"Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert"

Masque Productions.

Mansfield Palace Theatre.

Welcome to camp Priscilla as the big pink bus rolls into Mansfield, and you don't get any camper than this!

This is one of my favourite feel good and fun musicals and it’s back in town. Packed with a ton of toe tapping hits from the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. This is probably my tenth time that I have seen this musical and one that I always look forward to seeing again, and it never disappoints.

Based on the 1994 film, it takes us on the epic journey of three friends - two drag queens and a transgender woman - across the Australian outback. Boarding their battered tour bus 'Priscilla', they set out to put on the show of a lifetime, a mission full of fun and laughter, but one with a very serious reason behind it.

Heading for Alice Springs, Tick will finally get to meet his six-year-old son, Benji, the pals find themselves fighting, sometimes literally, against the homophobic locals, and have to repaint their bus, pink, to cover up the anti-gay graffiti daubed on it. The reunion of the father and son is wonderfully played out with a lovely stripped back arrangement of “Always On My Mind”.

Matt Charlton plays Tick/Mitzi Mitosis. Tick has a wife and six year old son, Benji, who he has not yet met. Tick/Mitzi is a two part character and he is nervous about the two being exposed to his son, as he wants to make a good impression. True fact: Tick shares driving Priscilla with Bernadette and Matt is also a bus driver in real life!

JJ McCormack plays Adam/Felicia Jollygoodfellow and the loose cannon of the three characters, but it's the change from the spunky outspoken Felicia to the beaten and emotional Adam that shows the human side of the character. Adam is like a besotted puppy a lot of the time but has a great line in "catty" remarks for his fellow passengers.

Nia Alston-Holmes is the gorgeous Bernadette Bassenger who has a heart of gold, but a tongue of acid when called upon. 

These three Queens have a multitude of years of experience performing in drag, so they know what they are doing when it comes to performing in heels and a frock! Vocally they all know how to deliver a song as well as deliver the fun with cutting insults.

There's also a scene near the end of the show where the trio are performing at The Casino in Alice Springs which shows segments of the various songs sung in their "concert", along with some nifty costume changes, and I must commend the timing in this section of the show, also thanks to a little bit of theatrical magic.

Young Bernadette is played in flashback by Brooke Spedding as Bob reminisces of the era of "Les Girls" and what starts the fine romance between Bernadette and Bob.

This musical provides many great social messages and the reaction of Benji, the role shared by Oliver Brennan (Saturday Evening and Sunday matinee) and Chester Froggatt (Friday night and Saturday matinee), just shows that kids will accept anyone and anything for who and what they are, and prejudice is not inbred. On Thursday night I saw a very confident Oliver, who also seems to have quite an ear for accents, especially the Australian accent. Love the duet of "Always On My Mind/ I Say A Little Prayer" mash up that Oliver and Matt performed.

Marion is Benji's mother, and ex husband of Tick, and decides that it's time that Tick met Benji, so pulls in a favour, asking him to perform at the Casino, the club that she runs. Played by Hannah Breedon.

Bob, the mechanic who saves the day by getting Priscilla back on the road, and finds love on the way is played by Simon Brickell. We all love a happy ending, and Bob and Bernadette certainly seem to get their happy ending.

Cynthia is Bob's wife who has an eye-popping performance that turns out to be a hard act to follow. Great fun but so politically incorrect and played by Jade Hallam. Not so much "ding dong" as "ping pong". The scene which really features Jade is quite a technical one to create the full comical effect.

Linda Turner plays Shirley, one of the local hostelries characters. Shirley's version of "I Love The Nightlife" is always a joy to hear in this slowed down version, and combined with some raunchy choreography, Shirley is a big hit with the locals.

Andis Senkans Coupe plays Farrah, one of the tallest drag queens I have seen! Farrah is Mitzi's straight talking fellow drag artist who he confides in before his decision to go to Alice Springs.

Miss Understanding is sauce on legs, and what legs! She jokes with the audience at the start and releases her over the top Tina Turner moves with her number "What's Love Got To Do With It" and played by Garry Richardson. I don't think that I can remember Garry playing a role like this previously, and is quite an eye opener!

The Three Divas, Lily Hewitt, Connie Fletcher and Kelly Marsh, as the Lead Diva, have incredible soul voices and look amazing as well. They really get the party started with an explosive "It's Raining Men" and what an exciting entrance they make. Great costumes, great voices and great fun!

Jimmy is the character who is showing a party of tourists the Outback when they meet the broken-down bus travellers of Tick, Adam and Bernadette. Played by Oliver Ward, this is a brilliant cameo comedy role.

James Hallam played Frank, the man in the bar who took quite a shine to Felicia, until he discovered that he might have got more than he bargained for! This scene also delivers one of my favourite lines from the show from Bernadette as she rescues Felicia from Frank; a line that I can't repeat, but always makes me smile. James also takes lead vocals on the opening number for the second act, "Thank God I'm A Country Boy", bringing the party once again.

Another wonderfully comical scene is when they are about to bury Bernadette's toyboy lover "Trumpet" - it will put you off dunking your ginger nuts for ever when you discover why he is called "Trumpet". Anyway, I digress, the scene is to the Harold Melvin song "Don't Leave Me This Way", a great song for a funeral. The service is performed by the Pastor, played by Gavin Harper, who also plays the role of Errol.

The ensemble, Joe Butler, Sophie Coates, Ann-Marie Connolly, Ann Colgan, Jan Hodgetts, Jane McBride, Ruth Morris, Paula McCrory, Amy Gunter, Karen Richards, Andrea Caulfield-Smith, Chrissie Smyth, Brooke Spedding, Hannah Winterton, Vicki Walton, Justine Wells, Kay Thomason-Vardy, Brian Brooks, Gavin Harper, James Hallam, Oliver Ward, Steven Ratcliffe, Andis Senkans Coupe, Joe Gallagher, Garry Richardson and Adrian Toon work their butts off with some high-kicking and energetic choreographed pieces by Lynn Roberts.

The Principal Dancers are Caitlin Brennan, Kya Cairns, Alexandra Ferto, Adelphie Fleet, Lauren Herbert and Ella Salter.

The Ensemble Dancers are Connie Armstrong, Liz Brennan, Rachel Fletcher, Sarah Herbert, Louise Stupple and Ella Wragg.

Produced and Directed by Andrew Wolden, this is such a massive show which has a massive cast which rolls along smoother than Priscilla does. The fun is ramped up to the max, and although there are a few things that need tightening up, this is another big hit of a show for Masque. Andrew also designed the programme, which is well worth buying for all the information enclosed.

Musical Director is Roger Holland, and I didn't even realise that there was a live band in the pit, the music was so good. The score is like being at your all-time favourite retro parties; “It’s Raining Men”, “Finally”, “I Will Survive”, “Hot Stuff”, “Colour My World”, “I Love The Nightlife”, "MacArthur Park", "Pop Musik", "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" the list goes on.

Elizabeth Wolden is the show's Performance Track Technician.

Choreographed by Lynn Roberts, there's so much work that has gone into the choreography side of the show. With so many people to choreograph and so many different pieces to choreograph as well, Lynn must have poured everything into the show, and that work invested was really appreciated by Thursday night's audience.

The fabulous costumes are co-ordinated by Kay Thomason-Vardy  and designed by Carry On Costumes Ltd. I love all of the big and beautiful costumes in this show, with so many various styles. My favourite must be the ones for The Three Divas and the ensemble dancers with the "MacArthur Park" sequence, a tasty scene that made my diabetes levels spike.

Make up and Dressers are thanks to Cora Machin, Natalie Midge, Naomi Shaw and Yvonne Wright. A very important quartet as this show has many quick changes for the cast, especially our trio of Matt, Nia and JJ. The show would not be as slick as it is without help from these four.

Set Design is thanks to UK Productions, and Priscilla is quite a magical mode of transport.

Sound Designer is not credited in the programme, and although the clarity was mainly excellent, I personally would have preferred a reduction in the music volume while the characters were performing their lines as the incidental music slightly made the lines a bit difficult to hear; and there are a load of very comical lines in this script.

Lighting Designer is also not credited but this area was excellent, creating a wonderful artiste's palette of colour on stage, which definitely coloured our world. 

Stage managed smoothly and slickly, and this is a big role in this musical, by Eddie Ratcliffe.

It's a heart-warming tale of courage, self-acceptance, and new beginnings, all delivered with a ton of attitude. But let me come back to the music for a second. You can hear a song delivered and enjoy it. You can then hear it sung with a different arrangement, in a different situation and sung by the opposite sex of what you're used to, and the message comes across very different. That is what I love about this musical. It makes you think about the lyrics, how it is delivered and by whom and can turn those feelings and meanings on their head.

Listen to Cyndi Lauper's "True Colours" in the different context in this musical and it will have you welling up. The same with "Always On My Mind" and "I Say A Little Prayer".

Despite all the laughs though, there is the very real message surrounding homophobia and bigotry, which is eventually overcome by tolerance and compassion. But it still reminds us that the LGBTQ community still have a battle on their hands with small minded people. Being different is something that should be celebrated and not hidden or beaten down.

You will leave this show on a high, thanks to the story and the soundtrack, but also thanks to the high energy feel from the whole cast, especially in the finale medley, so if you can, get yourself a ticket and be prepared to party.

"Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert" is here and ready to shake your groove thing and paaartaaay at Mansfield Palace Theatre until Sunday 8 November.

 "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" by Ian Fleming.

Good Companions Musical Theatre - Derby.

Derby Theatre.

One of the first films I can remember seeing as a child was "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and remember the film being completely magical. Decades later, all those feelings of magic flooded back with this latest stage production by Good Companions.

The story, for those who are new to this musical, is of inventor Caractacus Potts, his two children and his father, Mr Potts senior. Caractacus saves an old racing car from being sold to the scrap man and works his magic and creates a car that can float and fly. Meanwhile news has spread to the Baron and Baroness of Vulgaria and they send their two hapless spies to retrieve the car for the Baron.

The spies Goran and Boris mistake Potts senior for the inventor and skylift him over to the Baron, followed by Caractacus, the children and Truly Scrumptious in Chitty, to Vulgaria, a place where children are banned and caught by the evil child catcher. With the help of the Toy Maker a happy ending for all is promised with just a little team work, to make the dream work.

Depending on which performance you attend will depend on the cast that you see as there are two teams; Team Scrumptious and Team Potts. I saw Team Scrumptious, and knowing the quality of the actors in Team Potts, I just know that whichever performance you go to, you'll see a brilliant show.

Martin Counter plays Caractacus Potts. This is a role that has a lot of energy attached to it and Martin brings that energy to Caractacus. There's a really nice chemistry between Potts and Jeremy and Jemima, and the chemistry between all three of the Potts family and Truly. The scene with "Me Ol' Bamboo" highlights Martin's dance skills; this piece of choreography is crammed with fun and the whole ensemble with Martin make this one of the highlights of the show for me. But there are many highlights in this brilliantly fun musical.

Steve Dunning plays Grandpa Potts. There's a lovely feel of eccentricity with Grandpa and all the while that Steve was on stage I could not get the voice of Professor Stanley Unwin out of my head, because that is who Steve reminded me of.

Jeremy and Jemima Potts, Caractacus' children, are played by Ava H and Evan G (Team Scrumptious) and  Ebony C and Flynn G (Team Potts). There are so many incredibly talented child actors and here's another pair, Ava and Evan (I'm certain that Ebony and Flynn are of equal talent). The confidence, the choreography, the songs they sing, they have it all, and their duets show a well blended set of vocals.

Tom Banks plays Coggins, the man who runs the scrap yard where Chitty is first discovered to be in a bit of a state, just waiting for Caractacus and the children to rescue it for the princely sum of thirty bob.

The Junkman, who visits the junkyard to purchase scrap from Mr Coggins, and makes an offer for Chitty, is played by Morgan Hemstock.

Lindsey Greasley plays the very aptly named Truly Scrumptious. A beautiful voice and that scene as the doll on the music box took me straight back to the same scene in the iconic film.

Lord Scrumptious, Truly's father who owns the sweet making factory, is played by Jake Perry.

Miss Philips, the woman in charge of making appointments for Lord Scrumptious at the candy factory, is played by Ru Kniveton. 

Brian Counter is the Turkey Farmer, with a recognisable name, well, to people of a certain age, who provided the money for Caractacus to buy Chitty by buying the haircutting machine from him at the fair, so that he could use it to pluck turkeys. Another lovely bit of comedy wordplay in this scene.

Benjamin Winsome and Louise Simcox team up as the Baron and Baroness Bomburst, rulers of Vulgaria. This pairing of actors is also a brilliant directorial decision because they bounce off of each other so well. The accents are excellent, the costumes for this pair are wonderful, and I love the line that Ian Fleming may just have left out back in 1964 when the book was written, regarding introducing toys into their marriage!!

Rob Chilton is The Captain and Gary Rowley is The Soldier at the court of the Bombursts. There's a comic scene which includes the Baron accidentally injuring one of his soldiers, which I couldn't remember seeing in other productions. Now, that may not be the case, and I may have seen the scene previously, but in this production the comedy was much more prominent in the scene.

Heidi Hand is The Chef. 

Boris and Goran, the super spies of Vulgaria, are played by Ali Watkins and Jack Bayes. Brilliant comedy and wonderfully over exaggerated accents, especially in the song "Act English". At the risk of repeating myself, here again is just the perfect pairing for me. If I hadn't known that Jack was Goran, I certainly would not have recognised him due to the black wig and a comic moustache, which matches Boris's tache. This pair, who keep popping up all over the place are hilarious with some of the jokes pitched at a slightly higher level than kids' humour, creating a panto style couple.

Phil Stanley plays the Toy Maker. I have seen Phil in so many shows over the last few years, and finally got the chance to chat to him at this year's Eagle Awards, where he was presented with one. This role is another very different role to much of what he has played before, showing what a versatile actor Phil is. Great accent and I am so pleased that he didn't try and play the role like Benny Hill did in the film, making this role unique to Phil.

Lauren Adams is the evil Child Catcher, a role that gave me shivers when I first saw this film, it still makes me feel uneasy today! From Lauren' first appearance in this musical, which by the way is not actually on the stage, the Child Catcher made my flesh creep, which by the way is a compliment because again, I was transported back to being a kid and seeing this eerie, spindly, dark, almost spider-like character on the big screen. Lauren really brings this character to life on stage especially with the look and the physicality of the character. As expected, Lauren received a torrent of booing when she came on for her final bows, showing that she had done a good job with the role.

Owen Williams is Sid, the man who was practically bullied by wis wife into having his Samson like locks removed by Potts' haircutting invention. Violet, Sid's wife, is played by Lucy Slaney. 

And there's no way I could forget to mention Hugo Parkin who plays Edison the four legged member of the cast, who just looked so happy to be on stage with everyone, in fact I could swear that at one bit Edison was practically moonwalking! I think just about everyone fell in love with Edison.

The ensemble were made up of Amy Frost, Angela Plant, Brian Counter, Callie Egan, Cat Howourth, Charlie Torry, Charlotte Bennett, Charlotte Hanser, Claire Jarman, Debs McPherson, Dom Primrose, Ella Mallinson, Eva Moss, Freya Primrose, Gary Rowley, Harriet Basile, Heidi Hand, Helen Perry, Jake Perry, Liv Thompson, Lucy Slaney, Morgan Hemstock, Ollie Hand, Owen Williams, Phil Stanley, Rachel Wallace, Rob Chilton, Roxhanna Tucker, Ru Kniveton, Sydney Hemstock and Tom Banks.

Team Potts consist of Caleb W, Callie B, Edith D, Edith N, Elise F, Eliza Jean P, Harrison B, Khaleesi B, Lilly O, Liv B, Maisie N, Orla T, Orla F, Sophie T, Sophie G and Phenix D.   

Team Scrumptious consist of Bella H, Billie-Rose G, Chloe E, Ella W, Finley J, Florence W, Imogen I, Jess S, Lexi W, Libby B, Lily W, Lola G, Lottie W, Millie S, Owain J, Verity W and Willow M.

You can catch Team Scrumptious on Wednesday 7pm, Friday 2pm, Saturday 1pm and Sunday 6pm.

Directed by Phil Simcox, assisted by Scarlett Winsome. The pace of the show is so smooth that I really couldn't believe the time elapsed when the curtain came down for the first act. It's one of those shows that you would go back and see again. 

Musical Director is Dave Adey. "Chitty" has one of those classic overtures that really get you in the mood for the show, and it's lovely to feel that excitement rise in the pit of your stomach, preparing you for the magic that will unfold onstage. 

The soundtrack is packed with great songs. Apart from the wonderfully tongue twistingly title track, there's the gorgeous "Doll On A Music Box", the whimsical "Truly Scrumptious", the energetic "Me Ol' Bamboo", the sleepy "Hushabye Mountain" and the cheeky "Chu Chi Face".

Choreographed by Lisa Scott-Savage. Scenes like "Me Ol' Bamboo" and "The Bombie Samba" were packed with energy while "Doll On A Music Box" was simplicity personified. Don't take this as "simple" because I imagine that lots of time and effort is put into making something look simplistic.

Heath Parkin is the Technical Manager.

Head of Wardrobe is Carole Pratley and when you look at just how big the cast numbers are, there are a lot of costumes to manage. Everyone looks brilliant and I really enjoyed the various costumes for Goran and Boris. Ali Watkins, Scarlet Winson and Charlotte Hanser are the Costume Co-Ordinators.

Wigs are by Wigs Up North

The prosthetics for the Child Catcher are done by Cat Howourth and looked suitably creepy.

Set Design and Props hire are by Chitty Hire, Scenic Projects and David Tunks. The car looks as magnificent as ever.

Head of Props is Kate Evans. 

Sound is by Harry Greatorex, and as I've said on so many occasions, the acoustics at Derby Theatre are some of the best and Harry creates that overall excellence in sound.

Lighting is by Jamie Vella who delivers another exciting design.

Deputy Stage Manager is Dan Miller and the Stage Crew consist of Josh Allsopp, Chris England, Neil Jones, Robin Knott, Simon Knott, Dave Macalister, John Miles, Scott Mill, Ken Owen, Heath Parkin, Richard Poole, Henry Pratt, Ross Trail, Abbie Tricklebank and Ian Tricklebank.

There are a lot of people who make this show the entertaining and fun show that it is and I hope that I have not left anyone out because every single person deserves to be credited in such a classic piece of musical theatre.

There are also BSL shows on Saturdays and Sundays, signed by Sebastian Probert.

"Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" will fly out of Derby Theatre on Sunday 8 November with just a few tickets left for the Sunday matinee and Friday's matinee performances, so you better hurry for the other performances to avoid disappointment.

 "High Society"

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Based on the play "The Philadelphia Story" by Phillip Barry, the musical follows glamorous socialite Tracy Lord as her wedding plans unravel thanks to an ex-husband, Dexter Haven, a persistent reporter, Mike Connor, and a cascade of champagne-fuelled complications. It has to be the most glamorous and classy of touring productions.

I have never seen this musical before but what a musical this is! I remember watching the original 1956 film starring Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly with my parents, sat on the settee on a Sunday afternoon, after dinner as a child. so this brings back some lovely memories for me, and the storyline of the musical follows the original film story, with a few additional scenes. The musical is fleshed out with songs from other films and musicals that Cole Porter have written, making this, in reality, a Cole Porter jukebox musical, and let's face it, Cole Porter is one of the masters of writing musical theatre classics, which is why his songs are performed still today.

Tracy Lord,  a Long Island socialite, is played by Helen George, who you'll recognise from one of my favourite TV shows, "Call The Midwife". Helen has a gorgeous voice which does not go unappreciated by the audience on Tuesday night in the duet with Julian of "True Love". Helen is no stranger to the stage, which shows in the confidence she exudes throughout. There's also a love of dance  with Helen, and that shows in this dance heavy musical.

David Seadon-Young plays George Kittredge, who is engaged to Tracy and is Tracy's Father's accountant. A wonderfully geeky performance who was great fun to watch.

Freddie Fox plays the reporter Mike Connor. I've only seen Freddie in dramatic roles on TV, so it comes as quite a nice surprise to hear that he can also carry a tune on stage, and dance remarkably well. A really charismatic performance and really nice to see another side of this talented actor.

Julian Ovenden is Dexter Haven, a well to do and rich yacht designer, who was once married to Tracy. Here is another brilliant character driven role by Julian, who I last saw four years ago in "South Pacific". Julian, like Freddie, really know how to present a character to an audience. Pair that with the triple threat element of acting, dancing and singing, and these two leading men make a musical like this fly. 

Nigel Lindsay plays the party loving Uncle Willie, who brings that joy with the fun "Now You Has Jazz", backed by an onstage six piece band. An exciting and explosive way to close the first act, and what a masterclass in musical theatre choreography for this scene.

Malcolm Sinclair is Seth Lord, the father of Tracy and estranged husband to Margaret Lord. There's a lovely case of forced mistaken identity with Seth and Uncle Willie near the beginning, almost as if in a Shakespearian play, which allows another comedy section between Malcolm and Nigel. There's also another lovely section near the end of the show with Seth and Margaret where they nearly become "un estranged"

Mother Lord, Margaret, is played by Josefina Gabrielle, who is all in favour of her daughter's engagement to George. This is a brilliant character, portrayed brilliantly by Josefina; great fun to watch.

Dinah Lord, Tracy's younger sister who disapproves of the engagement, is played by Naomi Pacquette. Oh what a performance, and I loved the scene as a French mime artist along with Helen. 

Carly Mercedes Dyer is Liz Imbrie, a photographer for a newspaper. What a voice this lady has, particularly well highlighted in "I've Got You Under My Skin", which gave me the tingles again.

James Hume plays Chester, who is the butler of the Lord family. A nice little vocal section for James in "I Love Paris".

This is a big musical, and, rightly so, has a large ensemble made up of Bethany Adamson, David Austin-Barnes, Jabari Braham, George Bray, Andrew Coshan, Jordan Crouch, Frances Dee, Aarn Elijah, Tosca Fischer, Jacob Fisher, Heather Jackson, Aoife Kenny, Nell Martin and Isabel Snaas. 

Imogen Bailey, Maddie Harper, Thomas Inge, Robin Kent and Lucy rise make up The Swing with Thomas and Lucy also being Dance Captains.

Directed by Rachel Kanabaugh this show is a powerhouse of a show. Thanks to the rapid scene changes, this musical rips along at a great pace. All of the characters are really well defined, which makes the story so easy to follow.

The choreography is by Anthony Van Laast. For a musical fan like myself, the choreography is one of the things that I look for, and from the big ensemble opening number of "High Society" to the closing ensemble of "Let's Do It" the choreography zings, it's typical Metro Goldwyn Mayer magic. 

Musical Director is Stephen Ridley with arrangements by Gareth Valentine and orchestrations by Larry Bank. What a joy as well to hear a live orchestra with this show.

With music and lyrics by Cole Porter, the score is truly iconic, including American Song Book classics like “True Love,” “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” and “Well, Did You Evah!” from the original film soundtrack. Alongside these are other Porter classics to flesh out the score. Songs like "Be a Clown", "I Love Paris", "It’s All Right With Me", "Just One of Those Things, "I’ve Got You Under My Skin" and "Let’s Do It’ (Let's Fall In Love)" to name just a few.

Set Design is by Tom Rogers and consists of a double staircase that bears a strong resemblance of being marble, leading up to a splendid balcony. This is a static design with various other rooms, and a poolside scene, which is extremely realistic and impressive, shown by amendments of furniture to distinguish the individual settings. the set is the first thing that hits you and makes such an impression, enough to make a jaw drop.

Costume Designer is Jon Morrell. I would not expect anything other than stylish glamour of the period from the costume design, and that is exactly what I got. Gorgeous and colourful costumes for all actors, to highlight the Socialite scene.

The Wig, Hair and Make Up Designer is Helen Keane, another element of this Production Team that shines and takes you back to the heady 1940's. 

Lighting Designer is Howard Hudson and Sound design is by Adam Fisher, the complete package to bring the best visual excitement from this wonderful musical.

It's one of my favourite musicals, a lovely fun story, a classy score where I knew every single song performed, a great fun cast, excellent choreography and one of the best set designs for a musical.

"High Society" is the most swellagant, elegant party that you'll attend and is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 7 November.

 "Pride & Prejudice (sort of)" by Isobel McArthur after Jane Austen.

Nottingham Playhouse.

I first saw this show a few years ago and thought it was an absolute hoot, and still do,  so I'm really pleased it's back doing the rounds again, this time at the Nottingham Playhouse.

The plot follows the Austen novel, in a contemporary setting with modern, and fruity language. The all-female cast play multiple characters, both servants and gentry, re-telling the novel's events through the servants' eyes while also performing well-chosen karaoke songs at pivotal moments.

It’s the 1800s.  It’s party time.  Let the ruthless matchmaking begin.

Georgia May Firth, Eva Hope, Phoebe Marshall, Roxanne Morgan, Julia MurrayEmile Cruz, Grace Farrell and Anastasia Sims-Chin are the collection of multi talented actors who sing, dance, act and play instruments on stage, As you can imagine, by the length of the Austen novel, the action is very pacy.

 It's fast moving, the comedy is incredibly well timed and you can tell that these women really enjoy working together because the chemistry is electric. And for anyone, like me, who love accents, these ladies provide them in abundance, and naturally.

Written and Directed by Isobel McArthur, with Assistant Director being Finlay Glen, they have created a comic masterpiece for the stage from a romantic classic, beloved by so many.  

Set and Costume Designer is Ana Ines Jabares-Pita, a multi levelled set incorporating a sweeping staircase which was purely majestic. Classy set with modern touches, and look out for the in jokes with some of the props. The costumes are fantastic as well.

Lighting Designer is Ryan Joseph Stafford,  and keep an eye on the backdrop because the lighting design for the backdrop alone is rather special. There are also some quick blackouts which pave the way for some very quick changes on stage for the cast members.

Sound Design is by Michael John McCarthy, who is also the Music Supervisor, and Niamh Gaffney for Autograph. They combine karaoke with musical intervention using real instruments, as previously stated, played by several cast members. What versatility! 

Choreographed by Emily jane Boyle, assisted by Tash Holway. There's a lot of dancing in here, most of it typical of what you'd see on the dancefloor at Nottingham's Palais (other nightclubs are available) by a group of hen night members. This in itself provides many comic moments with the moves that are bust. It really is great fun.

If an evening out partly extracting the urine from a classic piece of literature with some classic karaoke songs like "Holding Out For A Hero", "Dedicated To The One I Love", "Every Day I Write The Book", "Lady In Red" and "Young Hearts Run Free", then this show is for you. It was definitely for me because I loved it to bits.

So, if you're in need of  being cheered up, or just want a good night out with the girls (or lads), this is the ideal evening out for you. These ladies, and this show, need to be prescribed for anyone feeling a bit low, or bored of the run of the mill entertainment. Who once said that "laughter is the best medicine"? It may not have been Jane Austen but she sure helps out in this instance. Go see this show; you will not regret it!

Quite possibly one of the funniest historical based shows I've seen, definitely the funniest all female comedy shows I've ever seen.

"Pride & Prejudice (sort of)" is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 7 November.

 "Fertile Soil" by Grace Deavall. 

Rebel Witch Productions.

Bonington Theatre, Arnold.

"Fertile Soil" is a 60 minute play telling the story of two 17th century women- accused of witchcraft- awaiting their demise on the gallows. The play has been a long time in the brewing with its' roots going back to the days of lockdown. Grace Deavall's script is bewitching with some very down to earth language, and I love the two styles of language, one for the elder woman, Alice, and the more modern language, and way of speaking of Maggie, the younger woman. It's also very natural and conversational.

The music as you enter the dark auditorium is enough to put you on edge, and you see Alice sat in a large circular section marked out on the floor. Maggie enters, or should I say pushed into the circular area and it's then that we see that these two women obviously know each other, and are obviously not friends. As the time goes by we discover that two young boys were drowned, but was it an accident or were they murdered? By the end of the play, it's still not clear what did happen and who was involved, but the one person left in the prison cell left us with a confident smile on their face! Is this because the guilty party got their comeuppance, or was there manipulation at play somewhere?

Grace Deavall plays Maggie, one of the witches while Sue Whyte plays the other witch, Alice Thornback. Two opposites in many ways and both ladies gave as good as they got with the verbal tennis, but I must say I loved the coarseness of Alice, as well her methods of descriptive banter. While Maggie paced around like a caged tiger, Alice gave a slower pace of movement, almost as if monitoring her new cellmate. And we get to learn the meaning of the play's title right before the close of the play.

Directed and Produced by Rebecca Head, this play is a little diamond of a piece. You were drawn into the two way banter very easily and the more you watched and listened, the more you wanted to know what had led up to the incarceration of these two women. It also has that lovely musty feel of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible". I also see from the programme that this is Rebecca's directorial debut in the world of theatre.

The atmospheric music heard in the play has been composed by Jack Fleming, who has also created the sound design for "Fertile Soil". Some great sound effects, which in a couple of places did actually make me jump - only a little - but that was because of my visual engrossment in the story and the acting, and when an aural distraction to the focused sense is introduced, it completely jars the other senses. In my opinion a brilliant use of sound and sound effects. 

An interesting lighting effect which gave the impression of some kind of window up above, and apart from that the set was surrounded with darkness apart from the circled area, and even that became dimmer in parts of the play. The combination of these things gave a really depressing, dank, and small enclosure for these two women; well I suppose it is a 17th Century prison. Great atmosphere created by the collaboration of the sound and light teams.

The set design is an interesting one as there doesn't seem to be that much on stage at first glance, but on taking a closer look, especially at the components of the circle, plus a very rustic stool, a couple of candlesticks and a typical looking broom, which is used in the fight section

This is the play's first outing in a theatre, but I do know that there are hopes to take the play out to tour in "site specific locations", but first the company need to raise the funds to be able to do this, which as anyone who knows anything about theatre and putting on a production, is not cheap. I really hope that "Fertile Soil" gets the chance to reap rewards for everyone involved and the money is raised to allow this captivating piece of theatre to be seen by an even wider audience. It's Deavallishly good!

"Fertile Soil" was at the Bonington Theatre, Arnold for one night only on Friday 30 October.

 "Once Upon A Time In Sokoto" by Inua Ellams.

Nottingham Playhouse.

"Once Upon a Time in Sokoto" explores the historical events shaping Nigeria's formation, giving an opportunity to show an important period of African history through the lens of personal narratives and family relationships. It tells the story of a friendship forged between a formerly enslaved woman, Nafisa Sarauniya, and her former master, Zinari Zangina from 1865 to the British conquest of 1903. This relationship though didn't start off on the best of terms due to them both being married to the same man.

Once the actors took to the stage, they introduced themselves and taught the audience a traditional “call and response”, called a Hausa. The show is performed using traditional storytelling, so there are often switches between the action, addressing the audience to explain various changes in times, location etc.

The actors all play multiple roles, which are all really well defined, pushing the story, and the traditional style of story telling on. The difference in the secondary characters are defined by costume changes and the storyline that leads up to the various characters, so don't worry about understanding who is who in the story.

Nafisa Sarauniya is played by Adeola Yemitan. Nafisa is the real feisty character, especially the way that she makes sure that her lovers keep her satisfied. The relationship between her former "owner", who actually saved her life, and is now the fellow wife, is less than friendly but a change comes about when politics change.

Zinari Zangina, a wealthy, Muslim entrepreneurial noblewoman, is played by Antonia Layiwola.

Hadiru Zhango is played by Bayo Gbadamosi. Hadiru was originally selected by Zinari’s father to protect her, but later became Zinari’s husband.

Yusef Dawdu, Zinari's father, is played by Will Atiomo.

What I especially love about this piece of theatre is the glorious story telling, and there were times when I closed my eyes, just for a short time, to take in this talent, because not everyone can relate a story and keep you gripped just by their voice alone.

The timeline of the events is given  so you know exactly at what stage of the story you are up to. History has never been so interesting and I love a show that entertains me as well as educates me, and this is one show that ticks both of those boxes. The depiction of slavery and the way that the women are treated in slavery is quite horrific, without showing too much, but it needs to told in an accurate manner. The timeline also creates an historical record of major events in the UK as well as abroad.

There's plenty of comedy in the script as well. One particular phrase that is in use even today is "many ways to skin a cat", which caused quite a stir with the Egyptians, who we all know treat cats as Gods.

Directed by Roy Alexander Weise.

Set Designer is Amelia Jane Hankin. This is an interesting one because when you walk into the theatre there's a large circular construction, almost like a mini circus tent, which we then see being deconstructed to create settings for all of the other scenes. Combine that with two pairs of wooden steps leading to two other platforms, all of which can be moved around for some of the other scenes. A very clever use and reuse of just a few sections of a set.

Movement Direction is by Coral Messam.

Set and Lighting Design Neill Brinkworth. 

Costumes  are by Jessica Cabassa. 

The music is composed by Femi Temowo and is as rich as the story the actors relate. As soon as you walk into the theatre, the scene and mood is set with the original music, which plays through most of the show and the interval. It's almost a sensory experience.

If only my history lessons at school had been this exciting, I may have paid more attention in class.

"Once Upon A Time In Sokoto" is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 31 October.