"Strangers On A Train" by Craig Warner.

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

It's always a joy to see something for the first time, and to get so much out of a play. as I have with this one. I decided not to watch the 1951 Hitchcock film of the same name, mainly because I wanted this to be my first introduction to the story. I now want to watch the film to see if it's as good as this production.

Based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith. Guy Haines and Charles Bruno meet on a train and, because they are strangers, they think they can say anything while chatting. Bruno suggests that they could get away with murder-he could kill Guy's unfaithful wife while Guy could eliminate his hated father, and they would never have to see each other ever again. Guy does not take him seriously, but Bruno is deadly serious....

Lewis Bowkett plays Charles Bruno. You can see the effect that Bruno has on Haines after that first meeting as strangers. Back in the 1940's/1950's stalking was not criminally recognised, but Bruno is, to all lengths, a stalker. Finding out information about Haines, where he lives, who he mixes with, his friends, his wife, his lover, his telephone number, inventing a back story of how they may have met, sending Haines letters and threatening him. The pressure that Bruno puts on Haines is colossal, and you get this feeling that Bruno may just have a crush on Haines with some of the comments he comes out. 

Lewis successfully brings out the danger in Bruno as he infiltrates the inner sanctum of Haines' personal life, turning the thumb screws with every move and action. Handsome people are possibly the most dangerous because they can use their looks and charm to get what they want, so you can see why Lewis was cast as Bruno.

Guy Haines is played by Polis Loizou. Haines is a successful architect, and from that very first meeting with Bruno, you could tell that he didn't want to share his personal life, even with a stranger, but share he did, falling into Bruno's trap. What are the chances of faux promises with a stranger actually coming to fruition after you've left the compartment to get on with your life. Let's face it, we've all promised we'll keep in touch with workmates when you leave for another job, or met people when on holiday; you don't really mean that you're going to be best buddies for the rest of your life, now do you? Never mind promising to kill a member of the stranger's family in return for the same! 

Polis is so good at bringing out that inner terror through to frustration that, should he perform the "tit for tat" murder, that will be the end of their association. You could feel the pressure cooker inside Haines through Polis's acting. 

Sarah Taylor plays Elsie Bruno. Now, this is an interesting relationship between mother and son, almost an Oedipus complex that doesn't quite get that far, and almost like the one way bromance between Bruno and Haines, creating wonderfully dark offshoots to the main storyline. Elsie's actions and reaction in the second half comes as quite a relief.

Anne Faulkner is played by Emily Stribbling. Anne is Haines' new wife, the woman he wants to be with, and not the person that is discharged at the hands of Bruno. Faulkner is a real keeper as she steadfastly stands by her man, even at the end of the play. 

Reiss Jones plays Frank Myers, a loyal friend of the newlyweds, who of course knows nothing of the deadly pact, and therefore manages to drip feed, in the few scenes that he is in, what may come in the near future.

Robert Treacher, Haines' best friend, who he says was his friend from college times as a room share, is played by Richard Fife. This, according to Haines, is an explanation for something that is received in the post, which we then discover may be a bit of a red herring explanation, but it'll all become clear when you see the production.

Arthur Gerard is played by Fraser Wanless. Gerard worked for Bruno's father as security; a former cop on the payroll who starts to nosy around a bit too much for Charlie's liking after picking holes in some of the things that Charles is saying.

Directed by Claire Chouby, this is a beautifully stylised piece of theatre that keeps you on the edge of your seats, especially if like me you've not seen the film or read the novel. The idea to have the actors on stage move the props around for the scene changes is perfect as this keeps the scene changes sharp and well paced. The film noir genre can be difficult to recreate on stage but you really get the sense of intimidation and threat between the two leads, as well as the innocence from everyone else on the outside.

The set design is by Guy Evans. Another stylish touch, which also echoes back to something quoted from the book that Haines was reading on the train when the pair first met. The monochrome set resembled train tracks and worked so well as simple interior design for the stylish homes of Haines and Bruno, never distracting from the story itself, but always reminding you of that first meeting.

Sound design is by Darren Coxon. The effects are timed to perfection; I particularly noted that when the phone receiver was lifted, the ringing stopped straight away. The music bites were also relevant to the time period.

Lighting design is by Nick Gale, assisted by Orla Gordon-Carter, and as with the sound, everything was just so naturally lit; the scene changes faded to black and then faded back up, and the scene with the train passing was made ever more realistic by the light sequence shone through the set design creating just the right image.

The costumes are sourced by Max Bromley. You just know that if Max is in charge of the wardrobe that you're in for something special. He puts the style into stylish and I loved the suits that all the male characters wore, and there were quite a few changes, some really swift. The costumes for the ladies were equally as stunning, again creating that feel of the era. Apart from the men's suits, I absolutely loved the black and red blazer that Bruno wore.

For me, the test of a good thriller is realising that the end has come and not realising the time elapsed from walking into the auditorium, to walking out. This production completely drew me in, and before I knew it the cast were taking their final bows. Having not seen the original film, I didn't know the ending, but I had in mind what that would be. What I didn't get right though was the lead up to the ending, which I won't divulge because you'll need to see the show for yourself.

Oh, and I loved the accents throughout.

Another impeccable production.

"Strangers On A Train" is at the Lace Market Theatre but tickets are going as fast as a steam train!!

 "Goodnight Mr Tom" by Bingham Musical Theatre Company.

Bingham Arena.

It wasn't until a few months ago that i finally watched the film "Goodnight Mr Tom" starring John Thaw, and completely fell in love with it.

Set during the dark and dangerous build-up to the Second World War, "Goodnight Mister Tom" follows young William Beech, who is evacuated to the idyllic English countryside and builds a remarkable and moving friendship with elderly recluse Tom Oakley. All seems perfect until William is devastatingly summoned by his mother back to London......

Graham Buchanan plays Mr Tom. I have seen Graham perform as many characters from Shakespeare to Fawlty Towers, and every time he embodies the character he plays. Graham is a lot younger than Tom Oakley but he brings the physicality of an older man to the stage; physically in his slow paced and regulated movements as well as the noises the older man makes when getting up from sitting are all there - I know, I recognise them in myself!

After the physicality is matched, the emotions of a man who still fondly remembers his late wife and child, and in some scenes where you can hear his voice crack and Graham even has that faraway look in his eyes as the memory of Rachel Oakley is brought to Tom's mind. There's also that change in character that he brings. From the grumpy loner to a man who realises that something is missing in his life. That something is William Beech.

William Curtis plays William Beech.  What I realised about William Curtis was his ability to move through emotions. To start with I thought Mr C was a little nervous, but he wasn't because that introverted start was a perfect copy of what any evacuee of his age would be feeling, torn away from his mother and posted in the country with someone he had no idea of. You get a hint of his background with his mother when Tom takes a belt out of William's bag and William recoils in fear. When William B was teased out of his shell, and as the story unfolded, we came to realise why he was so introverted, and this was presented very well by William C.

When William B emerged from that shell, William C also blossomed, and by the end of the play, you could actually see a different, more confident William B. For an actor this young to be able to present a "journey" of that scale is a real talent. William C is no stranger to the stage but this big role is his first major character part for Bingham Musical Theatre Company.

This production is full of very talented young actors though.

Zach, another evacuee, who is positioned with Doctor Little, is played by Charlie Hourd, who appeared in the ensemble of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" for Nottingham Operatic Society at the Theatre Royal last year. Zach is a very confident character whose parents are actors, which has very clearly been passed down to Zach. This part has been cast perfectly as Charlie is a very confident character who also obviously has a great love for the stage. Charlie has been a member of the TV Workshop in Nottingham, and that really shows as he has that aura of knowing exactly what and who he is on stage, and how to be that character.

Director Emily Hudson has also utilised the fact that Charlie also has a really good voice and can perform choreography, because she has introduced a section, not in the film, where Zach sings "Let's Face The Music And Dance" with a choreographed routine including some of the other child actors in the cast, choreographed by Jen Reckless.  What surprised me was his jazzy feel for this song; he didn't do a straight copy of the song that Nat "King" Cole made famous, but sang, at times, behind the beat, in the way some of the big jazz and blues singers did. He looked confident with the choreography as well. When he sang "Wish Me Luck" acapella in the second act, he pulled at your heart strings. A smooth, natural and professional performer who also knows how to deliver comic sections of the script convincingly.

Ellen Loran as Mrs Beech. The film version of Mrs Beech is frightening enough but Ellen's version of this horrible mother really made me hate her - Mrs Beech, not Ellen Loran. When you feel such an emotive reaction towards a character, you know that the actor playing that person is good. It's like any soap character who you dislike on TV and read that the actor has been set upon by an old lady and her handbag, while that actor is out shopping, that you realise the power of a good character actor. Ellen made me want to buy a handbag!

Carrie, played by Annabelle Black, & Ginnie, played by Holly Loran, are twins who live locally in the village. Carrie is clever and loves amateur dramatics, literature and poetry. She longs to go to the grammar school, but they don’t accept girls. Ginnie is more outdoorsy and finds fun in building rafts and foraging for wild flowers. Both get sucked into George Fletcher’s schemes, especially when it comes to tormenting the new evacuees, or ‘Vacee Vermin’ as they brand them, complete with a horribly taunting rhyme.

Seb Ferrar makes his BMTC debut playing George, and while this is his BMTC debut, Seb has been busy over the past few years with several roles under his belt.

Simon Hawkins makes his BMTC debut as Doctor Little, Zach's ward, who Tom consults about William's initial issues. Maybe nerves took hold in his first scene as his projection didn't quite match that of Graham's but in Simon's scenes thereafter, I had no issues at all in hearing him.

Becky Morley is Mrs Fletcher, George's mother, who gets to scold him for his taunting of William at the start. Becky always pours everything into the characters she plays, and this gentle, kind and giving character is right up Becky's street.

Eloise Lowe is Mrs Hartridge, Willie's school teacher, who helps to build William's confidence inside school. This is Eloise's first play, but not the first time that I've seen Eloise on stage as I saw her in "The Sound Of Music" at the Nottingham Arts Theatre.

Sam Middleton plays Mr Hartridge, who is married to William's school teacher, as well as Mr Stelton who is involved in William's future after him ending back up in the hospital in the second act. I remember Sam from BMTC's panto "Beauty & the Beast", their last production, where he made his debut for, not only BMTC but is first taste of musical theatre.

Paul Green plays Mr Miller, a friend of Tom's.

Fran Bonner plays Miss Thorne, the librarian who welcomes William into the village, assisting him on his journey to learn to read and write by picking out suitable books to whet his literal longings.

The lovely Gill Cook plays Glad, a neighbour of Mrs Beech’s in London who makes it her business to know everything that is going on in the area. Glad loves a sing-song and takes it upon herself to brighten up the air-raid shelter with music.

Ben Bradley plays the Vicar, and surprisingly, this role is Ben's on stage debut for BMTC. Ben is also the Production Manager for this production.

Caroline Morley is The Warden, a bossy character, but I suppose in those times you had to stamp your authority, and this came across well.

Vicki Goodwin as Miss Miller and the Ticket Collector.

Mandy Simons doubles as the very stern Sister in the hospital, and a Londoner.

Jenny Branson also plays a Londoner

Anjali Pancholi, who is new to BMTC plays The Nurse who has to make sure that Tom vacates the hospital that William is in.

Emma Robinson is the Billeting Officer as well as the Policewoman. Emma is also the Musical Director for this production - more about that later.

Anthony Alldread is Charlie, and you really have to look closely for Anthony as his hat and costume really disguises him, so keep your eyes peeled.

Sammy, the dog, is a wonderful piece of puppetry, created by Philippa Buchanan especially for the play, and operated by Katie Lister, who I know had recently had a knee accident, but that didn't stop Katie from breathing life into Tom's faithful pet.

The ensemble consist of Ebony Bright, Scarlett Bright, Mia Davis, Jake Looms and Olivia Lowe, who makes her debut for BMTC. 

Directed by Emily Hudson, who makes her Directorial debut, and assisted by Alison Blackmore. There are so many emotions that this pair manage to bring out of the cast. Recreating a film like "Goodnight Mr Tom" on stage is not an easy ask, but by trimming out some parts and additions like the scene with Zach shows that Emily has good Directorial initiative.

Stage managed by Katie Brougham. There were times when the stage was illuminated but with no one on stage. Now I know that backstage of this theatre space is very limited and there are no suitable dressing rooms, and this is going to cause issues, and that is what I think may have been the issue for getting cast members to the stage in time. This job is no easy task, especially when young actors are involved, and I also know that Katie is no slouch when it comes to her backstage roles.

Musical Director, as mentioned earlier, is Emma Robinson. There are quite a few scene changes, and these are done in the dark, as the lighting is blacked out and covered by music from the era. Emma's work with Charlie Hourd's scenes were a real highlight for me, as well as the duet between Charlie and William in "Wish Me Luck".

Amanda Warriner's costumes were really evocative, creating that feel of "make do and mend" in the costumes for the cast, and also well created for the figures of authority, such as The Vicar, Wardens and medical staff. A bit of a legend locally for her costume design and creations.

There's also a lot of props involved in this production, ably managed by Props manager Karen Richards.

The set design is by Nik Hudson, and this design really hits you as soon as you walk into the auditorium. Created on two levels, the lower level provides almost every scene apart from the hospital and bedroom scenes with Willy, which is situated stage left and accessible via steps.

Sound is by Dom Mills, and I only have one little advisory note about one short (ish) section of the sound. When Willy goes back to his mother's place in Deptford, he discovers that he has a half sister who is a baby. Babies cry... a lot... but there was no distinguishing that the baby was crying behind a cupboard door as the volume was unmuffled and at the same level when the baby was recovered from the cupboard. I thought the volume was also just a bit louder than maybe it should be for the crying baby, as that slightly drowned out William's speech. Just a minor note and probably only something that I would notice. Apart from that, Dom delivered his usual professional sound operation.

Lighting is designed by Nick Elliott and operated by Nick and Jack Spores. A very effective design which ranged from the simple static lighting of most of the scenes, but also creating the horror of the bombings, bathing the stage in a blood red wash.

This is a big production, not only with the size of the cast and the age ranges, but because of the emotive story. It's a shame that it's only on for Friday and Saturday because with a bit more time tightening up the things I've mentioned, this show would be perfect. I know that the time any company has to get in, run through, especially the sound and light is less than any Director and crew would like to get things just the way they would like. That said, I really enjoyed this production, and I got to see some new faces on stage who really impressed me, as well as seeing actors who I've seen several times before, who never fail to impress me.

"Goodnight Mr Tom" is seen rarely on stage, so please take this opportunity to see this production while it's here. I'm so glad I did.

There are only two more performances for you to catch this wonderful play, Saturday 25 May matinee and evening, at Bingham Arena.

 "Hello Dolly" by Beeston Musical Theatre Group.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

I am a big fan of classic musicals like "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers", "Annie Get Your Gun", "Oklahoma", "Carousel" and of course "Hello Dolly", so when  any of these come around locally, I'm there. 

"Hello Dolly" has become one of the most enduring musical theatre hits, enjoying several Broadway revivals and massive international success. It was also made into the 1969 film Hello Dolly! that was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and won three.

It’s so nice to have this musical back where it belongs, on the stage, be it local or National, it’s one of the great feel good musicals of our time, and it’s definitely looking swell and going strong if this production was anything to go by.

It’s the story of Dolly Levi, a professional match-maker, some would say meddler who is hired by Horace Vandergelder, a “rich” hay and feed dealer to find him a second wife. Dolly sets him up with Irene Molloy, but she has no intention of letting this blind date go ahead successfully because she has other plans for Mr Vandergelder which are purely selfish.

While the fat cat is away the underlings will do what they like and his clerks, Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker, decide to take an unauthorized holiday and end up aiding and abetting Dolly in her quest, quite unaware of what's unfolding.

Dolly Levi is played by Yvonne Taylor. Why have I not seen Yvonne before? This is Yvonne's debut with Beeston Musical theatre Group, as well as her first appearance at the Duchess Theatre. Where has Yvonne been hiding I ask myself. Dolly Levi is a massive character, very rarely off the stage and has a lot of lines. All of which Yvonne takes, digests and delivers in a character packed performance. Love her voice and her personality, and that red, glittery costume is gorgeous. I've seen Dolly played a few times over the last couple of decades, including by Anita Dobson, and Yvonne matches everyone that I've seen previously. I really hope that Yvonne doesn't go away again and we see her in another BMTG production.

Grumpy tightwad Horace Vandergelder is played by Martin Holtom; two adjectives I'd never use to describe Martin, grumpy or tightwad! Martin has always been a brilliant character actor, and this is another great character role for Martin to get his teeth into.

Vandergelder's shop assistants, Cornelius Hackl and Barnaby Tucker are played by Craig Arme and Matt McAuley. This is a wonderful pairing who kept giving me flashbacks of Michael Crawford and Danny Lockin, who played the celluloid originals. Both Craig and Matt have an extensive musical theatre history and have voices to prove this. Both Craig and Matt also make their BMTG debuts as well. Both also have natural funny bones and both get to show off their dancing feet. Both are incredibly talented stage performers, all of which confirms the validity of the pairing in this musical.

Irene Molloy is played by Cibele Alvarenga. Irene runs the hat shop in New York with her assistant Minnie Fay, played by Daisy Forster. This musical is rich with excellent pairings, and here is another. Both Cibele and Daisy have gorgeous voices and complement each other in every way.

Ambrose Kemper is played by Ben Sherwin, who is another actor who makes his debut for BMTG. It's a compliment to BMTG that so many new faces want to perform with them, and with talent like Ben, Matt and Craig joining can only enrich an already rich theatre group. Ambrose is an old romantic who Ben brings to life with excellence.

Another lovely comedy role is that of Ambrose's intended, the weepy Ermengarde with her annoying, but comical wailings. Played with great gusto by Marie Nelson.

Playing some of the other characters are Andy Bulmer (Judge), Carrie-Anne Corner (Mrs Rose), Claire Farrand-Preston (Ernestina Money), William Howarth (Rudolf - the restaurant owner), Rob Holsman (Stanley/Police). All the above also play various other roles as well.

The large ensemble consists of David Artiss, Jemma Bennett, Sultan Chaudhury, Hannah Gorton, Ruth Maddison, Christine Walton.        

The Principal dancers are Emily Owen, Alice Cammell, Eleanor Carty, Maisie Cutts, Beth Yearsley, Jaye Bonser, Jane Cottee, Mina Holtom and Sarah Dunbavand. 

Directed by Paul Mills, assisted by Naomi Batley. It's quite rare that a musical stage production is so similar to the original film musical, but all the way through I kept getting flashbacks of the film, a film that I love. What helps, as well as the actors being fantastic character actors, is the whole feel and look of this production is so parallel to the film. That includes the digital backdrops which replicate the images and scenes of the film.

Paul is also the Set Designer and the backdrop brings everything to life. The scene at the train station shows the train arriving and leaving, something you can't really stage, but with the technical know how, anything is possible in the theatre nowadays. Both Vandergelder's shop and Irene's hat shop are wonderfully decked out and the upper class restaurant is like a time machine has been used to transport the original setting to Long Eaton. The main section of the stage set is supplied by A Stage For Hire.

Choreographed by Charlotte Drewett and Jodie Lakin. Just watch the dancer's hands because they are beautifully turned out, something I gleaned from watching "Strictly" and taking note of the judges comments. There are some big choreographed numbers in "Hello Dolly", none more than "The Waiters' Galop". The energy just in this piece is off the scale, and then there's "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", "Before The Parade passes By" and "Hello Dolly", again another scene that could have just been lifted from the film. Pure Hollywood glamour as Yvonne as Dolly makes her entrance down the central aisle of the Duchess Theatre. I am an absolute sucker for big choreographed and glamorous scenes and this sucker was sated where this department is involved.

The costumes for this show are incredibly good, no, they are more than incredibly good, they are everything you'd expect from a classic film musical of this calibre. They have been hired in from Charades Theatrical Costume Hire in St Helens; another area of this production that excels. The costumes are everything that you'd expect to see in any professional touring show.

The Musical Director for "Hello Dolly" is Lisa Mills. This gorgeous soundtrack includes favourites such as the jaunty "It Takes A Woman", "Put On Your Sunday Clothes", "Before The Parade Passes By", "So Long Dearie" as well as some slower moments such as the elegant "Ribbons Down My Back" and the rousing title track.

For a production of this size, who you gonna call for stage management? Only the best in the business, the award winning Katie Bird. 

Sound production is by Dave Dallard and Jack Clark. What a dynamic duo. I was sat in the balcony area and heard every word of this production.

Lighting production is by another excellent pairing, Dave Martin and Rachel Elphick.

There are only a few tickets left for the rest of the run, and I can see why. This musical deserves the label of "classic" and Beeston Musical Theatre Group put the "class" into "classic".

"Hello Dolly" is at the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 25 May. Don't let this parade pass you by!!