"Looking Good Dead" by Peter James

Nottingham Theatre Royal

This is the latest in Peter James' series of Detective Inspector Roy Grace novels to hit the stage, and has been adapted from the novel by Shaun McKenna and Directed by Jonathan O' Boyle.

I have a confession to make. I've never read a Peter James novel, but after tonight, I think I'm going to have to seek out the set of Roy Grace novels and read them as I love a good thriller with a clever twist and this play ticks all the boxes for me.

After picking up a USB memory stick, left behind by another passenger on a train seat, Tom Bryce inadvertently becomes a witness to a vicious murder. Bryce's son reports the crime to the police, but by doing this it has disastrous consequences which results in placing him and his family in grave danger. When Detective Superintendent Roy Grace becomes involved, he tries to crack the case in time to save the Bryce family’s lives. But like every good thriller, there is a twist, or several twists revealed at the end. One I anticipated but the others, I did not see coming at all.

The family have their separate issues with Kellie spending beyond the family budget and a penchant for voddie, Tom having money issues with the business he has set up, Max having to wear headphones that block out noise to escape the constant arguing between his parents and a son that left home to climb the Himalayas to escape Kellie and Tom. Joe, the absent son, is Max's step-brother, and after Max turns to him for advice is told to keep out of it and not to visit the "snuff movie" site again.

Adam Woodyatt, who everyone knows from his role as Ian Beale in Eastenders, plays Tom Bryce. I will openly admit that I've not been an avid Eastenders fan for many years now but I have always though that Adam is a wonderful actor, and he proves his acting skills in this play. His stressed husband role from Walford translates perfectly to the role of Bryce, but saying that I didn't see Ian Beale on stage, I saw Tom Bryce.

Laurie Brett, who will also be known from her Eastenders role, Jane Beale, plays Kellie Bryce. They have certainly perfected the husband and wife connection over the years haven't they? My one and only criticism with the character is that, and this is in no way a spoiler because it was inevitable, when Kellie was kidnapped and chained up, Kellie could have made more of a struggle, and if that had been me, I'd have been absolutely livid! I'll say no more.

Luke Ward-Wilkinson plays their seventeen-year-old son, Max Bryce, who helps Tom open the link on the USB stick, which reveals the live stream of the murder. Luke, in real life is a bit older than his character, but he portrays the typical seventeen-year-old accurately.

Harry Long plays the part of Roy Grace, the hero of the play, carefully unravelling the clues that emerge throughout, reaching the right destination, with a little help of yet another plot twist!

Grace's sidekick, Glenn Branson, the wisecracking bobby, and I have it on good authority - from reading the DCI Stark novels by another brilliant crime writer, Keith Wright - that the corny jokes cracked at the victim's expense does really go on within the confines of a police station environment. I think it is called "banter".

The DC assigned to protecting the Bryce family is Bella Moy, played by Gemma Stroyan, totally believable in her role.

The initial murder is of a sex-worker called Janie, played by Natalie Boakye, and I'm not sure why it is but, even though she could see her death approaching, she did not seem to struggle much. I feel that such a horror would mean that you'd do everything in your power to try and escape it, but the females in the line of danger seemed to underplay the fight to survive. If I had been the director, I would have wanted them to fight like a cat, kick out, scratch, scream and acknowledge the terror element.

Mylo McDonald plays Mick, the sadistic murderer, dressed all in black complete with black ski mask, straight away giving a menacing persona from the off. I was fooled by the Irish accent, as Mylo perfected the gentle Irish lilt perfectly.

And finally, and there is a reason I left this bit until last, the role of Jonas Kent, the American who was to save Bryce's business from closure, was played by understudy Armani Watt, another actor who carries off another accent with great conviction, and accuracy. At the final bows Adam Woodyatt motioned for Armani to step forward to take a solo bow; now I thought that this may be because of him being the understudy, but referring to the programme after the show saw that Armani was playing to a home crowd as he is from Nottingham.

The clever set design is by Michael Holt and sets the majority of the action within the Bryce's open plan living space. Behind this space is a raised section where the rest of the action unfolds. This section, when lit, leaves the lower section in darkness, making the upper stage appear as if viewing the action on a movie screen. The lighting design is by Jason Taylor.

There is a subtle soundscape throughout the play, with parts really ramping up the approaching menace giving a feeling of expectation and unease. the composer and sound design by Max Pappenheim.

Apart from the fact that I'd have liked to seen more passion from Kellie and Jeanie in the sight of danger, my only other niggle was the fight choreography as it seemed a trifle staged and needed, in my opinion, to have more "oomph".

That said I really enjoyed the adaptation, and any adaptation from book to stage is not an easy task, and was genuinely surprised by the twists. The menace was there and this situation did not seem as far-fetched as one audience member commented on behind me. This could realistically happen with the right twisted mind!

"Looking Good Dead" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 26 March.

 "The Memory Of Water" by Shelagh Stephenson.

The Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

This Riverside Drama Company's presentation is about three sisters; Teresa, Mary and Catherine, as they come together on the eve of their mother’s funeral. The three each have different memories of the same events, causing constant bickering about whose memories are true. As the story unfurls, all their hidden lies and self-betrayals are revealed.

The play was made into a film called "Before You Go" in 2002, which I decided not to watch before seeing this production, as I wanted this to be my first experience of this story.

Lizzie Norris plays Teresa, the organiser of the trio, who we discover is not that organised herself, as she has already mislaid her organiser! I particularly enjoyed a really realistic performance of drunken Teresa. With most drunken characters there is sometimes a tendency to go slightly over the top, or present a childish version of a drunk. Lizzie nailed the drunken Teresa with a fully believable performance. How much method acting involved I would not like to say!

Jane Harris plays the middle sister Mary, who is the only one of the sisters who can see Vi. But is this just a memory in Mary's mind or is Vi a ghost? There are several emotional moments with Mary and Jane really cornered the emotional side of her character. Maybe it's the inbuilt emotional side of Mary that enables her to see, or conjure up Vi's image.

Alex Dornan who plays the youngest daughter Catherine. Catherine has had many lovers and needs to be in love, or at least to be loved by somebody, and when she isn't, this throws her whole life off kilter, and she uses drugs as a crutch. 

All three sisters recall various memories of their childhood, strangely many not quite recognised by each sister as being what really happened, well according to their recall.

Donna Osmond plays the deceased mother Vi. We are given the impression that Vi had many male admirers in her day and was a glamorous woman who liked to dress up and go dancing. Her glittery green costume shone almost as much as the actors. We are given the impression that Vi is either an image brought back from Mary's memory bank, or a ghost and this is highlighted by swamping the stage in a green light whenever she appeared, and then exited behind the wardrobe.

Dan Bates plays Frank, Teresa's husband. who after comforting a drunken Teresa, admits that his heart is not in the job that they both make a living form and would prefer to run a pub as his dream job, something more.....simple! Every time I see Dan on stage he always plays characters with substance and an accent. He is chameleonic and a master of accents and nails both character as well as their accent. Plus it is quite startling how a flat cap, glasses and a moustache can change how a person looks.

Jack Workman plays Mike, a married doctor who is currently having a relationship with Mary. He can't leave his wife (yet) as she has ME, although Mary disbelieves this after seeing a photo of the pair at an event. Mike is a well-known face and is successful in his role as a TV doctor, although what comes out later in the play, could be the fly in his ointment! 

All six actors prove what wonderfully good character actors they are. Not only that but their natural flow in character and speech really make you believe in who they are and the way they are interact with each other. I for one could see past the actor to believe the character.

The story could have been set in any decade, and the furniture in Vi's bedroom could not give away any particular era for the set, only that Vi seemed to have a penchant for classic furniture. Only some of the comments and references made by the characters indicated any set era.

The set, by the way, is really impressive. Designed by Rachel Bates, it filled the whole stage, making you feel that you were a fly on the wall in Vi's bedroom. The amount of props on set were impressive, and sourced by both Rachel Bates and Liz Turner!

I loved the Yorkshire accents; Mike was the only one without an area-specific accent, but that is because of his job and his TV standing, and this alone set him apart from the others, giving him a more middle-class image.

Directed by Rachel Bates, who has used the silent segments well to create certain anticipation for what the next character says. The play comes across as a very natural way that the sisters would react and interact with each other, and as I previously said, you feel like a fly on the wall of a private conversation between a group of people.

There is a soundscape in the first act that indicates the wintery weather in the play and you actually start to feel cold just hearing the wind howling outside the window on stage. The volume of the sound design was also spot on, with the horn from the funeral car giving distance to the awaiting hearse.

Light Design wise, there was nothing flashy or special, no need for spots etc, but the fades, as well as the simple green swathes, created a sympathetic effect. Sometimes simple is best, and most affective. Both sound and light presented by Dave Martin.

There is plenty of comedy in this play, especially in the "dressing up" scene using the late Vi's clothes, as well as the brilliant script. There are so many excellent comedy lines, but it also takes a cast of excellent character actors to bring those lines, funny and heart-breaking, to life.

"The Memory Of Water" is at The Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 19 March.

Photos courtesy of Paul Norris.

 "Miscast: All Inclusive" by Williams Creatives.

Sue Townsend Theatre, Leicester.

This is the third instalment in the Miscast series follows the success of Williams Creatives productions of Miscast: The Musical Cabaret and Miscast at the Movies. This is my first experience of both Williams Creatives and the Sue Townsend Theatre.

First of all, why "Miscast"? Well there is a story behind that which is about not restricting yourself to the songs that suit you, instead choosing the songs that you really want to sing, and on the whole this works. Let's face it, I'd love to be able to sing like Josh Groban, but nobody would pay to hear me attempt to hit the notes he hits, but I'd love to sing like he does!

The storyline of this jukebox musical was written and directed by Joshua Williams, who also plays Laurence. It is one of the campest musicals I've seen, and I love a bit of camp, and I love the message this musical sends out also.

The jukebox musical here though encompasses, not only some of the big hits from well-known musicals, but some classic pop tunes to mix it all up.

So, what is the story?

There's a tough decision to be made between keeping the club reps or cruise liner reps and it’s up to Chandrelle, with a bit of help from Graham at Head Office, to decide to change their futures forever or will Chandrelle change the rules and write their own history? It's a story of determination, team work and love in a way you haven’t seen before!

Charlotte Richards as Chandrelle, plays the ultimate bossy character but do we see a glimmer of softness through all of her heart-heartedness? I loved her version of "These Are My Children", which has always been my favourite song from the soundtrack of "Fame The Musical"

Luke Evered as Graham, looks very at ease in his role, and there is a surprise coming when two of the reps take quite a shine to him. Will he allow the reps to sway his decision as the reps are in the opposite camps? There is also a surprise as to whom he will choose, after a bit of a misunderstanding. I did enjoy this twist in this musical, especially as I did not see this particular one coming!

Michael Leslie Payne as Paulie, and what a diva this character is, and I loved the way that Michael played Paulie. Again, this character is not one that you may see in the run of the mill new musical, and it made the experience very fresh. Paulie is the leader of the Club Reps, and can I just say "row of tents". He is bitchy and the final straw comes when he reveals something about Darcy, who is in the rival Cruise Liners, which even turns his own group against him. With only days left before the day of reckoning for the two groups, how will they cope without their leader of the pack? Or does Paulie see the error of his ways?

Sharon Brown as Darcy has had a long running feud with Paulie, ever since Paulie won the first male Miss Baltimore Crabs, and that feud comes to a head with Paulie's big reveal. Sharon really gets you on her side and makes you feel sorry for her and what has happened.

Cathy Robinson as Nancy comes into her own when Darcy's secret is revealed, which has really knocked Darcy's confidence. Thanks to Nancy, Darcy's confidence is restored, and we get to hear the duet "Another Suitcase In Another Hall" as the result.

Joshua Williams as Lawrence. First of let me say that Joshua has one of the most distinctive voices I've heard in a long time, and I was trying to think who he reminds me of. the only person whose tone comes close to Joshua's is Roland Gift from the Fine Young Cannibals, but Joshua has power behind his voice, and I am sure that when he really lets his vocals go, he could tear the roof off of a theatre. I loved the sensuality of "Naked" and also his duet of "Everything Has Changed" which really takes on a new slant in this scenario. I also loved another duet he does, this time with Felicity on "No More Tears (Enough Is Enough). And then there is "The Movie In My Mind".

Matt Brown as Dash, one of the Club Reps, and I could see Matt as a Club Rep, he has that kind of fun aura about him. He is a proper lad! With Dash we see another love story blooming, but Dash is too shy to tell Tanya how he feels. Everyone, apart from Tanya, can see that he is like a lovestruck puppy around her. Will this particular love story come to fruition?

Jade Afflick-Goodall as Tanya, and ooh what a voice! I love Tanya's character, even if she is so wrapped up in everything else that she can't see the man who would do anything for her. Maybe it's because of the lovers in her past being bad for her. Jade is another actor who is ease on stage and is completely believable with her character. Jade also choreographed the show.

Ranata Maynard as Robyn, and boy what a bundle of energy Ranata and Robyn are. Ranata looks as if she is loving every moment of playing the fun Robyn, and we can feel that from the auditorium.

Kerry Smith as Felicity, and I was lucky enough to get to chat to Kerry before the show and can see that Joshua's casting of Kerry as felicity was definitely not miscast. Kerry is a fun young actor, and Felicity is a fun character, lively, with an eye for the lads, but has a heart of gold. Kerry has been in several ensembles in various Leicester drama groups, and this is her first lead role, and she handles that pressure really well, again very confident and natural in the role, and can back up her acting talents with a vibrant set of vocals as well. And she held that note in "No More Tears" brilliantly.

The Cruise Liner Ensemble consist of Ellie Thompson, H McLaren, Emm Edwards, Sula Green and Phoebe Harris and the Club Rep Ensemble are Sarah Brown, Lynsey Jones, Elspeth Brimley and Natasha Plummer.

There is a lot of choreography in this musical, as you'd expect, so we know that Jade had a lot of hard work cut out to choreograph this large cast.

Emm Edwards, apart from being in the ensemble was the Musical Director. Again many hours of hard work as there are twenty-six musical numbers in this show. From "9 To 5" to the closing "On Your Feet Megamix" via "Bend & Snap", "No Bad News", "Toucha Toucha Touch Me", "Every Breath You Take", "Fine Fine Line", "There Are Worse Things I Could Do", "Listen To Your Heart" and the brilliant "You Will Be Found", there really is something for everyone music wise in this show. If there is a song written called "Kitchen Sink", that too would have been included I suspect!

Loved the costumes, the responsibility of Jess Henderson, especially the final number, which I am not giving any spoilers for as it was incredibly glam and flashy.

Williams Creatives is a non-profit making group, which is a shame because with money to put towards scenery, this show would have been complete. Imagine backdrops as seen in Benidorm, palm trees, sand etc, or even Blackpool and that would have really set the tone and positioned the musical for me.

My only other comment would be that the sound mics sometimes were not faded up in time and we could only just hear some sections of the script. This didn't happen that often, but you know what I am like where sound and light are concerned... a pain in the derriere, as I am sure several local sound engineers will attest to. Don't worry I appreciate the need for sound desk operators to be part octopus.

It's a really fun musical, a witty script and, as I said, I love the messages that are given out through the story, especially Laurence's story, which was really fresh to see on stage.

Williams Creatives saying is "Passion and creativity through theatre" and you get that and more.

You can see this show Friday 11th and Saturday 12 March at the Sue Townsend Theatre in Leicester.

 "Little Shop Of Horrors" by Erewash Musical Society.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

For anyone who has been living under a stone, or inside a plant for the last several decades, the story follows a hapless florist shop worker, Seymour, who raises a plant that feeds on human blood and flesh. This saves the closure of Mr Mushnik's flower shop and makes a celebrity of Seymour. Seymour is in love with Audrey, the female shop assistant, but that love cannot be returned as Audrey is in a toxic and violent relationship with a dentist called Orin. To get fame, fortune and Audrey's love, Seymour has to keep the strange plant alive, and does what he needs to do, and at any cost!!

The musical is loosely based on the low-budget 1960 black comedy film The Little Shop of Horrors. The musical was also made into a 1986 film but is always a popular choice with local theatre groups because it is one of those shows that everyone loves.

It has an annoyingly catchy soundtrack with songs such as "Skid Row", "Suddenly Seymour", "Somewhere That's Green", "Dentist" and of course the title song.

Seymour Krelborn is played by Martin Lewis, who plays "geeky" very well; obviously a tribute to Martin's fantastic acting skills and characterisation. I loved the way that Martin whipped off his black-rimmed glasses off during "Suddenly Seymour" to reveal that Seymour was there for Audrey. I could swear blind I heard someone cheer at this point. Also good to see Martin back on stage as opposed to being back stage or acting as Musical Director.

Emma Barnes-Marriott plays Audrey, and what a character to play as Emma's first principal role for Erewash Musical Society. By not using the typical high pitched voice that we so often see, and hear, when an actor plays Audrey, the character becomes less dizzy, character wise. Emma's voice matches the fragile, and slightly naive Audrey so well, especially in the gorgeous "Somewhere That's Green" and the duet "Suddenly Seymour".

Martin Briggs plays Mr Mushnik, the owner of the flower shop on Skid Row. Another slight amendment here with a more diluted Jewish accent than what is normally delivered for this character.

James Bowden gets to play the sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello D.D.S. This is a brilliant comic character to play and James really brings out the manic in Orin, and a great stage slap delivered to Audrey which looked very realistic. I normally look for a connection between characters but that was one connection I hoped wasn't there. Wonderfully timed from where I was sitting.

Chiffon, Crystal and Ronette are played by Hayley Wood, Kathi Ludlow and Louisa Ward. And here is yet another change, one that i can't ever remember seeing in any other production I've seen. To balance out the three above, we also have another trio of Shirelle, Chantelle and Vandella, played by Louise O'Boyle, Abigail Lagou and Jane Freeman, and keeping in vogue with the 1960's girl group names. These six created a wall of sound and balanced out the stage rather wonderfully.

Audrey 2 is voiced by John Fletcher and the plant is operated by Gabryl Oleshko, who also plays a drunkard at the start of the musical. Operating a plant of this size would not be easy, so I can appreciate why, at times the mouth operation did not quite sync in with John's vocals. That doesn't matter because just seeing a full grown Audrey looking so plantastic in all it's splendour was all we needed to see. I must also say that John's voice sounded great as the unbe-leaf- able and evil monster plant. I am sure that the money paid out for the wonderful puppet plant, in its' several stages of growth, will reap benefits.

And here's another change up in this production, I've always seen a mix of male and female "importants" wanting to sign Seymour up to something or other to maximise his fame due to Audrey 2. Here they were all female! Grace Deakin (Skip Snip), Anna Fitzpatrick (Mrs Luce), Karen Robbins (Bernstein) and Vicky Byrne (Pat Martin). Adding to these roles we also have Megan Asher and Elin Haycock as the customers.

This production has a larger cast than any I've recalled previously with the ensemble consisting of Chrissie Oakden, Laurie Trott, Natalie Austen, Andrea Kemish and Barbara Bostock, who provide so much energy to this show.

Talking of energy leads me on to the choreography. There are some lovely choreographed ensemble pieces in this musical, thanks to Hayden Fletcher.

Directed by Chris Renshaw, he kept all the fun of the original musical and with the noted changes, made this production seem refreshed.

I mentioned the soundtrack and this was directed musically by Dave Dallard. The uptempo numbers were punchy and the ballads were delicately lush.

Over the past few shows at the Duchess I've pointed out that there have been issues with mics not being one when they should have been and the audience had missed parts of the songs and script. I can say that there was none of that tonight and I heard every word spoken and sung with clarity. Phil Holland and Dave Dallard must take all praise for this area.

Likewise with the lighting. In some of the past few productions, there have been spots that failed to spot and lights which just didn't illuminate what they should have done. Tonight, the lighting was practically perfect, hitting every cue. By using certain lights, we highlighted the front of the stage, when the back section was not needed, creating focus on characters and stage areas. Dave Martin is back on top form as the man in charge of this technical area.

The set was wonderful and, something I noticed, filled the whole of the stage from top to bottom, from left to right. There were sections that slid in and out of view with a multitude of props(Tyna Burnett and Team), making you believe that you were in fact on Skid Row and in Mushnik's flower shop. The design was by Mark Robbins and Bill Robbins, and you could see the hard work that was put in with the construction of this particular set. just take a look at the photos taken by Alistair Langton to see how great the set, actors, costumes etc look.

I have seen several productions of "Little Shop Of Horrors" and have enjoyed every one of them, but this production, with its' tweaks and additions has to be one of the best, and makes you feel like you are seeing it with fresh eyes and ears.

"Little Shop Of Horrors" is germinating all week, until Saturday 12 March. Get a ticket fast but whatever you do, don't feed the plants!!