“A Christmas Carol” by Derby Theatre Productions
Derby Theatre

Much as I love pantomime, you can’t beat a good classic Dickens Christmas tale, and immediately you think of “A Christmas Carol”

Neil Duffield’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ story looks absolutely stunning on the Derby Theatre stage; the story is as timeless and as magical as it ever was, appealing across any age range.

The cast consist of eight actor/musicians and are Gareth Williams (Scrooge), Oliver Ashworth (Bob Cratchit), Charlotte Workman (Mrs Cratchit), Liz Jadav (Mrs Fezziwig), James McLean (Jacob Marley/Mr Fezziwig), Benedict Salter (Young Scrooge/Fred) and Aimee Kwan (Belle), Aimee makes her professional debut in this production, and Sophia Hatfield (Ghost of Christmas Past). These are their main roles but all, bar Gareth, play other roles as well.

There are also three teams of local young actors who alternate the roles of Tiny Tim, Boy Scrooge and urchins.

Directed by Oliver O Shea, he has based this production on the 2014 Sarah Brigham production, which I also remember seeing and loving just as much.

The whole feel of the production, the look, the set, the classic carols all make you feel festive, and of course the story of how this man had his outlook and opinions changed by what might have been, is a real classic. That is proven by the packed theatre.

I loved the wonderful costumes and that old style sound of the carols, played live on stage by the actors.

It has everything you want a classic piece of literature and theatre to have. Puppetry, ghosts, a brilliant story, live music, an incredible set, snow, a happy ending, a moving stage, and when you mix in a wonderful cast, who always seemed to be on the go, well it really has everything you need for a festive evening out at the theatre.

The story telling and dramaturgy really drew you in. Even though we all know the story, for me it was like the first time that I had heard the Scrooge story. You seem to forget the back story of how Scrooge became the bitter, twisted old man we see at the start of the show, even though this part fills the bulk of the Dickens story.

This is a production for all the family, and I've always thought the story a brilliant introduction for kids to live theatre. Panto at Christmas is great fun for children, but when it comes to taking in a theatrical production and to digest a story within the theatre, this has to be a perfect introduction.

I have a feeling that Derby Theatre have yet another big Christmas hit on their hands with this show, and deservedly so.

“A Christmas Carol” is at Derby Theatre until Saturday 4 January 2020.

Photos by Robert Day.

“Brief Encounter – On Air” by The Festival Players
Loughborough Town Hall

Trapped in a loving but unsatisfying marriage, Laura Jesson is unable to stop herself from falling for a stranger she encounters at the train station. Alec Harvey is also married and the pair realise that their innocent friendship is developing into something more serious. As passion takes over, Laura must make an impossible and heart - wrenching decision.

Presented in the style of a 1940s radio drama and steeped in romantic glamour, The Festival Players perform this adaptation of the award-winning 1945 film, live on stage as a follow-up to last year’s "It’s A Wonderful Life:A live Radio Play".

As soon as the play starts, you are enveloped in a certain feeling. That feeling when you are with your loved on, snuggled up on the sofa, wrapped in a quilt, the rain is pouring down outside and it's Sunday. You switch the TV on and there's one of those old 1940's films on, black and white of course, and you sit together and watch the whole film. You know that homely feeling, well that is how this play makes you feel.

The sound effects take you to places from the film; the coffee shop, the railway platform, Laura and Fred's home, you can almost smell the coffee and the smoke from the steam trains.

The cast bring everything to life with their story telling, and if you close your eyes, you're there in the film.

Laura Brookes (Laura Jesson) perfects that wonderfully clipped cut glass accent and, what I love about radio plays, she injects every emotion into the character with only her voice. Completely hypnotic.

Nick Grainger (Alec) is equally engaging and hypnotic as the gentlemanly doctor.

A myriad of brilliantly voiced characters are brought to life by this wonderfully talented cast.

Valerie Scmitt-Li (Dolly/Mary Norton), Gareth Busson (Fred/Albert/Porter), Liz Bristowe (Myrtle/Waitress), Douglas Gilbert (Soldier/Stephen/Policeman) and Shirley Burgess (Mrs Rolandson/Beryl). All actors immaculately dressed for radio, of the age where tuxedos and evening dresses were what radio artists turned up for work in. Very classy.

Chris Marshall is credited as the Foley Artist, which I have learned is a person who makes "foley" for films in post production. So what exactly is foley? Foley is reproduced sounds, named after sound-effects artist Jack Foley, and can be anything from the swishing of clothing and footsteps to squeaky doors and breaking glass. You see what an education I get from productions like this? Not only does Chris enhance the production sonically, he has enhanced my education of radio and film technology.

Jez Malpas is the sound effect manager, and again enhances productions like this no end with the various effects needed to make these various locations from the film come to life in your head.

The set is the same as last year's "It's A Wonderful Life A Radio Play"; a radio recording studio, complete with sound effects booth, foley section, 1940's microphones, a chaise longue where the actors who are not on mic lounge, and the "applause" light to let the audience know when they were required to show appreciation. A set that had it's own aura.

Set in the beautiful Victoria Room inside Loughborough Town Hall, the venue room also adds to the feel of the play. So, for 90 minutes or so, allow yourself to be transported back to one of the classiest of decades and a wonderfully romantic piece of theatre, performed in a way that you've never experienced before.

“Brief Encounter – On Air” is at Loughborough Town Hall until Thursday 5 December and on 7 December in Coalville's Century Theatre.

"Cinderella"
Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Nottingham, this year, is blessed with three excellent pantomimes, and I got a feeling that this one at the Nottingham Theatre Royal is going to break their box office records yet again, as this is one of the best pantomimes I have seen at the Theatre Royal.

It truly is, in every sense of the word, magical.

For me this year there are no headline stars to put "bums on seats" because they are all quite excellent in their roles.

The Ugly Sisters, Les Dennis (Michaela) and Connor McIntyre (Phelina) - you see what they did there Corrie fans? are immense fun as they regularly delve back to Weatherfield for their jibes.They even enter with dogs called Eileen and Gail - ooh the cheekiness of them! They really do make a brilliant pair, especially as the chemistry has been there for years now. Brilliant costumes, some great parodies and the perfect blend of nasty from both; just enough to have some of the audience booing, but comical enough to get the kids laughing at their antics.

Gareth Gates is Prince Charming, and he really looks the part. I have lots of respect for this man, way back to the Pop Idol days and his stammer, there is no sign of that today, and he even makes a joke about it. His acting is never stretched, neither is his singing as he croons his way through the songs, including his hit version of "Unchained Melody". He even looks at home with the comedy scenes, especially the one which includes a wall, Richard Cadell and Hannah Grace Lawson, which turns into a classic piece of slapstick.

For people of a certain age, it was great to see Sooty, with Sweep, who we weren't expecting, and neither have aged at all. Richard Cadell, as Buttons, was equally brilliant and showed what an incredible magician and entertainer he is, even without Sooty and Sweep to help him.

The magic, and I was quite close to the stage, was quite simply amazing, completely baffling how he disappeared and reappeared in different parts of the stage. Give me magic of this quality over 3D imagery any day. Comedy and magic blend perfectly with Richard and with or without Sooty and Sweep, he is a hit.

Kimberley Blake, as the Fairy Godmother, has a lovely operatic voice, and looking through her theatrical CV, she has appeared in many shows that would highlight such a gorgeous set of vocals. I loved her parody of "Fabulous Baby" from Sister Act. A nice touch of class to this classic panto.

Cinderella is played by Hannah Grace Lawson, and boy does she fit this role well. She looks stunning dressed in rags and looks equally stunning in the beautiful ball gown she gets to wear. Bringing the little kid out in me, she transformed from one outfit to the ball gown just by spinning around a few times - remember how Wonderwoman did it? Well this was the same technique but all before my wide child like eyes. Okay, it wasn't magic, but it was magical.

And last, but by no means least, Jack McNeill as the devilishly handsome Dandini. This boyish actor attracted the attention from the audience. No stranger to panto in Nottingham as he played Peter Pan in Nottingham a few years ago.

Visually this is s treat as Cinderella's horse and carriage hover over the audience before taking her to the ball, Sooty arrives by car and travels by minibus and there are several other things that are remotely controlled to keep your eyes all over the stage.

The section where we have Phelina, Michaela, Buttons and Prince Charming singing about what job they would do if they weren't at Hardup Hall was great fun with some of the choreographed pieces going, or so it seemed, slightly awry with the loss of a wig or two thrown in, and plenty of water cannons for the audience to avoid, oh yeah, like that is going to happen, avoiding water cannons!

Amazing costumes for all, a good mix of music, although I did note that a couple of the songs have already been heard in pantos in Nottingham already this year, but still great fun. And that is the main thing about this show, it is great fun throughout. The cast look like they are having fun, and so are we. Special effects, pyrotechnics, wonderful lighting, and the only thing that I could niggle about was that it was, at times, a bit loud on the music front as some of the clever parody lyrics were lost slightly.

As I said at the start though, this is possibly the best panto I've seen here at the Theatre Royal, and that is saying something as I've seen many wonderful productions.

"Cinderella" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Sunday 5 January.

Photos by Whitefoot Photography.

"Aladdin"
Nottingham Arts Theatre.

It's no secret that I have a bit of a soft spot for the pantomimes at the Nottingham Arts Theatre,and anyone watching this pantomime will be quick to see why that is. This is a traditional pantomime that appeals to all ages, thanks to the clever script and mix of music. Written by Amanda Hall, who also directed and co-produced "Aladdin" as well as co-designed the set, and may I say looks amazing also, This is going to be another box office breaking year I feel for the cast, crew and theatre. Matthew John is on hand to co-script the show and share the credits. Mike Pearson produced the show for the Arts Theatre and Cris Brawn co-designed the set.

As I said, the story is traditional, but with injections of topical humour which keeps the story fresh and packed with fun.And can I say, the jokes are suitably groan worthy, which I have made notes of and will be wheeling out sometime in the future, as long as there is no copyright issues.

Every year the cast has been brilliant; this year is no different,and with some new cast members in various roles, it could well be the best one to date. With past casts though, it's difficult to gauge levels of excellence.

The cast are so well seasoned in the art of panto, they really know their way around a panto stage and what they need to do to make a panto a wopping hit.

Matthew Wesson really is one of the best dames around, and this year he plays Widow Twankey. There are some brilliant costumes for Matt to wear, thanks to Jules Sheppard, and he knows how to work this matinee audience, who by the end of Act One, were eating out of his hand and completely in his power. Not only a very talented person to have involved in theatre, he's also one of the nicest and funniest men away from the stage.

Danielle Hall makes this show her panto hat trick, but also debuts as the choreographer for the show and stars as "Aladdin". She looks every inch the principal boy, and looks like she is enjoying every second as Aladdin.

Patrick McChrystal plays Wishee Washee, and that role brings plenty of chances to interact with the audience, which he did every time he came on stage. A lovely fun character and this trio work so well together.

Cliff Hart smashes the evil Abanazar and very quickly gets the audience booing him on every entrance. This is the second panto I've seen this year to date, and both baddies are excellent. Pitched just right so as not to make the young kids cry, but to get them booing. Not an easy job but Cliff delivered it just right. He also has a very easy to listen to set of vocals on him.

Mike Pearson played the Genie Of The Lamp, and I loved the accent and the modern attitude of Genie. Another fun character.

Mike Newbold is another actor that I have a lot of time for,and his laid back attitude to Emporer Mei was once more pitched perfectly.

Stacey Ireson played So Shi, Princess Jasmine's right hand woman and wingman - or is that wingwoman - or maybe wing person, whose character also wins in the love stakes by the end of the panto.

Talking of Princess Jasmine, Lauren Stephenson gets to show off her wonderful voice with this role; perfectly cast.

Providing a chunk of the comedy word play are Joseph Jk Smith and Laura Ellis as the comedy police Ying and Yang. Kimberley Allsopp also shares the role of Yang in some performances.

Lizzie Fenner follows up last year's Nottingham stage panto debut with the part of the Spirit Of The Ring. Packed with attitude and Lizzie has a gorgeous voice which is well showcased. I've seen Lizzie several times throughout the year in various productions, and this show tops her theatrical year perfectly.

Both adult and younger ensemble groups worked brilliantly and smoothly together, and show the hard work that has gone into this show.

There are plenty of chances for audience participation with booing the baddie, welcoming Wishee Washee on every entrance or finding out what Widow Twankey's swanky washeteria don't do! All great fun.

Musically Directed by Sam Griffiths, who has such a history of working in musical theatre, he is one of the top Musical Directors in the area, so it's guaranteed that this show is going to be a hit music wise.

I absolutely loved the choice of music in this panto, well I would, there were plenty of musical theatre songs as well as some brilliant pop tunes to get everyone clapping along.

The acoustics in the Arts Theatre are wonderful and Sound Design by Rob Kettridge makes the most of the natural sound, ensuring that you can hear every spoken word, every note of music and every sound effect perfectly..

Visually, this show is stunning and part of that stunningness is the Lighting Design and operation by Oliver Read. A colourful and bright experience.

It would be very difficult to pick any particular scene over the next here, but if I was forced to choose, I would have to choose the closing of Act One. It was absolutely stunning, and quite literally magical. I'll say no more, but the song was gorgeous, impeccably performed and visually jaw dropping.

Everyone involved in this production have pulled out all the stops for this production, whether it be on stage, behind the scenes or front of house.

"Aladdin" is at the Nottingham Arts Theatre until Sunday 15 December, but make sure you get your tickets pretty sharpish, I'd hate for you to miss this Christmas treat.

Christmas has truly begun.

Photos by Cassie Hall.

“Vincent River” by Philip Ridley
Nottingham New Theatre

After her son, Vincent, is murdered in a homophobic attack, Anita must come to terms with her loss, and the hidden fact of his sexuality, an aspect of his identity that she had refused to accept while he was alive. This grief and acceptance is complicated by the arrival of Davey, a battered and bruised seventeen-year-old boy, who confesses to Anita that he cannot escape Vincent's ghost. Anita believes that Davey has come to admit to the murder, but it is a deeper crime, a crime of omission, that is haunting her son's lover.

It has been a long time since I've seen such an emotional and draining piece of theatre, so much so that at the end of the production, I sat there for a few moments just to take in everything that I had seen.

"Vincent River" left me feeling sick to my stomach, it made me feel angry, and it made me feel emotionally sad. As a parent I am able to put myself in Anita's place and get a feeling of how she felt with the revelations in this play, and that is what evoked all of the above emotions.

The descriptiveness of Vincent's horrific feral like murder hits you like a punch to the stomach, and the actions thereafter from Davey caused anger. Anita's pain was what brought the wave of great sadness.

Philip Ridley's text paints dramatic pictures all the way through this just over two hour straight through play. The actors vividly bring Ridley's words to life.

The story is set in the 1970's but with this set design, stark white, with the costumes also being white, show that a timeline is not relevant and could be a blank canvas for any time and place. We read of homophobic attacks on young gay men and women on a regular basis, so the timeline isn't that relevant, and I think that this clinical white surrounding shows this.

The whole play is the conversation, set in real time between Davey and Anita as we discover what really happened with Vincent, and the lead up to his vicious murder.

Directed by Rohan Rakhit, with assistant Director Beth White and produced by Skylar Turnbull Hurd, assisted by Julia Henderson, I can only imagine that throughout the rehearsals, and even up to Saturday's final performance, there will have been and will be a lot of emotions released, not only due to the play's content storyline, but also due to the incredible passion that these two actors, Olly O'regan (Davey) and Deborah Kehlani - Afolabi (Anita) inject into the roles.

Where both of these actors dig down to get this passion and emotion from, who knows. I looked at some of the audience reaction during the play and could plainly see how it affected them.

There's also a wonderful lighting design for this play, which is very sensory,a s is the sound design. It takes you back to the memories that are being relived by both Anita and Davey, and makes you a part of their life.

The play is not performed very often, anywhere, and I can see why because of the gritty, hard hitting story and the immense emotional involvement that is needed. It takes a special team of production folk and actors to deliver such an amazing and special, as well as emotionally draining piece of theatre. When it is done as well as this team have done it though, it isn't one that should be missed.

Staged in the round, wherever you sit you have a great view of the action, almost like a fly on the wall.

Be prepared to be emotionally hit by the subject matter of this play and the passionate and emotional performances by Olly and Deborah. This production is unmissable for anyone who loves the theatre.

“Vincent River” is at the Nottingham New Theatre until Saturday 30 November.

“We Will Rock You”
Nottingham Royal Concert Hall

Written by Queen and Ben Elton, the musical tells the story of a globalized future without musical instruments. The year is 2300 and a handful of rock rebels, the Bohemians, fight against the all-powerful Globalsoft company and its boss, the Killer Queen; they fight for freedom, individuality and the rebirth of the age of rock.

Scaramouche and Galileo, two young outsiders, cannot come to terms with the bleak reality. They join the Bohemians and embark on the search to find the unlimited power of freedom, love and Rock! Oh, and the last buried musical instruments, just to make sure that rock music can be reborn.

The idea for the musical came after a meeting between the actor Robert De Niro with musicians Brian May and Roger Taylor, in Venice in 1996. De Niro's daughter was a big fan of the Queen and the actor asked if the legends of rock had never thought of creating a musical based on their songs. The rest, as they say, is history.

The musical includes 24 of Queens finest hits such as ‘Radio GaGa’, ‘Killer Queen’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, "I Want It All", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", "Flash", "Fat bottomed Girls" and of course, ‘We Will Rock You’.

Ian McIntosh (Galileo) has a great voice for rock and is a very energetic hero who you really warm to.

Elena Skye (Scaramouche) also has a powerful set of lungs on her, but also shows a lovely sensitivity in duets with Ian like "Who Wants To Live Forever".

Jenny O’ Leary (Killer Queen) is just a little bit scary but her voice simply soars. Not too sure about the vocal acrobatics but loved the power.

Adam Strong (Khashoggi) is similar to the archetypal panto villain as he tries to silence Galileo and Scaramouche, but falls foul of the Killer Queen when he fails. When he lets rip with his vocals, he lifts the roof. He has power and control in his voice, and for me a definite highlight.

Michael McKell (Buddy) injects the comedy into this above average jukebox musical as he channels Mick Jagger in his mannerisms.

Amy di Bartolomeo (Oz) really shone with her focused song "Only The Good Die Young". I always thought that song had a big gospel choir feel and in this musical, it got very close to that in sound and feeling. Amy sings with a lot of soul, as this performance shows.

David Michael Johnson (Brit) also adds some of the comedy, and with Oz, is responsible for bringing Galileo and Scaramouche to the Bohemians.

Directed by Cornelius Baltus, this production is full on,and elevates the story above the standard jukebox musical. It uses sections of the original Queen songs which makes the sound less of a karaoke session and more of an affectionate tribute to Freddie and Queen.

The orchestrations and arrangements of the songs is by Brian May, Roger Taylor and Stuart Morley.

Choreographed by Lajos Peter Turi, there is a lot going off on stage, including some of the iconic Queen armography, which really gets the audience going.

The set design is possibly one of the most impressive I have ever seen. The video design is simply amazing.

The Sound – design by Rory Madden – and Lighting Design – by Rob Sinclair and Douglas Green adds an incredible amount to this show. It's loud, on occasions, just a little loud, even for me and I lost some of the vocals, but it had a real concert feel about the presentation.

The lighting was, along with the video projections took this show to a completely different level.

I absolutely love the music of Queen, and I had my doubts about this show, but this cast and technical team really dispelled any doubts and I was completely entranced by the incredible vocals. Not many can even come near to Freddie's power and musical talents. With this cast, they did not try to be like Freddie - an impossibility anyway - they performed his songs with feeling and in their own way, which is what really won me over.

This show is not just a show for Queen fans, this show is for fans of amazing music, and the story is not too bad either. A stark warning to all internet freaks who may just be losing touch with the real world, as well as real music.

“We Will Rock You” is at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall until Saturday 30 November.

"To Become A King Is To Become A Killer" by Sophy Baxter

The King Of Scotland has been brutally murdered and Scotland has been thrown into disarray, but who could have done such a thing, and why?

This is an immersive production which allows the audience to roam through several areas from the murder scene bedroom to an interview room to a park to what looked like a school room with three school girls.

You visit these scenes and listen to the conversations, and if you want to talk to the characters, you can because you are enrolled as detectives or just onlookers to the scenes.

I found myself slowly taking in all of the conversations, although with being in different rooms, you only get part of the conversations to base your results on, but slowly decided who I thought may have done the deed and the ones who maybe did not have the motive, from what I heard, or the access to the King.

I kept coming back to the same conclusion, albeit one that I thought was too obvious, and by the end of the performance was proven to be correct. Like the best of thriller/murder mysteries though it was not until the very end scene that we did find out who killed the King, and why.

Very cleverly written by Sophy Baxter with the actors being in the spotlight all at the same time, always performing but being able to improvise with the audience members as well. A test of their acting skills indeed with some of the sections I witnessed.

So, was it the school girls with a plot they had schemed up online? Was it the cleaner? Was it the mysterious Matthew that the girl on the park bench was trying to calm down on her mobile? We were told by one suspect that it was the Prince, but was that just to throw the police off the scent? Or was it someone else? Did the police get the correct murderer? Will you get the correct result?

This is a fascinating piece of theatre, something that the Nottingham New Theatre are good at, producing fascinating productions. I love theatre that makes the audience member think, and draw their own conclusions from what they have seen, and this certainly tick those boxes.

Get your sleuthing heads on and either watch the action or become involved in the action and see if you can separate the possible red herrings from the real killer, and the cleverly left clues that may, or may not, point you in the direction of what happened. Let me just say though that many of the clues are not visual ones,and being in the right scene at the right time, and using what you hear, could be a bonus.

Go as a group and you can compare notes throughout the 45 minutes that this play lasts.

"To Become A King Is To Become A Killer" is at the Nottingham New Theatre until Tuesday 26 November.