"One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" by Regis Theatre Company.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

This is Regis Theatre Company's first show of the year, so I popped along to their dress rehearsal the day before it all kicks off on Monday. This is only a short run, Monday 6 to Wednesday 8 June, so I was happy to get to see this presentation before it is unleashed on the general public. What a treat!

After being convicted of a petty crime, a charming, rebellious rogue named Randle P McMurphy chooses to serve his short sentence in an airy mental institution rather than in a prison. This, he soon learns, was a mistake. He immediately clashes with the authoritarian head nurse, a fierce martinet named Nurse Ratched.

Despite Ratched's strict reign, McMurphy quickly takes over the yard, leading others out of their shells, staging a revolt so that they can see the World Series on television, and arranging a midnight party with liquor and women, even bribing one of the staff. But McMurphy's brash insubordination has its consequences; Ratched ultimately triumphs by subjecting McMurphy to an abhorrent form of torture.

I'd seen a professional touring production of this play many years ago but it's main man was played by Shane Richie, and from what I can remember, turned into the Shane Richie Show. Needless to say, that experience has tainted my enjoyment of this wonderful story. Until now!

Regis' production has triumphed in winning me over again with this production. It's as comical as well as chilling as the original film with a brilliantly talented cast, some of which I've only seen in musicals, so their performances have given me a whole new view of their acting talents.

McMurphy is played by Jack Readyhoof, and I've always thought that Jack's prowess has been playing slightly unhinged characters, so this is right up Jack's street. I can see him playing the Devil in something like "Witches Of Eastwick" because he has that danger about him as well as a whole lot of charm; which is why he is so well cast in this particular role. When McMurphy speaks on stage, you want to listen because of his charisma, and that is well borne out with Jack in the role.

Chief Bromden is played by Desrick Francis, and I said to Des, after they had finished that you could almost see the character take over him when he started, like a see-through cloak of the character was lowered over him, and he became Bromden. The character is horribly bullied by the staff as we were led to believe that he was deaf and dumb, but the character is not as afflicted as he leads us to believe and McMurphy gradually draws him out of his shell, and that is where this character comes alive. Des is one of those actors that I have only seen perform musical roles but he is just as adept in a non-musical role as he is in a singing role.

Billy Bibbit is played by Andrew Bee. This is another severely broken character, and I imagine a character that has taken work to develop and to appear authentic. When we first meet Billy he has tried to harm himself and Ratched uses his mother as a tool for making him behave. Billy is afraid of the reaction from his mother if Ratched does tell her. It also does not help Billy that he has a stammer, again probably brought on by fear. Andrew's characterisation of Billy has been done really well, as there is sometimes a tendency to overdo a stammer, but this, to me, was just right, and so is the terror depicted in his face with the hold that Ratched clearly has on him.

Kathryn McAuley plays Nurse Ratched, and there is a calm grip that Ratched has over all of them in the institution. She quietly goads McMurphy into violence so that she can dish out his punishment to her wishes. She is totally in control of the men and rules through fear. There is danger in the cool, calm and collected approach, and she will get what she wants, through whatever method she chooses. Brilliantly played by Kathryn with just the right amount of unease, as we know what she was doing, even if the characters in the play were unaware. It's like being in on a secret and knowing the danger that a certain character will be in, but unable to warn them. Kathryn is definitely a little bit scary as Ratched!

Adam Guest plays Dale Harding, and you just know that any production that has Adam in, however big or small the role, will be a success. And this year alone he has been in quite a few! Harding is slightly camp, and there is a scene in the play which explains this, and clarifies why he is a member of the institution. An interesting character with a heart of gold.

Kheenan Jones plays a character called Scanlon, who is completely harmless but wants to make a bomb to blow the world up.

Harvey Latter plays Cheswick. Now if you are going to be in a mental institution, then you could do a lot worse than having Cheswick as an inmate as he is a happy camper; simple but harmless. And I also thought that the tone used with the vocal delivery used for the character was spot on with bringing out the simplistic side of Cheswsick, almost childlike in parts.

Martini sees things that aren't there, and there's quite a bit of fun in this character as well, especially in the basketball game that the inmates play and Martini passes the ball to someone who isn't in the room. He is also the catalyst for the trouble at the end of Act One, but Ratched blames McMurphy again for the disruption. Played with a lovely sense of humour by Jorge Diniz, who I learned, when chatting to Jorge after the performance that this will be his last performance in the area as he is moving away. What a great role to bow out with though.

Ben Sherwin plays Dr Spivey, who seems to be an ally for McMurphy, and sticks up for him against Ratched. Again, though it seems that Dr Spivey is also under the control of Ratched and knows what needs to be done to bring Spivey to her way of thinking.

Aide Williams is played by Robert McAuley and Evie Burke plays Aide Warren. These two are like the henchmen in pantomime, but without the comedy. They bully Bromden mercilessly, and even they don't like Ratched as proven with their conversation during the play. Both as corrupt as each other.

Milly Clover is playing Nurse Flynn, and doubles up as Sandra, one of the women that is snuck into the institution for the midnight party by McMurphy. Candy Star, played by Megan Hill, is a friend of McMurphy who he has arranged to bring alcohol in and to also do a little favour for Billy!

There are two Directors for this show, Amy Clover and Kheenan Jones, and they have both kept the chill in this production that made the original film such a classic, especially in the electrotherapy section as well as the closing moments of the play. They have cast the parts perfectly matching the actors' strengths to the characters in the play.

Production Manager for the show is Maureen Tierney. A role within any theatre group that deserves credit.

Sound was by Sean Renshaw and was spot on. There is a little section where Bromden and McMurphy are talking, and I heard the sound of birds, and wondering what it was. This was of course part of the play but was such a natural piece of sound effect placement that, when the sound was explained by Bromden, it quite took me away from the story just for that second. The classical music played in the background of the institution was never intrusive, likewise the sound effects, until the electrotherapy session, which if you don't like the sound of a dentist drill, you'll hate. All part of the chill factor for this play.

David Price was in charge of the lighting, and the lowering of the lights in certain parts added to the depressive feel, as well as the menace.

Loved the accents throughout and the attention to detail with the way that each character's vocal delivery was definitive to their individual character. From the brash, cocky McMurphy through the slightly effeminate twang of Harding, to the controlled and determined lowered tones of Ratched, each one was perfectly tailored.

This is one play that is not seen too often locally but will remind people of the horrors of the original award-winning 1975 film, which of course starred Jack Nicholson in the role of loose cannon McMurphy as well as Danny Devito and Christopher Lloyd, and based on the original novel by Ken Kesey form 1962.

With this in mind, it must be worth taking this advantage and going along to see this production. That and the fact that they have a brilliantly talented cast. It's only on for three nights so make sure you don't pass up on this production.

Both productions will now stay in my memory of theatrical highlights, but both for very different reasons.

"One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" is at the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton, 6 - 8 June.