"Six - Teen Edition" by Nottingham Arts Theatre Youth Group.

Nottingham Arts Theatre.

"Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived."

"Six" is THE musical to be performed lately, mainly due to the license for youth groups to perform this show being released, and why not!

Henry VIII’s ex-wives get the spotlight they deserve in this historical reimagining. It's the ultimate royal pop concert as Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr tell you their stories in a series of girlband-esque performances. "Six" takes inspiration for each of the Queens from pop superstars, such as Adele, Ariana Grande, Avril Lavigne, Jessie J, and more.

The musical tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII like you've never heard before. It brings the queens right into the 21st century with a soundtrack that includes power ballads, techno beats, and absolute anthems for an unforgettable lesson in history and girl power. There are plenty of incredibly catchy songs by writing team Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, including “Get Down,” “All You Wanna Do,” and “Haus of Holbein” — a techno-infused song based on the German painter.

Marlow and Moss wrote "Six the Musical" in their final year at Cambridge University. They then took their show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, returning the following year. The pair won a Tony Award for their Six music at the 2022 ceremony.

They wrote it to be performed as a concert style format, and on opening night at the Nottingham Arts Theatre this youth group created the perfect girl power style concert atmosphere. The atmosphere was electric and the energy from the packed Arts Theatre audience almost matched the energy from the stage; we were royally entertained in one of the best musical shows that I have been to at this venue.

You walk into the auditorium to be greeted by six King-sized thrones, fit for Queens, raised up on a second stage, bathed in a lilac light, and straight away you know just by this staging that this is going to be a show with attitude and sass. The four piece band were housed behind these thrones.

To make sure that as many young actors get the chance to perform this show, there are two teams, Herstory and Herstoric - see what happened there? Team Herstory perform in the Saturday evening and Sunday matinee shows and Team Herstoric perform in the Friday evening and Saturday matinee shows.

Team Herstory are....

Kate Russell (Catherine Parr), Eliza Szedja (Katherine Howard), Elizabeth Fitzgerald (Anne of Cleves), Grace Jones-Eccles (Jane Seymour), Connie Hatchett (Anne Boleyn) and Chloe Crofts (Catherine of Aragon). 

Team Herstoric are....

Sophie Murphy (Catherine Parr), Kayla Burgess (Katherine Howard), Arlo Perrons (Anna of Cleves), Amelie Adams (Jane Seymour), Connie Tegerdine (Anne Boleyn) and Caitlin Young (Catherine of Aragon). 

This collection of Royal jewels have set the bar very high, individually and collectively for Team Herstory to catch, but I know that both teams are amazing in what they do, so whichever team you see, you'll have the time of your life with either. They are fun, cheeky, sassy, bitchy and I absolutely loved it. I am not going to pick any one of these young actors out over the other because that's impossible to do here because they are all on the same very high level of performance, which also shows that an incredible amount of work has gone into this show from actors and production and technical teams alike.

There's also a dance troupe to back the Six Queens on both sets of teams, giving it even more of a concert feel. They are Katie Lister, Olivia Bott, Camille Jules, Roxy Smith, Evie Jones, and Libby Thompson. Choreographed by Jessica Royce, who also Co Produced the show with Keira Dormer-Hazell.

The choreography for the backing dance troupe and the Six Queens drives so much of the energy in this musical, and there are some iconic stances you see, as well as some nice inspirational power moves that Jessica has blended in, making the choreography as exciting as the songs and the messages within the show.

Directed by Eleanor Carty. Just listening to the audience reactions before, during and after the show tells you all that you need to know about this show and the way that it's been presented and directed. This show does not just "open", it EXPLODES on stage and that initial impact lasts to the very last chord of the "MegaSix". That in itself is all you need to know about how this show has been produced and directed.

Jonah Williams is the Musical Director. If I had not had seen this quartet take their places on stage I'd have swore that the backing was a backing track, it was so good, and all from just four musicians; Jonah (Keyboards), AJ Hill (Bass Guitar), Abi Wilson (Drums) and Austin Owen (Guitar). The sound they made, with just a little help from a click track, was immense, or is the word "fierce"?

There are some very catchy tunes in this seventy minute musical, many of which could have been recorded by any of today's female icons and have been mainstream chart hits. "Heart Of Stone" and "I Don't Need Your Love" brilliant power ballads and "Haus Of Holbein" could have been included in Eurovision for it's Euro catchiness. "Don't Lose Ur Head" is the most streamed song of the soundtrack, but every one of the ten songs performed are as catchy as hell.

Many of the young people involved in the Youth Group are also taking on technical roles, as they did in last week's "Shrek Jr".

Lenny Brady is on the sound desk, with a little help by the College Street Technical Services CIC. Apart from the odd crackly mic pac, the sound was brilliant. I would have liked the volume on the mics to have turned up just a notch, but that is just a personal preference.

Zach Silcock is in charge of lighting, under the leadership of the College Street techies and supported by Evie Webster. Combined with the sound, the lighting design really created the excitement of a pop concert, and again, is one of the best design and operation I have seen at the Arts Theatre. This also gives an indication of the talents of this Youth Group away from their stage, expanding their knowledge of the technical side of theatre.

Oli Sheard is Deputy Stage Manager under the expert eye of Nigel Newton; who better to be trained by. Charlotte Clay is Stage Manager and between them and the backstage support crew of Jack Kent, Ace Merkelt, Cleo Sims and Liam Brown, they made sure that this show ran as smooth as silk, and as slick as the Queens' performances.

Costumes are by Jessica Royce and Eleanor Carty and look fantastic and eye catching.

It's been a while since I saw the amount of people filling the Arts Theatre as tonight (Friday) was, and I love seeing a full theatre, and what they brought with them was an energy that fed the actors on stage. I have also never heard a roar as loud as this audience produced at the end of the show, almost on a level of a football crowd. I have also not seen audience members getting out of their seats to dance in the aisle at the end in the way that I did tonight, so you can gauge just how fantastic this show, and the performers were on opening night.

This level of performance also reflects the hard work, blood, sweat and tears that has gone into the months of rehearsals and work from Jess, Keira, Eleanor and Jonah.

The show is an absolute joy and celebration of girl power - there's even a nod to the Spice Girls - so if you like a show with a brilliant story, great music, comedy and fine acting, then this is the one that you need to see this weekend. I guarantee that you will NOT be disappointed!

"Six - Teen Edition" is at the Nottingham Arts Theatre until Sunday 6 July.

 "The Lightning Thief - The Percy Jackson Musical"

Erewash Musical Society Youth Group.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

Ahead of the first professional touring production, Erewash Musical Society Youth Group get in there first with this production; a musical that I've never seen before, but the soundtrack is pretty good, may I say.

Although many may not know this musical, I think sometimes that by taking that risk of staging a fairly little known and new musical, you get to see these young actors, even if you've seen most of them before, as I have, in a fresh light because you don't really know what to expect from their characters, and therefore the actors. It's definitely a risk that paid dividends for this group!

New York City teenager Percy Jackson discovers that he is the half-blood son of the Greek god, Poseidon, his life takes a dramatic turn as he is plunged into a world much bigger than he could possibly have imagined. With newly discovered powers he is unable to control, an unwanted destiny and a whole textbook’s worth of mythical monsters on his trail, Percy must learn what it means to be a hero. The future of the world hangs in the balance as Percy and his friends embark on an epic adventure, with one of those friends set to betray him....but which one?

Percy Jackson is played by 14 year old Elis Moore, who I last saw playing Joe Vegas, a comedy role in the most recent past production of "Fame Jr". That comedy experience has stood him in really good stead for this role. Not an out and out comedy role but Elis delivers the comedy lines directly and expertly, all of which hit home with clarity. I knew that he had a good voice, and this role showcased the power of that voice. Elis is not at all phased with taking the reins of a leading man and looked completely at ease with everything that he did on stage tonight.

Annabeth Chase, Percy's new ally and demigod daughter of Athena, is played by Izzy Cole. Brilliant character role, and with this being a major role, we also get to hear a voice that is perfect for musical theatre from Izzy. There's a lovely breath control whenever Izzy sings, which makes certain that you hear every single word that Izzy sings at a controlled pace.

Grover, who protects Percy Jackson is played by Lowri Moore. What I like about Lowri is the variety in her roles. In "Fame Jr" she played the part of a ballet dancer, and in "Annie Get Your Gun", the right hand man to Sitting Bull, both roles a million miles away from Grover, showing Lowri's flexibility.

Mr Brunner, Percy's favourite teacher who helps him out on a school field trip and initially introduced as a middle-aged man in an electric wheelchair; and Chiron, a centaur, both are played by Lauren Hazeldine.

Grace Sims plays Percy's Mum Sally, a strong and compassionate mother to Percy. Grace really fits the role, even though she is only slightly older than Elis, showing that Grace is ready to take on those more mature characters, especially as this (I believe) is Grace's final role with the Youth Group.

Jack Tuxford is playing Luke, son of Hermes and Castellan, Luke is the friendly head counselor of Hermes cabin who bears the scar of a battle with a dragon. Nice, powerful performance from another young man who I have had the pleasure of seeing on stage quite a few times over the last few years with Erewash Youth Group.

Mr Dionysus, aka Mr D, the camp Director is played by Toby Wykes, in one of his best roles I've seen him play, even better than Tyrone Jackson in the previous Youth Group show. This role shows Toby as a natural comedy character actor, with just the right amount of campness.

Eleanor Cooper plays Ares, the God of war who has a couple of run ins with Percy, and Kronos, a titan who ate his children because he did not trust them, who also has a fateful encounter with Percy. This show will be the last one for Eleanor, before she moves to a senior group.

Jessie Gatehouse doubles up as Aunt Em/Medusa. Athena punished Aunty Em by transforming her into a hideous monster, Medusa who turns victims to stone when they look her in the eye. 

Yasmin Aldous plays Clarice, the daughter of Ares who bullies Percy at Camp Half-Blood.

Gabriella Tilley is Charon, the Underworld security guard.

Oracle is played by Eloise Chamberlain.

Oliver Nolan plays the part of Poseidon, the god of the sea and one of the "Big Three" Gods and Percy’s biological father. I have a feeling by the reaction of sections of the audience that Oliver's acting talents are not the only things that impressed them!! This young man is officially cool!

Clarissa Armitage plays Silena.

Jessie Jerram is Katie.

Hades, the god of the Underworld and one of the Big Three gods, is played by Noah Hickling, who appears close to the end of the musical as he tries to get Percy and his friends to return The Lightning Bolt to him. Another good role for Noah and I did note his brilliant jacket, even in the shadows.

Mrs Dodds, the mean and tough mathematics teacher who has it in for Percy. She transforms into a monster called a Fury and attacks Percy, and is played by Livvi Hickling in this meaty character.

Gabe, Sally Jackson’s husband, and stepfather to Percy. He is lazy and abusive and spends his time sitting at home, is played by Harry O'Boyle. This is a great comedy role for Harry, who seems to have shot up in height again. Love the padding he wears to make him look tubby and love his natural comic flair.

Kurt Cobain is played by Theodore Goodwin, Janis Joplin is played by Myla Statham-Browne and Mozart is played by Blake Hagan. Three characters who now dwell in the Underworld. Love the costumes for all three as well.

Bianca is played by Rose Staniford, the Newscaster is played by Martha Smart and Farmer is played by Eva Woodcock.

Directed by Chris Renshaw, he has brought every ounce of fun in this production, keeping the pace up throughout.

Choreographed by Hayden Fletcher, and who better to take this young cast through their paces in this fresh and fun musical; someone who'll always be fresh and fun!

Musical Director is George Parkinson. The band were on stage all the time, slightly hidden by sections of the scenery. A really nice punchy sound and you can tell from this cast's vocals that a lot of work has gone into making this new set of songs sound like they have known the soundtrack all of their lives.

Set Design is by Mark Robbins and Bill Robbins. A very impressive set of white pillars overlook the stage with a garret that runs across of the set, giving characters more entrance and exit points. The additional props for the set are brought on and removed by the actors and stage crew very slickly. Mark is also the Stage Manager. 

Costumes are by Eloise Chamberlain, who was also responsible for printing all of the "Camp Half Blood" T Shirts you see on stage, EMUS Committee and friends and family of EMUS and are very impressive, especially the Minotaur, which has the ability to give nightmares with those eyes.

Lighting Design and Operation is by Richard Chamberlain, assisted by Dave Martin is extremely good, with plenty of red hues to reflect the Underworld and the danger aspects throughout. Apart from the blood red lighting there's an absolute palette of colour to reflect the colourful characters in this story.

Sound Design and Operation is by Dave Dallard, assisted by Jack Clark. This area I am always critical of, but tonight it was practically perfect. Well balanced between band and vocalists. meaning you could hear every comical line the actors delivered, even over any incidental background music. A very comfortable aural experience.

It's so refreshing to see a Youth Group such as EMUS putting on a musical that is as new as this one, especially when they could have played it safe by choosing a "junior" production of a musical, but as I said earlier, they took a risk on a new musical, and it paid off, especially judging by the reaction the stage received at the final bows. It's fun, fresh and fantastic and should not be missed.

"The Lightning Thief - The Percy Jackson Musical" is at The Duchess Theatre until Saturday 5 July.

 "Kinky Boots"

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

"Kinky Boots", if you've never seen either the film or the musical, takes you from a Northampton factory floor to the catwalks of Milan.

Based on the 2005 film "Kinky Boots", written by Geoff Deane, who used to be in the band Modern Romance - remember them? - and Tim Firth of Calendar Girls fame, and inspired by true events. The musical tells the story of Charlie Price, who having inherited Price & Son, a shoe factory from his father, forms an unlikely partnership with cabaret performer and drag queen Lola to produce a line of high-heeled boots and save the business. In the process, Charlie and Lola discover that they are not so different after all.

Charlie is struggling to live up to his father’s expectations and continue the family business of Price & Son. With the factory’s future hanging in the balance, help arrives in the unlikely but spectacular form of Lola – a fabulous performer in need of some sturdy new stilettos.

Johannes Radebe, who everyone will know from being a professional dancer on "Strictly", plays Lola. It's not often that a performer gets such a rapturous applause even before they have spoken a word, but Nottingham showed just how beloved this man is. The over confident showman as Lola and the vulnerable revelations of Simon were beautifully done and when Johannes sings, the soul in his voice oozes out. Who'd have guessed that behind those ballroom and Latin skills that he would have possessed that voice? The fragility in "Not My Father's Son" is as tender as any Luther Vandross's ballads, as was "Hold Me In Your Heart". Then there are the disco belters like "Land Of Lola" and "Sex Is In The Heel". Johannes possesses a very distinctive voice  and in his delivery there are echoes of Whitney Houston with the drama, plus a hint of Dame Shirley Bassey with the way he makes his lip quiver. And all the way through you could tell that this role was perfect form Johannes because he had that wicked glint in his eyes throughout the show.

Dan Partridge plays Charlie Price, and again a man who can really perform a song, but that's no real surprise as Dan has been starring in musical theatre productions for the last decade. Musicals like "Grease", which is where I last saw Dan playing Danny Zuko in 2021, "Cats", "Hairspray" and "Mamma Mia" and has also appeared in "Doctors" and "Casualty" on TV. It is not until Act Two with the amazing "Soul Of A Man" that we get to hear the full passion and power Dan has in his voice.

Courtney Bowman plays factory girl Lauren. Lauren has a bit of a crush on Charlie but of course Charlie is engaged to Nicola, but as in all the best musicals, true love really does conquer all. It comes as no surprise at all to discover what a belter of a voice Courtney has, and with range she absolutely soared, reaching the chandelier at the top of the Theatre Royal auditorium. Her "The History Of Wrong Guys" also shows the fun that you can have with a song.

Joe Caffrey plays Don, the bigoted worker who Lola manages to change, opinion wise. Brilliantly characterised but wait until the catwalk section near the end to find out what a voice Joe has; it really sends the shivers down your back when he hits that high note.

Kara Lily Hayworth is Nicola, Charlie's selfish fiancée, Scott Paige as George, the factory foreman, Simon Senior, Lola's father, is played by Newtion Matthews, Kathryn Barnes is Pat, Lucy Williamson as Trish, Jonathan Dryden Taylor as Mr Priceand Liam Doyle is Harry, a work colleague of Charlie's from way back complete the main cast.

Lola's Angels are, dare I say it, gorgeous and funny and are great dancers with great flexibility. They are played by Kofi Dennis, Ru Fisher, Liam McEvoy, Ben Middleton and Ashley-Jordan Packer.

Young Lola is played by three different young actors and I think the one on stage tonight was Jessie Manzi.

Young Charlie is also played by a trio of young actors, and again tonight I think he was played by Lonan Johnson.

Both young actors were excellent in the choreography stakes, looking very natural alongside the adult dancers.

The music and lyrics are both by Cyndi Lauper, who recently celebrated her 72nd Birthday. I have been a fan of her music since the early Eighties, and there is so much more to Cyndi Lauper music wise, than her hit records portray. The score covers several genres form disco stompers to gospel tinges, rock and big ballads. listen carefully and you can hear nods to some of the arrangements of her chart work.

Musical Director is Sioned Evans. The music ranges from big and bolshy to superbly sublime.

Directed by Nikolai Foster of The Curve in Leicester.

Incredible choreography by Leah Hill.

The Set and Costume Designer is Robert Jones. The set is different to the other designs that I have seen. Gone are the piles and piles of back wall shoe boxes, and a design of an actual factory floor, complete with office space, canteen and toilet space, which then transforms into the Milan catwalk via a boxing arena.

The costumes, as only to be expected where drag is involved are all pretty spectacular, showy and extremely glamourous, especially Lola's.

The wigs, hair and make up, by Campbell Young Associates are equally spectacular and showy.

Sound Designer is by Adam Fisher and Lighting Designer is Ben Cracknell. When both of these production specialist fields compliment the other, you end up with a visual and audio special, and that is what we had tonight. Both areas adding to the excitement that the performers on stage create.

This show is sheer entertainment from start to end. The sort of musical that will have you feeling all warm and squidgy inside, but also has a great message to send out about accepting yourself for who you are, and accepting others for the way they are. So, if you're feeling a bit down this week, go and see this show as it will definitely raise you up.

“Kinky Boots” is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 5 July.