"The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man" by Tom Wright.

Nottingham Playhouse

This production of Tom Wright's play is having its' European premiere right here in Nottingham at the Playhouse.

Joseph Merrick travels from the Leicestershire to London when he is kicked out of his home after the death of his mother. The play follows him through the workhouse, until he was no longer able to roll the tobacco leaves into cigar shapes: the freak show, which is what is normally focused on, and the hospital, as he searches for acceptance in a society that just wants to stare at him and mock him. It's emotive and powerful as well as challenging to the actors telling this story. In fact it was more powerful than I had expected.

I've seen a couple of plays about Merrick, both not exhibiting the physical disfigurement of the character, and I don't think an audience needs to see this to get the story that's being told anyway. This version also concentrates more on his life down London in the hospital than on the time as a freak show exhibit. it shows the allies he forges and the misunderstanding of the disease Merrick had.

Zak Ford-Williams plays Merrick in a very human way and with flashes of comedy. The scene with Nurse Willison while she is providing his daily bathing and he lets her know that he can understand her is very comical, especially as she has been talking to him about some quite private information, all the while assuming that he didn't understand her.

This isn't an easy watch by any stretch of the imagination, and that is mainly due to Zak and the rest of the actors who make sure that what you're watching isn't easy and they want you to feel uncomfortable, and at times even guilty. What we see in this story is a gentle, intelligent man and not the physical disfigurement through nature. Nurture would have shown the real Joseph Merrick as opposed to the imagined man.

Annabelle Davis among ensemble parts, plays Miss Fordham, a young woman in the hospital with Merrick. Just as you really start to like the character, she then springs a surprise on Merrick, and then just before she leaves the stage, yet another. I won't spoil it by relating the two bombshells. Annabelle also plays quite a bossy nurse, explaining what is happening to Merrick's body, and what may happen in the future. Two very different character parts executed wonderfully.

Daneka Etchells, one of the disabled cast members, plays Mrs Highfield, as well as other ensemble parts.

Nadia Nadarajah plays Nurse Willison, and to me Nadia being deaf didn't do anything to distract me from the story she was telling. As I stated earlier with the Merrick bathing section, the comedy came across visually and easily.

Joseph Merrick's father is played by Tim Pritchett, who then went on to play several more roles in the ensemble. I actually grew to like Merrick's father at the start as he showed actual paternal concern for his son, and then he refused entry to their home when Joseph's mother died and told him that he had to make his own way in the world. Two conflicting emotions.

Killian Thomas Lefevre plays The Young Man, who acts as The Narrator. Killian also plays electric rock guitar in this play, another thing I was not expecting to see. The music creating a real gothic, uneasy feel about the play.

Directed by Stephen Bailey, he has shown us the kind of man Merrick may have been and highlighted just how bad disabled people were treated, almost like a figure of fun, at this time in history. A short first act followed by a longer second act meant that by the time the interval was over, you were sucked into this dark, gothic world of mental institutions and the people involved in them, on both sides of the fence. I was completely transfixed.

The Set and Costume Design is by Simon Kenny. The set really shows the smoky, dark London, almost in the way that any Jekyll and Hyde or Jack the Ripper play may be set. The eeriness was there which helped with the uneasy and uncomfortable feeling. Hanging from the roof were iron beams giving the feel of industry.

The sideshow consisted of a massive packing case, almost the kind of thing a zoo would keep wild animals in. There must be a comparison between the fact that people fear wild animals but are drawn to them out of interest and Joseph Merrick being teased out of his container "safe" place to be ogled at and feared by paying customers as part of the freak show.

Lighting designer is Jai Morjaria. Darkness played just as much a part in this play as the illuminated sections, like the hospital. The dark and smoky industrial scenes gave out as much danger, albeit unhidden when the well lit hospital scenes rolled on. A real sense of doom and foreboding was created by the dark but great use of illuminated strips to provide shape.

Sound Design and composer is Nicola T Chang. For me sound and light always go together to create the feel and atmosphere. The doom laden score was like a creeping menace slithering around the foot of your seats. It almost reminded me of sections from the score of "Jeff Wayne's War Of The Worlds" where you can actually feel unease through the music.

Cathy Waller is the Movement Director and for me this area really drove home to me the pain that Merrick must have been going through as his body seemed to form of its' own will. Through this visual representation we can imagine Merrick's shape and his pain.

I went into this show with the knowledge of what I had seen in other productions, but this exceeded everything that I dared to imagine. The power that these actors release through these characters, as well as the powerful story telling made sure that my eyes were never taken away from that stage. It should make you feel uneasy. It should make you feel a tinge of guilt as to the way that we treat people who may look and act different to ourselves. I always remember a phrase that I was taught at school, "do as you would be done by", in other words treat people the way that you would like to be treated by them. Look behind the outer wrapping because there could be a really nice present inside.

This is a play that will make you think about others, as well as yourself.

Photography is by Marc Brenner.

"The Real and Imagined History of the Elephant Man" by Tom Wright is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 7 October.

 "Grease"

Nottingham Arts Theatre.

We may not be seeing Summer Nights this week, weather wise but at the Nottingham Arts Theatre the sun is shining and there is great fun to be had with this brilliant slice of retro teen/coming of age High School awopbopaloobap awopbam boom fun musical. I know that "Grease" isn't everyone's cup of tea, it's definitely my choice of beverage.

Everyone knows the story of Rydell High’s Danny, the leader of the pack and High School “jock” and Sandy, the prim and proper “Sandra Dee” character who has just moved to Rydell and reacquaints herself with Danny after some Summer Lovin’ with Zuko, There's also the T Birds and The Pink Ladies and the unforgettable soundtrack, so I don’t need to go into the story for you.

You'll find a few differences to the film here as some of the songs have been moved around and is more akin to the actual stage musical than the film version.

Sandy is played by Emily-Hope Wilkins and what I like about this version of Sandy is that she is not made out to be the perfectly groomed little airhead school girl, she is opinionated and knows what she wants, and who she wants, and is altogether quite a tough little cookie. Emily-Hope's rendition of "Hopelessly Devoted To You" really comes from the heart and provided those tingles that I look for in a ballad.

Jonathan Jaycock plays Danny Zuko and he is just what is required for the role. Good looking and slightly big-headed but not over the top when it comes to being a goofball. He plays the ideal "jock", the sort that all the high school girls want to get with, and all the lads want to associate themselves with. I thought his version of "Sandy" was one of the best local theatre versions I'd heard, and I'll tell you why. He didn't try and sing it with the teenage angst that Travolta did. He'd just been dumped so it was an "in the moment" version. There was no straining for the high notes and when he slipped into falsetto at the end, he managed it easily.

Rizzo is played by Esmee Khadim. In some ways I prefer Rizzo to Sandy's character because there is that earthiness, devil may care, lone wolf feel about the character. Esmee straight away showed this from her first speech. There is an air of maturity about the character, brought out perfectly by Esmee and yet another tingle moment when she sings possibly my favourite song from the soundtrack "There Are Worse Things I Could Do". This song shows the vulnerable side of Rizzo and Esmee delivered it with the perfect amount of vulnerability and emotion. This is Esmee's first piece of theatre since 2019, and I for one hope that we don't have to wait another four years for her next role.

Kenickie is played by George Young, and what a different look for George. Anyone who has seen George perform before will straight away know his hair. I actually had to check the programme to see if it was really George; it looked like George but, unless he has had his hair cut, surely all the grease in the theatre could not have plastered George's hair down the way it was with this character. He looked great, he acted great and, as I said earlier, with this being the stage version as opposed to the film version, he got to sing "Greased Lightning", which Kinickie did on stage; Travolta of course sang it in the film version, he performed and sang it brilliantly.

This is a brilliant role for George and shows another side to George's acting skills. Even in the smallest scenes, like when Rizzo told him the suspected pregnancy was not his to worry about, George's expression really had you feel for him.

Jess Henley-Marshall plays Marty and another excellent piece of casting. Marty is the really cute one who Vince Fontaine chats up at the hop. This is Jessica's second Nottingham Arts Theatre show; she was in "Footloose Jr" last year.

Sophie Benner plays Jan, the character who likes her food, and everyone else's. It was lovely that the audience really reacted to the part where Danny and Sandy are first reunited and Danny drops his lunch pack and Jan's first thoughts are to pick his lunch up and starts to tuck in to his sandwiches, that caused quite a giggle among the crowd. Sophie is an actor I've seen several times and she always brings something fresh to the roles and what a voice she has as well.

Kate Russell is Frenchy, the beauty school student who drops out. In the film the role is played by Didi Conn who really brought the characteristics of this ditzy character to life. Kate does the same thing here. We know that Frenchy is not the sharpest tool in the box but she has an absolute heart of gold and we see this in Kate's performance.

Doody, Frenchy's boyfriend, is played by Sonny Noble, marking Sonny's debut for the Arts Theatre. This is the first time that I have seen Sonny but you can tell that he is quite the seasoned performer due to his confidence in this role. You can tell that he enjoys being on stage and playing this slightly goofy character.

Sonny is played by Brogan Haynes, and I know Brogan from his various roles from various venues, most recently from "Les Miserables" where he played Maurice at The Duchess Theatre. Sonny has a crush on Marty and is one of the T Birds. This is a fun character, always joking and goofing around, and it's nice to see Brogan play a less serious role on stage, it shows another dimension to his acting and performing skills.

Megan Wilson plays Roger, the youngest of the T Birds. This is also the first time that I've seen Megan on stage but she is a little powerhouse of an actor. This is her first time with Nottingham Arts Theatre productions but with the confidence she shows on stage, you can tell that she has had stage experience previously. Can't wait to see her in future shows.

Patty Simcox, the Head Cheerleader, is played by Yara Tamsyn Johns-Ramos. This role shows just how energetic an actor Yara is, also highlighting just how much a team player she is, fronting the cheerleaders played by Hemi Lewis, Emily Holder, Lotty Bricklebank, Charlotte Clay, Erin Hanby, Harriet Campion, Hermione Cumbers and Olivia Bonham, whose vocal talents could also be heard as the singer on the radio.. The choreography for this group was marvellous as was the synchronicity from every one of them.

Eugene, the Class valedictorian and all round geek, is played by Jamie Adlam. This young man is such a ball of fun to watch, especially when he rocks out during "We Go Together". His characterisation and delivery of such a character is marvellous to watch. I've seen Jamie in a few other roles in the last year and he really lives the character he is playing at the time. He has an obvious love for performing and that comes out in his execution of the role. This young man, who is just as enigmatic off stage as he is on, has a bright future as a character actor.

Joshua Preston doubles up as Jonny Casino, the leader of the band playing at the dance contest, as well as Teen Angel. The first thing that will hit you about Joshua is his voice. His voice is so deep and rich, it's like tasting dark chocolate for the first time. Imagine Johnny Cash playing Teen Angel, well that is what came to my mind with Joshua. It's as teen Angel though that his personality came into play; there's a slight air of arrogance in the character and that, blended with that voice just made his version of Teen Angel one of my favourites. Joshua is another new face debuting at the Arts Theatre and injections of fresh blood like him on stage is a very welcome sight and sound. And I love the Teen Angel costume.

Vince Fontaine, the radio dee-jay with a penchant for teenage girls is played by Daniel Duckworth. Daniel brought out the predatory creepiness of Fontaine well and managed the 1950's DJ rapid patter reasonably well also. It's not easy to get that speed talk, I know, I've tried it.

Phoebe Bateman plays Cha Cha, and her dance experience really came into play with Cha Cha Digregorio, the best dancer at St Bernadette's but with the worst reputation!

Miss Lynch is played by Eloise Lowe. The serious, no-nonsense English teacher is played wonderfully by Eloise in her return to the stage after finishing University. I've already got my tickets for her next part as Belle in Bingham Musical Theatre Company's production of "Beauty And The Beast" at Bingham Arena.

Daisy Hillery plays Blanche, the xylophone tapping side kick to Miss Lynch. Some of the comedy is very subtle in "Grease" and there's one scene at the start of the dance off where Miss Lynch is making the announcements, which are pre-empted by a xylophone flourish from Blanche, resulting in the confiscation of the instrument.

The ensemble include Malikea Smith, Preston Nash, Stephanie Booth, Isobel Farr, Kayla Burgess, Josie Samuels, Liam Brown, Connie Armstrong, Eliza Szejda, Elise Sykes, Hannah Tuck, Arlo Perrons - whose voice was heard as the radio announcer, Caitlin Young, Cleo Sims, Cody Eley, Ace Merkelt, Amelie Burgess, Ainna Leisa McIndoe-Peart and Amy Flatman. This ensemble really fleshed out the cast and brought excitement to all of the dance routines.

During the film sequence when Danny and Sandy were in the car, we also got to hear the vocal acting of Olivia, Preston and Arlo.

Directed by Marie Rogers, this show was the success that I knew it would be. The pace was kept up at all times and the time flew by. This is an iconic musical so there is always a lot of pressure to get everything right, and that is what Marie and her crew did; they got everything right which was hugely recognised by the audience on opening night.

Choreographed by Amy Rogers-Gee assisted by Charlotte Barrington. These dance routines may seem easy when you are doing "Greased Lightning" at a wedding etc but when on stage and done well it looks spectacular. the big choreographed numbers like "We Go Together" or the more simple solo numbers all looked amazing. Apart from hand jives, flicks and kicks, jives there were acrobatics in there which made the choreographic side of this musical an absolute joy to watch, performed by these young and talented actors and dancers.

I must also mention the work that the stage crew do on productions as big as this. Mark Russell, Matthew Allcock, George Wilson, Rhys Beardley, Cathy Bodman, Ian Hadlington and Hollie Harvey.

Musical Director was AJ Hills leading the six piece band who created that authentic 1950's feel of the musical.

Lighting Design by Evie Webster was absolutely spot on as was the Sound Design by Rob Kettridge; a perfect fusion.

I loved the set with its' big Grease backdrop and multi level staging. Plenty of detail went into this set, even down to the posters of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe along with the film posters that adorned the bedroom walls.

The costumes were wonderful - I've already mentioned Teen Angel's silver suit and sneakers, but every costume, and as you can see by the size of the cast, there were plenty to source, and I just love the retro styles.

The wigs and make up were also incredibly good, especially in the "Beauty School Dropout" scenes where the Teen Angel dancers had their bouffanted hair up in a mountain of rollers, and still looked glamorous.

This show really is the one that you want to see, even if it is raining, not just on prom night or on a blue moon night. A thoroughly enjoyable night at the theatre, again showcasing the incredible talent that these young actors have. A show to really lift your spirits.

"Grease" is at the Nottingham Arts Theatre until Saturday 23 September.

 "Tony! - The Tony Blair Rock Opera"

Derby Theatre.

Written by Harry Hill and Steve Brown, this is one musical theatre concept that I really could not imagine, but Hill and Brown certainly put the paaaartay into political party. As you'd expect it is wickedly satirical, full of fiendish fun and titillatingly tasteless.

Politics don't interest me, and even though what I know about politics could be written on a postage stamp, I really enjoyed this mickey-take of all things political, plus anything written by Harry Hill is like a carrot and stick to me; by the way there are carrots and sticks in this production, but not used in the same way!!

Jack Whittle plays Blair, and it really is uncanny how he gets Blair's details so accurate. Whittle is very rarely off stage as we go through his wannabe rock star phase through his political highs and lows and even up to his possible death bed scenes. It's a fast and physical role and we also get to hear a really good singing voice.

Tori Burgess plays his wife, Cherie, with a Scouse accent that sounds like nails being dragged down a blackboard. There's one scene, at the start of their relationship, which shows Cherie talking the hind leg off of Blair while being intimate, which gets progressively more physical as the "conversation" goes on.

Peter Mandelson is played by Howard Samuels in an almost panto dame style crossed with Count Dracula. Wonderfully camp with some lovely asides to the audience, especially when he is playing other characters, just in case we didn't know he had changed character. Great fun to watch.

Phil Sealey plays Gordon Brown but also gives a wonderful performance as Saddam Hussain in the style of Groucho Marx, as he sings “I Never Done Anything Wrong”.

Martin Johnston plays Neil Kinnock, and where else apart from musical theatre would you get to see Neil Kinnock crooning a song about politics. Johnston also doubles as George W Bush.

John Prescott is played by Rosie Strobel, and her song as Osama Bin Laden is one of the highlights of the show. As Prescott Rosie has got those annoying speech defects spot on, as well as his rottweiler attitude.

Robin Cook is played by Sally Cheng and it is so strange that the gorgeous Sally actually resembles Robin Cook quite a bit with the wig and facial hair wig she wears on stage; it's really eerie.

Princess Diana is played by Emma Jay Thomas, and appears as a guest at his party as his dance partner and then as a ghostly masseur later in the show, just to let him know that she was watching over him. There are hints that Lady Di and Blair may have been attracted to each other, or is that just something naughty that Harry Hill may have popped into the musical to add spice? Who knows, and who cares? Emma Jay manages to look like a wonderful cartoony caricature of the People's Princess and also uses the "F" word!! How un-regal, but how deliciously naughty.

Throughout we are also treated to "guest" appearances including Blair's rock hero, Mick Jaggers, sorry Jagger.

Directed by Peter Rowe. This is one very funny, and very fast piece of theatre, and you have to be quick to get every one of the jokes. It's also one of the daftest, and one of the most enjoyable satirical theatre pieces I've seen. Everyone must have seen some of Harry Hill's shows on TV, and this is just like that but with his tongue even more firmly pressed into his cheek. It's just crazy good.

The Set and Costume Design is by Libby Watson. The set is definitely nothing short of eye-catching in white, black and red with the letters T,O,N and Y, almost reminiscent of the '68 ELVIS stage design, but on a smaller scale. Could this be a subliminal message, for those old enough to remember the Elvis comeback show, that Blair was as popular and as big as the King Of Rock 'n' Roll? The same colour scheme is used in the costumes, black suits, white shirts and red ties.

Mark Dymock's Lighting Design made sure that this stage party was anything but political and more of a fun party.

Sound designer Richard Brooker made sure that the split-second sound effects were just that, and the overall sound was incredibly crisp. You could hear all the lyrics of the songs which also meant you didn't miss any of the comedy in the lyrics.

The Choreography is by Francesca Jaynes. And there are many big dance numbers, which I for one was not expecting, but enjoyed the whole big bizarreness of it all.

The wigs, as well as the make up for this show, are a vital part of the whole image for these characters and have been designed by Vanessa White.

The Musical Supervisor is Oli Jackson, who also arranged the music. The big backing sound amazingly only comes from three people, Oli on keys, David Guy on guitar and bass and Harry Bent on drums.

There are some irritatingly catchy songs here, penned fully by Steve Brown, not least the show closer called "The Whole Wide World". the style of the music is borrowed, or maybe that should be "influenced" from all areas of music, not least musical theatre. There's one song that sounds very similar to "You'll Be Back" from "Hamilton", one that reminded me of "Look Down" from "Les Miserables" and another that sounded like it had been influenced for something from "A Chorus Line".

One other good thing about this show is that it doesn't just take the urine out of Blair, it's a very fair musical as it takes it out of every one of the characters, and is not afraid to either. David Plunkett and his guide dog are very comical, at times you think, should I be laughing at this, and then you remember who wrote the book, and you do.

If you are easily offended about public figures, especially political ones, being sent up - no, no-one - then don't come and see it. If you have a good sense of humour and like ridicule in its' finest form, then get yourself a ticket and have a blast.

"Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera" is at Derby Theatre until Saturday 16 September.

 "Educating Rita" by Willy Russell.

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

Willy Russell is one of my favourite writers; anyone who knows mw knows that "Blood Brothers" is my Number One musical EVER!!!! I've seen "Our Day Out", "Shirley Valentine", "Stags and Hens" and of course, as with "Educating Rita", they are all beautifully written observations of real life, That is what makes his works so easy to watch and to relate to.

"Educating Rita" opens the Autumn/Winter season at the Lace Market Theatre with absolute style.

Frank is a tutor of English in his fifties whose disillusioned outlook on life drives him to drink and bury himself in his books. Enter Rita, a forthright 29 year-old hairdresser who is eager to learn. She wants to learn everything! After weeks of cajoling, Rita slowly wins over the very hesitant Frank with her innate insight and refusal to accept no for an answer. Their relationship as teacher and student blossoms, ultimately giving Frank a new sense of self and Rita the knowledge she so craves. You plainly see a slight role reversal with the two as they both gain knowledge from the other. The play became a hit film with Michael Caine and Julie Walters in 1983.

Malcolm Todd plays Frank, a tutor who does not have high opinions of students and is quite grumpy. Perfect casting. Frank is also highly intelligent and a well educated man, knowing his way around the world of literature. Again perfect casting. Frank hides bottles of booze within his bookcase and has a drink problem. Malcolm Todd is a great actor.

It's great fun to see Malcolm in action because off stage he's not at all grumpy, I'm not sure of his opinions on students or the extent he takes method acting. But seriously, this is a role made for an actor like Malcolm as he completely embodies every aspect of Russell's literal image of Frank.

Rita is played by Charlotte MacLachlan. Now, Charlotte is a new name to the Lace Market Theatre, so I know nothing of her apart from this performance. What I do know is that she has an excellent ear for the Scouse accent, which everyone thinks that they can do, but to keep that perfected tone throughout really draws you into the character. It's like listening to a native from Birkenhead, that is the posh part of Liverpool, so I've been advised. I got the chance to relay my admiration to Charlotte, regarding her accent and role afterwards.

This may be Charlotte's Lace Market theatre debut, but I hope we get to see her again in future productions around the city.

Charlotte has quite a few costume changes throughout, some done very rapidly, which can obviously add urgency and stress to a performer. No signs of that here when, at times, only a matter of seconds are afforded to some of the costume changes.

This pair really have chemistry together and their timing is wonderful to behold, especially in the intimate Studio section of the Lace Market, because in there nothing escapes the eagle eyed audience member. On the flip side of that coin, you also feel every emotion conveyed by both.

Throughout this production I can honestly say I didn't think once about Caine and Walters; I didn't need to, Todd and MacLachlan gave me the perfect Frank and Rita.

Making his Directorial debut is James Whitby and I expect that he is one pleased director with his, and his cast's week of sold out performances. It also makes a Director's job easier when he has a pair of actors who know exactly what they are doing. This three way mix of talents obviously has the magic formula. James has many years of acting experience behind him, belying his still tender years, so he knows what works from an actor's viewpoint, so making the transition from actor to Director is a natural progression. This production is a brilliant way to break his Directorial duck, so here's to many more, just don't be a stage stranger James, please.

Lighting Design is by Nick Gale. The Studio performance space, and this play, doesn't need any fancy lighting effects, so the simple fades to break up the scenes was just what was needed. Simplicity is sometimes the best and most effective way to let an audience know where one scene ends and the next begins.

Sound Design is by Órla Godfrey-Carter. Every cue was hit. I was however trying to work out what the closing piece of music was that was used to signal the end of the play. The additional music really took me back though as it was the music used for The Open University itself.

It was always a given that I was going to love this play, but Malcolm and Charlotte completely made me banish the Caine and Walters portrayals, and the other actors who I can't remember from previous touring productions - I only remember Stephen Tompkinson, as now I have a new, unforgettable Frank and Rita.

This cast and crew are an education on how to produce and present a brilliant evening of fun, with a few more serious messages interwoven that will make you think about you and your life choices.

The week is all sold out but it may be worth contacting the Lace Market Box Office just in case there are any return tickets. "Educating Rita" is being performed until Saturday 16 September.

Pictures courtesy of Grace Eden.