"Fame Jr" by Kristian Thomas Company Seniors
Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

I love cheesecake. Strange way to start a review, but stick with me. "Fame Jr" is cheesecake. Now I could eat a whole cheesecake but this production was a slice of cheesecake, and you know what it is like when you have just a slice of something you love, you want more. And you want more of the same cheesecake from the same maker. I wanted more of this musical from the same cast and crew, because I loved this one so so much.

There were quite a few scenes and songs omitted form this production, "Dancing On The Sidewalk", "Tyrone's Rap", "Can't Keep it Down" and my favourite song from the musical soundtrack "These Are My Children". Nevertheless what was included was simply brilliant.

There are a few things that I can count on when I see anything produced by the Kristian Thomas Company. Amazing choreography and incredible vocals are just two, and these were here in abundance.

Olivia Weaver (Carmen) is one of those brilliant triple threats. She has an incredible voice, she is an amazing dancer and she can act.

Bailey West (Schlomo) I have seen several times before and I have seen his progression as an actor grow,as well as his vocal talents.

Darcy Cole (Iris) has lovely ballet lines and is a believable young actor.

Lenny Antwi (Tyrone) showed us his fire as the dancer who discovers that he had dyslexia, is a terrific little dancer, but I would have loved to have seen him perform "Dancing On The Sidewalk" to show us more of his street choreography, and I'm certain that he would have been able to deliver "Tyrone's Rap" with fire.

Hannah Riley (Serena) has one of those voices that sent shivers down my spine. Her clarity and tone and the feeling she injected into her songs were just beautiful.

Daniel Lane (Nick) is another one of those young actors who can get into a character and make you believe he is that character, and he does that well with Nick, the actor who joined the school to be taken seriously as an actor.

Millen Scrivener (Mabel) is another vocalist who sent shivers down my spine with her gospel tinged "Mabel's Prayer".

Isaac Brooks (Joe Vegas), for me never had the chance to shine with this character. Vegas is the comedy character and apart from the Romeo and Juliet scene, he didn't really have a lot to do. That is because Joe Vegas' main scene is when he performs "Can't Keep It Down", which I know may be just a bit risque for a "Jr" edition, but it's the scene where we get to really know Joe. I really hope that Isaac gets a chance to do this role again, or another comic role as I can see that he has the making of a decent comedy character actor.

Isabelle Massie (Lambchops) and Grace Collishaw (Goody) again had their roles reduced as the two girls in the band formed by Schlomo.

Loved Emily Bridge (Miss Bell) and Issy Smales (Miss Sherman) as the respective dance teacher and English teachers. Their argument duet were executed with real passion,and they both have the most gorgeous voices for such young actors. Again I would have loved to have heard Issy take on "These Are My Children".

Aiden Carson (Mr Myers) always delivers, whatever role I see him in, and Oliver Davidson likewise as Mr Sheinkopf, the two male teachers.

The ensemble really do work as a team, but what I love about this group is that when you look at any of the individual faces as an ensemble, they show that they love what they are doing. They all perform individually as if they are the star of that scene, but as individuals they all fit together like a jigsaw that develops into a beautiful scene.

The vocals individually and together are some of the strongest I have heard at this level and the dancing is exciting with some excellent lifts that aren't as easy as this cast make them look.

The energy from that stage,as well as the infectious enthusiasm for everyone was enough to light up the night like a flame and still have enough in reserve for the power grid to provide illumination for the rest of the run.

Musical Director Tom Bond has done a brilliant job with this cast, and it's his hard work, as well as the vocalists that make this production such a strong show.

Likewise Katy Maclaughlin with the wonderful choreography. Katy has not given her cast of dancers an easy ride with these moves, and that has really paid off.

Produced by Shannon O'Donnell with Kristian Cunningham and Directed by Shannon, they have yet again raised their own bar, as they continue to do with every production I am lucky enough to experience from this creative pairing.

Adeptly stage managed by Tom Bond who kept the scenes and stage flowing with action, ably assisted by Emily May Corner as Deputy Stage manager.

A very comfortable Sound Design by Dave Dallard and a brilliantly exciting Lighting Design by Stephen Greatorex and operated by Tom Bathurst.

Everything from the set design (Proscenium Ltd) to the 1980's costumes was spot on, and when you get something as visually and aurally exciting as this show is, you really do not want it to end, but it did, all too soon for me. 90 minutes from start to end with a 20 minute interval. Oh how I wanted more of that cheesecake.

Kristian Thomas Company is one name that everyone should remember when seeking out damn good theatre productions, and I know that there is so much more to come from this incredibly prolific theatre group.

"Fame Jr" is at the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton only until Saturday 25 January, so make sure you get a ticket for the hottest show in Long Eaton this week.

“Ten Times Table” by Alan Ayckbourn
Bonington Players
Bonington Theatre, Nottingham.

If you're looking for a playwright who creates wonderfully warm and human characters, you'd not need to look further than Alan Ayckbourn. In this play, which is not one of his most well known, we see how one upmanship and a passion for something can escalate and get out of hand

The setting for "Ten Times Table" is a series of meetings of the Pendon Folk Festival Committee planning the re-enactment of the "Massacre of the Pendon 12", where the Earl of Dorset crushed an uprising of rebellious workers, led by John Cockle.

The committee comprises of characters with very different views of what the pageant should be and what it represents.

As the meetings progress, the group becomes divided by their opinions and political leanings.

The day of the pageant eventually comes with the two sides firmly reflecting the sides of the original event. The pageant ends in comedy chaos, having broadly recreating the original event, leaving no-one better off - especially when it turns out there is no historical authenticity to the Pendon Twelve Massacre.

The cast present a wonderful array of characters and Danny Longbottom (Ray) plays the inept Chairman, desperately trying to keep control of the meetings and refereeing between the members.

Chris Gardner (Donald) plays the knowledgeable Counsellor who brings along his hard of hearing mother, Audrey, played brilliantly by Linda Burgin, to take notes. A masterclass in physical acting.

Jennifer Chatten (Helen) plays a blinder in this role, going up against Eric, the new, and younger man, on the committee with some very forthright views. Josh Hayes, in the first comic role that I've seen him in, proves that he can do comedy as well as serious. Helen and Eric really rub each other up the wrong way and the finale turns out to be the fantastic farce that we know Ayckbourn for.

Charlotte Cordall (Sophie) and Gennie Price (Phillippa) are the pair of ladies who seem to share Eric,and are polar opposites character wise.

Nick Hill (Tim) makes his debut, and while there were nerves with Nick, he quickly got in his stride. Playing the jealous country bumpkin who transforms into a gun wielding military madman in the second act, his character emerged as one of the big, and quite surprising of characters.

Eddie Janusczczyk (Lawrence), who provides some wonderful and fine method acting, and Adrian Bacon (Max Kirkov) complete the cast.

Directed by Howard Whitehurst, who also was the Lighting Designer, he knows how to extract comedy performances from his cast, creating a wonderful farce and bringing these wonderful Ayckbourn characters to life.

David Goatham is responsible for the Sound Design, and this was really in the spotlight for me in the finale with the pageant sound scape. Off stage sounds which gave you the feeling that all the action was just through those double entrance doors of the theatre.

A simple set, which did exactly what it was intended to do and some wonderful costumes, especially Helen's pageant costume.

Being a fan of Mr Ayckbourn's work, I was destined to enjoy this fun farce and when you have a cast and crew that delivers this level of entertainment, well you're set up for a night of pure enjoyment.

“Ten Times table” is at Bonington Theatre, Arnold until Saturday 25 January

“Ghost Stories” by Andy Nyman & Jeremy Dyson
Nottingham Theatre Royal.

There’s a warning that accompanies this show stating that “people of a nervous disposition may want to think twice about booking a ticket for this show”, but how frightening can it be to sit with a theatre full of people and experience theatrical ghost stories?

Now, much as I would love to tell you so much about this show, I can't because I do not want to give away any spoilers, so what can I leak?

Joshua Higgott plays Professor Goodman who kick starts the evening with a light-hearted but uneasy lecture on the nature of fear and the appeal of ghost stories. He then presents three stories from the Supernatural which, at first seem to be separate stories but it becomes apparent that these are not as unrelated as they first appear.In fact they are the stuff that nightmares are made of!!!!

I was well prepared to be unnerved and this show succeeded in doing that because I really did feel uneasy with all three of these stories, and the show did make me jump on several occasions.

I deliberately did not watch the film so knew nothing about this play, and I was so pleased that I hadn't because I don't think it would have had the same impact on me as it did.

The story telling is second to none, and the actors, Gus Gordon (Simon Rifkind), Paul Hawkyard (Tony Matthews), and Richard Sutton (Mike Priddle) - hang on weren't there more than four actors taking the bows at the end? - were all excellent and created that unease, easily.

Another thing I experienced, and talking to some others afterwards, only some of them also experienced this, but, and I don't know if this is auto association, but, I could smell certain things just after the things I could smell were mentioned. Strange but in my mind, true, or was that just my imagination?

The lighting effects (Tom Murton) and the Sound design (James Pike) really makes this a wonderfully unnerving experience and creates many of the scary moments. And the special effects are equally unnerving.

I tell you how much this production will play on your mind, and I'm not normally affected by scary movies etc, but when I get off my bus on the way home, I have to walk down an ill lit set of narrow steps, and tonight I power walked to those steps and made it down there in record time. The power of the mind eh?

I ain't gonna give away anything about this play but to confirm that everything I had heard, and was told about "Ghost Stories", was all true. It will unnerve you. It will make you jump. And you will want to see this play again, even though you know what is coming and the ending.

For anyone who loves being frightened, and paying to be frightened, you will love this production. just make sure that you take someone with you.

Sweet dreams all, and just remember, that shadow in the corner of your room after lights out,and that creak on the stair when you are all in bed, hopefully will just be that... but then again......

“Ghost Stories” is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 25 January.

“Frankenstein” adapted by Rona Munro
Derby Theatre

Everyone should know the story of the monster created by Dr Frankenstein, but this story shows us the story’s creator, Mary Shelley as one of the production’s characters, so we also learn about her as well as the creator of the monster and the monster itself. Mary Shelley dreamed it up at the age of 18, winning a bet with Lord Byron and her husband, Percy Bysshe Shelley. “Frankenstein” was published two years later, in 1818.

The monster, created by Victor Frankenstein, and made up of various parts of other dead humans, only wants to be loved. He is driven to rage and murder by Frankenstein’s failure to provide this love and acceptance of his creation bringing rise to the monster’s horror image in the classic films we all know and love. Misunderstood patchwork quilt of dead flesh or monster? You decide.

I had been really looking forward to having a bit of a scare fest with this one but that just didn't happen. The thunder sound effects were loud enough to make a deaf person jump but I wasn't in the least frightened by the monster.

When you think of the old movies, there is this man mountain of a monster with evil eyes created on a slab with electrodes on a windy and wet stormy night, slowly arising from the slab and terrorising people with that slow stumbling gait.

Here the "monster" is brought to life standing up attached to sets of white rope lights, grunts a bit and races off to attack Frankenstein's brother or best friend; I was a little confused here.

The story was mainly about Mary Shelley who created the book,and narrated the story throughout, breaking the fourth wall to do this. Strangely enough I really enjoyed this as it brought with the character quite a few comic moments, again something that I was not expecting. A little bit more like "Carry On Frankenstein" than Gothic Horror.

The monster himself was nothing like I have ever seen monster wise. With wild 80's rock style hair and bedecked in a pair of baggy grey jogging bottoms, and later a matrix style leather coat, he raced everywhere and was very fluent with his speech and his demands.

Ben Castle-Gibb (Victor Frankenstein) was really quite impressive though as he showed us the pain and regret of bringing his "child" into the world. He showed the pressure of his work and the effects it had on Frankenstein's mind and body, and I really enjoyed this performance.

Eilidh Loan (Mary Shelley), as I've previously mentioned brought the show alive for me with her quips and laid back commentary.

Michael Moreland (Frankenstein’s Monster) was not what I had expected but he did give us an alternative view of the monster, and that is what theatre is all about, at times being different

Thierry Mabonga (Henry/Walton), Sarah MacGillivray (Mother/Justine), Natali McCleary (Elizabeth/Safie), Greg Powrie (Father/Master/Waldman) complete the cast.

Produced and Direcetd by Patricia Benecke, she gives us something different to the original idea of the story and image of the monster, although the story was fairly faithful to Shelley's Gothic masterpiece.

I did feel at times that parts of the story were rushed and could have been expanded more. The scene with the blind man was over before it had even began and may have been able to show the more sensitive side of the monster.

I also had trouble placing some of the accents. Was this a Scottish accent or was it an Irish accent; at times hard to tell. According to Shelley's novel, Dr Frankenstein was born in Naples!

Sound Design by Simon Slater and Lighting Design by Grant Anderson. these two created the unease and jump moments for the audience

Set design by Becky Minto, and this was set on two levels and reminded me of one of those plush penthouse apartments that you see beside the canal or waterway with balconies and perspex rails with white trees growing alongside the balconies. These made useful entry and exit points from the balcony down to the main stage.

A very stylised production, and though it may sound like I'm against sexing up old classics, I'm not. I've seen many modern takes on Shakespearean plays which I have really enjoyed, and in many ways, this production reminded me of doing that. It keeps theatre fresh, especially for younger theatre goers, so I am all for that, but I think this production may be, for me, filed under "marmite"

“Frankenstein” is at Derby Theatre until Saturday 25 January

“Out There” by The Young Performers
Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton

It's 1969 and following the death of his wife, Hope, astronaut Newman Carter (James Pedrick) has disappeared. Newman seemed to have everything going for him. He was about to go into space as Mission Commander and he had a young son called David (Ricky Hill), who worshipped him. But now, Newman, has vanished and his son is being brought up by Newman’s sister, Celia.

Jump forward forty years and David has grown up to be a highly successful businessman. He has a son of his own, Logan (Harvey Tavener) but unfortunately, the two of them don’t get on. Logan is a bit of a tearaway and has only managed to escape jail thanks to David’s lawyer, and confidant, Linda.

Having finally gone too far, Logan runs away and Celia tells him to go to a particular farm outside the town of Hope, Texas and meet the farm owner Ned Thomas. On his way there, Logan meets the residents of the town including the town mechanic Jamie ( Hayley Watson), her mother, Sheriff Pack (Charlotte Rowland) and the sheriff’s rather inept sidekicks Billy (Henry Icke) and Stan (Ryan Yates).

The town of Hope is dying on its feet and everyone wonders what can be done to save it. Maybe Logan, with a little help from old Ned – a man who can keep a secret or two – can rescue the town and become a better person along the way.

Written by Elliot Davis & James Bourne, James of indie/pop/rock band Busted fame, it’s the perfect vehicle for a younger cast. The only other time I’d seen this musical performed was also at the Duchess Theatre a few years ago and also performed by a young cast. Davis and Bourne also wrote the musical “Loserville”

The production is a great team show which does a good job of highlighting the various vocal talents of the group. Harvey Tavener's going to have a brilliant falsetto in a few years' time as he easily moves from his usual singing voice to a gentle falsetto on several occasions.

He also gets to show off his dance moves as well in a lovely choreographed piece with Hayley. The section also includes a tutoring from Newman Carter in learning to dance.

James Pedrick manages to capture the physicality of the old man well and Ricky Hill keeps a superior age difference between his son and himself, making both characters very believable.

Loved Charlotte's voice, injecting soul into her first song "I Am The Law" and Hayley's characterisation of the backwoods mechanic/country girl next door was a pleasure to see.

Also enjoyed Eleanor Meakin's performance as Claudia Pointers as the reporter and her sidekick played by Finlay Dilks.

There is a blossoming double act in Ryan Yates and Henry Icke as the pair of police officers, and there are some lovely comic moments with these two which are often akin to panto. These two also impressed me with their Texan accents and facial impressions.

Along with these main characters there is also a large ensemble who flesh the stage out brilliantly as the town folk of Hope.

Expertly Produced by Vicky Byrne and Directed by Zak Charlesworth, another well known name in local theatre, now not just on stage but behind the scenes. He knows what he wants from a production, not only from his actors but with the lighting and stage management. I especially like the way that the scenes are changed while we are watching whoever is on stage at that moment, meaning that there is no hanging around for a full scene restructuring.

Sound Design by Dave Dallard was well balanced, although there were just a couple of occasions when we missed some of the script. This though was just from the un-mic'd actors, something that can't really be helped with the quantity of actors on the stage.

Lighting Design by Dave Martin, and this was something really special. From the roof full of stars in the auditorium to the back lighting behind the scenery, and the ending, which I won't spoil by giving away what happens, this is a richly lit production.

The set, which at first sight looked simple, but is not as simple as it looks with the various disguised doors, helped give the lighting a really special feel. Designed by Zak and Roydon Charlesworth.

Choreography by Alex Tavener, it is lively and shows the cast in their best light for these dance sections.

Musical Director for the show is George Parkinson and the collective of George on keys. Sean Garavan on guitar, Jeff Widdowson on bass and Justin Chambers on drums, belie the big sound produced from this quartet.

The soundtrack itself is not the most memorable but in the moment and when delivered on stage, you will find yourself tapping your toes, but you probably won't remember the songs the day after.

Despite that, the production is great fun and there is a message out there regarding family values. The cast all look like they enjoyed every second on stage and that enjoyment, like osmosis, spread to the delighted audience.

“Out There” is at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 18 January.

“Band Of Gold” by Kay Mellor
Nottingham Theatre Royal

Kay Mellor’s “Band of Gold” was a big TV hit in the mid-Nineties. Today the TV characters are part of an exciting new stage production.

Inspired by research into the lives and experiences of sex workers on the streets of Leeds and Bradford, the play tells the story of four very different women in a time of minimum wages and ineffective financial support services.

These are independent women who value their time at more than just a few pounds an hour — and if that means earning better money through the oldest game in business, then that is what they need to do to pay the bills and get out of debt.

I’ll admit that I didn’t see the TV series, so this is all new to me.Not seeing the original TV series and not knowing the characters didn't matter because these characters are so well written that it does not take long to discover who they are and their past.

Kay Mellor is one of those writers who writes so well for women, and not just women, but powerful women. Her male characters are almost secondary, even though they are essential to the plot of course, you can tell that they are all written with an inbuilt flaw.

Set in Bradford in the early Nineties, Rose, played by Gaynor Faye is patrolling “The Lane”. She is in charge and lets everyone know that this is her patch and she is the boss!

I have seen, like any other soap fan, Gaynor on TV in "Emmerdale" and "Corrie" but she owns the stage here and looks, and acts completely different to any soap episode I've seen her in. There's also a conclusion to her story that I didn't expect.

Laurie Brett (Anita) is the mother hen figure of the three. She lives in a flat paid for by her married lover, George, played by Mark Sheals. Anita provides much of the wit in this play packed with grit and also gets to air some vocal talents as Anita is also a karaoke fan. Many will recognise Laurie from Eastenders where she played Jane Beale.

Sacha Parkinson (Gina) has debts. She has split up with her husband Steve and she has just started a new job selling Avon, door to door. Her Mum, Joyce, looks after Gina and Steve's child so that Gina can work. She is paying off the loan shark who is offering an alternative to money in payments, but Gina is a good girl. A real good girl!

Emma Osman (Carol) looks amazing in whatever she wears, and I must admit, the costumes in this show are pretty amazing for all the girls. i mention this from an artistic viewpoint by the way!. Carol is feisty and does everything she can to keep her young daughter blindsided by her occupation, always wanting a better life for her daughter than she has for herself. She is blunt in her description of what she has to do but has her eye on a better life for the two of them. This is Emma's first tour and she is nailing it.

Shayne Ward plays Inspector Newall who has returned to his old stomping ground to investigate the murder of a prostitute. But Newall has history not only in the area but with Carol. We soon discover Newall's back history and why he had to move away.

Kieron Richardson (Steve) is Gina's estranged husband, a real bully and nasty piece of work who has slapped Gina around a bit. He really morphs into the nasty character mould and you get a real feeling of unease about Steve. Now what surprised me is that this part is Keiron's first stage role, a medium that he looks at real ease with.

Andrew Dunn, no stranger to the Nottingham Theatre Royal, plays Ian Barraclough, a councillor who may just be the answer to Carol's future and escape from her current occupation, but here's a character that may not be as white as he is painted. A councillor with vices? Who'd have thought?

Olwen May plays Joyce, Gina's mum, and she delivers some quite shocking lines in the sense of what is expected from a woman from the early nineties. Still in the mind's eye that a woman should have man to take care of a woman, even though she hates her own husband but has stayed with him because that is what she feels is "the right thing to do".

Two other actors worthy of a mention are Steve Garti who plays Curly, a character who hangs around the bar where "all the action is". Curly is not from the area and visits on a regular basis from out of town, but why would he do that?

The other is Mark Sheals who plays George, Anita's married lover, and another sleaze ball who also has something that he has been hiding from Anita, and his wife!

This play will have you hooked. Even though you know what is going to happen at the close of the first act, you feel that you are completely helpless to stop it, well you are, but you find your fingers digging into the Theatre Royal seats with the tension.

That tension continues throughout the second act, but as Kay Mellor states before the show starts, "no spoilers", so I'll leave it at that. Needless to say there are several red herrings and twists before the end of the show, but, boy is this one hell of a good show. Will you guess who is the guilty one?

It is gritty and very witty with some still relevant social commentary. Written and Directed by Kay Mellor, she really knows how to write for TV, which also transcends well to the stage.

Loved the set design (Janet Bird) which featured many sliding pieces of scenery which enabled the scenes to be changed with ease and smoothly; almost like a TV series would change from one scene to the next.

My first theatre outing of 2020 was a complete success, so whether you were a fan of the TV show or, like me, a Band Of Gold virgin, you will love this brilliant piece of dark theatre, And while the ladies have the svelte and bearded Ward to drool over, the male members (oops) of the audience have four very talented and glamorous lead actors to focus on.

“Band Of Gold” is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 18 January.

"Queers" by Mark Gatiss
Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

Reviewed by Joe Langham

"Queers" is a selection of four monologues exploring the experience of LGBT groups across the 20th and 21st Century. Originally commissioned by the BBC to celebrate 50 years since the legalisation of homosexuality in Britain, the collection originally consisted of eight stories and was curated by Mark Gatiss.

"The Perfect Gentleman", written by Jackie Clune and directed by Hazel Salisbury, opened the show. We are invited into The Queens Head, an establishment with a fine selection of ales, wines and spirits. We meet Bobby, a respectable gentleman that frequents the Queens Head, sampling many a drink. His charm and talents also have him earning the nickname ‘the Doctor of Southwark’ amongst the women that patronise the bar.

Bobby has a secret though. Bobby is in fact a cross-dressing working-class girl who passes as a man. Bobby is played by Gathoni Mwaura, who delivers the monologue with the swagger and stature of a 1920’s gentleman. A humorous story of exaggeration and bravado, recounting exploits that many are likely to hear down a pub even today.

"Missing Alice" tells the story of a housewife with history as she comes to terms with her own husbands secret. After marrying an eligible young man, Alice, played by Melanie Hamilton, travels to Brighton with her new husband for their honeymoon. The curtains of the hotel room are drawn and Alice is eager to consummate the marriage, her husband Michael however, is more interested in the fact that her dress matches the bedding.

"Missing Alice" is a poignant story of two people trapped by their situation. A gay man pushed into marriage to stop gossip and the woman who loves him, but can never be fully loved back. Missing Alice was written by Jon Bradfield and is directed by Helen Sharp.

"A Grand Day Out" introduces us to Andrew, a teenager who has attended a protest in London after the age of consent for gay individuals has been lowered from 21 to 18. Whilst a step forward, the refusal of the government to acknowledge sexual consent equality angers many in the community.

Andrew goes from the adrenaline of the initial protest to the worry of seeing new cameras there and potentially being outed to his parents after he lied and told them he was staying at a friends. He recounts missing the last train and having a chance intimate encounter with another man when needing a place to stay until the morning.

Lewis Brookbanks, who plays Andrew, delivers the story much like a mate to someone in the pub. The audience his ‘mate’ as he drinks his Smirnoff Ice and tries, and fails to light his cigarettes with his broken lighter. "A Grand Day Out" offers a sort of midpoint between the other stories as, whilst the LGBT community is not as hidden and shunned as in other stories, some still fear the response to being openly gay. Written by Michael Dennis and directed by Alison Hope.

The final monologue, and the most positive, brings us to the modern day. Michael Radford plays a suited Steve on his wedding day. Preparing his speech, he tells us anecdotes that are too rude for Aunty Janice to hear and others that are too wordy for him to include.

Pacing and rewriting his speech as he goes, he plays the part of the nervous groom to be well. He jokes that gay marriage was only legalised as straight people had worn out and made every aspect of weddings boring and monotonous and thus the gay community needed to come in and add a bit of colour and pizazz to the ceremony.

"Something Borrowed" is directed by Nik Hedges and written by Gareth McLean. A fun ending to the four stories, taking us from hidden identities and shame to the outward expression and celebration of love between the same sex at a gay wedding.

The music and sound design by Jack Harris transports us through the eras with relevant songs from Elvis to Lady Gaga.

The costumes, as with the music, evoke their relevant era from a longline tuxedo and top hat in "The Perfect Gentleman" to a 50s style dress in "Missing Alice".

The projections also suggest that the location stays the same and only the period changes as we go from a classic The Queen’s Head pub sign to a Moulin Rouge-esque lit sign entitled ‘Queens’.

Unfortunately for audiences, and fortunately for those lucky enough to get a ticket, Queers is sold out for its entire run this week.

"Queers" is at the Nottingham Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 11 January.