“Ghost Stories” by Andy Nyman & Jeremy Dyson

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

There’s an online warning that accompanies this show stating that “people of a nervous disposition may want to think twice about booking a ticket for this show”, but how frightening can it be to sit with a theatre full of people and experience theatrical ghost stories? Well, here's one spoiler that I can reveal; I saw this play the last time it was here in Nottingham at the Theatre Royal, so I was better prepared for it this time around, and it still made me jump and gave me goosebumps.

Now, much as I would love to tell you so much about this show, I can't because I do not want to give away any other spoilers, so what can I leak?

Joshua Higgott plays Professor Goodman who kick starts the evening with a light-hearted but uneasy lecture on the nature of fear and the appeal of ghost stories. He then presents three stories from the Supernatural which, at first seem to be completely separate stories but it becomes apparent that these are not as unrelated as they first appear. In fact they are the stuff that nightmares are made of!!!!

The story telling is second to none, and the actors, Dan Tetsell (Professor Goodman), Eddie Loodmer-Elliott  (Simon Rifkind), David Cardy (Tony Matthews), and Clive Mantle (Mike Priddle) - hang on weren't there more than four actors taking the bows at the end? - were all excellent and created that unease, easily. Lucas Albion is billed as Ensemble, so watch out for when the "Ensemble" arrives!

Another thing I experienced, and I don't know if this is auto association, but, I could smell certain things just after the things I could smell were mentioned. Strange but in my mind, true, or was that just my imagination?

The lighting design (James Farncombe) and the Sound design (Nick Manning) really makes this a wonderfully unnerving experience and creates many of the scary moments. And the special effects are equally unnerving. They both show that darkness  and noises from out of nowhere really can scare the Scheiße out of you, even when surrounded by hundreds of people.

With this being the second time that I have seen this show, I almost prepared myself for what I could remember happened, but you know when you're waiting for a moment to come, and then when it does, still makes you jump and go cold, well that was me tonight. That said there was one part as well that I hadn't recalled at all and was spectacularly scary.

I tell you how much this production will play on your mind, and I'm not normally affected by scary movies etc, but even when I get off my bus on the way home, I power walked to those steps and made it down there in record time. The power of the mind eh?

The set designs (Jon Bauser) are excellent, and they are put into place with such speed that it was almost cinematic with the rapidity of the scene changes.

Directed by Jeremy Dyson and Andy Nyman, they have managed to create an atmosphere where people manage to feel uneasy en-masse. The jump scares, and everything else to do with this piece of theatre are perfectly timed to create the biggest effect for an audience. The effects used create some real stage magic, and more than that I can't say as I would not want to give anything away. There's an audio statement given out at the end advising not to tell anyone anything about "Ghost Stories", and who am I to tempt fate? 

I ain't gonna give away anything about this play but to confirm that it will unnerve you. It will make you jump. And you will want to see this play again, even though you know what is coming and the ending.

The show lasts ninety minutes straight through with no interval, and once you're in the auditorium, if you decide to go out, you will not be permitted back in, so make sure that you empty your bladders before the show starts!

For anyone who loves being frightened, and paying to be frightened, you will love this production. just make sure that you take someone with you.

Sweet dreams all, and just remember, that shadow in the corner of your room after lights out, and that creak on the stair when you are all in bed, hopefully will just be that... but then again......

“Ghost Stories” is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 3 May.

 "Private Lives" by Noel Coward.

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

Elyot ( Luke Willis ) and Amanda ( Kathryn Edwards), who were once married, find themselves in adjoining rooms in the same hotel on the French coast, both on honeymoon with their new partners, Sibyl ( Alex Milligan ) and Victor ( Jack Leo ), respectively. Elyot and Amanda's initial horror quickly evaporates and soon they’re sharing cocktails and a romantic serenade. Deciding they still love each other they both elope to Paris, leaving their new spouses at the honeymoon hotel.

Their marriage had not been a success, a diet of arguments brought about the divorce, but it seems that their current partners, have not enflamed the passion that once both ignited in each other. It is that passion that this play is all about.

We discover that very little has changed with Amanda and Elyot and the back-and-forth banter between the two is still as meaningly hurtful, but all very typical of a Noel Coward script. Amanda and Elyot also inflict quite a bit of violence on each other! To counter this there's also a very comical scene surrounding a romantic interlude on the sofa with Elyot limping off with arthritis and Amanda complaining of indigestion, as they had only recently eaten.

Then we really meet the new partners, Victor and Sibyl, who turn up at Amanda's private flat in Paris looking for the pair, and more than match Amanda and Elyot in the argumentative stakes. It's nice to watch Amanda and Elyot take an onlooker's seat, viewing the spectacle of Victor and the fireball Sibyl's meltdown scene which closes the play.

Louise, the French Maid, is played magnifiquelly by Sally Eaton. 

Coward was always one for witty repartee, and this play, written in 1930, just shows how great comedy can transcend the decades, and still be funny nearly a hundred years down the line. We still find stereotyping of what is expected from males and females comedic, especially when Amanda calls Elyot out for his hypocrisy regarding his adulterous behaviour, and he retorts that he can, "because I am a man".

The chemistry between the four main actors is wonderfully believable and the delivery of the lines, as well as the script is of that certain time. We would not speak in such a way nowadays, and that is what makes the script, and story, so much fun to receive.

Directed by Colin Treliving, who also was Set Designer, and as you can see by the pictures by Grace Eden, the set is gloriously sophisticated and in keeping with the era of the play.

Lighting Design is by Simon Carter and Sound Design by Philip Hogarth; both superb in their fields of expertise, as shown throughout the play.

Stage Managed by Jae Marriott with Props Manager being James Whitby.

Needless to say, the threads adorning the actors are of the finest and classiest quality.

A wonderful farce that should be taken as entertainment and not too seriously, but a wonderful evening of classy acting with a sharp and wonderfully witty script, as well as a guideline to meter how far we have come - or maybe not come - both comedically and stereotypically in the last century.

"Private Lives" is playing at the Nottingham Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 3 May, but you may find it tres dificile to ascertain tickets, so get your name down on the reserve list for this spiffing piece of theatre.

 "Matilda Jr the Musical" by Williams Creatives.

Sue Townsend Theatre, Leicester.

Matilda has astonishing wit, intelligence... and special powers! She's unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher, the loveable Miss Honey. Matilda's school life isn't completely smooth sailing, however – the school's mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves thinking up new punishments for those who don't abide by her rules. And woe be tide any child that is subjected to "The Chokey"!!!

Matilda is played by Poppy Branston, and this is Poppy's first show with Williams Creatives. Like every young actor on stage on Friday night, she oozes confidence; not a glimpse of nerves about Poppy. And also like all of these young actors, her vocals are strong and very clear.

Bruce Bogtrotter is played by Jenson Weston. A nice character-driven performance from Jenson.

Miss Agatha Trunchball is played by Sienna Barnes. This musical has several very strong characters and you don't get them much stronger than the child-hating head of school, who finally gets her comeuppance thanks to a little bit of magic Matilda style. You can tell that Sienna loves every minute of being nasty. There's a really clever scene, which is executed very smoothly by Sienna, when she grabs Amanda Thripp's pigtails and swings her around by them, launching Amanda through the air.

Ms. Honey, the teacher who spots Matilda's academic talents and tries to promote these talents to the head, who is having none of it. Ms Honey is played by Millie Beech, who injects real sweetness into the role.

Mr Wormwood, Matilda's father, is played by Ruben Bruen. What did I say about characters in this musical. Ruben has a real feel for comedy, and especially slapstick, and I love the accent that he has given Matilda's father. Ruben definitely put a smile on my face, every time that he stepped into the spotlight.

Mrs Wormwood, the mother, who has a penchant for leopard skin print clothing as well as flashy flamenco dresses, is played by Isla Singleton. Brilliantly cast with Ruben to give the audience a brilliant comedy coupling.

 Austin Parker plays Michael Wormwood, Matilda's emo-esque brother. Not a lot of script, but what Austin does have, script wise is definitely impactful.

Mrs Phelps, the librarian who is captivated by Matilda's stories, and Matilda's great friend is played by Hattie Moore. When Mrs Phelps and Matilda are on stage, you're drawn into the episodic story related by Matilda.

The story in question, as told by Matilda is about an acrobat, played by Ruby Foster, and an escapologist, who is married to the acrobat and their daring feat. William Ham plays the escapologist and between the pair of them, they keep us on tenterhooks with their escapade. A nice show of acrobatic skills from Ruby and William.

Rudolpho is Mrs Wormwood's dance instructor, and William Ham, who doubles up his roles with this one is brilliantly funny. I love this particular character role for a couple of reasons. The first is the physical character side of William's acting, and the other is because William himself is about half the size of Isla, and the pair of them together just has that wonderful comedy element, without having to say a word. Great costumes for both of William's roles as well.

Zuha Abbas plays The Cook who brings in the large chocolate cake that young Bogtrotter is forced to eat by Ms Trunchball at the end of the first act.

The other school children are played by Austin Parker (Eric), Oliver Stocker (Tommy/Sergei), Molly-Rose Moore (Amanda Thripp), Hollie Smith (Lavendar), Thea White (Alice), Florence Dann (Hortensia) and Thomas Burton (Nigel).

The Big Kids are played by Emily Raynor, Isabella Kirk, Izzy Riley, Maisy Reynolds, Rosa Clarke, Aria White, Ellie Wood, Isabella Jenkins, Emily Brewin, Emily Dryhurst, Hattie Moore, Ruby Foster and Zuha Abbas. 

The Little Kids are played by Isabelle Dingle-Hunt, Isabelle Webb, Matilda Singleton, Scarlett Warren and Eden Humphreys.

Project Manager is Joshua Taylor-Williams.

Directed by Cathy Robinson, this show is incredibly tight and the children have been so good at receiving and carrying out Direction that this production is as good as it gets and could be mistaken for a professional touring production with the energy and enthusiasm that this group deliver.

Choreographed by Jacob Bale, this area brings out the best, and most energetic of talents from this young group of performers. But it also shows that these young actors, as with the Direction, can respond to choreography to such a high level, highlighting Jacob's fun and energy filled choreography. Dance Captain is Emily Dryhurst.

The Musical Director is Ellie Barratt. This cast have worked so well in all areas of the production side of the show, and when you listen to the harmonies that they produce, the layering of the voices, they give you goosebumps. It takes a good teacher to bring out the best of any pupil, and these pupils have obviously received some magnificent tuition.

A brilliantly catchy soundtrack with songs like "Naughty", "Revolting Children", "Smell Of Rebellion" and the brilliant "When I Grow Up" will have you tapping your toes and clapping along.

The Lighting was by James Ansell and Sound was by Tom Brooks. A few crackles with the mic packs but this is one of those shows that is full of energy, so that's something that can't be helped. That said, it took nothing away from the very clear sound at Sue Townsend Theatre, and the lighting was spot on.

The set design was by Ellie Barratt. This is yet another strong point as it was multi-levelled with blackboards and library sections raised slightly above the main performance area. The set itself was provided by King Academy.

The video design was excellent and added yet another touch of class to what is already a classy production.

Great costumes, I've already alluded to just how good they look, and are provided by Ariel Costume Hire and Andrea Bruen.

Also a big shout out to the Stage Management crew who kept the flow going brilliantly. Sharon Brown (Stage Manager), Callum Taylor-Williams (Deputy Stage Manager), Sue Kyprianou and Andrew Parkin (Backstage Hands) and Maya Voce (Backstage Microphones).

"Matilda Jr The Musical" is at Sue Townsend Theatre, Leicester just until Saturday 26 April, but it may be worth checking for any spare tickets for the Saturday matinee and Saturday evening as it looks to be sold out, the same as Friday night's performance, and I can see why this production is so very popular.

 "Only Fools And Horses - The Musical" Written by Paul Whitehouse and Jim Sullivan.

Nottingham Royal Concert Hall.

Bonjour ma petit pois, I have long since been a fan of the TV sit-com, "Only Fools And Horses" so couldn't wait to see what the show was like when turned into a stage musical.

The story is a mix of fan-favourite episodes but mainly follows Del Boy as he looks for love, and meeting Raquel for the first time. Rodney and Cassandra are hoping to buy a flat and get married; Boycie and Marlene are trying for a baby; plus all the unforgettable characters that made the sit-com so good, creating a massive following and love with TV viewers in the 1980's. Characters such as Grandad, Trigger, Denzel and Mickey Pearce and Uncle Albert make appearances along the way as the Trotter's navigate life in 1980s Peckham.

The script and original soundtrack written by John Sullivan's son Jim, and Paul Whitehouse, who appears as Grandad in several of the tour venues, but not Nottingham, it remains faithful to what made the TV series such a success. Along with some brilliant original musical numbers, that old Rockney Cockney vibe is provided by some well chosen choices from Chas 'n' Dave, retaining that cheeky chappy "dahn saarf" feel, and an excellent lookey-likey of Chas Hodges on the old Joanna. There's also the Bill Withers' song "Lovely day" performed as well as a gorgeous soul inspired version of "Holding Back the Years" by Gloria Acqaah-Harrison.

It's quite uncanny that as the show rolls on, the more the actors seem to morph into the characters that we all know and love from the TV series. To start with, it's like going to a waxworks where they look a bit like the celebs that they're supposed to be, and while you know who they should be, the full image isn't quite there. When you're portraying such iconic character such as these, it's be almost impossible to get spitting images, but the likenesses of this cast is frighteningly good.

Derek "Del Boy" Trotter is played by Sam Lupton who has completely mastered the whole Del Boy sound with all of David Jason's idiosyncrasies that have created the TV character that has become such a legendary, and instantly recognisable sit-com personality. There are several scenes where Del Boy is in The Nags Head and you just know that as soon as he goes near that bar flap that we are going to see that most iconic of comedy gold moments when he falls through the flap (even though in the original, it's not in The Nags Head), and he kept us waiting until almost the very end of the play. It was well worth waiting for, believe me. 

Sam gave us all of the Franglais malapropisms that we had come to know and love as well as all of Del's little foibles that we recognise from the show, plus all of the Del Boy catchphrases. In short, it was like watching David Jason if he had signed up for play version of "Only Fools". 

Rodney is played by Tom Major, who makes his professional debut in this role. What a way to make a debut with this show. Tom doesn't look like Nicholas Lyndhurst, but that doesn't matter because, like Sam, Tom has obviously studied the character intently because he gets the sound of Rodders spot on, as well as all of those little awkward movements. 

Phillip Childs plays Grandad, and I don't intend to keep saying just how much the actors sound so much like their TV characters, but Philip looked the spit of Grandad, and then appeared near the end as Uncle Albert, complete with that beard.

Georgina Hagan is Raquel, the actress/stripper who was teamed up via the dating agency for Del. Georgina has a really lovely voice with plenty of power, especially in the song "West End Wendy", which had echoes of a song from another very famous musical!

Nicola Munns plays Marlene as well Cassandra. I absolutely adored her version of Marlene; having met Sue Holderness who played the original Marlene, it was like watching Sue herself, but what a fantastic character actor Nicola is.

Craig Berry is Boycie, and again I've met and interviewed the late John Challis, and the voice technique for Boycie's character was perfect, as was the look.

Kieran Andrew is Trigger. Kieran is one of the understudies for Trigger, which shows just how on their game they have to be, because you would never had known he was standing in for anyone. 

Denzil, one of Del's frequent victims when it comes to dubious antics, is played by Bradley John. 

Peter Watts plays Mickey Pearce and Danny Driscoll. I must mention what a range in voice Peter has as Danny Driscoll, one of the two intimidating brothers; Danny is the thug who does all the thinking whereas Tony Driscoll does not do the thinking, he just uses his fists!

Darryl Paul is Tony Driscoll and Mike, the barman at The Nags Head. 

The Dating Agent, as well as various other characters, is played by Richard J Hunt. there's a scene where Del visits a dating agency and has to tell the agent the kind of woman that he is looking for. the song that the pair perform is called "A Bit Of A Sort", which is almost like a quick-fire duet that is performed by Richard and Sam with split second timing; one of my favourite songs from the soundtrack.

Gloria Acquaah plays Mrs Obookoo, one of the regulars in The Nag's Head, as well as the greasy caff, plus the snooty woman in the bridal shop, sorting out Cassandra's wedding dress. Gloria gets to show off what an incredible vocalist she is though in her solo performance of Simply Red's "Holding Back the Years" in a more sombre moment in Act Two.

The ensemble are made up Andrew Bryant, Amanda Coutts, Christopher Arkeston, Rhys Owen, Kieran Andrew, Katie Payne and Oscar Dobbins.

Directed and  Choreographed by Caroline Jay Ranger, this production is a brilliant homage to the Tv show, and fans of the show will not be disappointed by the show with its' loving and loyal appreciation of the original concept. There's also plenty of choreography to keep this musical buzzing along nicely. I have seen quite a few plays that have been created from TV sit-coms, "Fawlty Towers", "Vicar Of Dibley" etc and they have all been recreated brilliantly, using the original scripts welded together to make a fluent two-hour show. Neither of the above were made into musicals, and while the soundtrack is catchy in parts, including the theme tune "Hooky Street", this could have got away with just being a play version due to the strength of the comedy value of the script, but I did like the soundtrack anyway. What I am trying to say is that this show would have been a hit with or without a soundtrack.

Musical Supervisor, Orchestrator and Arranger is Stuart Morley. the soundtrack is written by Paul Whitehouse, John Sullivan, John Sullivan, plus Chas Hodges, Dave Peacock, Stuart Morley, Bill Withers, Kirk Franklin, Skip Scarborough, Mick Hucknall and Neil Moss. With that quality of songwriting, the music was always going to be a big hit on stage. Whoever manages to keep their feet still to Chas 'n' Dave's "Margate" cannot be human, Mon Dieu!

Sound design is by Rory Madden and lighting design is by Ian Scott. These two areas appear simple and neither try to be clever, which make this show very easy to watch and listen to.

The set design is clever and effortlessly transports you from the Trotter's living room, to the Nag's Head pub and Peckham Market smoothly and is designed by Alice Power. 

The animation and video design is really excellent and is thanks to Leo Flint. There's a lovely animated comic section in the scene with Boycie and Marlene when they are at the fertility clinic to go with their song, "The Tadpole Song". 

Costume design is by Liz Ascroft and these designs immediately help you recognise the characters without them even saying a word. Highlights obviously have to be Del's, including that iconic sheepskin coat, Marlene's leopard skin dress, Boycie's suit, as well as a stylish design for Raquel's outfits.

If you're like me and a fan of the TV show, you'll love this show, but you just need to be a fan of well executed comedy to enjoy this production. The characters have been very well observed and you really believe that you're watching the TV characters onstage, which pays the highest tribute to any actor if they can make you believe that, as an audience member, you are seeing who you believe that you're watching, and not the actor themselves. And every actor in this production succeed in doing that.

"Only Fools And Horses The Musical" is at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall until Saturday 16 April.