and a fright-fully good Halloween thriller of a medley to round the night off with.