"Rabbit Hole" by David Lindsay-Abaire.

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

Becca and Howie Corbett are a happy suburban couple who have everything a couple could want. Their lives are suddenly changed forever when their young son Danny is killed in a life shattering accident.

Eight months on, which is where this play starts, they are drifting apart. Becca wants to start afresh in a new home and give away their son's possessions, but Howie, who continuously watches home movies of their little boy, wants to keep the memory of Danny alive.

"Rabbit Hole" presents a tragedy and its consequences with utter candor, and without sentimentality. The dialogue is impressive for capturing the awkwardness and pain of everyday thinking people faced with an unthinkable situation—and eventually, their capacity for survival, and even hope for the future.

First off, let me say that I had completely under estimated the power of this play. First as a play itself, and the performances of the cast, and also how parts of this story affected me personally.

Becca, played by Ellen Woszatka, is married to Howie. She is affected by everything in the house that reminded her of Danny, trying to hide them away from sight, but keeping her son's room exactly as it was.

It's not that she is trying to forget, just that she is managing the loss in her own way, something that Howie doesn't quite get his head around, at this time.

Ellen, I have seen previously at The Lace Market and in this role brings a calming air to this character; but it could also be mistaken to be a matter of fact, soldiering on attitude. the relationships between the one to one sections of the play are absolutely superb. From the comedy sisterly talk at the opening of the play with Izzy, to the powerful and emotive arguments with Howie, and then to the maternal concern for Jason, Ellen brings the emotional range just perfectly.

Simas Kuliešius plays Howie, Becca's husband. Howie has a hard time dealing with Danny's death, which causes him to be angry and depressed, though he hides it as much as possible, and thinks that the best way to move on is to try for another child.

Simas is new to the Lace Market Theatre, but what a discovery in this man. His comedy delivery is very dry but his arguments with Becca are explosive, and they will take you quite by surprise with the power and passion that Simas puts into these scenes.

There's a section where you just want to go and give him a hug regarding one of the tapes that he had filmed his son on. I don't know about Simas' stage history but I hope that his future involves more plays at the Lace Market Theatre.

Issy is Becca's irresponsible but well-wishing sister. She is not married, but in a relationship, and is pregnant throughout the play. I must confess that the "pregnancy bump" is probably one of the most realistic that I've seen on stage; sometimes they look like the actor has stuffed a football down their costume, but this was incredibly lifelike.

Tension is created as Becca's mourning for her lost child lingers, and is suspicious of Izzy's ability to raise her own. Played by Nicole Driver, this is her first acting role for the Lace Market Theatre, but she did a brilliant job directing "The Importance Of Being Earnest" previously. The opening scenes with Becca are very funny, and as the play goes on, you can see the similarities of these stage sisters in something that Becca does. The chemistry between these two actors as stage siblings is utterly believable.

Nat is Izzy and Becca's mother, and the voice of reason for her daughters. Who better to play a character assigned to being "the voice of reason" but Carol Parkinson?

I've had the pleasure of seeing Carol on stage many times, and in so many various roles, and she never disappoints. I love the New York/ Jewish accent that Carol presents, and also the character's train of thought pattern. There's a lot of comedy lines and threads brought by Carol as Nat, but there's also a scene where it's just Becca and Nat, sorting out Danny's room that will counter the comedy like a slap in the face.

Louis Street is Jason, the 17-year-old boy who accidentally hit Danny with his car, leading to Danny's death. He later shows up, wanting to talk to Howie and Becca. Howie wants no part of it, but Jason later meets with Becca.

He is well aware that he is responsible for their son's death and the scene where Jason and Becca sit down to discuss this, again is a mix of emotions.

The awkwardness from Jason as he tries to get across how he feels and possibly the reason why the accident took place in the first place. There's also some lovely lighter moments as he almost relaxes but starts to talk ten to the dozen about his life.

The pauses last just the right amount of time to be awkward to the audience, and those quiet gaps say just as much about Jason, and the situation, as the scripted parts. Louis is another young actor who I've not seen previously but what a powerful young actor he is, if this is just a taste of his acting ability.

The writing is so strong, and so natural, and includes a lot of space for laughter; one minute you could be on the verge of tears, the next those tears would be tears of laughter, and most importantly, it reflects life.

We've all lost someone so dear to us, but it's the different ways that we, as an individual, deal with that loss. It's also about connectivity with those closest and finding a way through grief and sticking together to reach that light at the end of the darkest tunnel.

There's a section that runs for a while about one of Becca's friends not contacting her after Danny's death, which Becca takes offence to and refuses to contact her to see what the matter is. Then as the play progresses, we discover the reason why the lack of contact is there.

That is only a sub plot, but that to me is a very powerful sub plot as it gives you an understanding of what other people are experiencing, outside the main circle, and creates an understanding, something I've experienced, which shows that this play is like holding a mirror up to the lives that we all live.

Directed by Christopher Collins with Assistant Director being Ali Litvinova. One thing I always seem to be going on about is the pace of a stage production.

Well, this is a lesson in pacing a production. Someone once said that the gaps that are left in a play are just as, if not more important, than the scripted sections. This production holds that opinion up high because this is a play that is awkward for the characters, due to the loss of a child, and the feelings and emotions that naturally are contained.

Life can be awkward and there are gaps which accentuate that not knowing what to say moments. Getting that across is not as easy as you'd think, but Chris and Ali have made those gaps just as important and effective as the passion and power in the spoken word. That is a gift that not every Director can give to their audience.

Not sure if there was a speech coach for the accents but the softer "New Yoik" sound was fluent throughout without any meandering anywhere over the Hudson or past Yonkers. If there wasn't, and there's no mention of one, this again shows just how hard the cast have worked to keep the play as true to its' original roots as possible.

The set design is by Chris Collins and Evie Watson. The home is set on two levels with Danny's bedroom being on the same level as the auditorium. the upper, stage part covers the main room with dining area and lounge area. I love the fact that there's a working fridge freezer on stage, stocked with food and drinks.

I must mention the props, because apart from anything else there is real food on stage, meaning that the cast get fed and watered every night. the only problem is just the look and sound of that creme caramel and the lemon cake got my mouth watering. I wonder how much weight the cast will put on by the end of the run?

Lighting design and operation is by Allan Green. Simple but effective partial fade at the end of the scenes. You don't need a fancy lighting display with a play like this, just he information passed on by fading stage lights to inform every one of the scene change. Thanks also Allan for letting me see your Leonardo Mk2!

Sound design is by Philip Hogarth and operation by Philip with Simon Carter. So subtle are the effects from outside the stage area, that you just take them for granted, which is how the sound design should be. the design and operation may not be as simple as they sound on stage from the audience, but that, again as with the lighting, shows that these technical people know what they are doing and are damn good at their jobs.

David Lindsay-Abaire's script, and this talented cast and crew, will give you something to talk about, even after you've left the theatre. It's not a play that you'll forget in a hurry, and if you enjoyed - if that's the right adjective - the play "Punch" that was recently at the Nottingham Playhouse, you'll see echoes of that in this story as it's just as thought provoking as that one.

"Rabbit Hole" is at the Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 29 June.

 "Portrait Of A Murder" by Liz Turner.

Riverside Drama Company.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

With this being something completely new, written by Riverside Drama Company's very own Liz Turner, I knew very little of what this was about except that it's a thriller written in the style of one of my favourite thriller writers, Agatha Christie.

Sir Henry Fitton, war hero and successful businessman, had managed to make a lot of enemies throughout his life. On the evening in question they're all gathering at his country house, to celebrate the unveiling of the portrait of Fitton's wife, at her birthday dinner.

Seven guests, all with good reason to hate him, what could possibly go wrong? And when it does, can the "by the book" DI Prendergast, and young and ambitious WPC Bates, solve the crime?

Liz Turner's play is one of the best thrillers that I've seen in a very long time. She has created every character in this play to stand out from the others and as the Director, she has chosen a brilliant cast of actors to bring out the very best in her characters.

It's a wordy script, and even though there were a few prompts from the wings, that took nothing away from the wonderful job that her cast has done. Ms Christie would have been proud of the various stories and back stories that emerged throughout the play. Listen carefully to the words that the characters deliver and you may even pick up a few hints to the murderer, especially if you have your logical thinking head on!

Sir Henry Fritton is played by Jonathan Greaves, an actor who has one of the best voice projections in local theatre today. You could hear every word and syllable that Jonathan uttered. He makes Fritton a completely unlikeable character; after just five minutes his bullishness was apparent and you started to despise his attitude; a tribute to Jonathan's wonderful acting talents.

Jenni Wright plays Lady Ethne Fritton, whose portrait Sir Henry had commissioned. So many of these characters have things to hide, or seem to have hidden agendas, all of which give possible motives to bump off Sir Henry. Lady Fritton is no different but, like many of the other suspects, is that motive strong enough for murder?

Helen Newham makes her welcome return to Riverside playing the part of Aunt Dulcie, who has resided at Fritton's country pile for as long as anyone can remember, so she knows the family inside out. She also knows what is going on under the surface, so she holds many secrets about several of the disgruntled family members, but will she spill the beans on the family who have put a very nice roof over her head for so many years?

John Hurley plays Harry Lakeman, the artist who Sir Henry commissioned to paint Lady Ethne. John makes his debut for Riverside, but is no stranger to the local theatre stage. The mistake Sir Henry made when hiring Lakeman to paint his wife comes to the surface in the play, and opting to not pay Lakeman for completing the job, slightly upsets this artist. Why though would Sir Henry withhold the payment? Does he have a valid reason? Could this reason be enough for this mild mannered artist to want to airbrush Sir Henry out of his life?

Emjay Sadler plays Mabel the Maid. Now, I mentioned about Liz creating every character different, well Mabel the maid is one of those characters that makes you giggle every time she appears on stage. Emjay returns to the stage after about fifteen years, but boy, I am one reviewer who is ecstatic to see her back, especially with a character like Mabel. The best way I could describe Mabel as being a cross between Alfie, the doddering waiter from "One Man Two Governers" and Julie Walters character in the Victoria Wood comedy gold scene "Two Soups". Instantly lovable with an ability to make you smile without saying a word. Emjay's physicality as Mabel is superb and I really hope that I don't have to wait fifteen years before I get to see Emjay performing again. Brilliant West Midlands accent as well.

George Fitton is played by Tom Francis, not only making his debut appearance for Riverside Drama Company, but his first time acting on stage. I've not seen such a nerves free, comfortable and confident performance on a debut. George obviously has "suave" running through him because George Fritton is Mr Suave, resplendent in a perfect black tux and bow tie, and the shiniest black shoes that you could see your face in. George is Henry's son who is engaged to Betty Drabble. That is the sticking point between Henry and his son, and when Sir Henry threatens to write him out of his will, if he marries Betty, that gives him motive enough, especially as Betty is only with George for one reason!

Samantha Badman plays the fiancée Betty Drabble, and what a nasty piece of work Betty turns out to be. She knows that Sir Henry doesn't like her and why, but Betty also has some dirt on him that she is threatening to reveal to Lady Ethne, should he put the mockers on their engagement. It's not often that you see Sam play a nasty character, but she does it so well, and she makes you feel that eradicating a barrier that threatens her gold-digging intentions is something that could come easy to Ms Drabble!

Joyce Crowley is a character who is invited to the party to make up the numbers for the meal to make sure that the male and female numbers match, and after Frank Lucas makes a sudden appearance, and is invited to stay for the meal, Sir Henry offers the invite to Joyce. There's also another reason for the invite, as we discover during a conversation between the pair. that connection though has been spotted by another character in the play. Diana Edwards plays Joyce Crowley.

Stuart Round plays Frank Lucas. Lucas has turned up to see Sir Henry on the day of the party, so it would be rude to not invite him to stay, wouldn't it? Sir Henry was Lucas' Commanding Officer, but Henry was under the impression that Lucas was dead. Why would he think that? Lucas has travelled all the way from Canada to pay a visit to Sir Henry, but for what reason? Right near the end we see an unexpected glint of comedy with Lucas, which was telegraphed beautifully, seconds before the actual piece of comedy. Another excellent touch from the writer.

Jack Ellis, who I know from his time performing in student theatre at the Nottingham New Theatre, plays the part of DI Pendergast. Prendergast likes everything done by the book, and is not impressed by the appearance of WPC Bates. Let's not forget, this is set in the 1950's where women were still expected to be the home maker and not taking up a job in the police force, and if they do, they should be there to type up reports. By the end of the play though, Prendergast is quite impressed by the many talents of his WPC. Jack makes his first appearance in the second act, but from the start of this act, he is on stage practically every second of the almost ninety minute second act. Another excellent accent as well with his soft Scottish accent. Not sure if Liz was thinking of an Edinburgh type of accent, but it worked really well, and sounded like it could have been Jack's natural brogue. Maybe he perfected it on his Edinburgh Fringe performance. It's great to see Jack on local stages again.

Charlotte King, another new member, plays WPC Bates. Like Tom, this is Charlotte's first time on stage, and her debut for Riverside, although no stranger to the world of local theatre, having been involved back stage in charge of the props for various theatre groups. Like Tom, there were no signs of nerves at all on stage showing a quiet air of confidence, which worked so well for this WPC, also showing her DI that she is just as good at her job as any male policeman.

Directed by Liz Turner, assisted by Celia Billau. I said earlier that this is the best new play I've seen for a while. Having written the play, who better to know how that should look and sound on stage but Liz. Pacing was spot on, and the twist at the end was unseen until the reveal - I actually heard gasps in the audience at the reveal. I thought that I was doing so well because up until the end of the first act, it could have been anyone. The second act, I picked up on a couple of "clues", and I thought that I'd cracked it.... until the twist!

Set design is by Bob Baron. The action takes place all in one room, with just a section of the stage showing an outdoor garden bit. The rest was set in a posh room inside the country house, adorned with a good selection of props, managed by Sandra Read. I loved the portrait of the Lady of the House, and I really hope that Jenni gets to take that home at the end of the run as a momento of this brilliant play.

Sound is by Dave Martin and Keith Salway, and what I loved about the sound in this production was that the music selections ran in as an under score to the script so that when the actors had completed their bit, the rest of the song - all aptly chosen from the hit parade of the 1950's - occupied our ears while the scene changes were taking place. Another nice touch!

No need for microphones and, as Jonathan showed, all you need is good projection, which is what these actors all had.

Lighting by Dave Martin. Simple and effective. No need for any flashiness, just simple fades in and out, and that is all that was needed in a play like this. As I've said in the past, simplicity can be just as effective as a big lightshow.

It's not often that you see an auditorium so full, even on the second night, for a play that no one has seen before or knew much about. It's a brave decision for any local theatre group to produce something like this, and take a chance on an audience flocking to see something new, but that gamble paid off. I expect because Liz knew what a brilliant story this was, what amazing characters Liz had created and what a fabulous cast Liz has amassed. Now, if you don't believe me, go and see this production and tell me I'm wrong!

"Portrait Of A Murder" is at the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 22 June.

 "Awful Auntie" by David Walliams.

The Birmingham Stage Company.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

When Stella sets off to visit London with her parents, she has no idea her life is in danger! When Stella wakes up three months later, after a car crash that had killed her parents, only her Aunt Alberta can tell her what has happened. But not everything Alberta tells her turns out to be true and Stella quickly discovers she’s in for the fight of her life against her very own awful Auntie! As the play title suggests Auntie Alberta is quite simply awful. In fact she is only keeping Stella alive until she finds the deeds to Saxby Hall and she can get her to sign them over.

The only reason Stella can't move is that she has been completely wrapped up in bandages and after three months in bed she is completely healthy, so she tries to escape. Unfortunately Auntie Alberta, and her pet owl "Wagner", catch Stella and lock her away. The twelve year old is all alone, but soon befriends a ghost “Soot” who helps her uncover the truth about her parent's death, and together they plot revenge against her Awful Auntie.

Fortunately Aunt Alberta can't see Soot because after all, adults don't believe in ghosts, do they? According to the story though, children can only see ghosts until they turn thirteen! The hero of the hour though comes in a completely unexpected form; but if you've read the book, you'll already know that!

I've only seen "Gangsta Granny" on stage previously, and must confess that I've never read any of the books by David Walliams, but this story proved to me that Walliams' books, and plays have that ability to transcend the "childrens" scope of literal entertainment. I love all of the stuff that you see on TV that David has been involved in, mainly because of the silliness, but after seeing this production, I may now start to search out his books and start to read them as well.

Neal Foster is the adapter and Director of "Awful Auntie", and for the very first time he is also playing Alberta, the Awful Auntie. Neal is also the Manager of The Birmingham Stage Company. Fantastically fun and a characterisation that slightly reminded me of Adrian Edmondson, another one of my favourite off the wall comedy actors. Looking through the notes in the programme, Neal has had a varied career, showing that he obviously can turn his acting hand to just about anything with aplomb.

Stella is played by Annie Cordoni and manages to convincingly portray a twelve year old, albeit a ballsy twelve year old. Everything and everyone in this production oozes fun with their characters.

Emily Essery plays and operates Wagner, Aunt Alberta's feathered fiend, sorry friend.

As with any expert in the field of puppetry and physical theatre, it's not too long before you forget the puppeteer and only concentrate on the puppet in hand; a tribute to the person behind the puppet. Wagner soared around the stage and over part of the audience, but Wagner is not such a faithful feathered friend as Alberta imagines!

Soot, who is a ghost, is brought to life by Matthew Allen. I can imagine Matthew being a brilliant panto character because playing Soot brings a panto element to the show. This could be because of the energy and exaggerated physicality on stage, which straight away means fun.

Zain Abrahams plays Gibbon, the slightly eccentric old Butler, who has a penchant for mowing the carpets indoors among many other oddball pastimes! Wonderfully wacky and always nice to see home grown talent on the stage as Zain is a former student of the Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama. I thought the name rang a bell for some reason.

The final character is Detective Strauss who Stella wella calls to help her out of the pickle that her Aunt has put her in, but will he be any help at all? Played by Elan Retsof, who I am sure I've seen somewhere before. Mmmmm!

Assistant Director/Movement Director is Richard J Hinds. There's an awful lot of movement in this show, in fact it's very rare to see any cast member staying still for more than a few seconds. The pace is hectic and keeps the young audience members completely fixated on the action.

The Set and Costume Designer is Jackie Trousdale. The set looks quite minimalistic but there are a couple of rotating "columns" which, like the Dr Who Tardis, seems to hold a lot of scenery. Between them they contain the core of a bedroom, cellar, roof, garage, study, library, garden and more.

There's also a scaled down section which represents outdoor scenes, including a lake section and a giant snow owl!

Puppet Designer and Puppet Direction is by Yvonne Stone. Not only do we get that gorgeous Wagner puppet, we also get mini puppets of Stella, Soot, Wagner and Alberta, which enables the story to be taken to another level; a level that takes us up on the roof where the drama reaches new heights!

The design of the mini puppets are really good, and really well operated, making the live puppetry appear almost like animation with the flexibility of the smaller puppet stars.

Lighting is by Jason Taylor, sound is by Nick Sagar and the music is by Jak Poore.

Video Design by Simon Wainwright opens the show and sets the scene, as well as a bit of the history of the characters, story and Saxby Hall.

Although David Walliams' story is aimed at a younger audience, it has quite a dark side, and could be made into a really dark TV show of the likes of "Inside No.9". Let's face it, almost mummifying a pre-teen, throwing her into a dark coal hole of a cellar, moving her to a cage and dishing out electric shocks, all to get the deeds to the property, and what would Stella's fate be after that?

With Alberta's track record, that could only mean one outcome for her niece! Thank goodness there's so much comedy involved as that shrouded the dark side of this production from younger eyes and ears. My older eyes and ears though absolutely relished that dark side.

It's not often that I comment on the souvenir programmes, but this one has everything that a young visitor to the theatre could want. Loads of fun stuff in there and some interesting owl facts.

"Awful Auntie" is suitable for anyone over the age of 5 and is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Sunday 23 June. Don't be a twit, twoo miss this fast paced and fun show would leave you owling, and not with laughter.

 "Caramba's Revenge" by The Watson Players - Drama Group.

Shakespeare House, Derby.

This is my first time seeing anything by The Watson Players and also my first visit to Shakespeare House, both firsts I really hope to be doing again in the future.

I have seen this play, written by William Norfolk, before and it gets funnier the more I see it.

Four elderly ladies have been sharing their lives in Violet's rented house, pooling their pension books and sharing chores. Lottie is writing the latest Great American Detective Novel, in the style of Raymond Chandler. Doris is a bit scatty and is fond of the odd tipple and Marge, the self-appointed master-chef.

After a mugging Violet dies, but Marge, Lottie and Doris omit to tell the authorities and leave Violet's body peacefully in the cemetery. However, Violet's granddaughter, Ronnie, arrives from Australia in search of her relative and soon discovers what has happened and joins the co-operative, and then Rose is introduced to the mix, along with Detective Inspector Grubb who is investigating a murder connected to the property........

Who is Caramba and what are they seeking revenge for? All is made clear as the play progresses.

Liz Woolley plays Lottie, splitting her time between writing and quoting from her latest novel, and chairing the co-operative committee meetings. She is the hand on the rudder of how the co-operative is steered. I've seen the lovely Liz on stage on several occasions, but in this intimate performing space, you get to see Liz really perform, and every facial expression, movement and speech really brings the character closer, and that makes Lottie ever the more comical, and just slightly more unhinged.

Marge is played by Angela Swift, whose role is to rule the co-operative's culinary quarter. Is that "apple pie Granny" façade just that or has she a darker underbelly? All of these ladies bring the comedy to their characters, but there's a shade of danger which materialises through mirth with all of these characters.

Angela Barradell plays Doris. The easiest way to get any secret from Doris is to take her off to the local pub as a couple of rum and blackcurrants will loosen her tongue, making her a danger within the co-operative, especially when Ronnie arrives.

Ronnie is played by Karen Jones, and I must commend the Australian accent which was constant throughout the play. Ronnie fits in well with these older women's plans, but can she sway Grubb away from his investigations with her feminine ways, and why would she want to as she's only been in the country a few days?

Rose is played by Gina Repton, and the last one invited into the co-operative. Rose, as a character, reminds me of Winnie McGoogan from "Mrs Brown's Boys", especially with that brilliant Irish accent.

Ed Watkins plays Detective Inspector Gus Grubb who is assigned to investigate a murder that leads back to the women's home, but when he starts to get a little close to solving the murder mystery, Ronnie decides to get a little closer to him, but why? If you have sunglasses, take them for Gus's second costume!!

Lynn Wyn plays Grace who makes a short but sweet appearance right at the end of the show. Can she be convinced to join the co-operative movement? And if so, who does the inviting and what is their motive?

Directed by Lynne Chambers and assisted by Trevor Chambers, this is such a tight show with a lovely gentle pace. They make sure that these lovable old ladies in the play keep up that image right until the point where the audience are drip fed with the clues that reveal this hilarious story.

So many props in the small (ish) performance space, and I loved the fact that the drinks and food were real. Props thanks to Lynda Wynn and James Ash.

Sound operation is by John Woolley, and there are some lovely sound effects that are very well timed.

Lighting is by Lee Hartshorn, and while there's no dramatics in the lighting department, the fades distinguish the scene changes, keeping the design simple and functional.

The set is just what you'd expect from a frugal and elderly household with a table centre stage, floral adornment, a lovely old radio and a writing dresser. They also made us use our imagination to believe that beyond the black curtain a functional kitchen existed, again thanks to the use of sound effects.

Brilliant age-appropriate costumes, with several changes as well, but my favourite has to be Rose's funeral attire.

What I hadn't noticed when I saw the play last time was the amount of nods to Shakespeare himself within the script, which given the venue here seemed all the more relevant and apt.

This play is an absolute delight, it's extremely funny, well acted and shows that getting older doesn't mean that you have to settle down and wait for God, if these ladies are to be believed, you really can grow old disgracefully, but watch your back and keep off the rum and black as they can cause headaches!! Aye caramba!

An excellent opening night which I am sure will lead to an excellent run this week at Derby.

"Caramba's Revenge" will be at Shakespeare House in Derby until Saturday 22 June.

 "Gedling's Got Talent" created by Flying High CIC

Bonington Theatre.

It was my great pleasure to have been invited to be a judge for the first Gedling's Got Talent, held at Bonington Theatre. 

My first experience as a talent show judge was as pleasurable as it was difficult to decide on the eventual top three; which is why myself and the three other judges, Loreto Murray - Voice Coach/Lecturer in Voice/Actor/Theatre Practitioner, Ian Smith - Acting Coach and former Director of The Television Workshop and Hayley Corah - Producer at Inspire Youth Arts/Dance Practitioner broke all the rules and asked for a joint third place as it was so difficult to decide who should be in third place and who would miss out by the slightest of margins.

There were twenty seven entrants to the competition, who were then whittled down to the final eighteen who we saw on Saturday night in the finals, with the youngest competitor being just eight years old. As judges, we were asked to look particularly for performance presence, theatricality, creativity, engagement, connection and communication with the audience in addition to the skills and technique required for each particular genre and act. The competitors did not make this an easy job for any of us judges.

The Deputy Mayor, Cllr Robinson-Payne compered the show with Gracie Shelley, a member of the Flying High Young Company and they presented the prizes and certificates to the acts. Gracie and Cllr Robinson-Payne made a really nice double act, occasionally bouncing off each other, creating an easy going atmosphere between the carious acts and making sure that the audience gave appreciation to the acts as they came and left the stage.

The first prize was a trophy and £150, the second was £100 and the third was £50 - as we had decided to create a joint third place, the prize money was split between the two acts. All participants received a certificate. The money had been donated by a sponsor.

So who were the acts who had us judges arm wrestling and pulling hair out in our decision making?

Opening the show was Freddie Vokes, a young man who made the audience warm to him immediately with his friendly opening chat before sitting down at the Steinway to play and sing "Heart Of stone" from the musical "Six". You could feel the passion that Freddie has for what he does and I especially liked the way that he dressed for the competition, which suited his age and the seriousness of the competition.

Up next was Hattie Jagiello-Marks who performed dance/acro to "A Million Dreams". You could tell how much Hattie loves this particular field of the arts because it showed in her performance. With all the dance acts I wanted longer spots for them so that we could see more as the tracks that they performed to were edited.

Keira-Rose Harris certainly gave us the "aahh" factor being the youngest competitor, and also sang one of my favourite songs from the musical "Annie", "Maybe". Keira-Rose has a lovely voice which suited the song perfectly, bringing the cute factor to this competition.

Tyen and Romeon Tailor-Bird performed a scene called "The Goblin On A String", written by David Kenzie. This isn't a piece that I knew so immediately paid even closer attention. These brothers straight away won me over by their characterisation of the two characters and were great fun to watch. I can see this pair performing in plays going forward and what I also loved was the obvious chemistry, plus the fact that when it looked like one of the brothers stumbled over one of the lines, the other gently prompted his sibling. Great fun, a lovely age appropriate comedy piece which I loved.

Amelia James was our second dance act, performing to "Start Again" by Birdy. A really controlled and beautiful piece, again leaving me wanting to see more.

Delilah Fyles-Carr was up next singing "Quiet" from "Matilda The Musical". Delilah straight away looked the part in school blazer. There was good characterization and showed a nice range in her voice. Delilah also has a really expressive face which will serve her well if she wants to go into musical theatre.

Evie Markowski performed a dance/acro to a stripped back version of another one of my favourite songs, "Titanium", Evie has really good core strength, making this performance very easy to watch as she seemed to float and glide across the stage, as light as the music she was performing to.

Zoe Parfitt is a ten year old singer who sang "Into The Unknown" from "Frozen 2", and I loved that she dressed for the part which really brought her performance alive.

Studio 3 are a dance group from Mapperley who danced to music by Missy Elliot, bringing a modern feel to the stage. I especially loved the synchronicity Ignite had with this piece. An energetic close to the first part of the competition.

Opening the second part were a duo called Hunny Beez who were a folk duo who sang a song called "Soldiers Three", and bringing something very different to the competition.

Michael Franklin was up next who performed "On MY Own" from one of my favourite musical theatre shows, "Les Miserables". You could tell that Michael was nervous to start with, but as the song grew, so did Michael's confidence and he did hit that big note at the end, which I was really hoping that he would do.

Following Michael was another dancer, Daisy Spiteri who performed a dance to a song called "You Say" by Laura Daigle. Daisy really poured everything into her performance and created a piece with real feeling. Her transitions were smooth and, again, left you wanting to see more. I also liked that she was the first to acknowledge the audience at the end with a bow.

Kennedy Mason sang Demi Lovato's "Heart Attack". There were a few false starts due to an issue with the radio mic, but after these were sorted out, Kennedy managed to compose herself and give a belting rendition of the song.

Ash Byrne performed a monologue called "Erebos" which ash had written, This showed a really good ability for acting which was nicely paced and was very comical in content. It's difficult to find monologues that are age appropriate for a younger performer, which is probably why Ash decided to pen this one. i really enjoyed this as it was different.

Lauren Osborne intrigued me as she performed as her alter ego, Orla Mod and performed and sang Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi". Now if you're going to do a song by one of the most unique singers ever, you have to be as unique as the original, if not more. Lauren/Orla gave us a very quirky, confident and memorable performance. i definitely won't forget this in a hurry.

Owen Brindley is a signer who signed to Ed Sheeran's song "Supermarket Flowers". When he signs he performs with his whole body, but I was slightly distracted by the video that was projected behind him, which drew your eyes away from his performance.

Aether Ward sang "Maybe This Time" from the musical "Cabaret". This is a big old number to take on and I think that Aether suffered a little from nerves; who wouldn't after seeing the talent that had gone before? But she got there in the end.

Closing the show was Take 5 Theatre School Of Dancing from Bulwell. They performed a piece called "Red Right Hand", which as fans of "Peaky Blinders" will know is the theme to the show. I had seen this performed on one of the award shows on the television a while back and hoped that this group matched what I had seen. They certainly did, and became my favourite act of the night, both vocally and choreographically. There was a superb section based around a table with chairs which reminded me of the cup choreography from "Pitch Perfect" which in itself was a perfectly executed piece of entertainment, matching the moody dancing and bluesy singing. I loved this act.

Anyway, after a long deliberation and with much toing and froing of all of our favourites, we decided on the winning acts.

1^st place was Daisy Spiteri.

2^nd place was Take 5 Theatre School Of Dance.

Joint 3^rd place was Freddie Vokes and Owen Brindley.

Thanks must also be given to the smooth stage crew and sound and light operatives.

A wonderful evening of entertainment with such a lot of talent on display and, hopefully,  a great deal of fund raising for Flying High CIC to enable them to travel up to the Edinburgh Fringe to allow them to perform up there, enabling them to show the talent that Nottingham has over the border.

I certainly made a few more friends on Saturday night and I would like to thank Carrie Bird and everyone at Flying High for the drinks and sandwiches on the evening, and for asking me to be a judge; hopefully my Simon Cowell head did not show.