"Grease - The School Edition" by Long Eaton Operatic Society Youth Group.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

This is one of my all-time favourite musicals, just because of the amazing feel-good factor every song evokes. And I am sure that I don't need to tell you the story of Danny and Sandy either so we can just cut to the praise!

One question though that you may be asking yourself is the difference between the fully fledged musical and the School Edition? Well, let me tell you. There are several scenes that have been left out due to their "adult" content, and of course, you can't really stage a road race on the Turnpike, live on stage. Some of the soundtrack songs are also not included including my favourite from the whole musical "There Are Worse Things I Can Do". This is because Rizzo, who sings this song, has had most of her story cut, again due to her more adult storyline.

Some of the song's lyrics have also been changed to "clean up" the content. I'm sure that everyone knows the soundtrack anyway so will know which lyrics have been cleansed.

The soundtrack is one of the most beloved of the modern musical with songs like "Summer Nights", "You're The One That I Want", "Greased Lightning", "Sandy", "Hopelessly Devoted To You" and "We Go Together".

Can I just say that this group has one of the strongest male contingency in any drama group. Not only are the numbers of male actors high, but the quality of their performance, and it's rare that I can say that as it's normally the females who come up tops. For the record, the females are also pretty good as well!

Billy Sweet (Danny) and Chloe Brooks (Sandy) are well matched and their big solo numbers, "Sandy" and "Hopelessly Devoted To You", were delivered with feeling. I imagine that at their tender age it could be difficult to get emotionally involved with the song, but they both made me feel their character's pain, so their job was done. Away from their songs they both turned in really good performances.

Jude Yellop (Kenickie) and Grace Collishaw (Rizzo) are my favourite pairing in the musical because they have always seemed to be more "human" as characters than the two leads. I'm pleased that Kenickie got to sing "Greased Lightning", as in the original stage musical, and not as in the film where Danny Zuko gets to sing the lead. Jude pulled off the nonchalant Kenickie character perfectly. With Rizzo's character having a reduced role than that in the movie or the full stage version, there is slightly less to comment on, but the aloof Rizzo was brought to life wonderfully by Grace.

Matt McAuley (Doody) always turns in a solid performance and always looks completely at ease on stage. Personally, I felt that a couple of songs were maybe just a little high for his voice. I say this as I have heard Matt sing before in lead and support roles and his register sounds best at a lower level. That said, I always know that with Matt in the cast he creates a feeling of comfortableness with every role he takes on. there is no worries for me that he will not deliver.

Lilly Simons-Clark (Frenchy) plays another one of my favourite characters in the slightly ditsy, beauty school dropout, and I love the wig. Great fun to watch Lilly.

Abe Collishaw (Roger aka "Rump") also gets to play a lovely fun role as the "mooner" of the show, and became an audience favourite, and rightly so.

Holly Douglas (Jan), Phoebe Mellor (Marty) and Kate Whitaker (Patty) played the rest of The Pink Ladies.

Findlay Parker (Sonny) succeeded in delivering the cheeky T Bird to the stage, and I noticed that there is a real groover in Findlay in the choreographed numbers.

Harry Brookes-Ball (Eugene) is a star in the making. He is really comfortable on stage and can deliver comedy really well for such a young actor. Loved his facial expressions and his commitment to the character.

Someone else who really made me gravitate towards their performance was Jake Lightbrown as the rock n roll radio presenter Vince Fontaine. Vince has some tongue-twisting bits in the script, but this did not phase Jake one iota and brought out the slightly smarmy DJ persona with ease and excellence. Let's face it, I should know all about smarmy DJ persona!

Ben Goodlass (Johnny Casino) fitted the role to a T as the heart throb teen idol singer.

Max Fuller (Teen Angel) made his entrance bathed in spotlight as he entered via the central stairway in the auditorium. Singing "Beauty School Dropout" he showcased a really good, controlled voice, which pleasantly surprised me.

Lottie Ludlow (Cha Cha) only played a small part, but completely looked the part and another who also looked the part was Naomi Thomas (Miss Lynch), even though the role was a couple of decades older than Naomi herself. A pat on the back for hair (Carol McTernan) and make up making Naomi look older.

Loved the choreography for the four cheerleaders, played by Roisin Parker, Martha Bertram, Ella Charlesworth and Bella Syson.

The rest of the students were played by Grace Aguis, Niamh Lee, Holly Brooks, Nefeli Fryganioti, Jessica Peel, Lucy Coulson-Jones, Holly Chambers, Charlotte Case, Frazer Brown and Joe Stewart.

Directed and choreographed brilliantly by Siobhan Parker with Molly Parkinson also in the role of Choreographer and Claire Collyshaw as Assistant Director with two Musical Directors in Deborah Norman and Giles Pettit.

The set design (Roydon Charlesworth) was really well planned with a multi-level set allowing the cast to spread over the stage and be in full view.

Loved the costumes and the functional car design for "Greased Lightning".

The only thing for me that let the show down was on the technical side. Again mics sometimes were switched on late and we missed some of the spoken words and the lighting and spots were either slightly off target, either that or the cast were in the wrong place. There was a section after the first section of "Beauty School Dropout" where the next couple of lines of the song was delivered by Teen Angel in complete darkness.

As I said at the start though, this is one fun filled musical and with a cast who obviously loved performing this piece, they pumped plenty of energy into, not only the choreography, but the whole performance.

"Grease - The School Edition" by LEOS Youth Group is at The Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 19 February.

 "Private Peaceful" by Michael Morporgu adapted by Simon Reade

Nottingham Playhouse.

I've seen several presentations over the years of "Private Peaceful", and have loved seeing every single one of them. The story is a very human story, told in a way that all ages can understand what is happening on stage. Morporgu is very good at that and has a way of pricking people's consciences; just look at the incredibly successful "War Horse". So from the off I knew that I was going to enjoy the production.

Private Thomas 'Tommo' Peaceful recalls his young life to date: growing up on the country estate owned by the Colonel; family life with his spirited mother and older brothers Charlie and Big Joe; his love for Molly; enlisting in the army at the outbreak of war. Then military training, fighting alongside Charlie in the trenches of the Western Front and the events that bring his narrative to its final painful conclusion.

It's a story of comradery, brotherhood, family and the impact that war has on a person and a family.

I loved the folk songs and the music (Frank Moon) that were interspersed throughout the performance, which seemed to add further poignancy to the story. This is the first time that I have experienced any kind of music woven throughout the story.

What is also a first, for me, is the choreography, at time a cross between ballet and contemporary, moving through slow motion choreographed sections, which brings us into the mind-frame of Tommo at that particular time of the play. Neil Bettles, who was the Movement Director, as well as Jonathan Holby, the Fight Director both did a great job with this area of the presentation.

This is another one of those plays where the cast perform as an ensemble and it would be almost impossible to pick out one actor over another, and to tell you the truth, I didn't even look for this as the story just took over and enveloped the viewer, drawing you in and making you feel that you were the only person in the theatre.

The cast, Daniel Rainford (Tommo), Daniel Boyd (Charlie), Robert Ewens (Big Joe), John Dougall (Father/Chaplain and Colonel), Emma Manton (Hazel Peaceful and several other roles), Tom Kanji (Munnings/Doctor and Grandma Wolf) and Liyah Summers (Molly/Anna), as previously stated were exceptional.

The set design (Lucy Sierra) was very clever. Take the beginning where the family practically produce a dinner table out of a flat piece of wood on the floor. The same set which we saw as the fields, river and school was also used for the battlefields, and it did not take much imagination because the basics were there for us to use.

Lighting Design (Matt Haskins) was perfect, allowing us to see the explosions of the bombs etc and with the black outs, they brought a certain shock element to the proceedings. This was done especially well when we switch from Private Tommo's darkened cell to whatever scene Tommo brought to mind for us within his eight hour encarcaration period that we were being shown.

Sound Design (Dan Balfour) only added to the approaching menace of war, as I am sure you can imagine.

Directed by Elle While. With all the above falling into the right places, needless to say that Elle has also done all that she needed to do to create the overwhelming and emotional success that "Private Peaceful" is.

If you've seen "Private Peaceful" previously, then go and see this production as well, and be prepared to be wowed. You will be talking about this show days after you've seen it!

"Private Peaceful" is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 26 February.

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 "Fatal Attraction"

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

The stage play is based on the 1987 film of the same name and centres on the happily marries attorney Dan Gallagher (Oliver Farnworth) and his meeting with editor Alex Forrest (Kym Marsh) on a night out in the city. One thing leads to another and they spend a night of passion together. Thinking that this was just a one-night stand for Dan, he returns home to his loving wife Beth (Emma Laird Craig). But Alex has other ideas that Dan soon discovers, which put his family in grave danger!

I can remember the film vividly and for me the play fell short of the thrilling cat and mouse between Alex and Dan. To move the story on Dan also acts as narrator, which dilutes some of the "edge of the seat" experience of the play. It's like he is stepping out of the tortured Dan part to let us know what is going on, and then returning to the part.

The set and costume design by Morgan Large is very good with minimal props to show the different settings. i.e. the sofa for the Gallagher's apartment, the bar for the club scene, the bed for Alex's apartment, all rolled on and off easily and unobtrusively. The back projection, by Mogzi, though is brilliant and gives depth for the various scenes.

I am a big fan of the gorgeous Kym Marsh but I just felt that there could be more chemistry between Kym's Alex and Oliver's Dan; it all seemed just a wee bit emotionless, even in the passion scenes. Likewise with the scenes between Dan and Susie's Beth. When Beth was being told by Dan that he knew who was behind everything, it seemed as if she had skipped some of the script and went straight from knowing nothing of the one/two night stand to straight away knowing that Dan was the father of Alex's child. Even the "anger" scenes between Beth and Dan all seemed just a tad reserved, given the news that she had just been given.

Paul Englishby's music throughout created the menace required and, with Jack Knowles' Lighting Design and Carolyn Downing's Sound Design, this is where the feeling of uneasiness arose.

You'll find though that the ending of this particular re-telling of the story is different to the film ending but keeps to the original James Dearden script, and not the movie ending. There are also notable scenes not played out on stage that were in the movie, but this is after all a play and can't possibly transfer every cinematic scene to a theatre audience.

What I felt could also have created worry, and also demonstrated Alex's unhinged disposition, was if a real rabbit were used when introduced as a pet so that the audience could see a "live" rabbit, obviously not when the bunny was boiled, but a "stage" rabbit could have been shown within the boiling pot. I can confirm that no real bunnies were harmed in the presentation of this performance!

I did however appreciate the use of the fake blood from when Alex slit her wrists to make Dan stay, and near the end of the play. On several occasions I have seen the presence of "blood" omitted where the characters on stage are killed, or injured, maybe it is just my blood lust, who knows?

To sum "Fatal Attraction" up, the story is there but it just lacked a certain commitment, chemistry and passion for me. In some ways it was like watching a rehearsed performance with maybe not the full 100% given. Possibly, if the Director asks for more passion and chemistry is developed between the main characters, by the end of the run, this play will be the nervy, edge of the seat thriller I had hoped for. And having seen Oliver and Kym in various TV dramas, I know what wonderful actors they both are; actors who know how to deliver passionate performances.

"Fatal Attraction" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 19 February.

 "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time"

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

The play tells the story of Christopher John Francis Boone, who is fifteen years old. He stands besides Mrs Shears’ dead dog, which has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minutes after midnight and Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in a book he is writing to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington. He has an extraordinary brain and is exceptional at maths, while everyday life presents some barriers. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched and distrusts strangers. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.

To anyone on the outside world of autism, what Chris has to cope with, and let's face it, this is everyday life to an autistic person, takes up a lot of energy. From not wanting to be touched by anyone, not even his parents, to having to carefully work everything out by way of a pre worked out design for living, as shown when in London and making his way to the railway station, or even just boarding a tube. You can see and feel the utter frustration held by Chris when in these situations.

These things aside the play also shows how highly intelligent this young man is. He takes maths exams a year before others in his age group, and passes with an A Star grading.

Apart from this massive achievement, the play also highlights the importance of family in Chris' life, and the difficulties that both his mother and father have learning about their son's differences, so it's good to see both sides of the coin as an offshoot theme.

This touring production marks a decade of the play which originated at the National Theatre. I've seen the show several times and is just one of those shows that you have to go back and watch again as there is so much to take in, and I find myself spotting bits that I may have missed in previous productions, not only that but it is a wonderfully entertaining piece of theatre.

This production also seemed to hold a more comical feel, and seemed to go at a faster pace to the previous productions that I remember seeing. This also has the advantage of drawing you into the frantic pace of life that Christopher appears to live at. Throughout the play it does seem to leave you breathless at times.

David Breed and Connor Curren both play Christopher in separate performances, but the presentation on opening night starred Connor Curren, who himself is autistic. This role is an extremely physical role for any actor, but carried out with supreme ease throughout. You can only think that with the energy and passion that comes from Christopher, that any actor who plays the character, must surely end each show just a bit drained. The script is lengthy and Christopher has some long and difficult pieces to relay.

Rebecca Root plays Siobhan, Chris's teacher who also narrates the story, which is the story that Chris has written, therefore creating a "play within a play" situation. Like all the characters in this play, they appear and disappear from all sides of the stage and also pop up in the theatre boxes and the balcony, making full use of the whole theatre.

The supporting cast, who also appear in several roles throughout compliment the pacy Christopher performance through every step, whether that be on stage or in the aerial walks up and down the set walls.

The amazing set, by Bunny Christie, has also advanced from the last time that I saw the play, and every time that I see this play it just grows and grows, getting better and better. the set design which is the epitome of futuristic, even by today's standards. Christopher spends quite a bit of time building up a model railway set up and village, which at the end of Act One springs into life, seemingly of it's own accord.

The incredible video design by Finn Ross creates an urgency, especially when Chris travels to London from Swindon by train. The confusion of being in a new city is plainly brought to life by the design and leaves your head spinning and quite disorientates you.

This is one piece of theatre where movement is a key part of the play, and anyone who has seen this play will know exactly what I mean. The image of weightlessness and floating in space with Chris is created brilliantly and if you squint, you can just see Chris floating in space in slow motion, and not the other actors supporting him. I've not really seen too many pieces of theatre that use movement in the same way and therefore a mention to the movement directors, Scott Graham and Steven Hoggett for Frantic Assembly, really is a necessity here.

Also creating the magic of this piece is the lighting and sound design by Paule Constable and Ian Dickinson (Autograph) respectively. Both creating an audio and visual playground for the audience.

I imagine that directing this play is completely different to directing any other piece of theatre and how Marianne Elliott would start is a complete enigma to someone like myself. Maybe it is best to not even start to contemplate this but to enjoy the magic.

If you do plan to come and see this wonderfully heart-warming play though, hang back after the bows as Christopher returns to the stage to explain Pythagoras Theorem, which was part of the exam that Chris had to take as a fifteen-year-old. It is worth it, even though I still have no idea what it all means after seeing this play at least three times, but the explanation is impressive.

After seeing the play for the first time some years ago, I bought the book by Mark Haddon, I loved the play that much. The play remains faithful to the book while also moving, technology wise with the latest in theatrical screen design.

"The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 12 February.