"Newsies Jr" by Spotlight Theatre.

Squire Performing Arts Centre, Nottingham.

Disney’s "Newsies Jr" is a give or take 60 minute version of the 2012 Broadway musical, based on the 1992 film, which in turn was inspired by the rousing true story of newsboys in turn-of-the-century New York City.

This may be a shorter version of the full show but one thing that this production is not short on is energy, passion and talent. I've never seen the stage version of this musical, although I have seen the filmed stage version from 2016 starring Jeremy Jordan in the role of Jack Kelly. This Spotlight version has whetted my appetite for the live stage version if it tours. For now, this is my introduction properly to the show, and highlights the energy this show has by this large cast.

The "newsies" are young people who buy the papers from the publishers and then sell them on to the public to make a living. When powerful newspaper publishers raise prices at the newsboys’ expense, Jack Kelly rallies newsies from across the city to strike against the unfair conditions. Together, the newsies learn that they are stronger united and create a movement to fight for what’s right.

Jack Kelly, the charismatic, artistic, and fiercely loyal leader of the Manhattan newsies is played by Brogan Haynes. Jack is an orphaned dreamer and artist who yearns to get out of the crowded streets of New York and make a better life for himself out West. Fiercely protective of his best friend, Crutchie, and very loyal, Jack isn’t afraid to use his voice to attain better conditions for the working kids of New York City. I've reviewed Brogan many times and have watched him mature as a leading performer over quite a few years now. His voice has also matured really well and has a newer, softer feel in these songs. His acting, as always, is excellent as he morphs into the character of Kelly. There's a lot of choreography in this musical which he also looks very at ease with, despite the complexity of the moves. An absolute all-rounder, and he is still only 17 years old!

Katherine Plummer, a smart, determined young reporter who helps the newsies tell their story is played by Emily Holder. Katherine works hard to make a name for herself as a legitimate journalist in a time when women aren’t taken seriously. Emily, I feel, has a lot in common with Katherine; smart and determined and her voice has such power and control. This is her final show for Spotlight Juniors but with the talents that she has, she will be an asset for Spotlight Seniors, and I can't wait to see the roles that she takes on where she moves up the ranks of Spotlight, especially with that voice.

Crutchie, Jack’s best friend, a newsie with a crutch who is protective of his fellow newsies is played by Preston Nash. Crutchie is a dedicated newsie with a “bum leg” from polio that causes pain, but helps sell more papers. Walking with the assistance of a crutch doesn’t define the ever-positive newsie. When an actor has to work on stage with a prop, it can sometimes be more of a pain than a prop, but Preston looks to have mastered the art of prop work. He looks natural with the crutch, and I am sure that having to come down metal staircases with the crutch has taken quite a bit of getting used to, to make it seem natural to him. As with Brogan, his voice gets better every show and you can feel and hear that confidence in the way he sings. He also gets to join in with the choreography, or should that be crutchography? There's a scene when he is in The Refuge where he is writing to Jack which also gets to show Preston's comedy acting skills through reading what Crutchie has written to his best friend.

Les Jacobs, is the youngest newsie, who brings fresh energy to the group is played by Nellie Mason in her first proper role in a musical. It may be her first, but I very much doubt if it'll be the last time we see her on stage. Les is excited by the newsies’ freedom and loves their independent lifestyle. This young lady is going to grow into a fine character actor from what I witnessed this afternoon.

Davey Jacobs is Les's older brother who becomes a leader in the strike. Davey starts selling newspapers to help his family earn a living but becomes swept up in the fervor of the strike. A leader in his own right, who is learning to use his voice to uplift others. Played by Theo Carey in his first show with Spotlight. Theo, I was surprised to discover is 18 years old, but looks so much younger on stage which will definitely stand him in good stead for getting various roles in musical theatre. A natural character actor who has a good singing voice as well.

Joseph Pulitzer, the greedy, powerful publisher of the "New York World" is played by Daniel Ivan. A pompous businessman through and through, owns the World and is concerned solely with the bottom line. Katherine’s no-nonsense father, Pulitzer doesn’t sympathize with the strikers, but he does eventually – and grudgingly – respect Jack. I have actually seen Daniel before in "Shrek" last November at Mansfield Palace Theatre in a minor role, so it's nice to see his acting skills in this role. A confident baddie who could turn those skills into panto baddie parts, especially with his swarthy looks. We'll have to watch what happens!!

Medda Larkin, a supportive vaudeville performer who helps and supports the newsies is played by Sophie Benner. Another young person who I've had the pleasure watching mature on stage in many productions. Sophie has always had a great voice and there are a couple of scenes in "Newsies" that require some big vocal parts, including a big song and dance number inside The Bowery with The Bowery Girls, showing Sophie's singing and dancing skills and proving that she is not just a pretty face!

Oscar and Morris, the Delancey Brothers are tough brothers who work for the publishers. They are played by Harry Keiller and Jason Thompson respectively.

Wiesel is a disgruntled paper-pusher who uses the Delancey brothers as his muscle, runs distribution for the newspaper and has little patience or sympathy for the newsies. Weisel is played by Hemani Kader.

The corrupt warden of The Refuge, Snyder, is played by Jacob Jacques-Phillips. Snyder is a filthy and horrible juvenile reformatory, is concerned only with catching enough kids to keep their government cheques coming.

Governor Teddy Roosevelt, a supportive figure who encourages the newsies to stand up to Pulitzer, is played by Josh Barrington.

Spot Conlon, the most respected and famous Newsies in all of New York, is the Leader of the Brooklyn Newsies and is played by Scarlett Coleman-Smith in her final Spotlight Jr production. 

Supporting the main characters are Hemi Lewis (Race), Emma Price (Specs), Josh Barrington (Buttons), Izzy Lucas (Tommy Boy), Caitlin Robinson (Romeo), Sniper, Lucy Horton (Albert), Grace Morozuik (Muriel), Jess Blackham (Nancy), Megan Holder (Pigtails), Jess Griffiths (Hazel), Caitlin Robinson (Romeo), Atia Morrell (Jo Jo), Penny Johnson (Bill), Isla Crawford  (Dorothy), Honor Wilkie (Hannah), Seth Burgess (Bunsen/Police Chief), Izzy-Mai Davis (Darey) and Bella Stainsby (Seitz).

Scabs are played by Tessa Gibbon and Lottie Buxey.

Other Newsies are played by April Kenyon, Christie Gregory, Freya Ireson, Esmie Smith-Cockayne, Maddie Leek, Mia Jacks, Steph Booth, Karin Hurst, Sarah Fisher and Tashaya Barnett.

The Bowery Girls, Ada is played by April Kenyon, Ethel is played by Freya Ireson and Christie Gregory plays Olive.

The Bowery Brigade are played by Maddie Leek, Mia Jacks and Esme Smith-Cockayne.

The ensemble are made up of Jessica Sims, who is also the Dance Captain, Darcey Adams (Principal Dancer), Honor Wilkie, Lyla Wilkinson, Penny Johnson, Isla Crawford, Tessa Gibbon and Lottie Buxey.

Directed by Liam Petruccio-Hall; this man must have so much patience and steel to even think of Directing a show this size with so many members, but he has, and the show is carrying the banner for all large local theatre groups. This show and the slickness of the production shows once and for all, just how good local theatre can be.

Choreographed by Madelyn Pritchard and Bethany Wear. There are some BIG choreographed pieces in this Junior show and you can see how big the cast list is, and when they are all on stage, they have the energy to match the National Grid. The tap sequences are so synchronised, and I loved the special choreography - or should that be chorehopraphy - for Preston.

Musical Director is Vicky Morozuik with Assistant MD being Laura McChrystal, who also multi tasked as Stage Manager. With not having a live band to provide the backing, every single one of these singers on stage has to get their cues spot on, and you can tell that, by them achieving that in this show that the MDs have done an excellent job throughout the whole vocal process.

Assistant Stage Manager is Roman Moroziuk and Deputy Stage Manager is Nigel Newton.

Costumes Co-ordinator is Sophie Petruccio-Hall. These costumes reflect the stature of the various characters, immediately showing who is who in the ladder of success of this power hungry piece of theatre. 

The set was multi levelled wrapping the steel looking construction around three sides of the stage, allowing various entrance and exit points, which was so very useful with the size of the cast. Unfortunately, the programme seems to have omitted credit for this area.

Loads of props in this show and the folk responsibility for them are Laura McChrystal, Vicky Moroziuk, Bethany Wear, Madelyn Pritchard, Roman Moroziuk, Erin Hanby and Amanda Hall.

Sound Designer is Rob Kettridge with Bronwen Webster on Sound 2. No issues with the sound design or operation and was at the perfect volume level for me.

Lighting Design is by Abby Catto. the shadowy darkness reflects suitably the depressive atmosphere that these newsies work under but then there are glorious splashes of colour to depict the lifting of that darkness, especially in the dance sections.

One thing that was nice to see was the amount of people who came out on a Saturday afternoon to support Spotlight, as well as several people in the audience I spotted from other theatre groups. Whether that was for just an afternoon watching a wonderful musical, or to check out competition, who knows - I have a feeling it'll be the former, it was nice to see such support.

"Newsies Jr" is at the Squire Performing Arts Centre in Nottingham until Sunday 19 April. Seize the day and go and see this lovely show which is full of hope and fight.

Photography by Martin Holtom and Liam Petruccio-Hall.

 "We Will Rock You" by Melton Musical Theatre Company.

Melton Theatre.

Written by Queen and Ben Elton, the musical tells the story of a globalized future without musical instruments. The year is 2300 and a handful of rock rebels, the Bohemians, fight against the all-powerful Globalsoft company and its boss, the Killer Queen; they fight for freedom, individuality and the rebirth of the age of rock.

Scaramouche and Galileo, two young outsiders, cannot come to terms with the bleak reality. They join the Bohemians and embark on the search to find the unlimited power of freedom, love and Rock! Oh, and the last buried musical instruments, just to make sure that rock music can be reborn.

The idea for the musical came after a meeting between the actor Robert De Niro with musicians Brian May and Roger Taylor, in Venice in 1996. De Niro's daughter was a big fan of the Queen and the actor asked if the legends of rock had never thought of creating a musical based on their songs. The rest, as they say, is history.

The musical includes many of Queens finest hits such as "Radio Ga Ga", "Killer Queen", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "I Want It All", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Flash", "Fat bottomed Girls", "Under Pressure", "We Are The Champions", "Headlong" and of course, ‘We Will Rock You’.

Galileo Figaro is played by James Barlow, who makes his debut for TMMTC. James has one of those voices created for musical theatre, and looking at his musical theatre CV and the roles that he has played in the past, you can tell that his powerful voice has been put to good use, as it has here. Queen songs are like Abba songs, they're not the easiest to sing, although a lot of people may think they are, this is why there has never been a replacement for Freddie Mercury, maybe with the exception of Adam Lambert. Anyway, what I am saying is that James has a great ability to sing these songs, and his falsetto is so well controlled and with perfect pitch. His lower register is as good as his falsetto, and he sings with feeling. He's a great leading man and obviously loves the comedy side of this show because he also shows just how good he is in that field.

Scaramouche is played by Vikki Taylor. I saw Vikki play the role of The Dragon in last year's "Shrek" and commented at that time what a voice she has, and this time around we get to hear, not only a more rocky sound, but also the real soul in her voice. The rawness in the big duet with James on "Who Wants To Live Forever" sends tingles up your spine, giving gospel vibes. Scaramouche is one of those roles that you have to give attitude and Vikki has plenty of that in this role.

Killer Queen is played by another one of my favourite Leicestershire ladies, Tash Bailey. I've seen Tash in a few shows and charity concerts over the last few years and I love her voice and the way that she plays around with some of the songs in this show make the Queen lyrics sound very sexy. I've always said that several of the songs recorded by Freddie Mercury could have been written with women in mind to sing them; Vikki and Tash prove my theory right. Killer Queen has never looked and sounded so saucy as it does played by Tash, and her costumes ramp up that naughtiness!

Ozzy Osbourne is played by Hannah Castledine. One thing I have again discovered with TMMTC is that there are so many big voices, and here we have another one with Hannah. A big voice and a big personality all go into making Ozzy. I love the respect that this show gives to rock legends and when the name Ozzy was mentioned for her introduction to Galileo and Scaramouche, the whole cast turned and looked to the roof as a tribute to the great Ozzy Osbourne. Oz's song "Only The Good Die Young" is another song that started the hairs on the back of my neck to tingle.

Britney Spears adds some of the comedy, and with Oz, is responsible for bringing Galileo and Scaramouche to the Bohemians. Playing Britney is Josh Gallagher, who I last saw on stage as Bedevere in "Spamalot" last year. And again, another big vocal style, and what a fun character to play. Britney's outfit looked as if it had been bought from a branch of Ann Summers, and paired with the kilt, probably got quite a few of the ladies in the theatre a  little hot under the collar. Massively fun role played by a man with a big sense of humour.

Kashoggi is similar to the archetypal panto villain as he tries to silence Galileo and Scaramouche, but falls foul of the Killer Queen when he fails, and is played by Ryan Green. Another fine set of vocals that match the rock and soul of Queen's music. Love the musical timing with Killer Queen and Kashoggi in the scene where he tells her that Galileo and Scaramouche have been "lost" as Killer Queen starts singing "Don't Stop Me Now", meeting his downfall as a result of the confession.

Buddy  injects the comedy into this above average jukebox musical and is played by Andrew Hull. There's a very humorous scene where Buddy is telling Galileo and Scaramouche about some of the "old" things like a videotape, a poster, a Harley Davidson but pronounces them all quite phonetically; that scene still makes me smile broadly whenever it comes around. This production seems to have several lines in which I could not remember from other productions and there's one scene where Buddy, Galileo and Scaramouche are all on the Harley Davidson heading off to find the mysterious "axe" - that's a rock guitar to non-muso types like myself - which is quite saucy and really suits Buddy's character perfectly. I won't give any spoilers, you'll have to buy a ticket to find out.

The Ensemble/Supporting cast is made up of a terrific group who also had cameo roles alongside their ensemble roles....

Victoria Adams (Yuppie/Gaga), Amy Beale (David Bowie), Charlie Brend (Yuppie/Gaga), Charlotte Broomfield (Boy George), Carole Bailey (White Snake), Sam Carter (Tina Turner), Pete Etherington (AC/DC), Kate Felts (Yuppie/Teen Queen/Gaga), Hadyn Green (Mick Jagger), Connie Hamer (Gaga/Pink), Bow Heaton (Yuppie/Gaga), JoJo Helstrip (Yuppie/Teen Queen/Gaga), Kiri Humphreys (Teacher/Doctor), Adam Keightley (Lady Gaga), Megan Lowe (Yuppie/Gaga), Cara Pett (Cyndi Lauper), Judy Marshall (Debbie Harry), Thomas Randall (Gaga/Floyd), Zoe Pole (Yuppie/Doctor), Rachel Roberts (Stevie Nicks), John Stewart (Madonna), Maddie Westwater (Yuppie/Teen Queen/Gaga), Emma Weston (Yuppie/Doctor), Melissa Wood (Gaga/Doctor), Becky Woodcock (Janis Joplin) and Flossie Wixey - brilliant name btw (Yuppie/Teen Queen/Gaga). 

Directed by Bernice Rowan, assisted by Dan Atkinson. This is not an easy show to do but Bernice and Dan have put together an incredible cast and have given us all a brilliant night out with some of the best rock music written and, I don't know how it works with a show like this, but have even included some new, and funny lines to keep the show fresh and funny. An undoubted success all round.

Choreographed by Victoria Adams. As with Directing this show, the choreography, with the big ensemble numbers, is no easy ride. The robotic routines were all crisp and the tap section with "Killer Queen" was wonderfully played out. The finale of "Bohemian Rhapsody" actually became quite emotional with everyone on stage as it really seemed like a tribute to Freddie.

Musical Director is Reece Crane. To start with I thought that there was use of backing tracks, but I was only sitting on the second row from the stage and if I hadn't seen the band myself would have swore that click tracks were being used, the sound was so authentic. The band consist of Alex Lamb and Adam Wright (Keyboards), Lex Forrester and Chris Loach, who also got up on stage to provide a sizzling solo (Guitars), Jon Heywood (Bass), Richard Dry (Drums) and Minesh Patel (Percussion). Queen's music for a while was heavy on the bass and drums and that rhythm section tonight sounded awesome.

The Costume Mistress is Charlotte Broomfield, and with a show like this with so many different characters, the diversity of the costumes was incredible, as well as very diverse!

Set supplier is by Dave D Events and looked amazing. I don't know if that also included the video backdrops, but they were, quite literally, out of this world and the timing and operation of this was absolutely spot on.

Theatre Technician is Josh Hammond.

Lighting is thanks to James Pritchard who did an amazing job, making this show an even greater treat for the eyes, at times worthy of concert standards.

Sound is thanks to Neil "Wes" Wesley. As with many large casts, it's an expensive job having everyone on stage mic'd up and with scenes like the "Killer Queen" section, even sitting on B Row, I could hardly hear the ensemble tap dancers singing. The main cast though were perfectly mic'd up volume wise, with just a few missed mic cues; but as I have said, it's a large cast and like I've said in the past in other theatres, the sound operator has to be part octopus to make sure that every mic cue is hit every single time. Volume wise for the main cast was absolutely spot on, which made sure that the audience, wherever they sat, would have heard every one-liner and joke with the greatest of clarity.

Stage managed by Trevor Adams, assisted by Stu Bartram with their crew of Owen McConnell, Stefan Kotarba, Ian Cliffe, Oscar Stephens, Izzy Hand, Richard Hand and Suzie Hand. Well, they do say that many Hands make light work, it also makes for some very smooth scene transitions as well!

There are some fantastic props involved, managed by the Props Team of Jude McNulty-Green, Hadyn Green and Jane Lesley-Cunliffe.

The programme is also worth the price because it's very cast informative and is very eye catching in its' design by Georgie Bladon.

We must also mention those who work behind the scenes and those that are the faces of TMMTC who work as Chaperones, Front Of House Crew and Cast Assistants because they are also the cogs that make a theatre group run smoothly and all do an excellent job in every theatre group in every theatre.

This musical is not just a show for Queen fans, this show is for fans of amazing music, and the story is not too bad either for a jukebox musical. A stark warning to all internet freaks who may just be losing touch with the real world, as well as real music.

"We Will Rock You" is at Melton Theatre until Saturday 18 April. Get a ticket and get rocked!!!

 "The Wedding Singer" by LEOS Musical Theatre Company .

May Hall, Trent College, Long Eaton.

Set in 1985, Robbie Hart is New Jersey’s favourite wedding singer, leading his band Simply Wed. All is going well in his career and his love life as he himself is due to marry when his fiancée dumps him at the altar, so Robbie makes every wedding he sings at as miserable as his own. But we all know the saying, “When one door closes..... another opens and in walks Julia. Julia is set to marry her fiancé Glenn, who’s a bit of a bad ‘un. He works on Wall Street and for him, it’s all about the green and Julia takes second place to his first love, money!

Will Julia see what Glenn is really like? Will Robbie get back with his ex fiancée, Linda? Will Robbie’s hip Grandma Rose be able to play Cupid between Julia and Robbie? All these questions are answered, and more, this week at May Hall, Long Eaton so grab your best hat because this is one hell of a fun ride.

Robbie Hart is played by Shan Bhumbra and it's about time that Shan has been trusted with the leading man title because he makes a brilliant leading man. He can sing, dance, deliver comic lines and play guitar live on stage. Extremely likeable character, on and off stage, and you really root for Robbie to "get the girl".  As leading man Shan gets a good slice of the vocals which range from a punky "Somebody Kill Me" to the power ballad duet of "If I Told You" and the opening "It's Your Wedding Day"

Matt McAuley (Sammy) and Harvey Latter (George) complete the band and provide many of the wonderful comedy moments in this brilliant feel good show. The "Wedding Band" deliver a host of infectious, fun songs like ""Today, You Are A Man" and "Single". Both Matt and Harvey get to shine on their own; Matt bringing the comedy in his scenes trying to get back into his ex's life proving not to be as easy as he may have thought but made for a lovely comic sideline to the romance with Robbie and Julia.

Harvey's "George's Prayer" is a gem of a song. Costumes for this pair really show their characters for who they are; Sammy is a bit of a Springsteen style rocker and George's influences are, of course Boy George. Harvey pitched the "campness" just right, which made the character one to be laughed with and not at. 

Julia is played by Natalie Webster. Julia is sweet natured with Natalie provides the gorgeously sweet singing voice. Again, we get a lovely rounded character showing Julia running the whole range of emotions as she slowly realises that maybe Glenn is not the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with. Let's face it, would you want to go through life being called Julia Gulia? There's comedy with "Come Out Of the Dumpster" and the romantic Robbie/Julia duet's "If I Told You" and "Grow Old With You", all suiting Natalie's voice beautifully.

Glen, the bad boy of the show, is played by Dan Scott. Dan has all the tools in his acting box to create this slimy philandering cheat with all the money and confidence. When it comes down to it though, for Glen, it's "All About The Greens".

Grandma Rosie. the ballsiest, funkiest, sauciest Grandma ever, is played by Zoe Davey. She's always ready to offer advice, on any subject, to Robbie, but the real highlight for me with Grandma is the rap she does with George.

Holly, Julia's friend, is played by Amy Hunter-Parker. Amy shows a wonderful chemistry with Julia, as the other waitress and best friend. At the end of Act One you'll also get to see Amy reproduce an iconic scene from another classic 1980's film. Vocally Amy smashes it in what could be the most challenging piece of vocal ability I've seen and heard her perform, my favourite has to be "Right In Front Of Your Eyes".

Linda, Robbie's fiancée who dumps him at the altar, is played by Vivialyn Joynson. Vivialyn has a powerhouse of a voice, and as this rock chick she uses that voice incredibly, and only a hurting Robbie could resist when Linda looked as hot on stage as she does when she tries to get back into Robbie's life, as well as his.......bed!

The ensemble are made up of Philippa Buchanan, Megan Hill, Victoria Palmer, Joshua Read, Andy Cattanach, Eleanor Harvey, Becky Morley, Jack Woolley, Caitlin Biddulph, Charlotte Buchanan, Daisy Donohue, Lilli White, Sammie Barker, Graham Buchanan, Alice Summerton, Laura Davey, Sultan Choudhury and Tracy Hooton.

This ensemble of people also doubled up on roles and I must mention Sultan in his role as "Bum" in the "Single" section, showing some lovely comedy work.

For anyone who hasn't seen this musical before there's also appearances from a false Margaret Thatcher, false Cyndi Lauper, false Terminator, false Ronald and Nancy Reagans, false Madonna and a false Billy Idol.

Directed by Rhodri Denton, assisted by Sarah McAuley they have brought all of the fun of the original Adam Sandler film along with the live experience of the stage musical to Long Eaton. The glitter cannons weren't the only explosive things on stage thanks to this slick pair of Directors.

Produced with style by Adam Worton. 

Choreographed by Molly Parkinson. This musical has so much choreography but just wait until the closing of act one with "Saturday Night In The City" which is one of those pieces that uses absolutely everybody. Molly has really done her homework where 80's dance moves are concerned; so many stylised choreography pieces from that decade, which brought back many memories of my clubbing days. Sections like "Single", "All About The Greens", "Pop", "It's Your Wedding Day" and "Casualty Of Love" have so much energy with the various styles per piece.

The set designed is simple with a raised section provided by Roydon Charlesworth which then gives access to have the other bits like the bed, tables, chairs, office furniture etc installed on stage simply and smoothly by the Stage Crew Mina Holtom, Sophie Slater-Evans and Christine Daykin with the Stage Manager Katie Bird.

Musical Director is Rob McAuley who led a superb sounding and punchy band consisting of Sam Griffiths and Charlotte Daniel (Keys), Tim Yearsley and Tom Wakley (Guitars), Ben Henderson and Jonathan Jarvis (Bass), Dawn Bratby and Katy Lane (Reeds) and Abi Wilson on Drums - if there's any skin left on them after Wednesday's show!

Costumes are thanks to Mina Holtom and Sarah McAuley, with a special mention to Harvey's costume, as well as make-up.

Lighting Design and Operation is by David Price. A brilliantly retro design which lit up the whole stage with colour splashes that would not look out of place on an artist's palette, only dimming in vibrancy for the more serious parts of the storyline, focusing its' spotlight on the actor on stage, which also gave the stage crew invisibility to position or remove parts of the set/props. The 80's music scene was a colourful one and this design brought it all back.

Sound Designer is Matt Haslam. With just a couple of mic pac issues, something that is outside the sound operator's control, on the whole the sound was really good and well mixed with the band's musical output, making sure that the audience received a well balanced sound output.

LEOS Musical Theatre Company are collecting after the performances for The Lasting Project (Local Access to Sustainable Theatre in NG), whose aim is to make theatre accessible, inclusive, and sustainable for all within the East Midlands. Based on the principles of collaboration, quality and representation, we aim to work together to evolve our thriving community theatre scene into a place where everybody feels like they belong, whether on stage, behind the scenes, or in the audience. Through collaborative thinking, shared learning, and a pledge to evolving quality, we will support local groups, celebrate diverse voices, and build lasting pathways for participation and growth in community theatre.

Accessibility for everyone is very important for LEOS and they have developed several ways to make theatre as accessible as possible to all with an audio programme, BSL Interpreter Emma Dawber and a Touch Tour, led by Ellie Ball. Becky Morley spearheads the accessibility side of LEOS, and also works with Derby Theatre and Nottingham Playhouse in this area.

"The Wedding Singer" is at May Hall, Trent College, Long Eaton until Saturday 18 April.  Don't miss out on this fun and colourful musical comedy.

 "Death On The Nile" by Agatha Christie.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

 In this famous Agatha Christie mystery, Hercule Poirot’s Egyptian adventure aboard a glamorous river steamer descends into a terrifying search for a murderer, with enough twists and turns to keep you unsettled and guessing until the final discovery. 

The tranquillity of a cruise along the Nile is shattered by the discovery that Linnet Ridgeway has been murdered. She was young, stylish and beautiful, a girl who had everything – until she lost her life.

Hercule Poirot, as always, pieces together all the jigsaw pieces to discover who pulled the trigger, and why, especially as it seemed that everyone had a watertight alibi, but someone had to have their finger on the trigger, didn't they?

Playing Hercule Poirot is Mark Hadfield and an excellent choice to play the Belgian detective with the dry sense of humour. All of Christie's Poirot trademarks that we associate with the best Poirots, like David Suchet, are evident alongside some added comical lines like the comparison between William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie.

The legend that is Glynis Barber plays Salome Otterbourn, currently a writer of not so popular crime novels who has decided to move into acting, which escalates when she meets Sir Septimus Troy at a London exhibition of the Mummy's spectacular coffin prior to it being shipped back to its' homeland up the Nile.

Rosie Otterbourn, Salome's daughter who finds love on the Nile trip, is played by Camilla Anvar. 

Colonel Race is played by Bob Barrett. Though Race is not as brilliant at deduction as Poirot, he is a careful and methodical sidekick, helping Poirot to organize searches and interrogations on the steamer.

Libby Alexandra-Cooper plays Linnet Ridgeway, a young American socialite and heiress. Linnet travels to Egypt for her honeymoon with her newlywed husband Simon Doyle, who was also the ex-fiancé of Linnet's childhood friend Jacqueline de Bellfort. 

Howard Gossington plays Atticus Praed, who is an added character to this new stage adaptation and is tasked with returning the priceless Mummy to its Egyptian museum home.

Rameses Praed, a shy, budding doctor and the son of archaeologist/curator Atticus Praed,  is played by Nicholas Prasad. 

Jacqueline de Bellefort is played by Esme Hough. Jacqueline is the villain of the play as she is still madly in love with her ex, Simon, and can't stand to see him with another woman, so she follows them on to the boat to cause mayhem.

Annabelle Pennington, who keeps pursuing Linnet to sign some important documents, is played by Helen Katamba 

Simon Doyle, who is the ex fiancé of  Jacqueline's and is now on his honeymoon with Linnet, is played by Nye Occomore. Emotions spill over when Jacqueline pulls out a gun and shoots Simon in the leg, which she immediately regrets.

Terence Wilton plays Septimus Troy, an aging Shakespearean actor who also takes a bit of a shine to Salome, encouraging her fledgling thespianism.

Nadia Shash, David Boyle and Max Dinnen make up the Ensemble.

Now, just when you think you know these characters, there are little sections of the play that cast doubt over all of the characters. They are seen in shadows, holding covert conversations, all of which make you wonder which of this bunch did actually have a hand in bumping off Linnet, and for what reasons.

Directed by Lucy Bailey and adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig. The staging is completely up to date, while looking and feeling as if you're back in the 1930's. The sliding doors sequences move the action on smoothly and allow the actors to pass through the scene in a cinematic way.

Mike Britton's set design is beautifully old fashioned while depicting the sumptuous style of the era. The initial museum scenes are golden looking, showing the richness of the surroundings with the mummy's case standing tall and glowing centre stage. When we get on board the ship taking them up the River Nile there's even more luscious comfort and style with the various compartments of the boat as well as the main compartment where most of the action takes place. The set is on two levels with the main sleeping compartments situated on the upper level.

Lighting Designer is Oliver Fenwick, who creates a two way split with the lighting. In the grand museum there are lots of gold and red lighting to highlight the extravagance and glamour of the building. The ship's lighting is a more darker lit affair with a more brown hue overall. Both designs reflective of the locations and style.

Sound Designer is Mic Pool. Clarity wise you could hear every word and the sound effects and soundscape were all appropriate and of the appropriate volumes.

In charge of costumes is Sarah Holland and this area of the production really brings the glamour and style into force. If you like the women dressed to the nines and the men in slick suits, then you will not be disappointed in this wardrobe choices.

Sharon Foley is the Props Supervisor. I don't know how easy it is to buy props appropriate of the era the play is set in, the 1930's, or whether these have been especially made for the show, but they all looked amazing; the ancient looking camera, the weaponry, drinking vessels, decanters, furniture all bring the feel of that time, transporting you fully back in time.

Wigs, Hair and Make-Up Supervisor is Elizabeth Marini. Another area which helps bring the style of the 1930's to the stage. 

The fight sequences are directed by Phillip D'Orleans and deliver a high level of realism.

Even though I have seen this play on stage previously, and have seen the film, and read the book, the storytelling is to such a high standard, along with a few new insertions, you can't help but love seeing this Christie classic and loving this adaptation. Christie fan or not, go see this show for a fun evening of entertainment.

"Death On The Nile" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 18 April. Don't let this ship sail without you seeing it off!

 "Uncle Vanya" by Anton Chekhov

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

The relevance to today’s current experience is an interesting point.  The constrictions, the remoteness of Russian rural life set in 1895 affected mental health, finances, ambitions and relationships. And this play is all about relationships, which I found the most interesting aspect, maybe because the relationships twisted and turned and affected every one of the characters. And then there's Dr Astrov's forward thinking regarding regeneration and recycling.

Vanya and his niece Sonya manage the family estate to support Sonya’s father, a professor named Serebryakov, and his younger second wife, Elena in the capital. Vanya’s sole friend Astrov, a doctor, struggling against rural poverty and peasant ill-health.

The professor retires. He and his wife come ‘home’. We find out which characters have feelings for each other and many home truths are revealed throughout. 

The family, holed up together, have their emotions stretched, and when the Professor gathers them all together for a family meeting about the future, the fragility of them all come to the surface with an explosive result.

I've never really seen Chekhov as a writer of comic scenes but I found quite a bit of this play to be humorous. The part where Sonya tests the waters for the Doctor's affections is almost like a schoolgirl asking for a friend. And then when Elena acts as a go between for Sonya, under the premise of showing interest in the good doctor's charts is a lovely pair of mirthful scenes.

I liked the fact that the play continually breaks the fourth wall with several of the actors also acting as narrators to the audience.

Danabha Johnson as Vanya starts off as a good humoured character who likes to let everyone know that, in his mid forties, that he is getting old. There's then the scenes where he is trying to woo Elena, creating more comedy. By the end of the play though, he has developed a serious, and quite manic side, due to the intentions of Serebryakov to sell the property, that isn't really his to sell.

 

Jack Leo plays Dr Astrov, a character that comes across as quite camp, but we discover that certainly is not the case when questioned about possible intentions towards Sonya.

 

Ali Lit plays Sonya. A lovely, almost schoolgirl set of characteristics who does, and then does not want to find out if her unrequited love is going to be requited any time soon. Sonya shows that she has many troubles on her young shoulders, but will they get any lighter after Serebryakov and his wife vacate the farmhouse?

 

David Phillips plays Serebryakov, the main catalyst of many of these issues that arise. Wonderfully bossy with the image of being in charge and having all the answers, but are the answers what Vanya and Sonya want to hear?

 

Charlotte Thomas is Elena, married to the Professor but the object of two others' affections, who do their best to woo her. Elena knows that Sonya has the hots for the Doctor and tries to get some answers for Sonya. Wonderfully shallow, well why else would she marry an aging Professor?

 

Sue Drew is Marya, Vanya’s elderly mother and Sonya’s grandmother.

 

Amanda Hodgson plays Marina, the elderly nurse and housekeeper. She's not afraid to speak her mind either! There's a scene in the second act where she plays to the audience when she is dressing the set itself with the props, commenting on this and referencing her age; a wonderful piece of comedy acting, but I wasn't sure if this was maybe an act in hindsight of someone else forgetting to move the props and furniture, or if it was part of the direction! Either way, a delightful, human piece of theatre that put yet another smile on my face.

 

James Whitby, in his 17th Lace Market Theatre role, plays Ilya Ilich Telegin, nicknamed "pimple" due to the character's skin condition. He is a poor landowner who's allowed to live on Professor Serebryakov's country estate. He's Sonya's godfather and a respected family friend who also plays around with a guitar on stage.

 

Laurence Bembridge is Efim, a worker, or labourer on the farm, who takes on a very sinister image in the last scene of the play.

Collectively this cast create an extremely enjoyable and humorous piece of theatre which shows that Chekhov has a sense of humour, or is it all in the translation?

Translated and adapted by Cynthia Marsh who also directed the play. What I thought was done really well was that there were several spaces in the play which gives the play room to breathe and the audience to digest the information. This led to a nice mix of pace. All of the characters also got a few comic lines so there were no totally serious characters and no characters who were just playing for laughs. Again, this may also have been the result of the translation. Telegrin's nickname has been translated as "waffles" in the past but the choice of "pimple" straight away tells you why he has the nickname that he has. 

• Lighting Design is by Hugh Philip with operation by Hugh, Alan Green, Philip Hogarth and Amy Bermudez.
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• Sound Design by Matthew Allcock. The soundscape seems to be constant throughout and gives that lovely, peaceful rural atmosphere throughout the four seasons the play covers.

Matt was also responsible for the Graphics which completed the excellent set with scenes of the four seasons, as well as quite a chilling final section.

The Set Designer is Steve Musson. The set grows throughout the play and by the end we have a multi dimensional set design which creates such depth to the stage. Cleverly constructed to allow easy fold out sections as the story unfolds.

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• Stage Managers are Ann Booth and Linda Hoyland.

  

  
  
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• Wardrobe is thanks to Sue Drew, Linda Croston and Maddie Gould, along with the wardrobe team. There's one thing that you can always guarantee with the Lace Market Theatre, and that is the quality and diversity of the wardrobe department, and yet again, all the stops were pulled out in this period drama.

As the scenery and set expanded, so did the props count, all of which were thanks to Lesley Brown.

Choreography is by Amanda Hodgson.

Many people may think that Chekhov is "hard going", and some of his plays can be, but when you have a Director and Translator who streamlines an often two and a half hour play down to two hours with interval in order to highlight the comedic elements in the writing, and still keeps the relevance and seriousness of the dialogue, then you can guarantee an enjoyable experience of Chekhov. And of course, you have to have a quality cast as well.

If this is your first experience of Anton Chekhov, then you could not have chosen a better introduction.

"Uncle Vanya" is at the Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 18 April.