"The Tragedy Of Macbeth" by Nottingham Shakespeare Company.

Ruddington Methodist Church.

Another version of William Shakespeare's tragedy play, Macbeth, but as this just happens to be one of my most favourite of the Bard's plays, I do not mind at all, especially when the wicked that comes this way is deliciously dynamic, powerful, crammed with corruption, scintillatingly sexy, superbly supernatural feeling and presents a more human side of both Macbeths.

With the play being so well known and beloved among theatre goers, I don't need to regale you of the storyline, so I'll get straight down to business.

I really enjoyed this interpretation of my favourite tragedy, mainly because I know the play so well, which meant that I didn't struggle to understand the action and could follow the script and the meaning. When you have that in your brain, you can appreciate the production itself and take in the additional touches to what is a classic tragedy.

When it comes down to those passionate scenes, and I'm not just talking about Lord and Lady Macbeth's scenes, there was no holding back, acting wise, physicality wise and speech wise. I do not profess to be a Shakespeare know it all; I don't think I'd get very far on Mastermind, but I know what I like, and I like this theatre company and the way they always present  Shakespeare's plays from a different angle.

You always get something a bit different from the Nottingham Shakespeare Company and this is no different. The Three Witches include a Warlock. The way this section was worked out was that the three were ever present, but were they a physical presence, or were they in Macbeth's mind? There were plenty of intense stares, especially from Margarita, which created a wonderful sense of unease and of the supernatural, especially with the lighting design in these scenes.

Lady Macbeth, played by Emma Webber, is a punky, Gothic Princess dressed in fishnet tights, almost Steampunk with the decorative chains and make up. Emma brings out the passion from Lady Macbeth, but the outstanding scene was the sleepwalking scene, which was quite frightening as her eyes stared into voids, continually wringing her hands and grabbing hold of people (beware of aisle seats). But it's that constant staring while in sleepwalking mode that becomes an uncomfortable watch. You'll see a different side of Lady Macbeth in this production.

Macbeth is played by Jack Dillon and would have been the rock star of his day if Macbeth's choice of costume is any indication of his character. This is Jack's debut for Nottingham Shakespeare Company, but is obviously not his first Shakespearian rodeo. There are times throughout the play that really ramped up the supernatural, aided by the lighting. Hand held torches focused on Macbeth's face creating an even greater feeling of unease with some of the dialogue sections, presenting a darker feel than in some of the previous Macbeths I've seen in the past.

King Duncan is played by Leon Cain, who also created the remarkably emotive soundscape, and in the church setting, it gave a more ethereal sound and feel. Celtic original pieces mixed with drama made this feel like something out of "Game Of Thrones". I joked with Emma that if the makers of Game Of Thrones had been around in Shakespeare's days, they would have lifted this Macbeth feel to make their series.

Lady MacDuff is played by Margarita Loginova, and also doubles as one of The Witches; the one who really makes you feel uncomfortable when she looks at you. The scene where the MacDuff castle is raided and the mass killings take place is done really well, with some nice props, and more than that I will not reveal, but it's very effective.

One of the other Witches is played by Querida Louyindoula, and doubles as a Gentle Woman. Andy Canadine is the third Witch as well as a Murderer, Sergeant, Doctor and Servant. I've already mentioned just how good the trio of Witches are and the atmosphere that all three bring to the production.

Banquo is played by Tom Salyers, who also doubles as Seyton. You actually see the doubt regarding Macbeth creeping in with Tom's performance of Banquo, which is something that is not as subtle in some other productions I've seen.

Michelle-Louise Wright, who also directs this piece, plays the role of The Porter, who is The Gatekeeper of Macbeth's castle. An ideal role for Michelle because it's the comic relief character, and Michelle brings a sense of topicality and political humour to the production.

Malcolm, who raises the army in England to combat Macbeth in an attempt to reclaim birthright from Macbeth, is played by Francesca Short. It's an interesting decision to employ a woman actor to play this role, but an inspired one by this fabulous group. Frankie also doubles as the Murderer, which is a good job that it was stated in the programme because she came up the aisle, practically out of nowhere to do the deed and then exited. You know that this is due but takes you quite by surprise when you don't know from which angle the murder is coming from.

Jess Evans is Ross, the messenger of the play and a relative of Macduff and his wife. This role marks a return to the stage for Jess after an extended break.

Apart from the actors, what makes this play as atmospheric is the sound and lighting design, which has its' own special magic of it's own.

Michelle's directing sees five different entry and exit points, which makes for an interesting theatrical experience as you're never too sure as to whom will appear where and from which direction. This truly is a production that will keep you on your toes and your mind ever active.

What I also noted was the age group of the audience. I have always said that to learn to love Shakespeare and to start to understand the man and his plays, and of course the language, young people need to see Shakespeare brought to life in a theatrical situation instead of stuck in a classroom reading the books. One young man was transfixed with the action, and I bet he got more out this production than any teacher in a classroom could instill into him. As Nottingham Shakespeare Company have always said, Shakespeare is for everyone, and that young man proves that.

"The Tragedy Of Macbeth concludes tomorrow (Saturday) at St Nicholas' Church on Maid Marian Way in the city with a matinee and evening performance. It would be a tragedy to miss out!

 "Legally Blonde" by Nottingham University Medics.

Nottingham Arts Theatre.

"Legally Blonde" is the story of Elle Woods who is completely smitten with Warner Huntington III when he tells her that she is dumped as he is off to Harvard to study law, and feels that he needs someone more "serious". Elle decides to show him that she is serious by enrolling in Harvard to win him back, unbeknown to her, he has already found his someone serious in Vivienne.

Elle discovers that she has a flair for this legal thing by using unconventional methods and manages to win the day by winning the murder case and freeing the accused, the fitness queen Brooke Wyndham.

In the interim she finds herself a new love, an unlikely ally and an enemy in Professor Callaghan when she turns the tables on him and shows what a slimeball he really is.

Playing the iconic Elle is Ciara Heron. She looks the part, in her signature pink, and has that Elle Woods sound down to a tee. One small stumble over the words near the start, but I bet that is all down to first night nerves, because after that the nerves seemed to vanish and everything was in the pink.

Warner Huntington III is played by Pauli Tritter. Via Paul I saw a slightly different Warner at the start, because when the pair get together for what Elle is expecting to be a proposal, Warner seems to be slightly on edge and not a bit like the over confident Warner that I have seen in past productions; possible because he has to deliver bad news to Elle. Either that or Pauli also had a few nerves himself, which is completely believable. As with Ciara, after that scene, the old arrogant Warner was back to form.

Emmett Forrest, who Elle falls in love with, was played by Kevin Farrell. Emmett is one of those nerdy characters that you soon grow to love for his nerdiness, and Kevin delivered exactly what I expected from Emmett. He also delivered a fine musical theatre voice which grew stronger as the character grew.

Eva Burke was so good as Paulette the hairdresser. Again really strong vocals and lovely comic timing. This is a lovely warm character, the sort of friend that everyone needs and Eva brings that warmth out as Paulette's confidence builds, thanks to Elle and her Greek chorus, and of course the "Bend And Snap".

Paulette's ideal man is an Irishman and when she finds out that her new UPS delivery man is not only an absolute hunk, but is Irish as well..... Kyle, the UPS man is played with great confidence by Ian Alabaster. A nice, almost arrogant twist to the introduction of this character as Ian shows off his flexibility on stage - more than that I shall not expand on but his package ends up on the floor!! This is a brilliant comedy role for Ian, and also doubles up as another comedy part in Grandmaster Chad.

The slimy Professor Callaghan was played by Sam Thompson. For some reason I thought that I had seen Sam somewhere on stage before, or maybe that should be that I should have seen Sam on stage somewhere before. Sam is a very strong character actor who brings out the powerful in Callaghan. There is a confidence in Sam's acting and that makes this character fearful for not only the current legal interns, but makes the audience sit up in their seats. He also adds bite to the song "Dead In The Water", almost as if he is the shark, circling for his prey and stamping his authority. Sam's performance could possibly be one of the best local theatre versions of Callaghan that I have seen, and with that voice, this young man could be destined for even more stage work.

Sarah-Jayne Byrne plays Vivienne, Warner's new "serious" girlfriend. Here's another character who gets to turn the audience's opinion of them, as when we first see her, she is not such a nice character, throwing Elle under the legal bus in front of the almighty Callaghan. And then Vivienne starts to see things, and Elle quite differently, and the character and attitude changes. Some very strong vocals from Sarah-Jayne in this show.

Brooke Wyndham, the fitness queen is played brilliantly by Ellie De Souza, and she certainly looks the part of a fitness queen! One of my favourite parts of this musical is the scene where we are introduced to this character. She is on a video that the legal team are watching and the song they perform to is called "Whipped Into Shape". On all other productions this is a scene where everyone is skipping with Brooke leading them. Unfortunately there was only Brooke with a skipping rope and everyone else were miming skipping, and that slightly took the image and impressive skipping choreography impact down a bit.

Elle's best friends are Margot (Freya McCleary), Serena (Evie Cook) and Pilar (Emily Lindridge). This trio make up Elle's "Greek chorus" and are great fun whenever they explode on stage. I am sure that their energy alone are also responsible for charging the batteries in their battery mic packs, they are almost as full on as a Duracell bunny, and I loved that fun and energy.

Francesca Napolitano plays Kate, the Delta Nu sorority sister, the smart and studious one, who helps Elle pass her legal exams.

Enid Hoopes is another Harvard intern who is on the case in Callaghan's team, and a lovely comedy part for Georgia Hancock.    

 Esme Beaccham plays Chutney - who would name their child Chutney? - Wyndham, Brooke's step daughter. Esme doubles up as Whitney, who is Vivienne's best friend.

Seif Alshunnar plays Nikos, the man in the dock who works for Brooke as a pool man. A minor comic role where we have to decide if he is gay or European. The truth is out, quite literally when his best friend, or is that boyfriend Carlos, played by Sam Varley, a scene they both steal and attracts a massive round of applause for both.

Seif doubles up on roles playing Sundeep Padamadan, one of the new Harvard interns.

Sam likewise doubles his role playing Dewey, Paulette's ex. In this role he looks completely different to the role of Carlos.

Jojo Liney plays Aaron Schultz, another Harvard law student and multi millionaire.

Elle's Mom is played by Amelia Beddow and Charlie Dennett plays Elle's Dad.

The Shop Owner and The Judge is played by Jerushah Joseph-Jeffrey.

Henry Manwaring also doubles up on roles, two very different roles as he plays Professor Pforzheimer, one of the trio who has to decide whether Elle is to be admitted to Harvard, as well as playing Rufus, Paulette's bulldog.

Luke Stringer plays Professor Lowell, another third of the trio, as well as Bruiser, Elle's chihuahua!

Completing the trio of Professors is someone who received a ear shattering response to his entrance on stage, Professor Randall as Professor Winthrop.

The choreography is energetic and the featured dancers Lauren Abbi-Wood, Giulia Cianci, Abbie Hjorring, Riya Kewalani, Ella McLeod and Charlotte Parvin gave absolutely everything and smiled all the way through.

The Sorority Girls Ensemble consist of Erin Burns, Isabel Hawthorn, Smilla Heaney, Phoebe Ingram, Madeleine Lynchy, Niamh Masterson, Karmena Moriarty, Jessica Rimmington and Emily Waring.

The Harvard Students Ensemble consist of George Baglin, Lydia Berry, Wiktoria Braszkewicz, Anna Holland, Emma Hurdle, Ben Jones, Catherine Magennis, Amelie Parish, Isobel Temple and Eve Yellop.

The production team are Emily Lindridge (Director), Eva Burke (Choreography), Ryan Latham (Musical Director) and Lydia Berry (Vocal Director).

This fifteen piece band is another bonus for seeing this production because they sound absolutely brilliant; so much power. The soundtrack has some brilliant earworms that will have them whizzing around your head for days afterwards. Songs like "OmiGod U Guys", "What you Want", "Blood In The Water", "Positive", "Chip On My Shoulder", "Whipped Into Shape", "Bend And Snap", "Gay Or European" and of course the title song are infectiously catchy.

Lydia says in the write up in the programme that the cast comprised of people with a range of musical singing experience, and to the trained ear, you could tell the actors who didn't have the full vocal range of talents, but note I say "to the trained ear" and an ear that has heard a lot of musical theatre vocals. I don't think the average musical theatre audience member would have noticed so much, because not one of these medical students belied their ability to belt out a tune. Every one highlighted Lydia's talents as a Vocal Director.

A wonderfully clear sound and a great lighting design by the Arts Theatre experts Evie Webster and George Wilson.

The costumes are all excellent with some fun additions of open Hawaiian shirts and shorts to contrast with the very smart suits, and a lot of thought and sourcing has gone into getting the costumes just right.

This isn't the best version of the musical I've ever seen, but then again, I've seen a lot, but it's still as entertaining, it's funny, it's warm and is great entertainment. There were just a few things that I would have changed, and they're not major things either, just things that niggle me in plays and can easily be resolved for realism. 

In the scene where we meet Callaghan and the interns are taking notes, only some of the interns had writing implements and others just pretended to note things down with their fingers on note pads. All that were needed were a few pens.

In all of the scenes where drinks were involved, the cast were shown drinking out of empty bottles and cups - this is one of my most common niggles. All that is needed to resolve this would be to have water, or coloured water in the bottles.

I've already mentioned the scene with the skipping where Brooke's crew were skipping without skipping ropes.

With all that in mind, "Legally Blonde" is an incredibly fun piece of theatre. It's camp and it's full on, and the Medics make sure that they give very good value for money with this show. It also shows that the University of Nottingham Medics are a talented group of people, and if their bedside manner is half as good as their musical theatre skills, I think the future of the health service is in excellent jazz hands. 

One more thing that I will mention is that the theatre was absolutely rammed on opening night (Thursday) and the energy, appreciation and enthusiasm from the audience to the stage was like a tsunami of love for this fantastic cast.

"Legally Blonde" is at the Nottingham Arts Theatre until Saturday 1 March.

 "The Shark Is Broken" by Ian Shaw and Joseph Nixon

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Back in 1975, a film was released that made holiday makers think twice about swimming in the sea. "Jaws" was released on the film going public with the tagline "You'll never go in the water again" and terrorised everybody. Can it really be fifty years since this film was released?

I was twelve years old and can remember sitting in the cinema, with my parents, and one scene gave me nightmares; the one where they are underwater and the scene shows a porthole, when suddenly a detached head floated across the porthole - God, I can remember jumping out of my skin! But I absolutely loved the film with its' incredibly realistic white shark, nicknamed "Bruce", - the only film in the franchise where Jaws actually looked realistic, in my humble opinion!

The film was based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley, which is also mentioned, not in a very favourable way in the script. There are several references to cinematic and television output from that era, also not lauded about that have since been talked about favourably since the 1970's, which all adds to the wonderful comedy surrounding this play. Shaw also says near the end about the likelihood of people talking about the film they are making, fifty years on. Well, here we are, still talking warmly about this legendary piece of celluloid.

So what is "The Shark Is Broken" all about then?

FADE IN: The open ocean, 1974. Filming is delayed…again. The lead actors – theatre veteran Robert Shaw and young Hollywood hotshots Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider – are crammed into a too-small boat, The Orca, entirely at the mercy of foul weather and a faulty mechanical co-star. Alcohol flows, egos collide, and tempers flare on a chaotic voyage that just might lead to cinematic magic…if it doesn’t sink them all.

The stage play takes a look behind the scenes of making this iconic shark movie, in fact the best shark movie ever, again just my opinion. It's a mix of comedy and insightful, of the period, comments that went into making the film that you probably wouldn't get from anywhere else. 

I love autobiographies and biographies, and basically being nosey about celebrity. Books that tell you about the person and their life behind their celebrity, so this play was right up my street. I love the banter behind the actors' filming and characters; you get to find out what they were like in that snapshot of time. 

Ian Shaw stars as his father, Robert Shaw, and you really have to look twice because Ian is the spitting image of his dad. Robert Shaw played the role of the shark hunter, Quint. Ian gets to deliver some wonderful comic lines. It's like watching Robert Shaw on stage, but let's face it, who else is going to do this marvellous actor justice if not his son. There's a lot of tongue in cheek comedy within the script and there's a lovely line about Robert Shaw's nine kids and if any of them are interested in acting, and the reply that comes from that. 

I never knew that Robert Shaw was a massive fan of stage work, but then again, at the time I was not even a teenager when the film was released and my interest in theatre a long way off, but this play made me wish that I could have seen this great actor on stage, just because of the love for the art that is shown in "The Shark Is Broken" by the character.

Dan Fredenburgh as Roy Scheider, the police chief Martin Brody of Amity Island, where the great white shark is terrorising Amity's residents and the holiday makers thereof. Brody is the man who has that memorable line from the film, "You're gonna need a bigger boat.", a line that is mentioned in the play and received a loud acknowledgement for doing so. Another wonderful line came from Scheider when, near the end, the character said that if a sequel of "Jaws" were made, he wouldn't be in it. Now, let me just check the cast again on IMDB......

Ellie Collyer-Bristow, the Casting Director, could not have done a better job of casting because all three were visually and aurally unmistakeable in their characters.

Ashley Margolis as Richard Dreyfuss, the scientist and Medical Examiner Matt Hooper. Dreyfuss was always looking to be a "star", and having featured in the two previous films, "American Graffiti" and "The Apprenticeship Of Duddy Kravitz", he was hoping that "Jaws" was going to break him as the star that he wanted to be. There's a lot of comedy written in "Shark" for Dreyfuss, and shows the man as a drug loving, skirt chasing, fame hungry actor who wanted to be taken more seriously, asking Shaw to connect him with Harold Pinter for a more serious role in the theatre.

Near the end of the filming for "Jaws", the three man talk about what's next for them, and I love how all three downplayed their next roles and the expectations for the success of their films. Another brilliant example of the tongue in cheek writing ability of the authors. At the time who would have thought "Close Encounters" and "Jurassic Park" would have been such enormous hits for the "Jaws" Director, Steven Spielberg. 

Directed by Guy Masterson, the thought of watching just three actors on stage for ninety five minutes without an interval, without any scene changes, chatting about the film that they were making, how they passed their time, and their opinions of each other and the production team for the 1975 film, who we don't see, initially didn't sound that attention holding. How wrong I was because this is one of the best new pieces of theatre to come along and I could have watched an even longer version of this play. 

Masterson's fly on the cabin wall approach is superb, and there was always something happening on stage, even when the feel between the three original actors gave the idea of long-drawn-out periods in between shoots with nothing to do but chat or play games like shove ha'penny, while the "shark" was being fixed so that filming could continue. That, by the way explains where the title of the play comes from, just in case you wondered.

Duncan Henderson's set design takes us to Martha's Vineyard, where the film was made. Everything takes place in the cross section cabin of the fishing boat with a video design backdrop by Nina Dunn showing the ocean and the sky. Very atmospheric.

Lighting design is by Jon Clark and sound design, as well as all of the original music you hear throughout, is by Adam Cork. The play opens though with a reminder of that menacing theme.

The play runs straight though for ninety five minutes without interval, and why would you want to interrupt such a magnetic story with an interval? 

For anyone who is old enough to remember seeing the film when it first came out, or likes pieces of theatre with a difference, then this is one for you.

"The Shark Is Broken" is making waves at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 1 March.