"Titus Andronicus" by William Shakespeare.

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

This is my first time of seeing this mighty Shakespeare play, laced with murder, bloodshed, and cannibalism, in fact it's the bloodiest of all of Shakespeare's tragedies. Written around 1594, this is also one of the Bard's earliest tragedies.

The Roman general Titus Andronicus returns from war with four prisoners who vow to take revenge against him. They rape and mutilate Titus' daughter and have his sons killed and banished. Titus kills two of them and cooks them into a pie, which he serves to their mother before killing her too. The Roman emperor kills Titus, and Titus' last remaining son kills the emperor and takes his place. And that's just a quick summary of the action because the body count is massive by the close of the play!

Paul Spruce is the mighty Titus. General of Rome and father of Lavinia and Lucius, among others. Titus has spent the last ten years fighting Rome’s enemies and winning honor for his country. He is first held up as a model for his staunch reverence for traditions, but it is this strict adherence to tradition that causes his enemies to take revenge against him. Feigning grief-stricken madness, he pursues revenge to the end. 

Jennifer Foley is Tamora. Queen of the Goths and mother of Chiron and Demetrius. We first meet her as a distressed mother begging for her son’s life. However, Tamora quickly becomes associated with barbarism, savagery, and unrestrained lasciviousness in her pursuit of vengeance.

Gavin Gordon plays Aaron, Tamora’s lover. Aaron presents himself as an irremediable villain, one who delights in fashioning meticulous plots that lead to bloodshed. Other characters in the play associate his dark skin color with villainy, and Aaron proudly affirms the stereotype. Gavin has a real feel about Shakespeare, having seen him play Claudio a while back at the Lace Market Theatre. Aaron is part narrator for the play and provides much of the comedy, something that Gavin also seems at great ease with.

Louise Wiseman is Marcia Andronicus, Roman tribune of the People and sibling of Titus Andronicus. Unlike the other Andronici, she’s a politician rather than a soldier. Every time she speaks, she is the voice of reason and calmness, standing in stark contrast to the crazed speeches of the other characters.

Chloe Martin is Lavinia, he only daughter of Titus Andronicus. Lavinia gets caught up in political affairs when Saturninus offers to make her his empress. But because she’s already engaged to Bassianus, she spurns him, which causes a  nasty physical retribution plot in order to get back at Titus. On a personal level, I'd have liked a bit more projection, which is a bit ironic as Lavinia doesn't have any lines after part the way through. If you know the story, you'll know exactly what I mean.

Jack Leo is Saturninus, the eldest son of the late emperor of Rome. Titus enables his rise to the throne, but Saturninus shows no gratitude. Instead, he feels threatened by the people’s political support for the Andronici. However, he does attempt to bring about peace by offering to marry Lavinia. But when she spurns him for his brother Bassianus, Saturninus grows eager to get the family out of his way. In marrying and empowering the captive Tamora, he helps set the play’s plot of spiraling vengeance in motion. Jack, via Saturninus, also provides some humorous moments, especially with the physicality of the role and facial expressions.

Natalie Webster is Lucia, Titus’s daughter, and one of the few to survive by the end of the play. She defends her sister, Lavinia, from their father after she runs away with Bassianus. She tries to free her captive brothers Quintus and Martius, for which she is banished from Rome. The people of Rome support her over Saturninus.

George Eustace plays Demetrius, and Dan Blurton plays Chiron. Tamora’s sons. They murder Bassianus and then brutally attack Lavinia. They are shown in this play to be nothing more than engines of lust, destruction, and depravity. They are finally killed by Titus, who has them returned to their Mother and Step Father in the goriest of methods. I can't remember seeing either of these young actors in the past, but you can feel the passion that both bring to the stage.

Jake Turner plays Bassianus, the younger brother of Saturninus. He steals Lavinia away when Saturninus wants to make her his empress, which sets into motion the events that lead Titus to kill his own son and Saturninus to despise the Andronici. He is murdered by Chiron and Demetrius, but Quintus and Martius are framed for his murder, which leads to their deaths. Jake also plays Pablius, Marcia Andronicus’s son. Jake also plays the part of a Guard.

Charmaine Mayeto-Medina play Martius, Titus's son, and Young Lucius, Lucius’s son remains in Rome when his father goes into exile. Young Lucius is a bigger role.

Sarah Godwin plays Quintus, Nurse, the Midwife to Tamora. Aaron kills her after she delivers his and Tamora’s dark-skinned lovechild. Sarah also plays Goth.

Laura Sherratt is Mutius, Valentine, Goth and a Guard.

Martius, Quintus and Mutuis are Titus’s sons, among the four who survived the Roman war with Scythia. Titus kills Mutius when he blocks his father from pursuing Lavinia and Bassianus. Later, Martius and Quintius are framed for the murder of Bassianus, and Saturninus has them beheaded. 

David Dunford plays Aemilius, a Roman nobleman in Saturninus’s service. David also plays Tribune.

Dan Hogarth  plays Clown, Caius, Tribune and Roman Lord.

Zeus Aartje is Alarbus.

It's also great to see a nice mix of new faces on stage alongside regular faces.

Directed by Clare Choubey. Clare has made this play, which on paper may come across as quite an intricate and confusing piece of work, but Clare has really made the story very simple to follow, even to someone like me who has not seen the play before. 

Clare brings out the comedy segments in this tragedy excellently, especially with Aaron, Saturtinus and Titus, especially in the scene following the interval regarding "hands". It's a fairly lengthy play, by Shakespeare standards, but it doesn't seem like you're in the theatre for two hours and fifty minutes, including the interval. This is all due to the storyline, entertainment value and an engaging cast.

Set Designer is Guy Evans. You are greeted by three sides of the stage draped in blood red and all of the props and scene extras introduced and removed to decorate the stage for scenes. The colour for the scenery is enough to set the bloody scenes, and there's plenty of them. Guy is also the Production Manager, plus he was part of the set building and painting along with Pippa Turner-Rowe and Jennifer Foley.

Props are supplied by Lesley Brown and Sue Roberts.

Fight Co-Ordinator is Kaitlin Howard.

Lighting design is by Philip Hogarth with the Lighting Assistants being Allan Green and Hugh Philip.

Sound Designer is Simon Carter and Sound Design Assistant is Jennifer Foley. A nice use of sound effects and creepy music.

Stage Manager is Guy Evans, making sure that the flow of the scenes are of a good pace, which keeps the show moving on. Assistant Stage Managers are Mary Sullivan, Ksenia Tsymbal, Nathan Cochrane and Yayla Sahin. You can normally tell the enormity of a production by the amount of stage personnel there are.

With this play being the bloodiest of Shakespeare plays, you can expect a certain amount of blood, so this show has a Blood Specialist in Nicole Driver. I will admit that if you are a bit squeamish, the amount of blood is not that little, and looks very realistic, and it's the right colour for fresh blood. And in the scenes where the blood actually flows, it certainly looks very realistic and of the correct consistency.

Costumes are by Maddie Gould, Sharon Philips and Melanie Hamilton, and as you can see from the photographs, by Ben Sherwood Photography, there's no expense spared where the costumes are concerned.

I've seen quite a few of Shakespeare's plays over the twenty-six years of theatre going, and this really is up there with my favourite Scottish play. It has every thing that you would want in a Shakespearian tragedy; there's comedy, brilliant characters, comedy and plenty of blood and murders of various intensity.

And I don't know if it's me getting used to hearing the way that Shakespeare writes, but I really didn't have any issues understanding the script. Whether that is me now getting used to it, or it could be the way that the script has been adapted or used by Clare to make the language of The Bard as simple as it can get. Plus, it also helps to have a cast who understands the script and performs it, not just delivers it, but that is what all of the drama groups in the area specialise in when presenting William Shakespeare.

As it's also one of those plays that is quite rarely performed, don't miss this opportunity to catch this production; you will NOT regret it!

"Titus Andronicus" is at the Lace Market Theatre in Nottingham until Saturday 31 October.

 "I Was A Teenage Bisexual" by Polis Loizou.

Neville Studio, Nottingham Playhouse.

This is such a fun show to watch, especially if you're a fan of those kind of vintage schlock horror movies that are so good you cringe. Blend that in with some poetry and a dollop of folklore storytelling, and you get one of the most watchable pieces of theatre you could hope to see, as well as a piece of theatre that sends a positive message into the audience. If you like your horror entertainment with the silliness of "Scooby Doo" and the dark comedy of "The Evil Dead" then this would have been the show for you.

Written and presented by the award winning and local theatre maker Polis Loizou, this show explores what it's like to be a bisexual man in modern society, along with all the flack that goes with it. 

All Junior, a teenager in a small town wants is to be an ordinary bloke. He gets picked on at school and his Dad wants him to be a bit more alpha male. Junior has body image issues, and realises that he may not be the same as all of his school fellows; he also has been having dreams about things that he is unable to tell his Dad, or his school friends. And then there's all of those bodies that seem to turn up, which bring about suspicions as to who might be responsible for them!

Think Vampires or even Gothic man made monsters, well that's what the townsfolk have in mind, but what could possibly be the connection between these deaths and a teenager struggling with body image and his sexuality? Keep in mind that this is a small town and the way that they envisage someone who may be a little different to them, could be seen in their eyes as being slightly alien...even a bit of a monster!

Junior may be the main character of the story, but there are other characters, mainly played by Polis, who alters his voice to match the characters he morphs in and out of. He changes his physicality for the different characters, making every character unique. Voice overs are also utilised in the show, and they work really well, especially when it comes to the back-and-forth interactions between Junior and his Dad.

What I did like was the positioning of the speakers from where you heard Junior's Dad's voice emitting from. These were situated higher than the set which made the voice sound like it was bearing down on Junior, also making Junior look up to the voice, therefore giving a sense of the Father being taller and talking down to him. The voice over of the Dad also gives you scope to imagine what this character is like, and there are certain things in what he says, and how he says them, really paints a picture that is not so rosy, like someone who might just have something to hide!

The show itself is pacy and Polis packs a lot of entertainment in the seventy minutes of stage time.

Anyone who has seen a show at the Neville Suite will be aware that it's a cosy bijou performing space, and the set reflects this with just a few props, a bed, a desk, bookcase and a computer. The bed and headboard itself will get you thinking about the story, and Junior, and fits in with the feel of the storyline. Responsible for this, and the Costumes are Alex Hopkin-Spratt.

Directed by Matt Miller, keeping the pace tight, and one of my favourite scenes involves the video screen set in a forest and Junior running from something, which works extremely well.

The video and projection is by Joss Affleck and this helps to move the story to various locations in the storyline. Love the idea of the old Hammer Horror film feeling of the video background.

The lighting is by Esther Warren, who seems to be getting around a bit this week as she also is involved in another small show at the Studio part of the Nottingham Arts Theatre.

The sound and composition are by Amanda Priestly, and I always say that the sound and lighting team always add that little bit extra to the atmosphere of any play, and that is so right in this case. I also love the music played as people were filing into the theatre space, all suitably spooky. It just makes the whole experience special when there's thought gone into the pre show music.

Dramaturg by Ben MacPherson.

Stage managed by Elena Sirett.

Produced by Nia Ashcroft

Using comedy to cleverly shine a spotlight on identity, being different and coming of age opens a door to young people who may feel that they are different, and a show like this may just open that closet door wide enough to give a person the confidence to open up about their feelings to someone. I hope so anyway.

"I Was A Teenage Bisexual" is only at the Neville Suite on Saturday night and is an Arts Council-funded piece of theatre.

Photography by Dan Govan.

 "Cinderella" by Northern Ballet.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love watching ballet; it's so relaxing to watch, especially when performed by one of my favourite companies like Northern Ballet.

Performed to Prokofiev's gorgeous music played live, Cinderella's story unfolds with twists and turns and a romantic finale where love (and a perfectly fitting slipper) conjure a "happily ever after" that you won't be able to resist. 

Originally choreographed by Michael Pink for Milwaukee Ballet, this dance show will make you feel like a child again, and get you in the mood for the upcoming festive period.

The role of Cinderella is played by Saeka Shirai, who may be a tiny dancer in stature but makes a big beautiful impact on stage.

Cinderella's Mother, who is Cinderella's Guardian Angel throughout the show, is played by Heather Lehan. The ballet starts at her funeral, and we see her in a halo of light above the funeral, keeping an eye on Cinders and her Father.

The Stepmother is played by Alessia Petrosino. What a fantastic role to play because, even without words, you could tell what a nasty piece of work she is. There's a stance in the Paso Doble which makes the dancer look like a Matador which Alessia takes up on several occasions. It reminded me of a hen protecting her chicks in the way that this Step Mother drew herself up in front of Cinderella and her Father. Wonderfully dramatic.

The Prince is played by Jonathan Hanks, handsome and regal throughout.

Cinderella's Father is played by Harry Skoupas. He makes you feel sorry for him when he is at the mercy of his domineering wife.

Lucretia, the Step Sister, is played by Yu Wakizuka and Prunella, the other Step Sister, is played by Andrew Tomlinson. What a wonderful pair of comedy players these are. Andrew bringing the panto element to the show with some wonderful "naff" dancing. I say that, because that is what both Step Sisters are required to bring to the scenes. I can also say that it is more difficult to dance badly when you have been trained to the quality of dance that all of these dancers are trained to.

Jack, the handsome leading man in the story, is played by Harris Beattie, who appeared to be a big success with a couple of elderly ladies sat right behind me!

In the kitchen are Jun Ishii (Herald), Noah Benzie-Drayton (Courtier), Albert González Orts (Wig Master), Stefano Varalta (Shoe Maker), Antoni Cañellas Artigues (Dancing Master), Filippo Di Vilio (Violinist) and Gemma Coutts, Kaho Masumoto (Milliners).

In the Garden are Aerys Merrill, Julie Nunés (Summer), Isabelle Clough, Helen Bogatch (Spring), Mayuko Iwanaga, Kirica Takahashi (Winter), Gemma Coutts, Kaho Masumoto (Autumn), Dominique Larose, Miguel Teixeira (Spirits Of The Ball Gown), Amber Lewis, Jackson Dwyer (Spirits Of The Glass Slipper), Alessandra Bramante, George Liang (Spirits Of the Mice), and Sarah Chun, Filippo Di Vilio (Spirits Of the Hours).

The dancers playing The Courtiers in the second and third acts are Aerys Merrill, Julie Nunés, Isabelle Clough, Helen Bogatch, Mayuko Iwanaga, Kirica Takahashi, Jun Ishii, Noah Benzie-Drayton, Albert González Orts, Alejandro Ródenes Gonzalez, Antoni Cañellas Artigues and Bruno Serraclara.

Children from the Northern Ballet CAT Programme are Ava Fearnley (Dressmaker), Taylor Harrison (Cobbler) and Alexander Stubbs (Gardener). It is always fantastic to see the next generation of ballet dancers on stage with their peers, and this trio were almost like "mini me's" for the adults on stage. Grace, poise, flexibility and talent all on show from these little stars.

Choreographed by the international, award winning Michael Pink. This show is gorgeous, dreamy and absolutely delightful, with dancers seemingly floating over the stage. Simply beautiful performances from every dancer on the Nottingham Theatre Royal stage.

Music by Sergei Prokofiev, who is no stranger to composing beautiful ballet music, and conducted by Daniel Parkinson. I always think that when there are big orchestral pieces, it's best to hear the music played live. That's not always the case with companies like Northern Ballet, due to the cost of touring an orchestra, but the sound from that orchestra pit on Friday night was absolutely lush.

Set Designer is Bruce Brockman. I was chatting to a couple of ladies from Northern Ballet before I went in to watch the performance, and I asked about the set design, to which they told me that the design was "simple". I can see where they would describe it that way, but this version of simple was towards the glam side of simple. This design shows that, it may be simple, but looked fantastic, and after all, you don't need all the bells and whistles for a set that is fronted by the level of dancer and the beautiful costumes.

Talking of which, the Costume Designer is Peter Cazalet. I loved the way that the Stepmother was clad in the archetypal dark costumes, and the "nicer" the other characters were, the brighter costumes they wore. Naturally the Prince was all in white, Jack wore more of a pastel costume, with the Stepsisters adorned in green and a darker pink. No expense spared with any of the costumes and they all looked superb.

Lighting Designer is David Grill, this man knows exactly how to light a stage, while the dancers lit up the stage.

The ballet is performed in three acts with two intervals, which took a few of the audience members by surprise because I think that they had only expected one interval. When you think of how long these dancers are performing on stage, especially when en pointe ( supporting the whole weight of the body on the tips of their toes), they truly deserve more than one interval. That said the whole performance lasts two hours and twenty minutes, including both intervals.

One thing about ballet performances is that it attracts such a wide range of ages. Friday night saw little girls, practicing moves in the intervals, and older theatre goers who just love the dance form along with the gracefulness of these dance athletes, let's face it, they have to have the stamina of athletes to do what they do and look as featherlight as they do.

This is a traditional story danced in the traditional way.

"Cinderella" is being performed at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 24 October.

 "Underneath The Lintel" by Glen Berger.

Karuna Productions.
Nottingham Arts Theatre (Studio).

I've not seen this play before, and it surprises me why it's not been performed locally previously, or as far back as I can remember, because this is a masterclass in storytelling.

This is a one woman show and Marilyn Ann Bird is spellbinding in how she holds the audiences' attention for the full eighty minutes that we are he captured by her picture painting as she weaves her magic via this time travelling mystery that all revolves around the return of a library book. That in itself may not be the most interesting theme to base a play around, but this particular library book was taken out over 100 years previous. Imagine the fine on that one!

Marilyn takes the role of this middle-aged Dutch librarian who arrives at work one day to find an overdue book has been returned, but placed incorrectly in the "overnight slot". Irritated, the librarian examines the offending book, a travel guide, to discover that it's also overdue - by a mere 138 years.

This is only the starting point of the story as the Librarian makes it her goal to find out who the culprit is who took the book out and returned it so tardily. Hang on though, the date stamp in the book was from 138 years previously, so who exactly is she searching for?

An intriguing mystery turns into an obsession that takes her around the world, via China, Australia and London, trying to track down whoever it was responsible in a whodunnit mystery that has to be seen to be believed.

The staging is set out as if the Librarian, we never know her real name, just her job title, is giving a talk publicly, maybe even in a library. She has a box of "scraps", or "evidences" with which her story is woven around. She discovers that the book was loaned to someone simply called "A." with a post office box in China as their address. Our librarian turned detective discovers a laundry ticket dated 1913 within the returned travel guide and decides to ask for leave from her job to start her hunt. Unfortunately for her, the leave is denied, so she throws a sickie, but is found out and eventually loses her job.

All of this is the starting point of a story where we find out more about the Librarian. But does she discover who is behind the extended book loan? Come on, you don't really think I'm going to answer that one do you?

The eighty minute show flew by, thanks to Marilyn Ann, who is on stage all throughout the eighty minutes, and there were times that I closed my eyes to imagine the journey that the Librarian took us on in my head - so if anyone glanced around and saw me with my eyes shut, I wasn't asleep, I was on a virtual journey across the world with the Librarian as my tour guide.

Alongside the mystery element and the adventure, there are some important messages to take away from the story of "The Wandering Jew" and the side serving of race, faith and belief elements.

Directed by Chris Sims, who also had a couple of minor interjections in the story also. This is Chris' debut as a professional Director; I've seen Chris's directorial skills as a non- professional, and they were just as captivating as this professional job. I, like many other people, love to be told a story and to follow the narrator in my mind, so this piece of theatre is a perfect vehicle for anyone who loves to listen, with the added pleasure of the visual element as well.

Stage managed by Kathy Bobkowska with Katie Evans as Designer. I got there early and fell in love with the stage design. There are so many props involved and some gorgeous pieces on stage, many I discovered belong to Chris Sims. It's like being in one of those classy auction houses, or an upmarket charity shop, or "pre-loved" as they now prefer to be called.

Light, Sound and Projection are all thanks to Esther Warren.

Producer is Laurie Owen.

"Underneath The Lintel" can be seen in The Studio section of the Nottingham Arts Theatre until Saturday 24 October.

Photography by Grace Eden Photography.

 "Jesus Christ Superstar"

Greasepaint Productions.

Loughborough Town Hall.

I am in no way biased, but this is one of my favourite musicals of all time. As a child I remember buying a Music For Pleasure LP of "Highlights From Jesus Christ Superstar" and from then on I was hooked, so this show has a special meaning for me as it must have actually influenced my love for musical theatre. I love every song and practically know the songs back to front.

I can sum my review up with just one sentence. One of the best non professional production I've seen. I've seen many different versions of this musical, and just when you think that you've seen them all, here's another one that has a has a different vision of the story.

You know it's the story of the last seven days of Jesus's life but the musical is more about Judas than it is about Jesus, while still playing second fiddle to the Messiah. Portrayed, not as a God, but as a human being with all the pressures and troubles that any human being could be heaped with when stuck on a pedestal, as Jesus Christ was when Rice and Lloyd-Webber penned this iconic musical. Almost as if Jesus is the ultimate "X Factor" winner, he is adored and revered by almost everyone. I say almost because any hero worship is going to have their nay sayers.

Jesus may have been nailed to the cross but that wasn't the only thing that was nailed. The singing, choreography, acting, the passion, timing, basically everything was nailed by everyone.

Jesus is played by Dan Robinson. All musical theatre lovers were waiting for Act 2 for "Gethsemane", the song that Jesus sings seconds before his betrayal, by Judas, in the Garden Of Gethsemane. It holds such power and emotion when sung correctly and Dan did the song proud, and that falsetto is off the scale.  It's not an easy song to sing, but Dan delivered it with real passion, as was the final scene of Jesus on the cross. This scene particularly brings a lump to the throat and raises the hairs on your arms and neck as he asks for his mother and a drink of water, as would a child after a nightmare and looking for comfort from the one he feels safe with. I must also mention the scene where he has received the 40 lashes, the SFX make up for that came as a bit of a shock because the wounds were so realistic, I found myself wincing.

Judas is played by Andy Longley-Brown and another incredibly good vocal performance; in fact there are no weak links from anyone in this show. Passion and power combines in Andy's vocals to create a really raw rock vocal. The opening number has a different arrangement, delivered by Andy. I would have liked to have heard Andy's mic turned up a notch, and this is only my preference. Even with the power in his voice, I thought it would sound even better if the vocals were more dominant in the sound mix. 

Mary Magdalene is played by Nelly Collins. Her versions of "I Don't Know How To Love Him" and the duet with Peter, "Can We Start Again, Please", are simply sublime and full of tenderness and passion.

Pilate is played by Beth Cluer. I am always a little nervous when male characters are played by female actors, but this was definitely and inspired option. "Pilate's Dream" was stripped back and you heard every wonderful note and intonation of the lyrics, and sung with a voice that dripped with purity.

Caiaphas, the High Priest of Israel who sees Jesus as a threat to the nation, is played by Richard Coles. Here's another change to what I've normally been used to seeing and hearing as Caiaphas in previous productions, and the original film has a really deep voice, Richard didn't try to get that low, but that doesn't matter that much because his voice did all the work to show his emotions about the King Of The Jews. A very modern look as well for the character.

Keith Reynolds is Annas, Caiphas' right hand man. As with the above comments, it's always a nice surprise to hear a role being performed not in the way that you had expected, and like Caiaphas, a very modern look.

Judith Coles is Zadok. Another visionary change to the normal casting, Zadok is usually played by a man, but Judith's vocals make a real difference to the Council's quartet sound.

David Clifford is Matthais, the fourth corner of the Council.

Jodie Pearman plays Herod. I have seen several different incarnations of Herod, but never a woman Herod.  It's like a character that you never knew that you needed in a musical because Jodie as Herod works so wonderfully well. Along with her chorus line of ladies, this is unexpected but so welcomed as it turns the character you're expecting to be turned completely on its' head; almost like a biblical dominatrix with the power this character, as a female has. Plus I also love the slight change in the arrangement of "Herod's Song".

Simon Zealots is played by Chris Warmington, who I have had the pleasure of seeing and hearing in shows before, and hearing him sing Simon's piece with Dan, and the Ensemble, highlights that rich set of vocals that Chris has.

Adam Pearman is Peter, the follower who denies knowing Jesus after Jesus' arrest. The duet with Mary, "Could We Start Again, Please", really shows what a really lovely voice this young man has, and how well his voice blends with Nelly's.

This show is, and always has been, a "rock opera" and these actors have the power and passion of a rock singer as well as the control of an opera singer.

There's a massive ensemble who flood the stage with exuberance and talent, and it's with this ensemble that another part of the story is told. The growth of Jesus' followers as we see maybe one or two start in contemporary dance style, and then others join in until you have a throng of followers, as if they have heard the news of Jesus and want to be a part of the following. They also depict the other side of the coin with the masses who implore Pilate to crucify this King Of The Jews. It's their voices and urgency that turn these scenes very dark, putting Pilate on the back foot, surprised that they have turned so quickly on Jesus.

The Ensemble consist of Taylor Bennett, Nikki Coles, Charlotte Coles, Abi Crossley, Rowan Dixon, Paul Hopkin, Gemma Landers, Jenny Norvill, Josh O'Reilly, Jeanette Patrick-Cooper, Heather Ramone, Nicole Ray, Mel Sharp and Rory Stanton.

Directed by Liam Patrick. I love the way that this musical has evolved over the years and feels every much as fresh and exciting as it was when I first saw it, many moons ago. It's not easy to keep a musical, that has been going for over fifty years, as exciting as this production is, but Liam's vision of this show is exciting and fresh. Set in a setting that is akin to a nightclub, which in itself creates an exciting, visual treat. The option to gender swap a few of the characters was also a brave choice, but also a refreshing one, keeping audience members like myself on our toes, giving us something fresh to get our teeth into. Brilliantly inventive in the vision that Liam presents, because he could have just done a carbon copy of the show, but Liam has never been that kind of Director to rest on his Directorial laurels, opting to push boundaries. Loved the opening countdown section which also included the "Overture" with that soaring rock guitar opening.

Set design is by Dave Wright. The stripped back set design is a brilliant idea, and when combined with the lighting design creates a very different feel to the stage and the production.

Musical Director is James Stevens. Every single song delivered impeccably with the power and passion and performance required for that particular piece, by both the band and the performers. The soundtrack contains so many well known songs, "I Don't Know How To Love Him", "Superstar", "Gethsemane", "What's The Buzz", "Everything's Alright", "Heaven On Your Mind" and of course "Herod's Song". Love the new arrangements of some of these iconic songs, especially the opening number "Heaven On Their Minds".

Choreographed by Kate Willey. This show has always had some wonderful choreography, especially with the big ensemble numbers. There's one scene in particular where Jesus is caged in with two large metal fences, moved by the cast, showing how Jesus was almost bear baited by the crowds, as well as those earlier numbers like "What's The Buzz" and "Heaven On Their Minds", highlighting a wonderful co-ordination of a massed group.

Costumes are courtesy of Gillian Leeson, Rachael Gunn with additional costumes provided by the cast. It's a very modern look, and even Jesus's costume had a modern look and feel about it. Suits for the hierarchy members showed the power they have with the followers also having a modern feel, bringing the story into a more modern time.

The wigs, which are brilliant, are thanks to Leedham Wigs.

Stage management is by Lynsey Bloomfield. With the wings being open to view to the audience, you're able to see all that happens off stage, so the management of the stage, props etc was all done almost invisibly. That is another joy of having a sparse set though.

The SFX Make Up is by Nikki Coles and looked amazing, as well as extremely painful. That first image of Jesus's back really was enough to make anyone recoil. It looked like a scene from "24 Hours in A&E".

Sound is by Ryan Heath. There were a few crackles from mic pacs, but that is something that can't be brought to the door of the sound people; these things happen. As I said earlier, I would have preferred a slight increase in volume on Judas's mic, but the whole sound for this production was great, bringing that rock opera sung through feel alive.

Lighting is by James Cladingboel. This is a really colourful lighting design which ideally shows that "nightclub" style set design, crossed with that rock concert feel, providing another layer of energy via light. The scene where Jesus is being tormented by lepers is depicted by spotlights fading and out is particularly powerful, visually as well and with intent and meaning.

"Jesus Christ Superstar" is a true heavenly delight and is Lording it over any other musical this week. I for one will religiously revisit this show time and time again, and when it's as good as this performance, why would you not?

"Jesus Christ Superstar" is at Loughborough Town Hall until Saturday 24 October.

Photography by Mark Chinnery and Mark Corns.

 "East Is East" by Ayub Khan Din.

Derby Theatre.

A semi-autobiographical story of growing up in a mixed-race, working-class family in 1970s  Salford. Written in 1996, I first saw this play many years ago in Leicester and loved the rawness and human elements of the play and, although the score has changed from that play to this new production, the rawness and honesty, as well as the comedy still remains as strong as ever. 

"East Is East" is about a tyrant of a father who came over from Pakistan and married a woman from Salford, which is where the play is set, and his fight to keep a grip on his family and his Pakistani beliefs and faith. He is the man that demands respect from his wife and British born family, but he soon discovers that his old fashioned ways are not the faith and beliefs that his family want to follow. They rebel against his attempts for arranged marriages, the freedom he thinks they should have, and their father's view of his responsibility to his family.

There have been several news items over the years about arranged marriages and of what happens to the daughters, and sons, who try to live their Westernised lives, and this play shows the dark side of this enforced implementation by the head of the household who feels that he has to uphold the Pakistani religion. The violence is a complete contrast to the wonderful comedy moments liberally scattered throughout.

George Khan, the father, is played by Baskher Patel, a face you may remember from "Emmerdale". George is a character you, in a way have pity for as he is so wrapped up in his two lives, the one in Pakistan and the Salford family. He also has his devotion to his religion, so much so that he can't see the impact it has on his family. He is rude, violent and disrespectful to his wife, Ella, played by Samantha Power, while demanding her to listen to him and to respect him. This is a very different character to Rishi Sharma from "Emmerdale", but what a fabulous role to play. We get to see both sides of the Pakistani patriarch, from the comedy elements in the regional language to the violence that he shows towards his sons and his wife. and the conflict within his head over his loyalties to his faith, and his struggle with his love for his family. 

Samantha is a real powerhouse actor. The conflict between protecting her children and sticking up for them against the wishes of her husband, and the love that she has for him and wanting to be a good wife is almost heartbreaking to see her torn.

The family, Meenah (Maya Dhokia), Sajit (Rohan MacLeod), Tariq (Zaki Ali), Maneer (Joerava Sanghar), Abdul (Danyal Ishmail) and Saleem (Matthew Khan) are a modern family who want to follow their own modern 1970's lifestyles. A wonderful cast with some brilliant characterisations.

Meenah is a proper westernised young woman who likes the fashion of the day, swears and eats bacon with the rest of her siblings.

Sajit is the youngest of the family who has managed to escape his circumcision appointment when younger, and is the initial reason for the family unrest, well George's unrest with the family. Sajit is the most affected member who prefers to dress in his old parka, and we discover the reason for that attachment when his elder brother, Abdul and Sajit have a conversation. 

It's that decision to have Sajit circumcised that brings the turn around from Ella and the family and brings the downfall of George's kingdom. Rohan who plays Sajit is brilliant as the troubled and damaged son who will not take off his parka, he even sleeps in it. It's only removed under anaesthetic and one other time near the end of the play, which proves to be a defining moment for the boy.

The Doctor is played by Sushil Chudasama, who also plays Mr Shah. Two very different roles, and just wait until you see the hefty gold framed pictures of Mr Shah's suitors for Abdul and Tariq!!

Tariq is rebellious, proud, and defiant against his father, George. He parties, dates English girls, and drinks alcohol, strongly rejecting his father's attempts to force traditional ways and arranged marriages onto him and his siblings. A proper playboy who also has amazing fashion taste and great hair.

Maneer, unlike his more rebellious siblings, is devout, obedient to his father's religious and cultural rules, and frequently seen wearing a skull cap. The play reflects the language of the time, and he is called "Ghandi" by his siblings.

Abdul is quiet, good-natured, reliable, and tries to avoid open conflict. George arranges for Abdul and Tariq to marry the twin daughters of a Bradford businessman, Mr Shah.

Saleem, the fifth son of George and Ella Khan, is secretly studying foundation art rather than the engineering course his strict father believes he is taking. The big comedy scene comes when Saleem brings home his piece of art that he has been working on and is revealed in front of Mr Shah!

The whole cast are brilliant with the family's unwavering devotion to their mother and their changing opinion of their father. The "rod of iron" approach of George and the steadfast protectiveness and love of Ella for her family.

Victoria Brazier also has a lovely role as Auntie Annie which brings so much natural comedy to the play.

Zoe Iqbal and Rahul Sidhu are the Offstage Swing cast members.

The play shows family pride as well as highlighting the faults of the family and is a wonderful slice of 1970's multi cultural Britain and is a modern classic. There are some horrific scenes of family brutality and wife beating, which could actually have been more brutal, but were shocking enough. And then there's the vocabulary and the way George delivers the language that will put a smile on your face

Directed by Kash Ashad, he does not shy away from the language of the day, nor does he shy away from the ripe language used by practically everyone on stage. This in itself delivers the raw human element. 

Kaitlin Howard is the Fight Director. Only one minor point for me is that, to make this even more realistic, I was hoping to hear sound of a slap now and again, especially where the attacks to the face were concerned, and the blow to the stomach could have looked to have had more contact. That said, I was sat quite close to the stage so had a really close view.

Movement Director is Jennifer Kay. There are some lovely dance moves that I found brought a smile to my face because it was Bollywood style dance performed from a British viewpoint.

Set and Costume Design by Rachana Jadhav. The costumes are fantastic, especially Tariq's ensemble.

The set is a work of art with the fish and chip shop literally emerging from the set of the Khan's living room, and then an extension into another room coming out of that. This is a set that keeps on giving.

Lighting Designer is Jane Lalljee. 

Sound Designer is Arun Ghosh. I alluded to a different score for the show. In the show from a decade ago I saw at Leicester Haymarket, the music consisted of the big hits of the early 1970's performed Bhangra style. In this show the music is of a more traditional style.

Natalie Grady is the Dialect Coach making sure that the Manc accent was spot on, as well as the wonderful accent for George.

The story is quite beautiful, and is beautifully acted  by this cast. It's a story that is wonderfully dated, and then again is as relevant as it ever was, and is.

It's a show that is educational, on many levels, plus it's incredibly entertaining. I found out that the run is practically sold out, and I know exactly why that is after seeing the show on Tuesday night.

"East Is East" is at Derby Theatre until Saturday 24 October.

Photography by Pamela Raith.