"Little Shop Of Horrors" by LAOS Loughborough Town Hall.

From an audience point of view, this is one musical that you can't go wrong with. It has everything going for it, comedy, great songs, romance as well as a dark, macabre man eating plant that lives on human flesh and blood, sado-masochism, greed, murder, lies and deceit. And all this in a couple of hours!

It's the story of a nerdy florist shop worker, Seymour, who raises a vicious, raunchy plant, Audrey 2, that feeds on human blood. He falls in love for his co worker, Audrey, but obstacles, in human form, are placed in the way of his fame and his romance.

Watching LSOH is like being in a dark room when a light is switched on. It lights up everything and makes you feel happy to be there and that's how this musical makes you feel.

But you can have the best musical in the world, but what if the cast don't deliver?

No fear of that here! I can't believe that this is only the second show I've seen by LAOS, the oldest Am Dram society in Loughborough, my first being "Half A Sixpence" earlier this year. What a brilliant cast they have amassed for this blood-thirsty, but fun musical.

James Highton, yet again takes the lead role as the wimpy, zero to hero Seymour, I've always professed that James has one of the best voices for musical theatre locally, and he again proved this with wonderful clarity and power. As soon as i knew that James was involved in this production, I just knew that he would be Seymour, A brilliant, fun role which James excelled in.

Laura Woolley (Audrey) played a blinder as the dotty co worker with the violent boyfriend. And I am so pleased that she played the role with a squeaky airhead voice as I have seen a couple of productions where Audrey's voice just left the character a bit flat. Not with Laura, the voice was spot on, she had the right amount of dizziness and the right amount of sex appeal there as well, very Marilyn Monroe esque. Lovely to look at and lovely to hear sing, especially the duet with Seymour, "Suddenly Seymour".

Mark Chinnery had the best Jewish accent for Mr Mushnik, the owner of the flower shop. And another wonderful, comedy duet with James Highton in the song "Mushnik and Son".

Chris Wilson is another one of those actors who, as soon as I knew he was in the production, i guessed his role. He was perfect for the role of the sado-masochistic, bullying sleazeball of a dentist and boyfriend to Audrey, Orin. So far removed from Chris's personality he looked to be enjoying every second of the maniacal role. His song, "Dentist" was sung with a great deal of sauce and egotism, just right for the character, and that laugh Chris produces for Orin will stay with you for long after you leave the theatre. Another powerful vocal performance as well.

Producing the voice for Audrey 2 was Richard York, and to look at Richard, you would not imagine that powerful soulful voice coming from Richard, Seeing him at the end in the finale, you still have to look twice to make sure that it is he who produced those wonderful Audrey 2 vocals.

The cast make the show look like a walk in the park, just shows how good they are, but technically there's a lot going on that you can't see. The puppetry of the plant is produced by Ian Dean and getting the big jaws of the plant to match Richard's vocals isn't easy. I've spoken to many puppeteers for Audrey 2 and this can be the hardest job, and while it didn't always lip sync exactly to the voice, it didn't matter because you buy into the evil, blood-thirsty plant and Ian did a cracking job, yet again proving the great team work within the LAOS company.Not only that but I imagine that great big puppet not being the easiest to manipulate.

An amazingly good ensemble with some lovely attitude shown by the girls who made up The Ronettes, Supremes and The Chirelles. several other ensemble members also doubling up on roles, making for some quick costume changes which all went smoothly.

There was an "aahhh" factor here as well in the song sung by Audrey "Somewhere That's Green" with the dream sequence, which may i add i can't remember seeing this bit done like this before, with the image of Audrey and Seymour happily married with two very cute kids played by Jude Bruton-Lang, as the son and Darcy O'Connor as the daughter.

James Highton described the sets as minimalist but that's just how it should be and the florist shop set was just right. the dentist scene was also just right with secretary desk as well as a waiting room and the dentist chair. Again in this scene I'm sure this was slightly different as there was a patient (Kevin Clarke) who matched Orin for sadism, as well as a bit of sauce, who Orin kicked out for being "weird" for enjoying pain being inflicted on him. well there can only be one Orin can;t there. A very comical scene which I'm sure that I'd have remembered if I'd seen it before.

Very energetic choreography, thanks to Lianne O'Connor. there seemed to be a fresh feel to the show which I'm sure will be the influence and directorial excellence of Sally Bruton. Whether this is because Sally is making her debut as a musical theatre director for an adult cast and is adapting her directing experience for younger casts, who knows. Whatever, it worked.

Musically the sound was spot on and the musical director, Hazel Needham, got the very best out of all of the vocalists, as well as producing a crystal clear music soundtrack.

I must also mention that before the show actually starts there's a lovely nod to the very early horror films of Lon Chaney, Boris Karloff etc with a "trailer" projected onto the set. after all LSOH started off as a "B Movie" style schlock horror film in the early 60's before the 70's musical film and stage production we all know and love.

When you go to see this not to be missed musical, please make sure that you buy a programme as well. It's wonderfully produced with a lovely retro-style picture spread of everyone involved.

This is one musical that you can take the whole family to see and enjoy, but hurry up as it's only on until Saturday 10 September 2016 at Loughborough Town Hall. And see if you can spot the little differences from other productions you may have seen in the past.

"Robin Hood" by Bear Left
Studio Theatre, College Street Centre, Nottingham.

This is Robin Hood with a proper Nottingham twist. It must be quite difficult to create a story with Nottingham's most famous outlaw that hasn't totally been seen before on TV, in films or video, but using the archery contest as the basis of the plot to capture Robin Hood by The Sheriff and Prince John, this is a fresh view of the story.

But the archery contest leads to a very different outcome for several of the characters.....

There's very little set to speak of but you know what, the story is good enough that you don't even notice. The sound effects are good enough to create the atmosphere and the forest ambiance was created by lighting effects.

There's a little uncertainty as to when the start of the play begins because the cast are just milling around on stage. Not a bad thing as it's as if you've stumbled across a gathering of people and you're privy to their conversation and actions. Once the action starts though it's full on with a very entertaining and funny take on our local hero, and all in Nottingham accents, which I loved.

Marcus Whybrow (Robin Hood) brings out the emotional. lovelorn side of the hooded man while still exercising his leadership of his merry men.

Danielle Hall (Marian) plays the role as a tomboy-ish girl next door, still madly in love with her neighbourhood outlaw. At times it's like a two girl slumber party when she's with her BFF gal, Lady Constance, played by Rachel Bates. Another brilliantly updated character who'll do whatever to get her bezzie mate hooked up with her man.

Christopher Collins (The Sheriff of Nottingham aka Guy of Gisborne), creates some lovely comic moments as his character consistently falls short of Prince John's expectations of him. Johnny Walters, as Prince John is rather good at sneering and taunting Hood, often in quite a child-like bullying manner and you really start to dislike the character immensely, which is a tribute to the actor. You almost feel like cheering when John (the Prince) gets his comeuppance at the end.

Robin's posse complete the cast and Steve Mitchell (Little John), Stephi Durand (Alanna Dale) and Sally Nix (Scarlett) all bring a new feel to the characters, especially as Sally, who also directed the play, has changed the usually macho male band of men to a softer, in some ways, group of women outlaws, apart from Little John, of course. All wonderful character driven roles and I love the fiestiness of Scarlett and the forever hungry Alanna whose idea of a good job was if the riches reallocated also included a food item in with the booty!

Even the stage manager.Lesley Brown got a role as the seller who couldn't pay her taxes at the start and with Christopher C and Steve M doubling up roles the cast and characters swelled.

Good sword fight direction, I would have normally said choreography but in this case it's fight direction, by Lisa Connell, and some very fetching outfits. Several of these looked quite heavy to wear and under those lights, and the warmth in the studio, i think there will be some pounds shed after this run.

All in all it's a fresh and fun battle with good against evil, told in a darker way than before, A timeless love story of childhood sweethearts interwoven with mystery and jealousy, but who will survive this tale? Only one way to find out.......

"Robin Hood" is at the Studio Theatre, College Street Centre, Nottingham until Saturday 27 August 2016. Tickets are £12.00 and a good excuse to reallocate some of your riches and you won't feel like you've been robbed.

“Save The Last Dance For Me”

“Save The Last Dance For Me” is a jukebox musical written by Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran, who brought you “Dreamboats and Petticoats”. It uses songs from the 1960’s written by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman such as “A Teenager in Love”, “Sweets For My Sweet”, “Little Sister”, “Viva Las Vegas”, “Can't Get Used to Losing You”, "Tell Him", "Please Mr Postman" and, of course, the title song “Save The Last Dance For Me”

So what’s the story?.....

It’s 1963 and teen sisters Jennifer and Marie go on holiday to a caravan in Lowestoft without their parents. They meet a handsome American airman, Milton, who is stationed at a local airbase and he inivites the sisters to a dance at the base. At the dance the youngest sister Marie meets, and eventually falls in love with Curtis, a black airman from Tennessee. The story deals with themes of racial tension both in the American military and British society, as well as Anglo-American relations in the 1960s. A pretty serious issue but with the joyous musical from the period it has quite a fluffy feel to the musical.

Antony Costa (Milton), who you may recognise from the boy band Blue.I was quite surprised at just how good Antony was. A natural performer, which shouldn't come as any surprise but hearing him sing some of the best hits of the 60's with ease did. For the last ten years he's been honing his stage craft, which shone through in this show.

Lola Saunders,(Jennifer) who you may just remember from The X Factor 2014 and living proof that not winning the X Factor will not hold true ambition back. You wouldn't think that this is Lola's stage debut as she's a natural. A lovely natural easy-going performance and what a voice!

Wayne Robinson,(Curtis), and if you saw "Thriller Live" you may remember Wayne as one of the lead vocalists. A voice that is just dripping with smooth soul and when he sings songs like "Can't Get used To Losing You" and "Lonely Avenue", that soul just oozes out and seeps into your ears

Elizabeth Carter, plays Marie, who falls for Curtis in a big way. A lovely innocent performance but with a big voice and an even bigger smile that lights up the whole stage.

Sackie Osakonor (Rufus), is another big voice in the band and adds a lot of soul to Pomus and Shuman's songs.

A brilliant ensemble who help shake, rattle and roll through the 28 sixties classics and most double as the band, playing the music live on stage giving a real powerhouse performance.

The setting for most of the action was the club at the U.S. army base in uptown Lowestoft. Bright and colourful complete with stage, Wurlitzer jukebox and bar where you can always get a "dog" and a "jack" (that's a hot dog and a Jack Daniels) and a coke.

Some of the comedy surrounds the two languages, which at times causes a few raised eyebrows from the U.S. contingent. You have to be careful when asking an American if he has a "fag" in the 60's!

Let's face it, what's not to like in this brilliantly colourful musical which also aims to showcase an issue that is still rife today, racial prejudice. Great songs that you know all the words to, wonderful comedy, a flashy set, great live band and some excellent acting from everyone as well as some high energy choreography.

The hardest part of this show is trying to keep your feet from tapping, your hands from clapping and you from not singing along, before the finale that is where you can get up and have a jig and a singalaong.

"Save The Last Dance For Me" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 27 August 2016

"Bugsy Malone"
by Nottingham Playhouse Youth Theatre.

When you have such an iconic film such as Alan Parker's "Bugsy Malone" it's always going to be difficult to get the same feel as the film. The stage musical is a different beast altogether.

The splurge guns, which caused the mayhem in the film, now fire confetti. Due to health and safety reasons I thought that we'd not be covering the kids and stage with custard pie mix, so instead they made a bright and colourful musical, brighter and more colourful, literally.

A multi levelled stage gave scope to the musical which made it easier to match the scene changes from the film, as well as having the black curtain to make sure that any changes to the scenes could be done away from the audience's eye and still carry the story on smoothly in front of the curtain.

It was a big cast which changed some of the cast members from Act 1 to Act 2. This gave the kids plenty of scope to play the roles but slightly befuddled this old brain of mine until I got my head around it.

I'm not going to lie, but having two young actors playing the same role in different acts did force comparison between the two and I found myself choosing which one I preferred, and although I enjoyed all the actors and the enthusiasm, I did find myself saying to myself, "that performer I preferred over the other".

Of course when your a parent of the child playing the part you'll pick your child over the other, it's only to be expected. As a completely independent audience member. I had the freedom of independent comparison. To tell the truth I actually enjoyed comparing the actors and seeing different strengths in them all; it gave my evening out an added bonus.

Please don't see this, dear reader, as a black or white thing because I saw things I loved in all the actors and it's rare for a reviewer to have an evening such as this.

There's some lovely comedy actors in this bunch and some very talented singers as well. My standout singer though just had to be Elsa Lily Novak who played Blousey in Act One. A lovely mature voice which at first I thought was being voiced off stage and she was miming, she was so very good. Not saying that Caitlin Kupsa who was Act two's Blousey also didn't have a lovely voice, but there you go, it's difficult to mention one actor without comparing to the actor playing the role in the other half.

Callum Barr, who played Knuckles in both acts brought a smile to my face with his characterization, and I thought that Thomas Thorne showed great confidence in his role as one of Fat Sam's gang, Shake Down Louis. In fact the whole gang made me chuckle with their blundering antics and comical song and dance routines. A massive well done to all of you.

I will say that I enjoyed the show, the staging, the wonderful piano work of musical director of David Hails, the wonderful costumes, the dance routines, choreographed by Amanda Hall, and all of this directed by Allie Spencer.I also loved the enthusiasm shown by the kids, and to say that they had but two weeks to get this all together and stage it, I think they succeeded in bringing not the easiest of musicals to stage in that time, to fruition.

Some rough diamonds here who, with a bit of polish and work, I believe will shine bright like a 24 carat diamond in the future.

"Annie" Kids by Stagecoach Performing Arts, Beeston.

When Debbie Pickard invited me to review Stagecoach Performing Arts' "Show In A Week" production of "Annie - Kids", I jumped at the chance for a couple of reasons.

The first was that I'd not seen anything that Stagecoach had done and was interested in seeing a group that I'd not seen before. the second was that "Annie" is a perfect play for younger members to put on.

When I go to see productions like these, I don't expect West End performances, I expect to be entertained and possible spot the odd rough diamond who is ripe for polishing. Today I was entertained in great style and there were enough rough diamonds to fill a necklace.

I was interested to see how fitting in a full musical into just 50 minutes but you know what, it worked very well, and the show was over before I knew, so enraptured in the performance and the talent on show at the Alderman White School.

As you walk through the door of the Alderman White School, there's a message on the wall which says "Shoot for the moon , even if you miss, you'll land in the stars" well even though I didn't shoot for the moon I landed with a host of little, but very bright stars.

You don't need me to tell you the story of "Annie" so i won't. That leaves me to tell you about the production itself.

Annie was played by a very confident young lady called Anna who was one of the 14 non-students of Stagecoach. Loved her acting and I loved the tone of her voice. My favourite song from the musical has always been "Maybe" and Anna delivered a lovely version of it.

Miss Hannigan, played by one of the Stagecoach students, Hazel, also did a wonderful job of the bullying orphanage owner and, even though she has been suffering with bronchitis, she delivered a brilliant performance. her voice was clear and strong, especially in the song "Little Girls".

Daddy Warbucks was played by Phoebe, another one of the elder members, another confident performer, as was Warbucks' secretary Grace Farrell, who was played by Jess D. A nice consistent accent from Jess.

Rooster, the jailbird of a brother of Hannigan's, and his girlfriend were played by Jess S and Hannah respectively. More really confident performers.

Getting a massive "aahhh" from the audience was Isabella, whose face we didn't see until the end, as she played Sandy the dog. i have never seen a more realistic looking stage dog, and Isabella has obviously paid a great deal of attention to how dog's act as her doggy stagecraft was phenomenal.

One name I forgot to ask was a young lady whose voice really made me sit up and listen to. A voice that was so well controlled and pure that, if you shut your eyes you'd not guess that she was as young as she was. The new arrival to NYC who came with her suitcase halfway through the song "NYC" was fantastic, and she had stage presence as well. That girl has a future on stage, should she want to go in that direction, and I kick myself for not getting her name from Debbie.

Also loved the confidence in the young lady who, as one of the orphans, mimicked Ms Hannigan in the song "Hard Knock Life".

The cast for this production ranged in age from six to sixteen and the ensemble, the orphan girls and everyone involved put on a very entertaining show.

When you think that in the short space of just five days, these kids started from a blank page to learning the lines, the music, the songs, the lyrics, the dance routines (including a wonderful tap routine in "NYC"), and presenting a full blown kids version of a musical, they, along with the Stagecoach tutors, deserve the enthusiastic round of applause they got after every song and at the end of the show.

These kids are awe inspiring and I expect to see some of them continue with their acting because they obviously looked like they loved what they.had done, and when you enjoy what you do, you need to carry on doing it.

i can sum up my introduction to Stagecoach Performing Arts, Beeston in three letters, "W" "O" "W".

"Mind Game" by Tabs Productions.
Nottingham Theatre Royal.

The final play in the Tabs Producrions Colin McIntrye's Classic Thriller Season 2016 is "Mind Game" by Anthony Horowitz.

Year on year Tabs shows get better and better and this year they go out on a real high note.

Mark Styler (Andrew Ryan), a writer of "true crime" stories arrives at the Fairfields experimental hospital for the criminally insane, with the hope of interviewing serial killer Easterman for a new book. He meets Dr. Alex Farquhar (Michael Sherwin), the hospital director, however things don't seem quite right. The doctor is reluctant to let Styler see Easterman, and encourages Styler to leave.

Styler, however refuses to leave, using the excuse that he had been travelling for three and half hours and Farquhar had then kept him waiting for two hours,and would like a cup of tea. This was brought in by Nurse Paisley ( Sarah Wynne Kordas), who seems to be very edgy around Farquhar. Why could that be? Why did Farquhar seem to be unaware of the appointment with Styler? There are too many coincidences afoot which makes Styler uneasy about being in the place, but is everyone who they really seem, and if not who are these three people?

This is one of the best thrillers that i've seen and in the true sense of a good thriller, just when you think you have sussed the plot out, something, or someone, does or says something to make you think again.

Not only is the plot the kind to play with your mind, but keep your eyes on the set because things change as the play progresses and there seem to be eyes watching you, watching them, amongst other things. Very subtle and unnerving at the same time, and thanks to Liam Banks who, by way of projected images, keeps you questioning what you think you see or have seen.

There's a brilliant twist at the end which I certainly didn't see coming, and even after the final bows, kept you questioning your own decisions as to who was who and why?

Directed by Karen Henson, she manages to keep that suspense going throughout and I found myself gripping the seat arms and giving my eyeballs a workout trying to take, not only the action and story in but the subtle set changes as well. The set design another triumph for Sarah Wynne Kordas.

The three actors were, as usual, excellent in their parts and kept the senses heightened with their characterisation of who (or is that whom) they made us believe they were.

If you've never seen any of the Classic Thriller Seasons in the past, make this your introduction to an absolutely brilliant production company and their excellent work. I guarantee that, like me, you'll already be looking forward to next year's plays with great anticipation.

"Mind Game" is being performed by Tabs Productions at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 20 August 2016. 

"Chicago"
Nottingham Royal Concert Hall.

“Murder, greed, corruption, exploitation, adultery and treachery…all those things we hold near and dear to our hearts“. That's the introduction to the International award winning musical which has returned to the Royal Centre this week.

Roxie Hart (Hayley Tammadon) is cheating on her wimpy husband Amos (Neil Ditt) with hunky Fred Casely (Francis Foreman) and ends up shooting him dead. She is taken to prison where she meets Velma Kelly (Sophie Carmen-Jones), the current Queen of the women's prison. Roxie is taken under Matron "Mama" Morton's wing, played on Monday night by understudy Ellie Mitchell, due to Jessie Wallace not being well. Both Velma and Roxie escape the hangman's noose thanks to smooth talking lawyer, Billy Flynn (John Partdidge).

This musical is sassy, slick, seductive, saucy but most of very very sexy. In the main this is due to the incredibly lithe male and female dancers who, literally bend over backwards to entertain!

If the laundry bill is based on the amount of cloth that is washed, then the dancer's bill would not be a great deal, and the material there is, is stretched very tight! You get the picture?

Choreographed by Ann Reinking, There are some wonderfully glamorous dance routines, many of which would not have looked out of place in any of the Busby Berkeley Hollywood classics, The wonderful feather scene to "All I Care About" is one that springs to mind.

The show is laced with memorable songs such as "Cell Block Tango", which was a sight for this old man's eyes, there were legs everywhere! "All That Jazz", "Razzle Dazzle", "Roxie", the wonderful "Mr Cellophane", the clever vocals of "They Both Reached For The Gun", with an incredibly long note from Mr Partridge, showing off his great vocal control.

The live band were A-MA-ZING.Led by Ben Atkinson, They were part of the show and they created a lot of the fun, especially at the start of Act 2 and the finale with their crazy dance routines and "messing about". Great entertainment and a cracking, swinging sound.

Sophie Carmen-Jones has an amazing voice and a great pair of pins on her, as does Hayley Tammadon. She may be small but she is big on talent. Having seen this ex soap star previously on stage, i knew that she would be brilliant for this role.

John Partridge is another ex soap star who excels in the theatre. He started off performing in "Cats" when he was a teenager and you can see the suave song and dance man here in his role as the hard faced, tough talking Flynn.

Stepping up from understudy for Jessie Wallace, Ellie Mitchell did an amazing job. An absolutely cracking version of the saucy "When You're Good To Mama".

Neil Ditt, as Amos, underplayed his part sublimely and, as "Mr Cellophane" is one of my favourite songs from the show, I was looking forward to his version and he didn't disappoint.

One other role which was played excellently was that of Mary Sunshine, the news reporter with a heart of gold, who has a bit of a crush on Flynn. Mary's wonderfully soaring voice ripped through the Royal Concert Hall. A D Richardson plays this part with hidden depth!

"Chicago"is based on the real life events of 1920's nightclub singer Roxie Hart. This is one classy and sexy show with some brilliant musical numbers and energetic choreography as well as some brilliant costumes, then this is the one to see this week.

"Chicago" is on at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall until Saturday 20 August 2016.