"The Yeoman Of The Guard" by Gilbert & Sullivan.

Christchurch Gilbert & Sullivan Society.

Iveshead School Theatre, Shepshed.

Not the most performed of all of Gilbert & Sullivan's works, which is why it's so nice to catch this production, performed by this wonderfully talented society who are celebrating 60 years of the society this year. This is an example of taking a chance on a production that you may not know about, or have not seen performed, because that gamble will pay off with this one, but there's not happy endings for everyone in this one! 

"The Yeoman Of The Guard" also known as "The Merryman and His Maid" is the eleventh of the fourteen operettas written by Arthur Sullivan and W S Gilbert.

Colonel Fairfax has been falsely accused of sorcery by a jealous relative who covets his estates and money. The Colonel is condemned to death for his "crime" and waits in the Tower of London for his execution. Fate, however, steps in - in the form of Sergeant Meryll (who owes his life to Colonel Fairfax) and Elsie Maynard, a beautiful strolling singer who has just arrived at the Tower to entertain the people in the company of a strolling jester, Jack Point.

There's some wonderful comical bits, some brilliant phrases used and part of the storyline reminds me of "Four Weddings And A Funeral", and the music is typical Gilbert & Sullivan, all in all proving that this show is well worth watching.

Needless to say the acting and singing by everyone is of the best quality, as is the characterization of the roles, so let's get on with telling you who is who because the cast size is one of the biggest for a Gilbert & Sullivan production.

Colonel Fairfax, the romantic lead, is played by Dan Magnone, who makes his debut with the society, and what a way to do so. Fairfax is a prisoner in the Tower of London, falsely accused of dealing with the devil, and is scheduled for execution. Dan's voice is so clear and carries well, especially in his solo songs "Is Life A Boon?" and "Free From His Fetters Grim".

Jack Point, serves as the Fool and falls in love with the singer Elsie Maynard, and is played by Richard Craggs. Richard gets to sing some of the best songs in this operetta, "I Have  A Song To Sing O", "I've Jibe And Joke", "Oh! A Private Buffoon Is A Light Hearted Loon" and "When A Wooer Goes A Wooing", all highlighting the comic wordings of W S Gilbert fantastically.

Wilfred Shaldbot, the head jailer, is played by Al Jordan. He is a narcissist who fancies himself an artist and poet, and would love to become a jester. Al plays this character perfectly and really brings out the comedy in this role. Shadbolt gets to set out his comedy stand from the off with songs like "When Jealous Torments Rack My Soul", and later on with his duet with Jack Point in "Hereupon We're Both Agreed". Al also has possibly the best make up job in the show!

Sergeant Meryll is played by Howard Pritchett. Meryll is the Sergeant of the Yeomen of the Guard and a retired war hero and widower. He owes his life to Fairfax and is father to Leonard and Phoebe

Elsie Maynard, a strolling singer and betrothed to Jack Point, is played marvellously by Ali Matthews-Savage. Although betrothed, Elsie accepts the chance to earn big money, but that plan goes slightly awry!

Phoebe Meryll is played by Alix Ashurst. Phoebe is an intelligent and resourceful young woman, she is a romantic at heart and has plenty of spirit. Alix's voice is perfect for this character as she has a very light and youthful sound to her voice; a tone that is in complete contrast to Alix's recent role as Miss Hannigan at Loughborough Town Hall.

Dame Carruthers is a formidable presence in this opera, known for her strong opinions and authoritative demeanor and played by Kate King.

Sir Richard Cholmondeley, Lieutenant of the Tower and is in charge of the Tower and all of the people within it, played by Edward Atkin.

Kate is Dame Carruthers' niece and played by Rachel Fitzpatrick. 

Leonard Meryll is played by Toby Ashurst, who also makes his debut with the society. Leonard is a war hero and a new recruit of the Yeomen of the Guard. Proving that Gilbert and Sullivan is not for the more mature male actor, it's also great fun for the younger actor and we get to hear Toby's more classical timbre into the bargain. I've seen Toby in several roles in musical theatre over the last few years and this makes a really pleasant difference to what I normally hear Toby sing.

The Chorus of The Yeoman are made up from Paul Ainsworth, Ray Connelly, John Cousen, Brian Fletcher, Matthew Hammersley, Alan Hobson, Mike Jones, Roger Muggleton, Richard Perkins and Andy Savage, really swelling out that recognisable G&S sound.

Clive Carlin (First Yeoman), Richard Tomlinson (Second Yeoman), Roger Muggleton (First Citizen), Mike Jones (Second Citizen), Alan Hobson (The Headsman) and Matthew Hammersley and Andy Savage (The Villagers).

The Chorus Of Ladies are Brigitte Ainsworth, Lynne Atkin, Mary Barber, Carrie Bareham, Lisa Clifton, Rachel Cousen, Jane Dobson, Laura Gregory, Valerie Hart, Cheryl Hammersley, Christine Hibbard, Amy North, Helen Oliver, Sally Portsmouth, Helen Smith, Rosie Smith, Sue Smith, Helen Tomlinson and Carol Weller. What a gorgeous sound this cast make with so many big voices.

Directed by Cheryl Hammersley and Angela Kilpin. This production simply sweeps along at a real pace. It has that retro/modern feel about it for a reason that I can't quite put my finger on. Maybe it's that mention of noting comments on a "tablet"... surely not in G&S times? This show entertains in fine form and pace, surprising myself to see that the programme is practically a three hour show with interval; it seemed a fraction of the time.

Musical Director and Conductor is Adrian Dobson, so you can always guarantee a quality vocal performance from the performers, as well as a lush and rounded sound from this fourteen piece orchestra.

Production and Stage manged by Gordon Kilpin. With a cast of this size you have to be on your game with the stage management, and Gordon was the man for this big job. The Stage Crew were Luen Banks, Dave Jackson and Mark Smith. Gordon was also responsible for the set design which really made you feel as if you were at the Towers Of London.

Choreography was not credited in the programme but there were some very good choreographed sections, often with the large ensemble all on stage.

Costumes are from Lichfield Costume Hire and looked incredible. The red and yellow Guard outfits really jumped out at you and the costumes for the ladies were beautiful.

Lighting is by Paul Boneham and Sound is Paul Frost, both adding to the class of the production. The sound was round and clear and the lighting really brought the colours in the costumes to life.

This production is helping to raise funds and awareness of Sepsis and The UK Sepsis Trust, so if you have any spare cash rolling around in your pocket, free your pocket space and pop it the collection buckets... after you've folded it up of course.

"The Yeoman Of The Guard" is at Iveshead Scholl Theatre in Shepshed until Saturday 8 November.

 "That Good Night" by N J Crisp.

West Bridgford Drama Society.

The Studio Theatre, West Bridgford.

Here's another play that I have not heard or seen before but definitely leaves you with food for thought.

Ralph is a successful screenwriter, charming, cantankerous, rude and a bully and completely selfish. Now is in his seventies and terminally ill; he has two final missions: to be reconciled to his long-abandoned son Michael, and, secretly, to ensure he is not a burden to his younger, devoted wife Anna as he goes "into that good night". But Ralph wrecks all hope of reconciliation when he picks a fight with Michael's new girlfriend, Debbie. Later, alone, Ralph receives the "Visitor" whose services he has hired to provide the painless ending. But the visitor plays a devastating trick......

Ralph is played by Richard Young, and straight away he makes sure that your dislike for the character is plain, but then he makes you feel a kind of sorrow for the situation that he has created, and you feel sorry for the character. There's not much more that I can say about what happens without giving away the ending... so I won't, be let's just say the twist is not one that I had expected, given the visit and what happens at the end of the first act.

Anna is played by Lynn Burges who shows the frustration of living with a man like Ralph, who does not like being fussed over or told what to do. Again, I won't spoil the ending, or anything that happens in the second act, but all I will say is that Lynn's performance really makes you take her side in this relationship, and also makes you empathise with everything that happens due to Anna's actions and reactions.

Michael is played by Calum Sharp. There's a true love/hate chemistry throughout this play between Ralph and Michael, and the softening of the stand off is done very well. Love the symbolism of the weather as a similes for their relationship, which adds to the comedy of the situation that they find themselves in.

Debbie the multi-lingual girlfriend of Michael's is played by Emily Martin, and while only a small part in the story, is part of the U turn in Ralph's emotions, both negative and positive.

The Visitor is played by Malcolm Todd, and delivers the sinister element of the play. After carrying out Ralph's request at the end of the first act, I thought that may be the last we see of The Visitor, but what evolves in the second act brings questions as to the intentions of The Visitor.

Directed by Tony Vokes, and as I had never experienced this story on stage, had nothing to make any comparisons, but what an impact this story has, and how brilliantly it's delivered and performed. The twists come without warning which has the effect similar to being slapped in the face.

The Tuscan villa set design is by Ali and Andy Bakewell and made you feel the heat of the Italian sunshine with the oranges and greens and the mosaics on the tables and chairs. Solidly constructed by Andy and the Society members.

The tidy set was dressed with many props from furniture to flora, both bringing colour to compliment the warmly coloured walls. There's even a noticeboard visible through the blinds of the window that led to Ralph's study. Thanks to Charlie Willcox for this area of the Creative Team.

There are also some pretty quick costume changes in this production and the costumes are so relevant to the climate that the story is set in. Vic Carr and Eleanor Roberts are responsible for the wardrobe side of the play.

Sound Design is by Ritchie Sharpe and operated by Jem Woolley. The distanced sound effects gave spatial awareness of the area outside of the stage. You believed that there was a swimming pool just over the garden wall and the coming and going of the cars.

Lighting Design is by Alex Wardle and operated by Jeff Tullin. This area helped you feel the warmth of the Italian sunshine as it lit up, and warmed up the set.

Production Manager for this play is Barbara Seymour.

Stage managed by Rosie Farrow, assisted by Barbara Seymour.

It's really quite refreshing to see a play such as this because of the content of the story. The talking point is not one that automatically, or easily becomes a subject to discuss, especially with family members. It's well acted by all which perfectly delivers that wonderful awkwardness that N.J. Crisp obviously had intended. I also hope that this may have given just enough away to tempt you into seeing it, without revealing the twists and shocks involved.

"That Good Night" is at the Studio Theatre in West Bridgford until Saturday 8 November.

 "Shrek The Musical" by Masque Productions.

Mansfield Palace Theatre.

I am sure that everybody by now must know the story of "Shrek", but just in case you've been living in a marshy swamp for the past few decades, here's a quick resume....

The story opens with young Shrek telling the audience of his childhood, and how, on his seventh birthday, his parents send him out of their house and into the big, bright, beautiful world to make his living. They warn him that because of his looks, everyone will hate him, and he will not have a happy ending. After attracting the friendship of Donkey, saving Princess Fiona from a dragon who had kept her locked in her tower, he delivers her to Lord Farquaad so that he can marry the Princess and become King of Duloc, just so that Shrek can get his marshy home back. On his way he meets many fairytale creatures and of course Donkey who becomes his best mate. Not everything quite goes to plan though!

It doesn't matter how many times I see this musical, there's always something that I spot that maybe I've not seen before, and with such a massive cast, that is almost very likely, or maybe a song sounds better, or different this time around; several reasons why I don't think I could ever tire of this show.

George Morley, who makes his debut for Masque Productions, is Shrek. From his first appearance on stage, you immediately notice the brilliant prosthetics for Shrek, possibly one of the best masks that I have seen with the most consistent green colour, so straight away a big thumbs up for the make up department. The voice is excellent, exactly the way you remember Shrek from the movies, in fact every nuance that you can remember from that first film is here on stage. George delivers some excellent vocals in the score department as well. From the comic one upmanship of "I Think I Got You Beat" to the wonderfully Celtic whimsy of "Who I'd Be" and the melancholy "When Words Fail", every emotion an ogre can have is out there.

Fabian Perry-Timson and Oliver Brennan share the role of  Young Shrek, and on Wednesday night I saw Fabian, another young actor making their debut with Masque and looking the spitting image, albeit on a miniature scale of George's Shrek, take to the stage.

Mama Ogre is played by Justine Wells and Papa Ogre is played by Simon Brickell who kick Young Shrek out into the "Big Bright Beautiful World" on his seventh birthday, advising him to beware of people with pitchforks!

James Hallam is Donkey. You can't fail to enjoy this performance because the fun is like osmosis with James. Not only are there some incredibly infectious duets with James and George, such as "Don't Let Me Go" and "Travel Song" but, for those who may not have ever seen the musical before, a brilliant Seventies style pastiche in the song "Make A Move", complete with Donkey in shades. I just know that the rehearsals with James and George were full of laughs, which has obviously forged the chemistry you get to see on stage.

Princess Fiona is played by Brooke Spedding. Brooke brings an equal amount of comedy to this show as Donkey and Shrek. The duet "I Think I Got You Beat" is as comical physically as it is lyrically, and I still chuckle at the "duet" with the bird in the nest at the start of the second act. "Morning Person" is a big song to open with after the interval and has a big tap number in it which shows Brooke's nifty footwork off perfectly.

Young Fiona is played by Prudence Morris and Georgiana Lawson, with Prudence performing on Wednesday night and making her debut for Masque Productions. Teen Fiona is played by Eden Holmes and Adelphie Fleet. Wednesday night saw Adelphie take to the stage. We first meet all three Fionas in the song "I Know It's Today" which cleverly sees the three stages of Princess Fiona over the years.

Jake Shirley plays Lord Farquaad, a part that will bring you to your knees. The script for Farquaad is one of those that you really have to listen to in order to get the full impact of the clever writing. Just as well that Jake not only has the ability to bring out the comic characterisation of this character, but has very clear diction with the delivery. Wonderfully camp in a way that reminded me just a bit of Charles Hawtrey in the "Carry On" films. There's a little twist on the scene when Farquaad's Dad is introduced to the party.... but more about that later!

Kelly Marsh provides the wonderful voice of the Dragon. Kelly has played some strong women over the years in musical theatre, but never one that blows hot and hotter. Dressed in a blood red ravishing dress that is as hot as Kelly's vocals, her big song is "Forever" and that power-packed vocal leading up to that end note will give you tingles.

The Dragon is one of the biggest Dragon puppets I have seen, practically filling the Mansfield Palace Theatre stage. The Dragon is brought to life physically by five puppeteers, Matt Henson, Steven Ratcliffe, Chrissie Smyth, Daniel Stride and Louise Stupple.

Tom Slack is Pinocchio in a performance that definitely is not wooden by any stretch of the imagination.

Holly Stevenson is Gingy, as well as Sugar Plum Fairy, and both Holly, as Gingy - the Gingerbread Man and Tom have voices that have the ability to attract all the cats in the Mansfield area through show week. How do they maintain that pitch I'll never know.

Evan Thomason-Vardy and Oliver Brennan share the role of Grumpy, that's his character by the way, not his attitude. Grumpy is Farquaad's Dad who gets invited to his son's wedding to Fiona. Now, every production, as far as I can recall, that I have seen of "Shrek the Musical" have an adult (also on their knees) playing this part. Masque have actually used a child, who still remains smaller than Farquaad. A brilliant directorial decision to utilise one of the group's children in this role. The Thomason-Vardy clan have acting running through their bodies, and Evan has massive confidence on stage and I loved the synchronicity of his dance moves in the final scenes to "I'm A Believer".

Baby Bear's role is shared by Madison Kendrick and Olivia Thomason-Vardy, Mama Bear is played by Liz Brennan and Papa Bear is played by Matt Jayes.

The cast list for this show is possibly one of the biggest stage cast list and many of the actors that I know are quite unrecognisable due to the marvellous make up and wonderful wigs, I just hope that I don't miss anyone out....

Brian Brooks (King Harold), Ruth Morris (Queen Lillian), Jan Hodgetts(The Wicked Witch), Tyler Piggott (Peter Pan), Garry Richardson (The Big Bad Wolf/The Bishop), Chrissie Smith (The Ugly Duckling),  Connie Fletcher, Lily Hewitt and Kay Thomason-Vardy (The Three Little Pigs), Amy Gunter, Hannah Winterton and Eleanor Wilkinson (The Three Blind Mice), Oliver Ward (Captain Of The Guards), Daniel Ivan, Harry Stevens (The Guards), Stephen Ratcliffe (Duloc Greeter), Caitlin Brennan, Chrissie Smyth, Kya Cairns, Ella Wragg, Heidi Benson-Loydall, Lauren Herbert, Lilly Hewitt, Paige Allan, Sarah Herbert and Vikki Walton (Duloc Performers), Adam Bryant Scott (Shoemaker's Elf), Adrian Toon (Humpty Dumpty), Eleanor Wilkinson (Tinkerbell), Stephen Ratcliffe (The Mad Hatter), Kya Cairns (The White Rabbit), Gavin Harper (Captain Hook), Sophie Coates (Alice In Wonderland), Paula McCrory (Queen Of Hearts), Lisa Bottomore (Fairy Godmother), Heidi Benson-Loydall (Goldilocks), Hannah Winterton (Little Red Riding Hood), Matt Henson (Thelonius), Rachel Fletcher (The Pied Piper), Amy Gunter, Hannah Winterton and Eleanor Wilkinson (The Dragonette Girls), Adam Bryant-Scott, Daniel Ivan, Harry Stevens (The Torched Knights), Caitlin Brennan, Chrissie Smyth, Ella Wragg, Lauren Herbert, Lily Hewitt, Paige Allen, Sarah Herbert, Vikki Walton and Heidi Benson-Loydall (The Rat Tappers), 

The Happy People are played by Amy Gunter, Jane McBride, O'cean Tucker, Tineke Fleet, Daniel Ivan, Harry Stevens, Matt Henson and Louise Stupple.

The Wedding Choir is made up of Paige Allen, Caitlin Brennan, Jane McBride, Rachel Fletcher, Heidi Benson-Loydall, Eleanor Percival, O'cean Tucker, Louise Stupple, Hannah Winterton, Vikki Walton and Ella Wragg.

The energy and the fun created by this massive ensemble of people is completely off the scale, and I think everyone will have their own personal favourite from these characters, meaning there's someone and something for everyone, young or old who come to watch this show.

Directed by Andrew Wolden, and there have been some brilliantly inspired casting choices throughout this show.

Set design is by Scenic Projects Ltd, whose name I have mentioned more than a few times in my reviews over the last couple of weeks. A wonderful set that is slid and flew into place with great ease as not to hinder the large cast.

Stage Management of such a large amount of people needs to be exact at every point and Eddie Ratcliffe as Stage Manager and Rachael Street as DSM did a great job.

Choreographed by Lynn Roberts. I love a big tap routine and this show has a wonderful tap section to open the second act. This is possibly one of the biggest choreography sessions in musical theatre and it looked spectacular from where I was sitting.

Musical Director is Roger Holland. the quality of the vocal ability within this group are testament to the amount of work that Roger has obviously invested in this production.

The Performance Track Technician is Elizabeth Wolden. Now I had to look up what this role involved so, if like me you didn't know, this is what the role entails.  They work from a cue script or run sheet, executing pre-planned cues for lighting, sound, or other technical aspects in real-time as the performance progresses. You see how educational theatre can be? Entertaining as well as educational, well for me anyway!

Costumes, which as you can imagine are absolutely out of this world are by D & S Costumes and co-ordinated by Kay Thomason-Vardy.

Make up is by Cora Machin, Natalie Midgley and Naomi Shaw, and as I stated earlier, the make up is so good that I really had a hard time spotting who was actually behind the make up and characters.

Sound Design by Kirk Jackson. This is always an area that I know that I am really critical on, but even though there were a few missed mic cues, the sound quality at Mansfield Palace is crystal clear and I heard every word spoken and sung.

Lighting Design is by Andrew Wolden, and there were some lovely touches that illuminated the side walls of the theatre as well as the stage area, making the colours spill over the stage area.

Masque have been swamped with support from patrons and tickets are now in short demand, in fact you could say that you'll be Dulucky to get a ticket for this monster of a show.

"Shrek The Musical" is at Mansfield Palace Theatre until Saturday 8 November.

 "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe"

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

This story takes me right back to my childhood days and I thought that this was my first vision of the stage performance, but I was wrong, and one scene reminded me of that fact.

For those unaware of the story it's about four siblings Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy who discover the magical world of Narnia when they hide in an old wardrobe. They learn that Narnia has been under the spell of the evil White Witch, who keeps the land in perpetual winter, and they must help the great lion Aslan defeat her and restore Narnia to its rightful rulers. 

We start though with an emotive rendition of "We'll Meet Again" followed by a train journey brought to life by illuminated suitcases. Then there's the four children's initial reaction to their evacuation and their new home. The meet the nasty Mrs Macready, who had been sent to collect them from the station, and then their change of opinion after meeting the easy-going Professor Kirk.

And then Lucy discovers that wardrobe in the spare room, and we all know the story about the magic of Narnia and the battle between good and evil.

Let's start with the music. This is one of those productions that has the actors playing instruments on stage. Everything from percussion to flutes, fiddles to cellos plus a piano, creating the most evocative Celtic soundtrack to the action. The composers for the score is by Barnaby Race and Benji Bower and Ben Goddard Young is the Musical Director.

The puppetry was pure magic. Designed by Max Humphries and Directed by Toby Olie, from the Professor's pet cat to the magnificent lion, which took three puppet masters to operate, and like "War Horse" you grow to blank out the puppeteers and just see the animal itself. This is one show that truly benefits from having puppets as part of the story, adding another dimension of awe-inspiring viewing to theatre.

There is also a wonderful section which includes brightly coloured fluorescent cubes which seemingly skip across the stage and reassembles themselves into colourful human figure, all engineered by human hand.

The Lighting Design (Jack Knowles) was excellent, as was the Sound Design (Tom Marshall). The scenes that depict the speed of the passing of time are incredible, aided by the soundscape and the brilliant lighting effects.

There were actors flying around the stage, exciting fight choreography and an amazing section where Aslan (Stanton Wright) completely disappeared in front of your eyes. There are many scenes which included magic and illusion, created by Chris Fisher, which simply astounded not only the younger audience members but everyone.

The costumes are incredible, and in Act Two there is a section with some extremely scary heads, which had the possibility of giving some of the kids watching nightmares. I may even sleep with the side light ON tonight! I had flashbacks of the Pink Floyd video for "Another Brick In The Wall" but even more frightening. The set and costume designs (Tom Paris) were amazing.

The whole wonderful shebang was directed by Michael Fentiman.

Katy Stephens played Mrs Macready as well as The White Witch was deliciously evil. Looking absolutely gorgeous but boy you'd not want to cross her! Another slight of hand/eye illusion made her disappear from the centre of the stage near the end.

Jesse Dunbar (Peter), Bunmi Osadolor (Edmund), Joanna Adaran (Susan) and Kudzai Mongombe (Lucy) were all excellent and quite believable as the four Pevensie children who were evacuated up North. Alfie Richards was a wonderful Mr Tumnus. 

Stanton Wright is Aslan, Soldier and Hedgehog. You can feel a collective intake of breath when Aslan slowly walks onto the stage due to the magnificence of the vision of such a regal creature. Aslan's roar seemed to make the walls of the theatre shake.

A large cast which meant that there was always something, and someone to keep an eye on.

Elliott Clay (Mr Pope and Foxtrot), Andrew Davison (Mr Wilson, Schoedinger, Jack Rabbit, Head Cruel and Aslan Puppeteer), Anya De Villiers (Mrs Beaver), Molly Peters (Aslan Puppeteer, Mrs Pevensie and Robin), Ffion Haf (Miss Gumley-Warmley and Pheonix), Rhiannon Hopkins (Miss Chutney and Blue Badger), Joe Keenan (The Spirit Of The Moon, Mr Granville and the Red Squirrel), Alfie Richards (Badger and White Mouse), Craig Thornber (The Professor, Father Christmas and Wise Owl), Ed Thorpe (Mr Beaver), Rhodri Watkins (Mr Brinkworth, Aslan Puppeteer and March Hare), Shane Anthony Whiteley (Maugrim, Satyr and White Stag).

  

The rest of the team are Ruby Greenwood, Oliver Magor, JB Maya, Luca Moscardini and Marc Serratosa.

Choreographed by Shannelle "Tali" Fergus. 

The Wigs, Hair and Make-Up is all by Susanna Peretz.

The Stage management is one of the slickest that I have seen with props and scenery literally flying on and off stage.

The whole show, from start to finish is magical, whatever age you may be, and if like me you have fond memories of the novel, you are going to absolutely adore this stage version.

"The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 8 November.

 "Eureka Day" by Jonathan Spector.

Nottingham Playhouse.

This is the regional premiere of Jonathan Spector’s Tony Award-winning comedy. 

When a mumps outbreak hits a progressive private school in Berkeley, the well-meaning Board of Directors descends into full-blown chaos trying to create a perfectly inclusive vaccination policy. Spoiler: it does not go well…

Don, played by Jonathan Coy, who would like to take up mime, expresses a great deal of stress through subtle physical movements. He tries to be the peacemaker of the debates. but often only gets a few words out at a time. His chairing of the online debate is brilliantly funny, as is the whole debate itself.

We've all been in Zoom chats etc where everything just goes off track, insults start flying and, in this case, conspiracy theories are everywhere. This scene is very cleverly done with the audience seeing the live stream as well as the comments coming in and the committee live on stage all at the same time. A very technical, and extremely funny scene that really needs a second visit just to watch this piece once more.

Matt Gavan is Eli, a stay at home dad who is having an affair. Eli is a very vocal Committee member who also seems to have trouble sitting still. He is also, we discover as the play progresses, quite an important member of the Committee where funding is concerned and carries a lot of weight where decisions are made and agreed on.

Adele James plays Carina, mother of a student and is a new member of the board. As the play goes on we discover more of Carina's background and home life which also ruffles a few feathers with one of the Committee members.

Kirsty Rider plays Meiko, a single mother who is caught up in the story due to her daughter contracting and spreading the mumps. Often the quietest member of the board but when Meiko speaks out she makes her opinions crystal clear.

Suzanne, a senior founder of the school who sometimes dithers and at times has trouble searching for words, but who works to keep everyone involved and happy, but she has ulterior motives by getting the others on her side. One of those passive-aggressive characters that you get in any "community" gathering where decisions have to be made. Suzanne is played by Jenna Russell.

Hayley Doherty plays Winter. Originally this character didn't exist in the original play but appears right at the end of the play and we see the opportunity for history to be repeated.

Directed by James Grieve, this is one of those plays where gaps in the script and silences are just as important to the pace, the nervous tension and story as the words in the script itself. Facial expressions and the physicality of the characters also bring comedy to the stage with subtlety.

Eleanor Field's Set and Costume Design are both fabulous. The set is akin to an old school library with walls of shelves for the younger children, gorgeous stained glass window, inspirationally motivated posters, plus red plastic school furniture, and the majority of the action takes place in this environment. One of the other scenes may just be an interior wall, door and window, but there's no mistaking where this scene is set. Wonderfully colourful set that made you feel like you've just walked into your past infant/junior school.

Elliott Griggs' lighting design simply separated the scene changes, and as all of the scenes were set in the daylight hours, the lighting design needed nothing fancy. I've often said that simple light designs can be just as effective, especially for a play, thank a fancy one. Well lit and well operated.

Sound Designer and Composer is Lee Affen. Strangely enough for incidental "scene changing" music, this score was really catchy which in turn made the scene changes quite entertaining from a music perspective.

Matt Powell is responsible for the video design we see, and as I stated earlier, this was a big highlight for me. I can't remember seeing this kind of video design in any other play, which brings something new to this area of technical production on stage. It certainly gets the thumbs up emoji from me, as well as Leslie Kaufman!

Who'd have thought that making serious decisions about your children and their health could be this humorous?

"Eureka Day" is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 15 November.

 "Slava's Snow Show"

Nottingham Royal Concert Hall.

This must be about the fourth time that I have seen this show, and would have been my fifth had Covid in 2020 had not struck and caused the production of that year cancelled, so I've had to wait twelve years for this show to return. Oh how I've missed this magical piece of theatre.

This time around Slava has extended the usual one hour show by half an hour and this show was a mix of new stuff as well as some of the classic Slava favourites. I'm not 100% convinced that the extended end to the show is a good move as it seemed to drag on a bit; that aside though it's still as magical as it ever was.

Imagine the warm, safe and cosy feeling you feel sitting on a sofa with your loved one on a Sunday afternoon, wrapped in a quilt with a cup of hot chocolate and watching your favourite Christmas movie. Well now you're close to the feeling that you'll get watching Slava's Snow Show.

It's like looking at a giant aquarium of colourful, graceful tropical fish, gently cutting through the bright water watching Slava and his cast of amazing performers on stage.

The gracefulness and simplicity of the humour is very infantile, but at any age you sit there open mouthed at the magic they weave on stage and you are completely consumed by the strange, unconnected story they play out.

Most of the humour is visual with very limited speech, but you have no need for any vocal comedy because these very clever clowns are experts in their comedic field. And with anything this simple, you can bet that an incredible amount of talent and hard work went into it.

Slava's show has been touring for many, many years, all over the world and in his native Russia, and even though the show hasn't changed since the last time I saw it, it's lost none of it's magic.

The comedy timing and sound synchronicity are spot on. The sound quality is perfect in the Royal Concert Hall which all adds to the enjoyment of the show. A show that is just so different to any other show that you'll want to see it again and again and again.

With it's audience participation with giant spider webs, incredible snow storm and the many giant inflatable coloured balls to bounce around the Royal Concert Hall, this is an ideal aperitif for the impending Christmas celebrations for theatre goers of any age, and I dare you not to come out of the venue without a warm contented feeling in your heart.

It's also the amazement in witnessing how most adults get caught up in an irresistible spiral of silliness leading them to act as children by the end of the show. "Slava's Snow Show" is guaranteed to make even the most miserable human being smile. It is one of the most powerful, innocent and simply beautiful theatrical experiences. Joyfully playful, it tickles our childhood memories. This show fulfills a need for an oasis, a space in the physical world where normally sensible people can very happily return to the wide-eyed wonder and simple joy they knew as children.

Please take every opportunity to see this gorgeous piece of theatre, just in case it doesn't come around for another decade. This show is something that your children, whatever age they may be at, will love you for taking them to. 

"Slava's Snow Show" is at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall until Sunday 2 November.