"Sweeney Todd - The Demon Baber Of Fleet Street"

Nottingham Arts Theatre Youth Group.

Nottingham Arts Theatre.

You've probably seen that commercial on TV with the woman who warned that she was about to gush; well I'm about to gush, just not in the same way, I just wanted to prepare you!

Sweeney Todd, real name Benjamin Barker, uses his new alias to resume work in his barber shop above Mrs. Lovett’s struggling pie shop after being wrongfully sentenced to life imprisonment by the corrupt Judge Turpin. After swearing vengeance against the Judge that tore his family apart, Todd and Lovett plot a unique plan that helps them both and leads them down a dangerous, thrilling path with deadly consequences.

I never tire of watching this musical, partly due to the wonderful Sondheim soundtrack, and partly because the productions have always been excellent. No difference with the excellent quality here in my attendance of the tale of Sweeney Todd, but there are a few differences to look out for!

I had heard and read that Wednesday night (opening night) was incredible. Thursday night was equally incredible, so you can guarantee that whichever night you attend, you're going to get an amazing experience.

The role of Sweeney is shared by Jonathan Jaycock (Wednesday/Friday/Saturday Matinee) and Joshua Preston (Thursday/Saturday Evening/Sunday). I have so often mentioned the quality of Joshua's voice, and in this role that deep baritone sounds better than ever. The complexity of Sondheim's lyrics hold no fear for Joshua but it's also Joshua's face and eyes that tell this story. there's an unhinged look about him and you just know that danger is afoot. Even with the humorous scenes, mainly with Mrs Lovett, you can feel that Todd was going to switch personality at any time. Joshua is one of those passionate actors, like so many involved in this production, and that passion is evident in this role.

Mrs Lovett is played by Emily-Hope Wilkins (Wednesday/Friday/Saturday Matinee) and Maddi Woodland (Thursday/Saturday Evening/Sunday). Maddi has such ease in singing wonderfully with, and without an accent, as well as delivering much of the comedy dialogue with natural ability.

Anthony Hope, the young sailor who saved Todd, befriended him and then fell in love with Johanna, is played by Noah Bator (Wednesday/Friday/Saturday Matinee) and Lenny Brady (Thursday/Saturday Evening/Sunday). I could say the same thing vocally about everyone in this show, but Lenny has a wonderfully controlled set of vocals, especially in the song "Johanna". Lenny is fast becoming an all rounder in the world of local theatre, but it's always good to see him on stage and playing a character that you can't help but root for.

Johanna, Sweeney Todd's daughter, is played by Grace Jones-Eccles (Wednesday/Friday/Saturday Matinee) and Mia Rathbone (Thursday/Saturday Evening/Sunday). I have seen Mia on a couple of occasions and every time she blows me away with her voice. You can hear that Mia has a natural flair for the operatic, as also shown when she played Cosette in "Les Miserables: School Edition". Her voice is clear, controlled and powerful, and the duets that she has with Lenny are complex and timed wonderfully, and this pair sound so good together.

Amelia Scurfield (Wednesday/Friday/Saturday Matinee) and Amelie Adams (Thursday/Saturday Evening/Sunday) share the role of the Beggar Woman. This character is one of those wonderfully quirky characters who,m if you have never seen the show before and don't know the story, holds a surprise near the end of the show. What can I say? Another great voice.

Tobias Ragg, the young lad who works for Pirelli, who, after Pirelli "disappears", is informally adopted by Mrs Lovett to help with the pie making, is shared by William Curtis (Wednesday/Friday/Saturday Matinee) and Lizzie Kennedy (Thursday/Saturday Evening/Sunday). It's no secret that I have been a fan of Lizzie's for a few years now and have had the pleasure of reviewing her several times over the years and seeing her grow, not only in height, but also in confidence and stagecraft. This role is such a playful role, which suits Lizzie's personality so well. One of my favourite songs from the score has always been "Not While I'm Around", a fiercely protective duet with Mrs Lovett, and this version could not have been any more heartfelt, simple but tender.

Pirelli, the "Italian" barber, is played by Jamie Adlam. Jamie is another actor who I have every admiration for because of the passion that he has for theatre. Every role that he has taken on that I've seen shows just what a marvellous character he is. This role has been perfectly cast with Jamie in the role due to Jamie's sense of humour which shines through as Pirelli's character. the accent is brilliant and Jamie's vocals have never sounded better, with or without the Italian accent, plus his vocal range also seems to have expanded.

Judge Turpin is played by Tom Telford. His history in musical theatre shines through in this production; the vocals are powerful and the nastiness of Turpin, and the anger that explodes in the second act make you sit up and take notice of this slimeball of a baddie.

Beadle Bamford, Turpin's right hand man, is played by Oliver Sheard. This is another actor that I have plenty of time for. I love the posh accent Oliver gives to Bamford making the character appear more important than his station. In the second act there's also a section where he sings at Mrs Lovett while investigating a report of foul smells coming from the shop at night. The mix of the posh voice and the folk singing made me smile, and this is one of the sections that I couldn't remember seeing in other productions - there are several different bits in this production scattered throughout the show that I don't think I've seen in other shows. A great piece of comedy acting which emerged from a nasty and slimy character at the start. I know from Oli's past roles that he likes to shake it up with his parts and this year he's set to play an outlaw as well as a pig in his next two shows.

Dr. Fogg, a major antagonist who owns the asylum where Johanna has been sent to keep her away from Anthony and Todd, is played by Harvey Scott.

The Lantern Bearers are another new addition to this musical and appear when Sweeney's mind starts ticking over. They're like the inner workings of Todd's mind and as Todd dispatches his victims, the Lantern Bearers also appear and escort the victims away from the stage. It's almost like those dark shadows who come to collect the evil souls in the film "Ghost". The Lantern Bearers, who look decidedly mysterious, almost like the Droogs, the teenage black eyed gang in "A Clockwork Orange" are played by Ben Canning, Evie Midgley, Caitlin Young, Alisia Carolea, Florence Everitt, Hermione Cumbers, Craig Youngman - who has the most amazingly deep singing voice - and Liam Brown. 

The ensemble consist of Robert Murphy, Zain Abed, Evie Jones, Andrei Morris, Neve Boyles, Lexie-May Hart, Annabelle Black, Connie Webster, Connie Tegerdine , Kate Whittaker, Kayla Burgess, James Cragg, Edward Young, Leo Capaldi, Zach Silcock, Lizzy Rhodes, Eliza Szejda and George Ward. The sound made by The Ensemble, as well as The Lantern Bearers is so powerful; it's like a tidal wave of vocals crashing over the stage and into the audience, such was the power. Both groups featured different soloists who really stood out.

Directed and Choreographed by Abby Wells who has really created a very stylised and different production, adding roles like the Lantern Bearers and The Vultures, which added a certain clarity to the roles that may have just been labelled as "Ensemble" roles. Just when I thought that I had seen everything there is to see in such a great show like "Sweeney", Abby adds additional touches of magic within the show, a couple of them I have highlighted throughout, but I don't want to give any more spoilers for what may be as new to you as it was for me. The pace was excellent and every character made you focus on them; even the ensemble characters gave off different vibes, there's so much to see and take in that you may need to attend more than one show in this run. There was nothing at all that I did not love about this show.

Musical Director and Conductor of this thirteen strong orchestra is Jonah Williams. Sondheim's score is notoriously complex and Jonah has done a fantastic job with everyone in the cast and with the orchestrating of this musical. Vocally there are several part harmonies, duets that twist and turn and wrap around the singers, key changes, so many different ways of singing the two names "Sweeney" and "Todd" in various parts of the songs; this is not just another score, it's one of the most intricate musical scores and when it's mastered as Jonah and the cast have mastered it, then you get a performance that is as amazing as this. Vocal captain is Ben Canning.

Several times I had to remind myself that this is a Youth Group, not a professional troupe of adults, and anyone who looks down on "amateur" productions need to see this one and they would soon change their opinion on what they think the word "amateur" means. For the record "amateur" means "for the love of", and it is very obvious that everyone on, and behind the stage, love what they are doing.

Set Designer is  by Nik Hudson who has given the whole look more of a steampunk image. As soon as you step into the auditorium, this mass of blood red scenery hits you. The mechanical elements at the back of the set gives an industrial feel about it. There are two levels with Sweeney's Barber Shop being above the pie shop with a metal staircase leading up to it.  The Deck Hire is from Roydon Charlesworth at Stage To Hire. The two barber chairs are frightening enough to look at, knowing what was going to be taking place in them. The enormous oven where the pies are baked open up to reveal a deep red and glowing interior. This is one set design that should be a winner of a set design award anywhere.

Sound Design and Operation is by George Wilson. maybe only a couple of late mic cues, but when there's such a lot of people, as far as I could see, practically all of them with mic packs, making sure that those faders are up, and not forgetting just how quick the score twists and turns with different characters involved, I think that George did an excellent job in this area. The sound was crystal clear, well balanced and at the perfect level. What more could I ask for?

Lighting Designer and Operator is Oliver Read. If you create a show as good as this, it's only apt that the people in charge of sound and light are also the best. Need I say more?

In charge of Wardrobe are Jessica Royce, Paige Walker and Connie Hatchett. the costumes are also quite different to other productions, also help bring that Steampunk feel to the show. Pirelli's costume was wonderfully colourful to reflect the personality of the character.

Stage managed by Nik Hudson. With a show that has this size cast, this role is made all the more difficult to ensure that timings are kept to and to have all the right props etc on stage. This area ran as smooth as everything else with this show, but then again, Nik is a smooth operator in this area. Deputy Stage Manager is another member who is vital to the smooth running of the stage, Nigel Newton. The Stage Crew consist of Roman Moroziuk, Emme Gunn, Ian Rice, Ben Bradley, Jack Kent and Cathy Bodman.

Production Manager is Jessica Royce assisted by Eloise Rees.

This week I have been spoilt by three out of three incredible pieces of theatre, and all very different, but with a theme that runs through the trio of productions; killers. By supporting local theatre you get the advantage of seeing the future West End stars of tomorrow on stage today, and there are so many on stage at the Arts Theatre that could make that dramatic transition. Just ask Grace Hodgett-Young and Matty Collins, both actors who are now professional actors whose roots are in the Nottingham Arts Theatre. This is partly due to the amazing tutelage we have in Nottingham local theatres.

"Sweeney Todd" is at the Nottingham Arts Theatre until Sunday 22 March.

 "Punch" by James Graham.

Nottingham Playhouse.

This play made its' stage debut a couple of years ago in Nottingham, and at the Playhouse. It then went on a nationwide tour, down to the West End and then to America.

"Punch" is one of those plays that come along quite rarely. It's based on the book "Right From Wrong" by Jacob Dunne, which in turn is based on a true event concerning the author of the book. It's also centred at the heart of Nottingham and the true events that happened here, a few years ago.

Anyone who has been brought up in Nottingham, like myself, will know all the street names and pubs mentioned in the play and immediately feel part of the story.

The play tells the true story of how a bereaved mother, Joan Scourfield, helped her son's attacker turn his life around. James Hodgkinson died after a stranger threw a single punch while he was visiting Nottingham to watch a Test match in 2011. His killer, 19-year-old Jacob Dunne, from The Meadows, was jailed for manslaughter.

After a "restorative justice" meeting with Mr Hodgkinson's parents, his mother accepted Dunne's actions had been a "stupid mistake". The couple then encouraged Mr Dunne to go to university, where he achieved a first in criminology.

Put yourself in the shoes of James' mother, Joan; would you be able to be as forgiving as she was to Jacob? In this case, although Ms Scourfield lost her son, she also helped to save Jacob. As you can expect, this play is as emotive as it is powerful.

All, apart from Jack James Ryan who plays Jacob, play various characters as well as their main roles. Coronation Street fans will instantly recognise Jack as another Jacob; Jacob Hay, but this role is a million miles away from the cobbles. David Shields, who played Jacob last, set the bar very high for this character, but Jack has matched Shield's performance. The accent was a more "yardie" Nottingham accent but only to start with because as Jacob went through the restorative justice programme, college and the character maturing, that "street" accent softened to a slightly softer Nottingham accent, showing the maturity gained by the character, which I couldn't quite remember from the original production. 

Jack is on stage most of the time, and at times, with a quick change of the lighting we see comparisons between the young Jacob and the more mature Jacob. Jack's energy levels are off the scale as he darts around the set, painting pictures in your mind of the layout of the Meadows area and the pub crawls. You can see how the "accident" actually affected Jacob, especially with the meetings with his victim's parents, and also with the way that he tentatively turned his life around.

Some theatre snobs often, and I've heard them, berate "soap" stars when taking on a "proper" theatrical stage role, but I have seen so many "soap" stars on the stage and they really show their acting skills. Soaps are as rigorous with their schedules as a theatrical production, and you think that you know the person you see in the corner of your living room, but when you see them on stage, especially in such a hard hitting and emotional role as Jacob, you see a completely different side to the actor, and Jack James Ryan holds nothing back with his portrayal of Jacob Dunne.

Finty Williams plays the part of James' Mother, Joan, as well as Nan. The scene where Joan and her husband finally sit down face to face with Jacob is quite awkward to watch, and the recall of her being in the hospital at her son's final minutes is truly heartbreaking. The forgiving of the "accident" from this strong mother and the empathetic attitude shown to Jacob's mother will also bring a lump to your throat. If you're wondering where you may have heard Finty's name before, she is the daughter of Dame Judi dench and the late Michael Williams, showing that the talent apple never falls far from the tree.

Laura Tebbutt plays Jacob's Mother and Wendy. There are so many scenes here involving Laura that really tug at your heartstrings, and I don't wish to sound flippant at that statement, but you do allow yourself to feel what the characters are feeling, and the scene when Jacob comes back to the new home to his mother is enough to start you off again. 

Matthew Flynn plays Tony, David and Derek. Like the other actors, playing several roles gives an actor chance to play a wide range of emotions and that is so true here. From the drunken, vest wearing Father to Raf, who does not give the best advice to his son, to James' Father. You could not get two Fathers further apart in character and the latter character's emotions flood from the stage. The scene near the end where he offers his hand to Jacob to shake will also get you right in the heart. 

Elan Butler is Raf, Jacob's quite literally partner in crime; a proper Meadows lad, and Sam, Jacob's younger brother. There is a scene when Jacob is talking to his younger brother which reveals different parts of both characters that we did not see before; another emotional scene between the pair comes with a personal confession from Sam to Jacob.

Grace Hodgett-Young is Jacob's girlfriend Clare and Nicola,  the woman assigned as his Restorative Justice person. When you see that Jacob has turned his life around, and is now in a relationship with Clare, and a Father himself to a baby boy, you get a lovely warm feeling from this couple. There's proper Nottingham humour in the scenes with Grace and Jack when they first meet in the pub, which is balanced by Grace's other main role as Nicola as she goes through the procedures of "RJ" with him in a calm and professional manner, always looking out for both parties.

I've known and reviewed Grace locally for the last fifteen or so years, and she still manages to surprise me with her acting skills; this time around though with one of her lesser character's potty mouth. This local lass has done extremely good!

Directed by Adam Penford. This could be possibly the most impactful piece of theatre you've seen, especially as it's a true story. Adam's new choice of cast could not have been better and the blend of laughter, and there's plenty of that in "Punch", with the emotional scenes are as well balanced as a BLT sandwich. Just a beautiful piece of theatre that I noticed has had a few fresh tweaks which has only increased my enjoyment of this gorgeous piece of theatre.

The set is based around a pedestrian subway in The Meadows, where Jacob grew up and designed by Anna Fleischle. If you're old enough to remember Maid Marian Way's subways leading to a concrete circle, then that is what the main section is reminiscent of. It also rises on both sides, bridging over the subway setting.

Lighting design is by Robbie Butler. This plays a big part of the play, giving dramatic effect to the dramatic storyline, taking you from the bright settings of the pub/clubs of town, to the shady subway streets and back alleys of The Meadows area. The lighting cues are cut to perfection. 

Sound design is by Alexandra Faye Braithwaite, who also composed the original music for the play. The whole soundscape of this piece of theatre is a real talking point, especially with the movement sections in the first half where it brings the disbelief of the accident to the fore. The combination of the sound and light design help to highlight the emotions that run high throughout.

Movement Director for "Punch" is Leanne Pinder, and if you saw this show when it was here last, you'll know just how much movement plays a part in this story.

Anita Gilbert is the Voice and Dialect Coach. Us locals don't really notice that we have an accent, but ours is one of the hardest accents to get right for anyone who is not from the area, so I have been told by actors who do not hail from Nottingham. There was a section in one of Jacob's opening speech where the last words of  a couple of the sentences were drawn out, which to me sounded quite Manchester-ish, in the way that the Gallagher Brothers speak.

I try and steer away from terms like "journey" or "rollercoaster" but whatever term you want to use, this play has "it". The change in a person from A to B in their life can sometimes be, literally, life changing, but through understanding and forgiveness, you can change a person's life and future. I don't know if I'd ever be as strong a person as Joan if I were in the same situation, but that just shows the sort of strong person Joan is. Losing a loved one would make a person bitter and angry, which I am sure Joan was at one stage of her grieving process, but her strength and forgiveness has created a person who has turned out to be a true Saviour to many other people who may have found themselves in Jacob's shoes.

This is a play that has the ability to change lives, as its' story has done in the past, and should be seen by as many people, young and old, as possible to get across that message of right and wrong, forgiveness and redemption.

I loved the play when I first saw it, and this time around it was even more impactful, making me love it even more.

"Punch" is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 4 April and has a 12+ guidance due to some ripe language, but this play is one not to miss out on. 

 "Hamlet" by William Shakespeare.

Royal Shakespeare Company.

Nottingham theatre Royal.

God, I love Shakespeare, especially when it's done as good as this production has been done.

Reading the play, or the book, doesn't always deliver the comedy element of "Hamlet", and with this play having so many dark moments in it, you need the occasional shot of comedy; and you certainly get the balance of comedy to darkness ratio in this latest production from the Royal Shakespeare Company.

This particular play has so many phrases that are used in everyday modern life that it almost doesn't seem as old - or should that be classic - as it actually is. Phrases like "to be or not to be", "neither a borrower nor a lender be", "method to the madness" and "the lady doth protest too much" are all from this play, and of course there's that "alas, poor Yorick" speech as well.

Most people will know the story, the play, the film of "Hamlet", but this is the first time that I have seen the full blown version of this play on stage; so what's it all about? Here's a very quick summary without any spoilers.....

The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel. I don't think I've given too much away there, in the same way as if I am seeing a new piece of theatre, I don't like to know the ins and outs or how the story ends. Therefore, to thine own self, be true!

Hamlet is played by Ralph Davis. Ralph has an incredible stage presence and has the ability to turn Hamlet from a grieving son to a comedic but crazy maniac, gurning and reverting back to an almost childlike son, creating so much of the comedy element in the play. When he is in grieving mode you can feel that he is in the depths of despair, and when he is feigning madness, you cannot help but smile at the silliness in his face and actions.

What you get from a Royal Shakespeare Company production is a cast who are at the top of their game. It's akin to seeing a Matthew Bourne choreographed ballet, or a Northern Opera show because you know that you're going to get the best of the best. They wouldn't be on the stage if they were less than the best, and you know that they are all experts in their field.

That said, here's the rest of the incredible cast....

Colin Ryan (Horatio - Hamlet's friend), Raymond Coulthard (Claudius - the new King of Denmark), Poppy Miller (Gertrude - Queen Of Denmark), Ian Hughes (The Ghost of The King/Player King), Richard Cant (Polonius - Chief Counsellor to the King), Benjamin Westerby (Laertes - Polonius's son), Georgia-May Myers (Ophelia - Polonius's daughter - who has a show stealing scene in the second act), Jamie Sayers (Rosencrantz - an old school friend of Hamlet's), Julia Kass (Guildenstern - another old school friend of Hamlet's), Maximus Evans (Marcellus - an officer), Dijibril Ramsey (Barnardo - a sailor), Leo Shak (Francisco - a sailor), CJ Johnson (Player Queen), Mark Oosterveen (The Priest), Rob Alexander-Evans (Captain), Maximus Evans (Orderly) and  the ensemble were Jonathan Savage and Kat Collings.

Directed by Rupert Goold, Sophie Drake being the Revival Director. The play has been set in 1912, the same year as the Titanic, and there were nods to that story with the music and choreography as well as the costumes, and of course, this version of the play has been set on a ship, making it easy to dispose of the bodies by dumping the dead over the side of the ship. The whole feel of the play is so different to how I had imagined it may be, from having read the play as well as the book version of "Hamlet".

Es Devlin's set design is brilliant moving from being on the deck of the ship to cabins, and when used with the video design, by Akhila Krishnan, made you feel as if you too were aboard some kind of ocean liner. The whole of the back of the stage was wall to wall, floor to ceiling video of a surging, inky black sea. By the second half of the play I found myself slightly swaying side to side with the rhythm of the waves. Good job I don't suffer from seasickness! The video design also takes you below deck showing the massive machinery that drives the ship on when Hamlet is chased into the bowels of the vessel. It's one of the most effective set/ video design for a Shakespearian play I have seen in the theatre. It certainly gives the "wow" factor.

Costume Designer is Evie Gurney and you can see the work that has gone into this area by taking a look at the photos attached.

Jack Knowles lighting design sets your mind visually alert with the murderous scenes swathed in deep red tones, using subtler tones as well as darker shades for various sections of the story.

Sound Designer and Composer is Adam Cork. There are a couple of choreographed sections to original music; even a section that could have been lifted out of the musical version of "Titanic" with singing as well as dancing. The music used is recorded but the quality of the music used made me think that maybe the musicians were somewhere backstage due to the clarity. The original music director is Lindsey Miller.

Music Director is Dan de Cruz.

Hannes Langolf is the Movement Director and there are echoes of Frantic Assembly in the movement elements of this show, at times giving the audience almost dreamlike scenes.

Kev McCurdy is the Fight Director. This also provides an exciting element with some energetic and vicious sword fencing choreography. These scenes certainly do not hold back with the actors involved certainly delivering a realistic set of fights.

Dramaturg is all thanks to Rebecca Latham.

Shakespeare is one of those writers who has managed to write stories that have transcended time, which is why so many people flock to watch his plays over and over again. Keeping plays that may be over 400 years old fresh is all down to the subject matter and the vision of top Directors. There's a certain element of topicality as well in this play with the theme of madness and power and keeping an eye on those who wield the power, which could not be more relevant today than with the war situation in the world. The theme of revenge affects everybody at some time in their lives, so we can all relate to the main storyline. Shakespeare wrote about normal people, created plays and presented those plays to the man in the street, so what was affecting people in his day, still affects people in 2026. He certainly is a man for all time, and will continue to be so.

I can see why this particular play is the most performed Shakespeare tragedy play, yes, even beating Macbeth into second place, and is often quoted as being his greatest work. It certainly has all the elements for an exciting evening in the theatre; especially when wrapped up as perfectly as this production has been.

If you still haven't been to the theatre to see a Shakespeare play because you may think you won't understand the way that he writes, or you think you won't "get it", then make this your first because the staging and presentation is absolutely stunning, incredible and non stop entertainment.

"Hamlet" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 21 March.

 "A Night At the Musicals"

Long Clawson Village Hall.

This wonderful night was in aid of The Brain Tumour Charity, and in exchange for very little monetary investment everybody who packed the Long Clawson Village Hall received in return the most marvellous wealth of talent and a catalogue of musical theatre gems. A night right up my street and I have to thank Katherine Vernon for asking me along.

The Brain Tumour Charity relies 100% on donations and midway through the evening Katherine reported that with all the ticket sales, raffle tickets sold and the cakes and refreshments, just over £2000 had been raised, enough to fund one whole year of bioluminescence imaging for gliobastomia research, and that's not the final balance either. The charity was chosen, and the style of the event, because of Katherine's Aunt Teresa was diagnosed with a brain tumour and she sadly passed away six years ago.

A fantastically talented bunch of performers, who you can see on stage in various guises and musicals around the area performed twenty-nine musical theatre pieces and from the beautifully choreographed ensemble opening of "One Night In Bangkok" to the closing dance party classic "Dancing Queen", it was like listening to a compilation album of all of your favourite musical theatre songs, most you'll know well with the occasional little known gem thrown in.

Giving their everything on stage were Victoria Adams, Tash Bailey, Amy Beale, Georgie Bladon, Sam Carter, Peter Etherington, Katie Felts, Ryan Green, Jojo Helstrip, Andrew Hull, Kiri Humphreys, Steph Lingard, Andy Longley-Brown, Debbie Longley-Brown, Megan Lowe, Vikki Taylor, Leanne Thornton, Chris Warmington and, of course Katherine Vernon, who also acted as host for the show.

I loved every single performance, but of course one is going to have favourite songs, and all my favourites included were performed exactly the way I hoped they would be performed.

Vikki gave me shivers and tingles a plenty with "My Days" from "The Notebook", Andy made me smile with "You'll Be Back" from "Hamilton", as did Andrew and Chris' "Agony" from "Into the Woods". "Seasons Of Love" showcased a wonderful ensemble performance with some insane solos, "In His Eyes" from "Jekyll & Hyde" made me melt; Georgie and Katherine's vocals were so well matched. 

"Gethsemane" from "Jesus Christ Superstar" is one of those massive songs that often falls just a little flat because of the big falsetto piece and I've often heard it flattened and reduced from falsetto because those notes can be so hard to pitch correctly, so when Chris started singing I really hoped that he would be able to get somewhere close to how it should be sung. I've heard professional touring companies shy away from the "big note" but Chris absolutely nailed - if you'll pardon the pun - the note mid way through as well as the one at the end; possibly one of the best versions of that song since Ted Neely in the original film version. Sam Ryder should be looking over his shoulder with a falsetto like Chris's.

"Requiem" from "Dear Evan Hansen" was sublimely sung by Megan, Debbie and Andy. Another one of my all time favourite ballads from a musical is "I Know Where I've Been" from "Hairspray", and you need a powerful set of lungs to do this song justice and, as with Chris's "Gethsemane", Tash smashed the vocals right out of the Village Hall and all the way to Melton. With a backing trio who brought the gospel backing, this version was also a massive crowd pleaser, and rightly so!

Ryan's "My Petersberg" from "Anastacia" also showed off the power and control in his voice.

The "Elephant Love Medley"  from "Moulin Rouge" was one that I'd not really paid much attention to in the past, but I am going to revisit that soundtrack, thanks to Andy and Debbie.

I could mention every performance tonight for credit, because there's not one performance that didn't impress me. A selection that spanned decades of musical theatre favourites; classics as well as newer gems highlighted the talents that local theatre performers have in abundance, and it was always a given, from me at least, that there was only one way that this evening was going to end; with a richly deserved standing ovation.

 "Little Shop Of Horrors" by Funky Studios.

Create Theatre, West Notts College, Mansfield.

This performance is the final one of its' run, and I was so lucky that Katie Funk could fit me in for this "in the round" performance. A staging that I'd not seen done in this way in the past.

With the audience on all four sides of the performing space, this meant that the actors were always on the move, having to perform to all four sides of the space. This also meant that there was not a set but instead a raised section in the middle of the space where all the actors entered and exited from. One corner was designated the place for Audrey 2, but even then this plant did not stay in one place.

This staging is very different to any other staging I had seen before, in fact there were many things about this production that had been changed up and arranged in a different way.

Almost everyone will know the story of the mild mannered, meek shop assistant, Seymour, who buys a strange tropical plant and places it in his boss's flower shop window to attract custom in order to save the shop from closing down by its' owner Mr Mushnik. This would put him and his other, more glamorous assistant, Audrey, out of a job. The plant needs a special diet in order for it to flourish, and when it does, it makes Seymour a local and nationwide celebrity. And we all know the cost of that!

I am not going to mention under everybody's name how good their vocals are because they just are. The training that they get from Funky Studios, whether that be vocal training, stagecraft or choreography has always been of the highest quality, and that is what we heard and saw on their final night of "Little Shop"

Playing the part of Seymour was Maxwell Cooper. Funky Studios have moved away from showing Seymour as a nerd, instead they, and Maxwell, depicted this character as a slightly absent minded, probably brought on by overworking for the slightly bullying Mushnik. Apart from showing Seymour as not being the geeky one, this staging showed quite a mature, forward thinking botanist, as well as brilliantly showing the angst and stress brought upon by Audrey 2. You could feel the tension inside Seymour start to stretch to breaking point, brought emotionally to the surface by Maxwell.

Audrey is played by Lily Orton. Again this production has moved away from the archetypal blonde bimbo air head and we are presented with a young woman who feels that the controlling, violent and bullying boyfriend is all she is worthy of, something that of late has been highlighted by tv soap storylines, and having Audrey shown as not being some "dumb blonde" quite a bit of the comedy is removed from the character and a more serious Audrey is shown. I said that I wouldn't comment on how every singer is vocally blessed, but boy can Lily sing; she gave me tingles with her range that went from an almost whisper to a powerhouse belter.

Mrs Mushnik is played by Niamh Cross. Another change in the story because I have not seen a Mrs Mushnik in this musical. Niamh brought much of the comedy here, especially in the "Mushnik and Son" piece. A nice change to see the role reversal, and also to not have Mushnik with a Jewish accent as often I feel that sometimes adds pressure to a younger cast member to get the accent as it should be. With that pressure removed the comedy side of the character can be focused on.

Orin Scrivello, the dentist and sadistic boyfriend of Audrey, was played by Oliver Edwards. Orin has always been one of my favourite musical theatre baddies and I've seen many excellent Orins over the years. Here, Oliver delivers another different character-filled performance. Without having the joys of a dental set and props, he could, and had to rely on the physical comedy side of the Dentist, which Oliver did brilliantly by way of his vocal interpretation of the loud, brash and bullying and his facial acting, especially with the clear face mask in "It's The Gas". the song "Dentist" is also a brilliantly penned song which Oliver performed wonderfully.

Audrey 2 was another casting I had not expected, or seen before, as far as I could remember. As the plant grew in size, so did the amount of voices and young people depicting the monster plant. Eva Donaldson, Surann James, Tristan Tennyson and Sean Peat all created the multi-layered voice of Audrey 2. With four people this indicated the size, and power the plant had over Seymour, all participants suitably using their arms to indicate the expanding plant parts.

Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon, the 60's chanteuses created a lovely retro musical feeling from the doo wop age and are played by Cassie Hopley, Maisy Slack and Emily Matthews. Their voices just melted into one another, sounding multitracked and very typical of the Sixties girl group sound. If this trio ever went into recording music, I'd definitely buy their tracks because of their tightly perfected harmonies, and they looked like a girl group from the Phil Spector era which completed the whole look.

The ensemble consisted of Jessica Clarke, Faith Dent, Emily Mason, Lola Miles and Sienna Wright. Such a hard working ensemble, and they needed to be because there was no place for them to hide away with the show being in the round, so if they weren't in the stage area performing, they were in various corners, also acting and reacting.

Directed by Katie Funk. I love it when a Director takes a well known musical, or play, and changes various things within the production, looking at the show with new eyes and ideas. For someone like myself who has seen "Little Shop" many times, to see a production with so many visual changes that add to the original story instead of spoiling it, as I've seen some Shakespeare plays tried and failed, this makes me sit up and take note instead of expecting a carbon copy of the original direction. Thank you Katie for making me sit up and take note!

Choreographed by Katie Funk and Charlotte Neea. Once again with the shape of the stage changed, and the position of where the audience are, a new look at choreography also has to be taken into mind, and it was. I love the original 1960's style dances but there were also new choreographed moves in there to keep this show as fresh as the blood needed by Audrey 2.

Musical Director is Jacob Savage. And even more new arrangements I spotted in the songs and the newer contemporary style sounded so fresh to these old ears of mine. With Katie's Direction and Jacob's musical arrangements, this show came across as refreshingly refreshed.

The soundtrack includes some well loved songs, "Somewhere That's Green", "Suddenly Seymour", "Dentist", "Skid Row/Downtown", "Call Back In The Morning" - which had echoes of "Christmas Bells" from "Rent" - and the finale of "Don't Feed The Plants" will all remain in your head, well after you've left the building.

Stage Managed by Jasper Swanwick with Sue Funk backstage.

Sound is thanks to Matt Trigg and Tregi Worsley. So many times I have wished that the sound departments in theatre had done what this pair did on Friday night. The mic's were turned up for the singing and turned down for the dialogue, which worked so well in this smaller performance space, but also meant that every word of the songs were heard perfectly, and there's a lot of comedy in Howard Ashman's lyrics.

Lighting was by Rachel Wells, blending the danger and bloodiness with red lighting and the plant area with green lighting.

I also liked the difference costume wise in this production. Out were the typical costumes for this musical and the costumes for Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon were denim, almost rural style farm outfits and the ensemble with red and black chequered shirts, defining the two groups. Orin had the usual leather jacket but without the dentist uniform whites. Audrey's usual figure hugging dress was replaced with an updated T-Shirt and jeans. There was still the understated tank top outfit for Seymour and Audrey 2 actors were dressed mainly in black with green gloves, some with a floral pattern, but we all knew that this quartet was of the flora division.

Produced by Cat Orton.

A lovely fresh performance with some outstanding performers that created a wonderfully new feel to an old classic.