"The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time"

Encore Performing Arts.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

Based on the novel by Mark Haddon and adapted by Simon Stephens.

I must say that I have not seen a local theatre group put on this play before; it's not an easy play to produce, but then again Encore have never been a theatre group to shy away from doing anything easy. Just look at the last few productions, "The Lovely Bones" and "Frankenstein" to name a couple.

2025 marks a decade of productions by Encore Productions and I am very honoured to say that I have reviewed every one of them.

This play tells the story of Christopher John Francis Boone, who is fifteen years old. He stands besides Mrs Shears’ dead dog, which has been speared with a garden fork, it is seven minutes after midnight and Christopher is under suspicion. He records each fact in a book he is writing to solve the mystery of who killed Wellington. He has an extraordinary brain and is exceptional at maths, while everyday life presents some barriers. He has never ventured alone beyond the end of his road, he detests being touched and distrusts strangers. But his detective work, forbidden by his father, takes him on a frightening journey that upturns his world.

To anyone on the outside world of autism, what Chris has to cope with, and let's face it, this is everyday life to an autistic person, takes up a lot of energy. From not wanting to be touched by anyone, not even his parents, to having to carefully work everything out by way of a pre worked out design for living, as shown when in London and making his way to the railway station, or even just boarding a tube. You can see and feel the utter frustration held by Chris when in these situations, while shining a light on neurodiversity.

These things aside the play also shows how highly intelligent this young man is. He takes maths exams a year before others in his age group, and passes with an A Star grading.

This is a massive achievement for anyone but the play also highlights the importance of family in Chris' life, and the difficulties that both his mother and father have learning about their son's differences, so it's good to see both sides of the coin as an offshoot theme.

Christopher Boone is played by Arden-Caspar Jennison. This role is an extremely physical role for any actor, but carried out with supreme ease throughout when you have the talent that Arden possesses. You can only think that with the energy and passion that comes from Christopher, that any actor who plays the character, must surely end each show just a bit drained, especially when the weather is at warm as it has been today and the theatre acts like an oven - even with the air conditioning on. The script is lengthy and Christopher has some long and difficult pieces to relay, including the final mathematical equation which shows how he got his GCE A Star results.

Danielle Hall is Judy, Christopher’s mother. She is a loving but deeply flawed individual, who he lost some time ago, or so he was told. As the story unfolds, we see more of her perspective and the reasons behind her previous actions which make her more than just "Christopher’s mum". Good to see Danielle back on stage with such a meaty role.

Stuart Bull plays Ed Boone, Christopher’s father, a loving and diligent man who cares for Christopher, yet he also struggles with the frustration he feels as a result of not always being able to understand Christopher’s behaviour.

Laura Thurman plays Siobhan, Chris's primary teacher who also narrates the story, which is the story that Chris has written, therefore creating a "play within a play" situation. An even-handed mentor, she works to expand Christopher’s horizons socially as well as academically. As a result, she is one of the few people whom Christopher trusts. Laura brings some of the comedy to this character; with just a roll of her eyes or a glance, especially in the scene where Christopher has received his exam results, which he takes with extreme cool, leaving Siobhan none the wiser as to if he has passed or not!

Nicola Tuxford plays Auntie Terri. Whilst Terri cares in her own way, Christopher finds her uncomfortable to be around due to her smoking habits and "touchy feely" nature. Nicola also plays Voice Seven and the Station Guard.

Ben Sherwin plays the Swindon Policeman who attends the scene of the crime regarding Wellington. Despite being an officer of the law, his tolerance of Christopher is very low, and his patience is stretched to the limit. Ben also plays a London Policeman, Mr Thompson, Voice Two, Drunk Two and the Man with the Socks.

Hayley Wood plays Mrs Shears; Christopher's neighbour, and owner of Wellington, the dog. Obviously distressed about her dog being killed, she remains tight-lipped about the whole thing. Hayley also plays Mrs Gascoyne, the Headteacher who allows Christopher to take his GCEs early, and also provides more humour in this role. Plus Hayley plays Voice One, Woman on Train, Woman on Heath jogging and a Shopkeeper.

JK Smith, who I know from performing at Nottingham's Arts Theatre, plays Mr Roger Shears; a former neighbour of Christopher and his dad. Roger has moved down to London after leaving his wife.... now there's a coincidence. There's a scene which really makes you sit up and take notice when he yells at Christopher, which I think is the first time that i have ever heard the mild mannered JK raise his voice in any theatre. JK also plays a Duty Sergeant, Voice Two, Mr Wise, Man Behind The Counter and Drunk One.

Daisy Donoghue plays a Punk Girl; a recurring character who Christopher Boone encounters during his travels. Daisy also plays Voice Five, Number Forty, Lady In Street and Information person.

Jane Harris plays Reverand Peters, the vicar who agrees to be the invigilator for Christopher's A-level Maths exam, whilst also being on hand to provide various bits of guidance for Christopher on his journey. There's a wonderful comedy section when Christopher asks the Reverand about death and where God is that the Reverand finds just a little difficult to explain to Christopher with his many probing questions. Jane also plays Voice Four and the Station Policeman.

Paula McCrory is Mrs Alexander; Christopher's neighbour, who reckons must be a good person because she likes dogs and treats her dog well. Although Christopher's investigation constitutes their first meaningful interaction, Mrs Alexander seems to understand him and communicates with him better than any of his other neighbours. Paula also plays a posh woman and Voice Six.

This is another one of those ensemble productions that let you know that, even though Christopher is the main focal point of the play, all the characters that revolve around our protagonist are all as important.

There was also an additional presence on stage near the end who isn't credited in the programme, which by the way is superbly designed by Matt Powell, and that was the incredibly cute live puppy that was presented as a gift to Christopher from his Dad. If Arden's incredible acting hadn't by that stage melted the audience's hearts, then this little cutie certainly did.

Directed by Adam Guest and Christopher Surridge. I imagine that directing this play is completely different to directing any other piece of theatre and how Adam and Chris would start is a complete enigma to someone like myself. Maybe it is best to not even start to contemplate this but to enjoy the magic.

If you've seen the touring production of this play, you may remember just how technical the staging was. Well, with this being new to license for amateur groups, that staging is not allowed to be used so in a way left, I assume, carte blanche on how it is staged. There was an almost cartoon feel about parts of it, using the actors within an almost animated feel to the story. At the end with the Maths Equation, on the touring production, this is all done with electronic screens to show the calculations. With this production it was all explained in the same way as you may see a maths problem explained in school with cut out triangles, squares and Velcro backed titles.

I loved the technical wizardry of the touring production of the play, but seeing what Adam and Chris have done with this version, they made it seem really fresh and gave a whole different feel to the show.

The set design is by Kenneth Howarth, who I also imagine was responsible for the design on the steps leading up through the auditorium which were in line with the design of the programme. At the back of the stage was a five piece section that created the backdrop for many of the lighting features. The stage floor itself looked like a mathematical layout.

Lighting design is by David Price and was excellent. The rapid lighting effects at the start of the play managed to convey the confusion that Christopher would have experienced in his head. this excellence continued throughout to depict the London Underground, the train station and the busy London streets.

Sound design was by Adam Guest and operation of the sound was by Matt McAuley; another string to an already talented bow of strings that Matt has. The sound, as with the lighting effects were big and powerful, befitting of what was going on inside Christopoher's head.

With so many characters played by the eleven actors, costumes for those individual characters were many and sourced by Mina Holtom with the Police Jackets provided by the Nottingham Lace Market Theatre costume department.

"The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night Time" on Saturday was the final performance and throughout Encore have been supporting Autistic Nottingham as their chosen charity for this production.

 "Fame The Musical" by Spotlight Theatre Company.

Squire Performing Arts Centre, Nottingham.

"Fame The Musical" provides an open look at the New York City’s High School of Performing Arts, where sweat and hard work are the key factors to a successful life as a performer. The plot follows a group of students across the acting, dancing and music faculties from 1980-1984 as they learn to master their craft and grow up alongside each other, rising to the various challenges that face them in school and in their personal lives.

It's a more complex musical than it seems with its varied musical styles and varied choreography. Taking in street, ballet, tap, ballroom and contemporary. It also deals with some gritty subject matter like drugs and body image.

Preston Nash plays Nick Piazza, the young actor who had had a taste of fame through a TV commercial. Nick is the serious drama student who wants to perform serious drama and has no time for students who see him for the commercial success that he has achieved so far, in other words, Serena. Preston is the first actor you see on stage and opens the musical solo on stage with the number "PA/Hard Work". There's something special about hearing just the one voice to open a musical, acapella, it starts the tingles off, and then the rest of the cast appear and join him. The role of Piazza is a serious one, which also allows Preston to show what he can do as a serious actor, especially with the section from Shakespeare. Another strong performance by Mr N.

Emily Holder plays Nick's sparring partner, Serena Katz, who starts by having a bit of a crush on the character but soon gets to play Juliet to Nick's Romeo. I've been lucky to have been able to see many of these actors over a few years and have seen them develop and mature into wonderful players, and Emily is definitely one in that category. Emily has a beautiful voice which we get to hear some of in this role. The duet "Let's Play A Love Scene" with Preston is as sweet as salted caramel and is just as tasty.

I was really pleased to see Jack Lamb get a major role, and what a role in the wise-cracking over confident Joe Vegas. This role is packed with personality and fun; it's also a bit saucy, especially with the song "Can't Keep It Down". Comedy is definitely Jack's forte.

Tyra Jackson is played by  Ayanna Mzungu. Tyra has a bit of baggage stopping her from graduating but she battles through and comes out on top. And we all love a fighter don't we? Ayanna has great attitude, and you need that with the wonderfully energetic "Dancing On The Sidewalk". And Ayanna doesn't just shine in the dancing department because she can sing and perform athletic flips. Why have we not seen or heard of this talented young lady before?

Carmen Diaz,  the fame hungry student with a drug addiction who falls for Schlomo, but her love for fame and the white stuff is stronger, is played by Sophie Benner, and you really felt for Carmen when she sings "In L.A." Sophie is another young actor who I have seen blossom and mature over the years, and this role shows how far she has come. She has a voice that could cut glass, it's that clear and strong, as well as controlled, just listen to those long notes! Sophie also makes you believe the character she is playing just by the presence she has on stage.

Iris Kelly, the ballet dancer in this musical, is played by Caitlin Robinson. At first she appears to have everything, but we discover that image is not all it looks like. There's a connection between Tyra and Iris which helps both characters and betters them both throughout the show. Caitlin shows that she is a marvellous ballet dancer as well.

Mabel Washington is played by Scarlett Coleman-Smith, and gets to sing one of my favourite songs from the musical, "Mabel's Prayer", a rousing gospel-tinged number about her hunger, and not just for fame, that brought a massive round of applause from the audience at the end of the song.

I've changed my mind about the part of Schlomo because they used to be a bit nerdy, a bit of a geek, but Jessica Griffiths played down that image and presented the part as a caring, studious, as well as fun character. Maybe the gender swap in the character has an effect.

Playing the rock chick drummer, Grace "Lambchops" Lamb in Schlomo's band is Hermione Mae, and Hermione certainly looked the part of "Lambchops", especially with all that rock symbolism that she was giving out.

Completing the music students, and the band, is Goodman "Goody" King, played by Megan Holder.

The other students are played by Charlotte Bramwell, Grace Morozuik, Freya Ireson, Erin Perry, Orla Donohoe, Milly Robinson, Imogen Pullen, Freya Waters, Steph Booth, Allanah Kight, Fern Stephenson, Hallie Gregory, Edward Young, Amy Flatman, Harry Keiler, Karin Hurst, Jess Blackham, Lizzie Rhodes, Mia Jacks, Emily Ratcliffe, Izzy Lucas, Sophie Kerruish, Helena Cave, Evie Andrew, Tessa Gibbon, Hemani Kader, Josh Barrington, Esmie Smith-Cockayne, Olivia Finch and Jaz Leek.

The teachers were played by Tom Blakey (Mr Scheindkopf), Lucy Horton (Ms Myers), Darcey Adams (Ms Bell) and Hemi Lewis (Miss Sherman).

There were some feisty moments from Ms Bell and Miss Sherman as the dance and English teachers respectively which resulted in two stand out scenes in "The Teacher's Argument" and the highlight for me "These Are My Children".

This song has always been my favourite from this musical and Hemi just blew me away. An amazing power ballad vocal dripping with passion and emotion. I knew that Hemi had a good voice, but her version of this song was incredibly good.

Tom gave a really nice quirky interpretation of Mr Sheinkopf with the passion for music sliding into eccentricity, which I thought was great. I can remember the original film and Sheinkopf was just a little too laid back for me, and Tom gave his character a bit of a nutty vibe.

Directed by Liam Petruccio-Hall it had a fine pace and I love that he has made some of the little less interesting characters a bit of a make over by allowing the actors to inject personality into them, which made this production fresh.

Musical Director is Vicky Moroziuk, assisted by Laura McChrystal. I've already mentioned some of the vocals, a testament to the work that both Vicky and Laura have invested in these young actors. The final song "Bring On Tomorrow" includes all the actors and sounded the best that I have ever heard that song sound. I will admit that a tear was dragged up to my eye during this emotional song about hope. It certainly gave me the tingles as you can't beat that kind of ensemble singing. Think along the lines of "This Is Me" from "The Greatest Showman" or if you're as old as I am "Starmaker" from the TV series from the 1980's "Kids From Fame".

The Orchestra is entirely made up of young people, some who I've seen on stage before as well. If I hadn't known just how young the members of this orchestra were, I would never have believed it because the sound was amazingly good; as good as any adult orchestra I have ever heard, so I really need to mention them all and credit them for creating such a fantastic sound.

Isabella Raisin-Moss and Mason Owen (bass guitar), Jared Poyzer and Austin Owen (electric guitar), Oscar Lambert-Smith (electric and Spanish guitar), Noah Gamba (drums), Josh Harrison-Bett (percussion), Luca Yates (percussion and keys), Katilin Waddell (soprano, alto and tenor saxophones), Elise Stevens (trombone), Elsie Shore (clarinet), Faith Smith (trumpet and flugel), Kitty Haworth (flute).

Choreographed by Bethany Wear, assisted by Sophie Petruccio-Hall. Dance Captain is Amy Flatman. Need I say anything at all when you see the calibre involved in this section of the production. Exciting and energetic.

Lighting design is by Sarah Kerry and with a musical with this amount of energy, the lighting needs to match and keep up with the cast, and it did.

Sound design is by Rob Kettridge with his usual methodical fault free sound delivery. The Space always seems to produce a really good clear sound, as it did this afternoon.

Must also mention the programme, or playbill as it used to be called many years ago. Liam Petruccio-Hall has designed it to look like one of those old school books, some may have called them "jotters", and as soon as I saw it, it took me right back to my schooldays in the 1970's.

"Fame The Musical" is at Squire Performing Arts Centre until Sunday 11 May. If you miss the Saturday evening performance, don't worry, bring on tomorrow so that you can catch it then.

 "Charlie and The Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl.

Good Companions Musical Theatre, Derby.

Derby Theatre.

It seems that the last time that this musical was performed on the Derby Theatre stage was back in 1986, when Derby Theatre was known as Derby Playhouse, but thirty nine years later, it's back; bouncier, bigger and better than ever. Wait! Strike that, reverse it.

It's based on the 1964 book by Roald Dahl and features an original score composed by Marc Shaiman with lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman and a book by David Greig. The soundtrack also pays homage to the Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley score from the 1971 film with songs from the film, which starred Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, including "The Candy Man," "I've Got a Golden Ticket," "Oompa Loompa Song," and "Pure Imagination."

The world-famous Willy Wonka is opening the gates to his mysterious sweet making factory…but only to a lucky few. Young Charlie Bucket and four other golden ticket winners will embark on a life-changing journey through Wonka’s world of pure imagination including chocolate waterfalls, nutty squirrels and the great glass elevator, all to be revealed by Wonka's army of curious Oompa-Loompas.

Charlie Bucket's role is shared by James (Saturday matinee and Sunday evening) and James (Saturday evening and Sunday matinee). I got to see James this evening. This young man has such a lovely voice, almost choristic in parts, which makes you wonder what that voice is going to sound like in another decade. Extremely comfortable on stage and charismatic to watch.

Young Charlie's role is shared by Finley (Saturday evening and Sunday matinee) and Jude (Saturday matinee and Sunday evening). Friday evening was Finley's turn to get all of the "aaahhs".

Willy Wonka is played by Joe Woffinden, who makes his debut for Good Companions as Willy Wonka. Having seen Joe previously in "Chess", and stating at that time what a great voice he had for the character in that musical, this time around we got to hear the more musical theatre side of his voice, but when we first meet Mr Wonka himself, there's a song called "It Has To Be Believed To Be Seen" and you get that more serious voice again, just for a short spell. Joe has charisma and captured the wonderful sarcastic side of Gene Wilder's version, as well as the darker and childlike side as shown in the film by Johnny Depp. There's even a couple of cheeky sideways glances into the audience at times, as if we have been let in on a secret. As debuts for theatre companies go, this is a cracker.

Grandpa Joe, who accompanies Charlie to the Wonka Factory, is played by Steve Dunning. Another charming and quite childlike performance who lives out all of his dreams through Charlie. Lovely physicality in this role as well.

Grandma Josephine is played by Lisa Scott-Savage, Grandpa George is played by Ollie Hands and Grandma Georgina is played by Heidi Hands, who all share that big old bed together.

Mr Bucket is played by Tom Banks and makes an appearance with Young Charlie during the tear-jerker "If Your Father Were Here", sung by Mrs Bucket, played by Claire Jarman. You really get that feel of just how stretched Mrs B was through Claire's portrayal of this hard-working woman who would always find some time for her boy, as well as the Grandparents.

Augustus Gloop's role is shared by Evan (Saturday evening and Sunday matinee) and Stefan (Saturday matinee and Sunday evening). Friday, I saw Evan, who has an obvious flair for comedy, and yodelling.

Mrs Gloop is played by Deborah McPherson, and you can see where young master Gloop gets his comedy and yodelling from!

Veruca Salt's role is shared by Olivia (Saturday matinee and Sunday evening) and Emily (Saturday evening and Sunday matinee). Friday was the turn of Emily, who also got to show off some pretty mean ballet moves as part of her character, as well as an almost demonically deep voice when she wanted to stress to her Father, and anyone else, what she wanted!

Mr Salt is played by Jake Perry, who also managed to squeeze in a ballet move at the end. Another lovely comedy role for Jake.

Violet Beauregard's role is shared by Millie (Saturday evening and Sunday evening) and Olivia (Saturday evening and Sunday matinee). Friday night showcased Millie. I wondered how they were going to recreate the scene where Violet turns into a giant blueberry, but they did and Violet seemed to magically turn into a big, round blueberry right before everyone's eyes! There's a brilliant song that goes along with Violet's character called "The Queen Of Pop" - because she is always chewing gum - and is as catchy as anything that Meghan Trainor has released.

Mr Beauregard is played by Phil Stanley, who we don't really get to hear his silky-smooth vocals too much in this show; just a small section on "The Queen Of Pop", but it's the child characters that are to the fore in this musical, so I'll have to wait until Phil's next musical to hear Phil's rich vocals.

Mike Teavee's role is shared by Owain (Saturday evening and Sunday matinee) and Louie (Saturday matinee and Sunday evening). Owain took to the stage on Friday, and it looks like this young man has quite a future in physical theatre because there's quite a bit of throwing himself on the floor, to which his timing by the way is spot on. A convincing young comedy actor as well.

Mrs Teavee is played by Ellie Mallinson, who is no stranger to having spot on timing, and there's a section when young Mike has been transported to a giant TV and appears tiny. I won't give any spoilers away but this bit with the tiny Mike interaction is very comical.

Jerry Jubilee who is a reporter and News Anchorman is played by Rob Chilton. I love Rob's costume, which is absolutely befitting of a U.S. TV anchorman. The sections with Jerry and Cherry are all played to a camera which is then screened on a giant TV screen above the stage so that we get the feeling of that "breaking news" scenario, which is very clever. Playing to a theatre crowd is different to playing to a camera, but Jerry and Cherry never missed a cue to camera.

Cherry Sundae, the news anchor link, who just happens to be at exactly the right place for when those golden tickets are revealed, wherever they may be in the world,  is played by Lauren Adams, who makes her debut for Good Companions Musical Theatre. A fantastic pairing with Rob and Lauren and the chemistry makes it feel as if these two TV news personalities have been working together for a while; in fact there's one scene where the chemistry slightly overflows.... but I won't say anymore!

And I mustn't forget to mention that the cameraman for these scenes is Tom Banks.

Mrs Green is played by Louise Simcox. This is a brilliant role, if only a fleeting series of cameos. Mrs Green sells greens, and then Wonka chocolate, and then goes back to greens when the furore over the Wonka Bars dies down. Louise has some marvellous lines regarding her wares that she has to sell, and I especially liked the one about the tomatoes. Go see it if you want to know what the line is, but every time that she is on stage she delivers a nugget of comedy gold.

Martin Counter is Hoffa, the Chief Oompa Loompa with the ensemble playing the rest of the Oompa Loompas.

Cassie Barrett, Emma Chadwick, Rachel Wallace, Angela Plant, Brian Counter, Cat Howourth, Charlie Torry, Charlotte Hanser, Gary Rowley, Harriet Basile, Owen Williams, Olivia Thompson, Ross Trail and Sydney Hemstock make up the Ensemble.

There have been two teams over show week, Team Lollipop (Sunday matinee and Sunday evening) and Team Candy Cane (Saturday evening and Sunday matinee)

Directed by Phil Simcox, this is a massive show to put on, and not the easiest I would imagine as well, but the hard work that has been put in by everyone, certainly shows, not only in the quality of the performance and the production, but by the reaction from the audience, which by the way was another sell out evening.

Dave Adey is the Musical Director. Once again you can see the work that has gone into the musical side of this show, and one song that highlights this is the one that opens the second act and sung by Wonks called "Strike That, Reverse It". This is in the style of the old Gilbert & Sullivan style patter song, similar as well to "The Museum Song" from "Barnum". It's very quick and there are lots of words to fit in. That is just one song that shows musically how difficult the music for this show is, and what a great job Dave Adey has done.

Choreographed by Cat Howourth, one of the areas best choreographers. I said that this show is a big one, so big choreography is needed, and that is what we got in bucket loads. The finale and bows, which was almost a show megamix, was a brilliant showcase of the various choreographed pieces.

Sound design is by Mascd Audio and the operation of the sound was by Phil Simcox and Jonty Banks. There were a few missed cues with the mics but only seemed to be in the second act, as far as I could remember. On a personal level I would also have liked the volume on the music slightly lower as some of the vocals, and not always during the singing was slightly overpowered, but that's just my personal observations. Apart from that the sound was fine.

Lighting design is by Jamie Vella. At times it was almost like a club lighting design, which kept the whole vibe of this production very fresh and up to date. Colourful, vibrant and modern feeling.

The costumes were wonderful, and you instantly knew who everyone was just from what they were wearing, and I was so glad to see the final costume for Charlie Bucket at the final bows. Wardrobe Co-ordinator was Alison Watkins and the costumes were thanks to Carole Pratley and Alison Watkins.

Sets are courtesy of Aberystwyth Arts Centre with some brilliant projections by Simon Birchall, which included scenes like Augustus Gloop sliding up the pipes across the back of the stage - clever stuff indeed. The live videography was by Tom Banks and the recorded videography was also by Tom and Derby University.

Making sure everything ran smoothly behind the scenes onstage were Josh Allsopp, John Miles, Robin Knott, Ian Tricklebank, Dave MacAllister, Simon Knott and Heath Parking.

Seb Probert will be on hand to sign the show on Saturday evening's performance.

Here's something that I didn't know! Roald Dahl was inspired to write "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" during his time at Repton School, in Derbyshire! He and his schoolmates were sent chocolate to test from Cadbury's in exchange for their feedback, which gave him the idea of the eccentric Chocolatier.

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" is at Derby Theatre until Sunday 11 May. Another show that has the sweet smell of success all over it.