"Robin Hood & The Babes In The Wood"
Nottingham Playhouse.

Kenneth Alan-Taylor has done it again by writing and directing another very slick slice of Seasonal fun. He always manages to keep that traditional feel of the panto with the running jokes that we can all look forward to and join in with. It's like seeing a family member that you've not seen for years and you're able to slip back into the comfy shoes syndrome by resuming where you left off from the last time you met.

Mixed with that traditional feel Kenneth has sprinkled a very modern feel with a really broad mixture of songs including a Queen medley, Take That, the song that every panto will be doing this year - which i won't give away do do de do de do - and selections from some classic musicals.

The dancing rabbits are back as well!

It's the classic tale of the Sherriff Of Nottingham getting his henchman, Arnold from Clifton, to collect the taxes from the village people, sorry people from the village, but, not happy with this Robin Hood and his band of merry men and women decide to put a stop to this and take back the money from the rich and give back to the poor. Hurrah!

Tim Frater plays our hero, Robin. Tim has been part of the panto family for a few years now and he always comes back with even more fun and exuberance than the year before, Tim has a great voice which we get to hear on several numbers, and boy can he dance as well.

Kelly Agredo is a lovely Maid Marian and also gets to show off her lovely voice, especially in her duets with Tim.

Adam Pettigrew plays Will Scarlett, who has a new running gag in this panto which I won't give away, but is quite amusing!

Tina Tuck - a nice twist on Friar Tuck, is played by a real little fireball in Clarice Julianda, and is a lovely addition to this particular family. Clarice also has a separate running joke within this panto, which certainly isn't the worst running joke I have seen in panto - that's a clue by the way.

Team Clarice up with Kinden Singh Uppal as Alan A Dale and you have a lovely little twosome of fun. Kinden is a very lithe dancer who gets to bust out some great moves on stage.

It is always lovely to see another little bundle of dynamite of stage in Rebecca Little as Tilly The Tomboy. What energy this woman has and who can not smile when you see her constantly smiling face.

The gorgeous Kelly Edwards plays Milly.

Arnold, The Sheriff's henchman is played by Darren Southworth. Another very energetic performer who is good to see back in panto at the Nottingham Playhouse. Running jokes are rife in this panto and Arnold also gets his own running joke, which after the first time you can see coming, whcih is no bad thing as it breeds familiarity, and in panto that's good.

Robin Kingsland gets to play the baddie who recesses back to his youth at the end thanks to his former nanny - more of that later - a running audience participation part for the Sheriff which the kids, and adults really got into.A classic panto baddie role, which we all love.

Nurse Nelly Noggins, which I'm sure that name has been used in then past for panto, is played by the one and only Mr John Elkington. Now Nottingham's number one professional Dame, taking the mantle from Sir Kenneth Alan Taylor ( well it should be). John is so naturally an entertainer and a master of the ad-lib. There was one part when one of the kids came up for a chat on stage which just made me roll with laughter about a young girl whose hands were permanently held together all the while she was on stage, - well you just had to be there! Kids are great for providing naturally quick- witted comics like John with bullets and John took those bullets and fired them into the audience with marksman like accuracy.

The costumes for Nelly are also worth taking heed of as they get progressively more outrageous as the panto goes on.Wonderful.

The sets, designed by Tim Meacock, were wonderfully lavish, which is what we have come to expect from the Playhouse.

Wonderful exciting choreography by Adele Parry. Crystal clear sound designed by Adam P McCready and a wonderful quartet band - was there really only four people making all of that sound? - musically directed by Mr John Moreton, who never seems to age at all over the years.

Another wonderful and fun show which will have you dancing out into the streets with that warm festive feeling in your heart and tummy.

"Robin Hood & the Babes In The Wood" is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 19 January 2019.

"Beauty & the Beast"
Nottingham Arts Theatre.

Okay Christmas has now officially started and my bells have never felt so jingled, What a brilliant way to kick start Christmas but with the Nottingham Arts Theatre pantomime, "Beauty and the Beast".

You know the main story of Belle who is captured by The Beast who was really Prince Henri after he was not very nice to the Enchantress and it is through the love that develops between Belle and The Beast which breaks the spell. In the mean time though chaste Belle is being chased by the hunky and muscled Gustave. OK got the story? Now add an additional sprinkle of panto magic from writer Amanda Hall and assistant writer Matthew John and you've got yet another wonderful family fun pantomime. Another NODA winning pantomime I predict!

Belle is played by Laura Ellis, an absolute delight to watch in this role and her relationship with The Beast is very natural - wonder why that is? Instantly likeable and like every cast member, a wonderful clear voice.

Patrick McChrystal plays Henri/The Beast. Now personally I thought that Patrick is too much of a nice person to play such a nasty character, but there were parts that almost changed my mind. The nice thing about this "Beast" is that he wasn't too scary as to upset the younger kids, but was believably beastly for him to pull it off. I'm also impressed how fast Patrick can grow his facial hair for this role! A cracking end to a busy year for this talented actor.

Kimberley Allsopp (Camille) consistently delivers in her theatre roles and this is another lovely role for Kimberley.

Lizzie Fenner (The Enchantress Carlotta) I think is new name to me, but what stage presence this lady has. Last year Patrick gave me the tingles with "This Is The Moment" in panto; this year Lizzie did it with one of my favourite songs from this year "This Is Me" from "The Greatest Showman". The shivers went up my spine faster than a turkey at the mention of the word "stuffing". It takes a powerful voice to do that song justice but Lizzie nailed it. What a way to close Act One.

Sean Goodwin returns to panto as Idles Jacques. Another fun role which, I thought, the audience should have got behind him more with the audience participation sections. You deserved better reactions from them, Sean, but what a lovely pacy and fun character. Sean is also responsible for the fight co ordinating in this show.

Cassie Hall played Phillipe Phlopp, right hand man for Gustave. Cassie always guarantees a reliably solid performance and a gentle humour that is always welcomed in panto.

Danielle Hall (Adrienne) gets to show off her, rarely seen and should be heard more, singing voice in this panto. I've heard Danielle sing before in character but to hear her sing naturally is lovely,and she also does a wonderful job of some of the choreography. It's always a joy to see Danielle on and off stage.

Alex Huntley, as Gustave, may be in fear of becoming type cast. Alex was the UPS delivery man in "Legally Blonde" earlier this year and here he plays the sexy, hunky and muscly Gustave in this, his first pantomime ever! Brilliant casting for Alex and he looked like he was enjoying every single moment on stage. Once more a really good voice and he can dance as well. I think they call actors like Alex a triple threat. You can see that Alex has been to the gym to get ready for this role - and I hope that your back is now all OK.

Alderman Claude is played by one of my favourite mature actors on the local theatre scene, Mike Newbold. On stage his characters are mainly the bumbling type but away from the stage, nothing could be more different, which highlights what a good actor he is.

Mike Pearson is just one of the two brilliant "dames" in this panto. As Madame Yvette Eclair he shows what a wonderful fame he is,and all with a French accent and high heels. There are not many actors locally who have cornered the market playing this kind of role and have done it with the level of success that Mike has had. Il est tres fantastique mes amis.

Hugo, the Beast's gardener, is played by Joseph Jk Smith, another actor who has had a busy year on stage. He has great timing which I'd never really noticed before, and lovely comic timing as well. He has the ability to perform comic routines like this as well as less comic roles like Alan Bennett in "The Lady In The Van" from earlier this year with Spotlight. Another actor who is reliably solid an all of the roles that I have seen him in.

Now what can I say about Matthew Wesson who plays Dame Mimi Macaron? A perfect double act in Damedom with Mike Pearson, and like Mike, he is so very good as the section that invites kids on to the stage. There aren't many local theatre actors who can play this section out with such smoothness and quick thinking ability as Matt and Mike. Matthew just has funny bones and these come natural to him and that is what makes this man such a joy to watch work in roles like the Dame. And boy can he work an audience!

Emily Wilkins has now notched up her sixth panto with this one and another hard working young actor, and dance captain, who I am looking forward to seeing in "Urinetown" at Bilborough College later in December.

The ensemble team were so tight with the main cast and the choreography they delivered was as good as any I have seen on any professional stage, and they all looked as if they loved being on stage, which goes a long way to adding to the enjoyment of the overall show.

Talking of choreography, Amy Rogers-Gee has yet again worked her magic on this cast, and I am so sure that she is really proud for the way that they have showcased, not only their own talents, but Amy's as well.

Tom Mowat's lighting creates a wonderful world of light in this show and I loved the strobing effect he has designed for a particular section. An ocean of lights make this one of the most colourful shows I have seen at the Nottingham Arts Theatre. Nathan Penney is the talent responsible for operating the lighting design by Tom.

Musical Director Ray Samuel Mcleod is a musical magician as he has really pulled a gorgeously rich sound out of a hat. It is so good, and so well mixed, that at times you may mistake this sound for recorded tracks. Rich, clear and well balanced.

Making the sound as good as it was is Rob Kettridge, who was also responsible for the amazing rose which loses its' petals as the panto develops.

Yet again Amanda Hall has created another smash hit panto. Many long hours had been put in to this piece of theatre and all that hard work has been well worth it when you see what a professional and enjoyable show this is, and not just for the kids.

there are many people responsible for producing and putting on a show as good as this one and I could go on forever listing all the names, which i won't do, but everyone from the wardrobe department, which was just so amazingly good, especially Dame Macaron's and Madame Eclair's, to the Front Of House staff, thank you all for one absolutely brilliant show that would get even Scrooge in an almighty Christmas mood.

"Beauty and the Beast" is at the Nottingham Arts Theatre until Sunday 16 December 2018.

“Dr Faustus” by Christopher Marlowe
Nottingham New Theatre

“The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus”, commonly referred to simply as “Doctor Faustus”, is an Elizabethan tragedy by Christopher Marlowe, based on German stories about the title character Faust,

Not happy with his lot, Dr Faustus is hungry, nay greedy for more knowledge, and with knowledge comes power, so he uses magic to summon Mephistophilis, a devil, to act as a go between between him and Lucifer so that he can make a pact with him.

Faustus strikes a deal with Lucifer to be allotted 24 years of life on Earth, during which time he will have Mephistophilis as his personal servant and the ability to use magic; however, at the end he will give his body and soul over to Lucifer as payment and spend the rest of time as one damned to Hell. This deal is to be sealed in the form of a contract written in Faustus' own blood.

Dr. Faustus does nothing worthwhile, having begun his pact with the attitude that he would be able to do anything. Instead, he merely uses his temporary powers for his own entertainment.

The Nottingham New Theatre last did this play, as far as I can remember, four years ago as a project with Lakeside when it was directed by Martin Berry and that was the first time that I had seen this brilliant piece of literature on stage.

Marlowe is often mentioned in the same breath as Shakespeare and having loved the New Theatre’s full version of “Macbeth” earlier this year – it remains one of my favourite productions of the Bard’s play to date – “Faustus” really got my theatrical juices flowing.

For me I think this adaptation was just a bit too off the wall for me, even missing out the dramatic ending when Faustus is dragged into hell. Instead there was a change of costume and Faustus returned to watch a news report, taking the play full circle from whence it started.

What I did like though was the intervention from "The Voice" - God - to try and save Faustus from throwing away his life by telling him that it's never too late to repent, as this shows that Faustus was steadfast and resolute in carrying out his pact, but with this being an adaptation, he could have relented and the ending may have been another different one!

This ending though confused the audience as to whether this was the end, with some unsure as to clap or just leave.

Now I embrace a different slant to a classic piece of theatre, God knows I've seen enough variations of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" to appreciate this, but Daniel McVey's adaptation of the Marlowe classic just didn't grab me, I'm afraid.

In the programme Daniel says "This play promises to be unlike any Faustus you've ever seen before and you're likely to see again. This play is not Marlowe's Doctor Faustus" and I will agree with that statement.

In the end scene Faustus says, "I'm just an actor on a stage and these are the words I've been given to say".so let me talk briefly about the actors.

There are a fair few newbies here and they all performed the parts well and I enjoyed the energy they put in, and I can't wait to see what they do next.

Morgan Beale (Doctor Faustus) worked his part really well. he looked confident and comfortable and gave a believable debut performance for NNT,

Grace Williams (Mephistopheles) also gave another one of her brilliant performances that I've become used to seeing.

Jack Ellis (The Voice) is a pretty laid back Godly character who doesn't forsake Faustus easily, but a God still can only do so much.

Sarah Ingham (Pride/Scolar), Ellen Schaffert (Greed/Attendant), Caitie Pardoe (Lust/Knight), , Olly O'Regan (Gluttony/Duke/Alexander), all make their debuts for NNT.

Megan Peace (Wrath/Melchozedek) and Olly Binns (Sloth/Emporer), Selin Aci (Envy/Helen/Duchess/Paramor) add to their NNT theatrical CV's with their roles.

By the way I absolutely loved the lighting design for this play, Sam Osborne and the addition of the choreography by Zoe Smith.

Theatre can be a very subjective world, which is why even though this adaptation wasn't necessarily my cup of tea, i know that it will appeal to many others. I applaud Daniel though for "tearing Marlowe's play to shreds to ensure that he would be spinning in his grave" - Daniel's quote, not mine. This new, and brave outlook is what keeps theatre as fresh and radical as it is today.

"Dr Faustus" is at the Nottingham New Theatre until Saturday 1 December 2018

“Murder For Two”
Nottingham Theatre Royal

Officer Marcus Moscowicz is a small town policeman with dreams of making it to detective. One night, shots ring out at the surprise birthday party of Great American Novelist Arthur Whitney and the writer is killed.

With the nearest detective an hour away, Marcus jumps at the chance to prove his sleuthing skills—with the help of his silent partner, Lou. But whodunit? Did Dahlia Whitney, Arthur’s scene-stealing wife, give him a big finish? Is Barrette Lewis, the prima ballerina, the prime suspect? Did Dr. Griff, the overly-friendly psychiatrist, make a frenemy? Marcus has only a short amount of time to find the killer and make his name before the real detective arrives!

Here is a piece of theatre that I have never seen the likes of before. Two actors play all the parts – and the piano – in an homage to the old style murder mysteries, and is a very different slice of comedy musical theatre, or murder mystery, and how often do you see these two genres merging?

You can see why this show did extremely well Off Broadway because the whole feel of it is that smaller theatre intimacy, which obviously works just as well in a theatre the size of the Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Jeremy Legat and Ed MacArthur are the actors who play all 13 characters, so a talent for voices is just one thing this talented pair can boast. They also both play the piano, separately and together. Their comic timing is so tight and slick and they also can dance as well - one of the characters is a ballet dancer so we see not only a bit of tap but ballet and theatre dance.

Comedy, and great comedy is all about timing and when you see that these two work props, hats, glasses, different voices, a door as well as a piano, you have to admire that they never miss a beat and everything looks to have been rehearsed to within an inch of rehearsals life.

The play was only written at the start of this decade but the whole look and feel is from the 1940s/1950s classic Dick Tracy detective era, helped along by a wonderfully retro set.

There are eleven songs with some wonderfully witty lyrics, and you know what, you can hear every single syllable from this pair, complementing the brilliant comedy acting, mixing in slapstick as well as mime.

They do though break an unwritten theatrical rule of telling the audience who the killer was in Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" - naughty boys!

This is one of the cleverest plays I have seen, and these two work hard, without showing just how hard they work to deliver something just a little different in theatre.

Oh, and the actual murderer in this show is definitely not who you'd expect it to be, but is a clever reveal.

“Murder For Two” is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Wednesday 28 November 2018

'Esse SA Essay' by Callum Walker
Nottingham New Theatre.

One thing that you can’t say about New Theatre student Callum Walker is that he shies away from a tough topic. Last March his play “The Black Dog On My Sofa” was presented; a play about depression.

This play is about the sensitive subject of the psychological effects of male rape. Skipper, the main character was raped by an older woman when he was sixteen. He deals with this trauma by suppressing the memories of the event and he locks them away in a box in his mind.

He also keeps a box under his bed which is sealed, which we are not privy to the contents, which could be a physical image of the box that he keeps those memories locked away in.

Years later he begins to go back over it all, painful as it is, he needs to come to terms with what happened to him, piece by piece. But is there still a piece missing from the jigsaw of that night?

The piece looks at, not only what happened to Skipper, but from the start, how men are viewed from his circle of friends, the stereotypical male, and how Skipper sees himself from inside himself and how the memory can be utilised by the owner.

Written and Directed by Callum Walker, normally the best work is written from experience, I'm hoping this isn't the case, but Callum has presented, not only a quite shocking piece of theatre but even manages to raise a laugh, albeit at times a nervous one, which is needed to break the seriousness of the work. I can see that a lot of research has been done through the writing as well as the emotional and, at times, harrowing production and presentation.

Produced by Sophie Curtis, this I also imagine was not an easy piece to be involved with.

With a cast of one, and this being his NNT debut, Jake Aaron Levy, does not have an easy task fro several reasons. First he has the responsibility to deliver on his shoulders alone. He delivered the emotional and at times pacy script with great conviction and feeling. there's no one to fall back on or bounce off when you are the only cast member, so he had to make sure that he knew this 100%, and he did.

There is full frontal nudity in the play, which is relevant to the script and for understanding what Skipper is going through. No matter how confident any actor is, when they have to perform naked, and in such an intimate performance area, that will always be another thing the actor has to mentally and of course physically, roster into his performance. It takes guts even for an experienced actor, and let's remember, this is Jake's NNT debut.

I loved the Sound Design (Tara Prasad) for several reasons. From the ticking of the clock, as timelines were part of the play, to the tracking of the journey taken by Skipper on the night his assault happened, painting an aural picture in your mind.

Going hand in hand with the sound in any production is of course the Lighting Design (Laura Wolczyk) with the sharp sound to light effect of the timeline of events as Skipper recalled them over and over, each time getting faster and the lights heightening the audience's senses.

Like "Black Dog", which I also enjoyed for the darkness, and for being an issue that men shy away from discussing for fear of seeming "less masculine" and something that doesn't happen to men, I applaud Callum for highlighting this and Jake for delivering and performing the script as sensitively as he did.

A play that should be seen by as many people as possible in my humble opinion.

And for anyone who, like me at the start, was trying to work out exactly what the title meant, that too is revealed within the play, so you won't be leaving confused, but you will leave with several talking points in your head.

"Esse Sa Essay" is at the Nottingham New Theatre until Tuesday 27 November 2018.

“The Beauty Queen of Leenane” by Martin McDonagh
Nottingham New Theatre.

Mag is 70 and sits in her rocking chair most of the day while her daughter, Maureen, skivvies for her.

Maureen is around 40 and tells us she has been caring for Mag for 20 years. Maureen has only ever kissed two men in her life – and that is two too many as far as Mag is concerned.

Initially, the picture we get of the relationship between mother and daughter, is that Mag is domineering and self-centred, and our sympathy builds for Maureen who we see as little more than an over-worked servant.

But even just a few minutes into the story, we begin to see another side of Maureen. As the story unfolds, the relationship is not all that we first imagined. Mag may come across as an overly protective mother, but she is, as we find later on, one of those elderly people who is afraid to be left to cope on her own.

Maureen is invited to a dance for a friend's party and she brings him home. He stays the night, but again later in the play, this was not the big night Maureen says it was.

The ending of the play is very dark, with some harrowing scenes of violence, and there are even more secrets that go unanswered, leaving the viewer to decide what they believe happened.

Making his Directorial debut in this deliciously dark piece of theatre is Cameron Brett, and a good job he made of it. He kept the pace just right and, me not knowing this play at all, created a chilling shock factor, complete with sound effects, making the abusive relationship seem very real.

NNT debuts are aplenty in this play with Esther Townsend making her debut as Maureen and Barney Hartwill debuting as Ray Dooley, Pato's brother and message boy.

Alice Walker also gets her first time Producer fold star in this play as well.

Playing Mag is Emma Pallett and Eric Crouch gets to grips with Maureen, playing Pato.

All four actors do a splendid job and each get their own special moment to shine as actors with some wonderful speeches, especially Eric with his letter back home to Maureen.

Keeping an accent up, and especially Irish accents, isn't easy but I think they all did a really good job. There were a couple of times where some of the words were lost due to the accent or projection but that's something you learn the more plays you perform.

The set was of a typical rural kitchen, basic but looked warm and cosy. The Set Designer has done their homework here with a fully functioning kitchen.

And that brings me on to the little things that could well have been overlooked. The tea was made, not pretence drinks, the kettle boiled, they used tea bags and milk. So many rimes I have seen drinks pretended to be made, poured and drank, and it takes away from the realism that the Director wanted to bring to the stage, but no, this little detail made what we were seeing real. Even down to the gravel path outside the kitchen window, which we didn't see. but we heard gave us that feeling of there being a world outside that kitchen window.

Another simple but effective piece of thinking was with the lights. Designed by Yasmine Dankwah, at the end of the scenes there was total blackout but the evocative music of the Cranberries filled in the time taken for the actors to re-position themselves within the black outs meaning that we, the viewer, then came back to the story afresh, devoid of set or actor movements.

A subtle sound design also made sure that we were placed within the action and atmosphere of the play. You felt that you were listening to the radio with Mag and watching the TV with Ray and Mag, Oliver Binns is responsible for getting this just right.

What i also must applaud as well is that, along with all of the plays this season in the main theatre at NNT, is that, instead of breaking up the atmosphere of the play with an interval, they played the whole play straight through. Sometimes in plays I just wish that we could just skip the interval and get on with the rest of the story, especially when there has been a tension built up by the cast. The audience and the cast then have to get back to where they left off. Not so with these plays at NNT. Straight through and done. I appreciate that in some pieces of theatre an interval is needed or set changes or for the length of the play, but it's great sometimes just to get on with the action, so thank you for doing just that.

What else can I say? Another cracking show from the NNT and more pats on the backs of everyone involved in my continued education of new pieces of theatre. Thank you.

“Legally Blonde” by Medicine Performing Arts
Nottingham Arts Theatre

“Legally Blonde” follows the story of sorority president Elle Woods as she crosses the country on a mission to find love at Harvard Law School. After discovering how the law can be used to help others, she uses her new found skills to defend a workout-queen in a murder trial, defying the odds and proving that blonde can save the day!

Possibly the most performed musical in the local Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire/Leicestershire area this year as it seems many local theatre groups have had a go this year. It cannot be denied though that this is one of the brightest, bubbliest, fun musicals available to perform on both a professional and local theatre level, and not only that but people will still pay to see this kind of light hearted fluffy, feel-good musical, so it’s a win win situation all round.

A couple of weeks ago I was speaking to Co-Directors Harry Pavlou and Jamie Short and they promised that this production would be different. So I wondered how do you make your version of a musical like this any different to all of the others. Well, they did it! I loved spotting the little extra bits they had added to keep this show fresh, none of which I'm going to reveal, but take it from me, it was like watching an old favourite with added sparkles. Congratulations on a brilliant production and not being afraid to add things to an already wonderful show.

What i also loved about this production was something none of the cast or Directors could arrange, and that was an audience who seemed not to have seen this show before. Their reactions to the show was another thing that made this production so good. It's lovely, from my point of view, to hear and witness the reactions of a crowd loving what they were seeing and buying in to the story. Not only the adoration for the two gorgeous dogs, but to the cast and the "cameos". Even the stage hands became part of the show without being part of the show,

The soundtrack is brilliant with varied styles to keep everyone happy. Right from the opening “Omigod You Guys”, the funky “Serious”, the wonderful “Ireland”, the energetic “Whipped Into Shape”, the naughty but nice “There! Right There!” through to the title track, it’s big and bouncy all the way and led by Musical Directors Carmel Oliver and Joe Mahon.

Elle is played by Georgia Oakes and OmiGod what a voice. She injected a load of fun into this role with her energy and zesty nature. A real joy to see how much she was enjoying this role and show.

Elle's bessie mates Margot, Serena and Pilar are played with great gusto by Holly Richardson, Hannah Tang and Emily Armon.

Jordan Smith (Warner Huntington III) has a really soulful voice and I loved the way that he coaxed the reactions from the audience by doing nothing other than playing the part. To start with he was getting wolf-whistles but by the end he was being (playfully) booed.

Harry Pavlou (Emmett Forrest) is also a man with a brilliant voice, his husky tones contrasted with the other singers here, and possibly the actor with the most experience. Not that that mattered as all the cast were well matched with confidence. Harry also attracted many favourable reactions from the audience, especially with Elle's transformation of him and the end scene. I really have not heard an audience so enthusiastic doe a cast which i am sure was appreciated by the cast and crew.

Kaman Sharma (Professor Callahan) is yet another owner of a really good voice. With his first appearance there were a couple of times I had trouble hearing him - I was at the back though- but he grew and so did his character. Another actor to illicit playful disdain from the audience in Act Two. Good or bad reaction from an audience shows that you are doing something right with their character acting.

Katherine Livesey (Paulette Bonafonte) is great fun to watch as the "Hair Affair" owner who becomes a great friend to Elle. And what a belter of a voice she has; she sent shivers down my back in Act Two.

Emma Jackson (Vivienne) plays one of those lovely characters where you start off not being very fond of, and in the end loving her because she's shown the other side of her character. Emma also has a strong voice which we managed to hear in the second act.

Nikki Spence (Brooke Wyndham) gives an energetic performance as the fitness queen on trial for the alleged murder of her aged husband.

Fiona Houghton (Enid) provided several laughs with her character and, again, a fun watch.

Ollie Martin (Kyle - the UPS Delivery Man) injected some double entendred sauce to the show with his "package" and swagger.

Also getting a massive round of applause, as it always does, is the "outing" of Brooke's pool boy Nicos, played by Gideon Rothstein along with his boyfriend, sorry best friend, Carlos, played by Jamie Short. The song "There Right There" is a proper crowd pleaser.

Our Directors have added an extra bit of sexiness to the show with the Frat boys/ Prison Guards. the former mostly topless and in shorts, and the latter in white vests, braces and black trousers, almost as if they were going to do the Full Monty as they stood guard in the aisles up and down the theatre, truncheons in hand!

This is a massive cast and, I imagine a massive task for the Directors and Producers (Megan Laud and Holly Richardson)to get everyone together all at the same time with rehearsals. However they did it though, it certainly worked.

With it being a large cast, the choreography was also a big task for Abigail Rees, but I loved the work she and the cast have done. From Irish dancing to ballet to tap, it's all in there.

The set was not the big sets that I have seen in other shows but size isn't everything and, as I've always said, it's how you use it and not how big it is, and that is so true here. Very functional, non obtrusive and easily moved on and off stage by the stage crew, smoothly managed by Anjali Yapa and Chloe Monnier.

I've not mentioned all of the cast by name as I would be going on forever but the whole crew were wonderful. Even though I have seen this musical about four times this year, this is up there with the others for great entertainment value, and great fun spotting the additional bits, including localising the production with a mention for a local nightclub and the wonderful lighting creating a backdrop of the Irish flag.

I have a feeling that Saturday's shows may be practically a sell out both matinee and evening shows but it would be worth trying to get a ticket for this show because it really is a clever and very entertaining show with an incredibly talented cast.

“Legally Blonde” is at the Nottingham Arts theatre until Saturday 24 November 2018