"Things I Know To Be True" by Andrew Bovell.

Lace Market Theatre.

Here's another play that I've not seen before, but will never forget.

Bob and Fran Price have four adult children: Pip, Mark, Ben, and Rosie. Each child has his or her own unique struggles and secrets that they try to keep hidden from their parents, but Fran has a knack for knowing what is true in each of their lives. Over the course of a year, the children try to redefine their lives separately from the hopes and dreams of their parents, what is real and genuine in the Price family falls apart under scrutiny, and Bob and Fran must redefine their relationships with their children and with each other. 

It’s a story about growing up, letting go and learning that the people we love most are often the ones we understand the least.

I'd had a bit of an insight into what the play was about by chatting to Director Jonathan Cleaver, so I knew that it was going to be a production very different to so many plays produced by the Lace Market Theatre, but I didn't realise how emotional the story was going to be, and how personal the story was to me.

It has a very different feel to so many other plays with the closest comparison I could come to was "The Curious Incident Of the Dog In The Night Time" in the way that the choreography of the piece is played out. Developed by The Frantic Assembly, the Frantic Method is "direction through movement and promotes an acute physical awareness that can be implemented in moments of stillness just as it can be in the physically spectacular", something I certainly have not seen at the Lace Market Theatre before.

Bob is a gentle, retired father, steady and reliable, who finds solace in his garden and rose bushes. He struggles to adapt to modern life and his children's changes, representing traditional, possibly rigid, values. Played by Frazer Wanless he shows Bob to emotionally surf through life, but towards the end of the play there's an emotional explosion with one of his children. There's also a surprise revelation for him, but this in turn reveals that he was more savvy about what goes on within his family than is seen from the outside. The final scenes are heartbreaking. This is probably the most emotional role that I have seen Frazer play, but he also brings a great deal of laughter throughout the story.

Fran is a nurse who has sacrificed her happiness for her children. She harbours deep regrets, often taking her frustrations out on her eldest daughter, Pip. Fran is manipulative as well, particularly in enabling her son Ben, but is also deeply loving which goes to creating a somewhat conflicting character. Fran is played by Sarah Taylor and as with Frazer, this is the most emotional part I have seen Sarah play. What happens at the end to Fran is completely unexpected and comes like a punch to the gut.

Pip, the eldest daughter, is a successful but stressed-out education bureaucrat who feels trapped by her responsibilities as a wife and mother. Pip is played by Charlie Osborne who straight away, due to the physicality Charlie brings to her character, enables you to see that something is not quite right; like a coiled spring you can see and feel the tension. When she reveals to her parents what her future intentions are, there's an explosion of fury and disbelief from Fran, which as we discover later in the play is completely misplaced.

Mark is played by Jude Hodgson. A character who undergoes a significant transformation in the play. Mark's storyline highlights the parents' lack of understanding and emotional support. You can understand their ignorance because of their background and their own family past. They initially think one thing and brace themselves for Mark's admission, but they are way off the mark with what Mark has to reveal, and that causes a big family rift with Fran. This is Mark's first stage role for about six years and this marks Mark's debut for the Lace Market Theatre. Incredibly powerful role which is sensitively presented.

Ben is played by Louis Harrison. He is the youngest son, portrayed as reckless and restless, possibly seen as spoiled and babied by his mother. He engages in dangerous, illegal activities to fund a lifestyle he cannot afford, showcasing a desire to escape the mundane life his parents lead and to engage better with his work peers. Louis is a recently joined member of the Lace Market Theatre, which gives the theatre, and the audience, two new male actors who prove to be well versed in emotional acting. Louis makes you feel pulled between several emotions, and you find yourself siding with both his father as well as his mother's reactions as Ben.

Rosie is the youngest child, who serves as a lens for the audience to view the family's secrets and struggles. Rosie is played by Rosie Randall. Rosie, the character, is the first to provide her monologue to the audience. This in itself shows as a big thing, back story wise, but is quite insignificant when you hear everyone else's. I say that  but of course, with being the youngest child will seem a major issue. I love that Fran, on being surprised by Rosie's early return home, straight away believes something is wrong; well she is right, to an extent.

Directed by Jonathan Cleaver, he brings such an achingly beautiful piece of theatre to the stage; I can see why Jonathan is such a fan of this play and why he was desperate to direct this gorgeous piece of theatre. Jonathan and the cast create wonderful humour, and then can have you in tears. This is proven by the young woman on my row visibly and audibly sobbing at the closing scenes. He brings out the lightest of scenarios, and then throws you into the darkest pit.

Andrew Bovell, the writer, shows everybody the inner workings and thoughts of every parent, especially a parent of a certain age, as with Bob and Fran. He shows the love, the anger, the frustration and the disappointment when one of the family doesn't turn out the way that they would like their child to be. It also shows that the children have their own minds and the secrets that they keep from their parents. It shows that we, as parents, don't know everything about our children and how difficult it can be  for a child to speak to their parents, and we don't know the ins and outs of our kids' minds.

The set design is by David Babington and effectively shows the turning of the seasons by the six rose bushes, which you'll understand when, and if you can get a ticket for this production. There's also a tree in the set which is important, especially the roots of the tree which can be seen on stage, but significantly reminds us of our own family roots. Or am I being too deep?

Lighting by Hugh Philip, Allan Green, Phil Hogarth and Amy Bermudez and is extremely important and effective in this show. Strands of lights drape the stage which flicker quite a bit, and they are supposed to, maybe to indicate the flickering emotions of the whole family. It's quite difficult to explain just how effective the lighting is for this particular show, and is best seen for the effects they conjure up.

Sound by Simon Carter is also an extremely important part of the show. the reading of a letter which incorporates and highlights a special memory and feeling from Pip to Fran is spine tingling. The rest of the soundtrack heightens the emotions incredibly, reflecting how the characters are feeling.

I mentioned the movement side of the play and I adored the synchronicity in this area. Sarah in one section shows a lot of trust in the rest of the cast.

Stage managed by Kathy Bobkowska and Melanie Marriott.

The costumes are thanks to Sharon Phillips.

There are so many parts of this play that fell into line with my personal life, which in a way was slightly unnerving, but maybe I am just like many other people all over the world who has gone through similar situations as Bob has. It will give you plenty of things to talk about after the play has ended, and may give you a clearer understanding of your children, or your parents. For me though, you know that Roberta Flack song "Killing Me Softly With His Song", well this was the play version of that song for me., even if some of the situations may have been different, that's how it made me feel. That's how Jonathan and the cast made me feel.

"Things I Know To Be True" is at the Nottingham Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 14 February and is a must see for anyone who loves emotional theatre or simply great theatre.

Contains strong language and adult themes.

 "Frozen Jr."

Uncommon Productions.

Long Eaton School.

I've never really been a massive fan of this musical, maybe I'm too old to appreciate the Disneyness of the story. I'll let you into a little secret; I also was not a massive fan of the musical "Cats", until my third time of seeing it, after which everything fell into place and then I loved it, and still do. I'll let you into another secret, this is the third time of me seeing "Frozen Jr".... stay tuned folks!

When Queen Elsa accidentally sets off an eternal winter in the town of Arendelle, her younger sister Anna (along with her friends Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven) goes off on an adventure to find her sister and save the kingdom. Facing an unsuspected villain, unpredictable ice powers, and something new waiting round every corner, Anna must fight alongside her friends to bring back summer. "Frozen" reveals how true love can come in many forms, and can at times be deceptive, that the bond between sisters is something truly special.

"Frozen Jr" has been performed at Long Eaton School since Wednesday with two different casts alternating. When I was at school there were, as far as I can remember, no proper drama classes and the stage in the hall was used for the morning assembly and the annual production, open to the privileged few to perform. How times have changed, and in my mind for the better.

Young Elsa is played by Jessica Carruthers, and while we don't see that much of Jessica, her version of Young Elsa was swift but quite poignant due to the magic she held in her hands which separated her from her younger sister.

Young Anna is played by Martha Briggs and  this role stuck in my mind for the playfulness of the character, always wanting to build that snowman with her elder sister, as well as the disappointment in her voice when she got no response from behind the door that separated her from Elsa.

Queen Elsa is played by Paige Bone, isolated in her ice palace, cut off from Anna, after their parents had died, Paige depicted the loneliness well and what I also loved was the make up she wore made her look cold and drawn; the costume of silver also helped to bring out the ice queen image, and of course it's Elsa who gets to sing the most famous song from the musical. "Let It Go" is a massive song for an adult to crack, but Paige absolutely nailed that song as well as that note at the end. Paige has a really nice folky tone to her voice which made the song feel and sound just that little bit different, and I liked the difference.

Anna is played by Isobel Pickering. Anyone who knows Isobel and her family know what a tough few years she has had, which I'm not going to go into, but Izzy's performance in this show showed the inner strength that she has, a strength that exploded from the role. Blending the sadness and frustration of being apart from her sister with the fun of finding love, or so she thought with Hans in the song "Love Is An Open Door", which always requires greet timing with your singing partner. Between Isobel and Paige, they really showed the bond and the strength between sisters.

Sarah Armstrong played Queen Iduna, another quick appearance along with Holly Oldershaw, who played King Agnarr, Elsa and Anna's parents who made the decision to keep the sisters apart so that Elsa could not cause any further harm to her sister.

Madelynne Woodroffe plays prince Hans. Prince Hans "falls" for Anna but that's where the twist comes in, as we discover later on in the musical. Quite rightly identified as a baddie of the musical who received several "boos" from the packed Long Eaton School audience at the time, but a massive round of applause at the final bows.

Olaf is the magical snowman who the two sisters created when they were younger and played by Violet Graney. Looking at the programme before the show I wasn't sure if Violet would be dressed as a snowman, but no, Olaf turned out to be a rather wonderful puppet, operated by Violet, who also dressed the part, all in white.

Kristoff, an ice harvester, almost put out of business by Elsa's extreme frost, is played by Rowan Jackson. I last saw Rowan playing an Ancestor in last year's production of "the Addams family", so it's good to see him as a more major character with Kristoff. A very confident young actor who has a nice line of comedy, especially with his sidekick Sven, the reindeer, played by Dexter Yates. Dexter looked as if he was really enjoying himself with some of the lines and the choreography that Sven was given. A good comedy pairing with Rowan and Dexter.

Pabble was played all week by Amy Taylor and Lily Bradley took the role of Bulda on Friday evening.

Oaken, the shop owner and trader is played by Rowan Brown, a brilliant comedy role for them. The song "Hygge" perfectly represents this along with the fun choreography Oaken and family perform, putting broad smiles on everybody's face.

Emily Taylor plays the Duke Of Weasel Town - oops, sorry Westleton. Quite an angry character when first introduced, but you would be wouldn't you if people keep getting your name wrong? That character trait does change later on in the musical though and a nice character filled role for Emily.

And last, but not least is The Bishop, played by Keeley Rickerby.

The citizens of Arendelle/ Oaken family are played by Matilda Mills, Excel Anamalu, Nicolena Morales, Arietta Morales, Isla Ingham, Livvy Mae Houghton and Yasmin Cuthbert.

The Ice Chorus consist of Darcie Price, Lily Ann Goddard, Leah Bestwick and Lyla Mae Houghton.

The Hidden Folk were played by Mia Allen, Olivia Hill, Leah Thomas, Margaux Shaw, Antoni Penev, Jakob Screen and Joshua Tomkins-Bell.

Produced and Directed by Mr Beardmore, who had a big task to follow from last year's "The Addams Family", but he certainly managed to top that. "Frozen" I now realise is one of those musicals that a certain generation grew up with and absolutely love, so the choice to perform this, this year was inspired. The whole cast performed with great maturity, and you could just feel that they loved performing this year's production. A rapid set of scene changes executed really well made the story and time fly. Helping out in Directing duty was Holly Oldershaw, one of the students.

Musical Directors are Miss Hall and Miss Attenborough. These ladies have really done good with this cast because the singing was a joy to hear, and the students timing was to be applauded all round.

Choreography for this show is by Miss Thrower, Mr Beardmore and Martha Briggs. Another area of production that has been smashed out of the ballpark.

The set was designed by Mr Mendham and used a split level stage to be able to depict the ice castle, and to give the cast an additional platform to use to show travel, and of course so that we could all see them when it came to the final bows. <r Mendham also had a bit of help from Student set designers Aimee Fothergill and Madelyne Woodroffe.

The Costumes are brilliant. From the regal dresses for Anna and Elsa, to the rather marvellous Olaf and Sven, and everything in between. Miss Hall is responsible for these brilliant creations.

Lighting Design is by Ruby Didwell and Maddie Taft with Sound Design by Lewis Cuthbert and Emma Webster Tams.

I touched on the effect the make up had on making Elsa look drawn with worry and cold, and that, as well as all of the other make up is thanks to Lily Bradley

It was a packed out audience on Friday, and I found out that the previous two days were the same, showing that all of the publicity worked wonders. The student Head of Publicity was Imogen Scott, and I must thank Lisa Pickering for asking me over to review.

As I said at the start, "Frozen" has not been up there in my Top 5 favourite musicals but, after tonight, this cast have defrosted more of that coldness I felt for this show; in fact, I really enjoyed this production. It must be something about third time lucky, or seeing a show three times. Whatever the reason, I drove back to Nottingham humming "Let It Go" all the way back.

"Frozen Jr" ended its' run tonight.

 "Guys n Dolls" by Erewash Musical Society Youth Group.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

One of the greatest Noo Yoik based musicals of all time, and one of my all-time favourite musicals on stage or on film.

"Guys n Dolls" is the story of Nathan Detroit and his doll Adelaide and Sky Masterson and his newly discovered doll Sarah, who is in the process of saving souls. Will Sky's soul be one soul she can't save, or will Sky give up his gambling evil ways and succumb to the word of the Lord?

Based on the stories and characters written by Damon Runyon, the action starts in Runyonland where Nathan is looking for a place to hold his latest "crap game". The only way he can think of raising the funds to pay for a venue is to bet Sky $1000 that he can't take a "doll" of Nathan's choice to Havana for dinner, and Nathan chooses Sarah Brown from the mission.

In the background Adelaide, Nathan's fiancée for the last 12 years, wants to get married and they plan to elope, but all does not go to plan while Nathan is still planning the latest "crap game".

This is Hollywood though so it's all bound to end up happily ever after, and it does, leaving you with a fluffy, warm, squidgy feeling in your tummy.

Sky Masterson, suave, smart, handsome who unexpectantly falls for Sarah Brown, the Missionary leader, is played by Oliver Nolan. I stated in my last review of Oliver as Poseidon in "The Lightning Thief", that he was officially cool, and he takes that "cool" up another level as Masterson. He looks cool, he acts cool, he has a cool accent and he can sing, and I am sure that his voice has gone even deeper.

Sarah Brown, the Sergeant of the local Mission who falls for Sky, is played by Izzy Cole. Oh My God what a voice! Her voice takes me back to those classic musical women, people like Kathryn Grayson (look her up on Google/YouTube); so pure and clear and beautiful to listen to. Love the way that she acted out the rebuffs of Masterson's advances and the slap she gives Sky in the Mission hall looked incredibly real. I also loved the Havana scene as this had been done in a slightly different way, which I'll mention later. Everyone was talking about Izzy's voice in the interval.

Livvi Hickling plays Miss Adelaide, long time love of Nathan Detroit and a lead performer at the Hot Box nightclub. Another wonderful voice and I liked how Adelaide was not presented as some high winy-voiced airhead, as she was in the film. Livvi also has the choreography nailed, especially in the number "Take Back Your Mink" plus "Adelaide's Lament" was given a lovely subdued feel. The duet Adelaide does with Detroit in "Sue Me" is also another highlight for me.

Nathan Detroit is played by Elis Moore. Elis has an ear for accents, and you know how much I love a well presented accent. A very broad Bronx/Noo Yoik accent which at times, when the script required a faster paced speech, the accent never suffered but the clarity of the speech became mashed, which would be truly realistic if listening to any heavy accent when the owner of that accent becomes excited. I've always been a fan of Elis's vocals and his comedic abilities, and both are well utilised as Nathan Detroit.

Nicely Nicely Johnson is played by Noah Hickling. Just like his name suggests, he is the nicest and cheeriest of the gambling crooks. High-spirited and a bit naïve, but sincere and genuine. Nathan’s loyal friend and lackey. This young man has one of those mobile faces and he can make you smile with just a change of expression. I have really been impressed with his vocals in past shows but in this show his vocals are true musical theatre vocals. It's not easy to maintain a constant accent like Nicely's, but to also sing in accent is even more difficult but Noah does both brilliantly. Just listen to "Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat", one of my favourite scenes in this production. Plus the rapid wordplay in "The Oldest Established" is performed, not just delivered. This young man is becoming an all rounder with his vocals, acting, dancing and comedy skills; Noah is more than ready for leading man parts.

Blake Hagan plays Lieutenant Brannigan, the hapless B - Movie type cop, chasing his tail trying to catch Sky, Nathan and the rest of the players.

Heather Beardmore plays Harry the Horse who is entertaining Big Julie while he is upstate.

Benny Southstreet is played by Harry O'Boyle. Nathan’s right-hand man and a gambler himself. Smart, slick, always moving and shaking, but with what he thinks are Nathan’s best interest at heart. Another consistently excellent character acting job by young Mr O'Boyle.

Yasmin Aldous plays Rusty Charlie, the gambling sidekick of Nicely Nicely and Benny Southstreet. These three roles are so well cast because they all require actors who are naturally funny and can sing in three part harmony, as showcased in the opening "Fugue For Tin Horns".

Jessie Gatehouse plays Big Julie, who is in town to "shoot crap", not a bad loser, it's just that he always likes to win! With a moustache and beard drawn on to her face, Jessie is completely transformed into this greedy gangster. Another fine stage combat scene is where Sky punches Big Julie during the "Luck be A Lady" section, and the timings on that punch was impeccable by both Oliver and Jessie that it looked incredibly real

Lowri Moore is Angie The Ox, another one of the gamblers.

Myla Statham-Browne is General Matilda Cartwright who has come to town to tell Sarah and the Missionaries that they have to close this missionary post down but not even Matilda B Cartwright fails to not fall under the spell of the beguiling Sky Masterson, and allows them to prove the success of the missionaries.

Arvide Abernathy, Sarah's Uncle and fellow Mission worker, is played by Gabriella Tilley. There's a lovely scene in the second act where Sarah confesses to Arvide that she does love Sky, but she will not see him again. Arvide expresses his faith in Sky's inherent goodness and urges Sarah to follow her heart and sings "More I Cannot Wish You"

Agatha is played by Jessie Jerram, Mollie Jerram is Martha, members of the Mission group.

Xander Thorpe plays Joey Biltmore, the owner of the garage where Nathan wants to hold the secret crap game at.

Emily O'Boyle is the Master of Ceremonies who introduces Miss Adelaide and the Hot Box dancers.

The Hot Box dancers are played by Lowri Moore, Eloise Chamberlain, Yasmin Aldous, Sophie Forman, Lauren Hazledine, Clarissa Armitage, Juliette York and Tayla Dilks. The choreography for these dancers is fantastic and these young actors create a Hollywood nightclub style vibe in both big numbers "A Bushel and A Peck" and "Take Back Your Mink"

Rose Staniford and Eva Woodcock have ensemble roles.

Directed by Anna Fitzpatrick. This is the full version of the musical but with a few trimmed bits I noticed, which I felt enhanced the enjoyment of the show. The section in Havana had been trimmed slightly and I loved the flow and stage combat of that section which was almost balletic. The pace was perfect as was the comedy and the wonderful accents from everyone.

Choreographed by Sophie Robbins and assisted by Katie Chamberlain. So many choreographic highlights in this production for me. The crap game in the sewers was done in silhouette and was almost cinematic. The Havana scene had a big impact with it being trimmed down flowing into the fight scene with Sarah and the Havana dancers. This is one of those wonderful classic musicals where there are lots of choreographed scenes and every scene was just a joy to watch.

Musical Director is Martin Lewis, who knows his way around where musicals are concerned, and his experience, on and off stage, reaps so many dividends when it comes to big scale musicals such as this. The score sounded classy, which is something that martin brings to any MD job.

The soundtrack is full of classic musical theatre songs that have become favourites in the Great American Songbook; songs like "If I Were A Bell", "A Bushel & A Peck", "I've Never been In Love Before", "Luck Be A Lady", "Sit Sown You're Rocking the Boat", "Marry the Man Today" and of course the title song.

Costumes were thanks to EMUS Committee, friends and family and were marvellous. I loved the smart suits for the gamblers and also loved the costumes for the Hot Box dancers.

Set Designers are Mark and Bill Robbins.

Sound design and operation is by Dave Dallard, assisted by Jack Clark, and everyone who was mic'd up in the production was heard perfectly, and no missed mic cues.

Lighting design and operation is by Richard Chamberlain, assisted by Dave Martin. A colourful musical which was complemented by a colourful lighting design.

Having had the pleasure of reviewing EMUS for quite a while now, I get to see the theatre journey that these young people travel down. I see them grow and their talents get better and better. I hear the male actors' voices breaking and their development and growth from ensemble to leading man roles. I also get to see the ladies blossom and their voices get stronger and fill out. This musical is an absolute classic, and not the easiest one for a youth group to take on, but I think that I can honestly say that all the actors have moved up another rung of their dramatic ladder and have given audiences possible one of the best productions from EMUS on Thursday night. If you've already got tickets for the rest of the run, you are in for an absolute treat. Don't gamble on tickets being available because I bet they'll all be gone by Saturday!

"Guys 'n' Dolls" is at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 7 February.

 "A Wedding Story" by Bryony Lavery

West Bridgford Dramatic Society.

The Studio Theatre, West Bridgford.

This may be one of the most difficult reviews that I have to write. With plays that I have never seen before I do very little research about the storyline, so as to make the impact of the storyline as fresh as possible; that's the same with comedy plays, musicals or, as with this one, incredibly sad.

Taking her place in church, little does Sally know that she is about to find love herself with another wedding guest, Grace. Meanwhile, at home her parents, Evelyn and Peter, face the toughest challenge of their marriage, as the ageing process in the form of Alzheimer's takes its toll with devastating effect. The entire family, including Sally's sibling, Robin, is brought face to face with the meaning of true love and commitment.

Evelyn is played by Michelene Harris, who makes her return to the stage in a role that I am sure was not an easy role to play by any stretch of the imagination. Evelyn, who is a medical person, starts to forget the odd name, but it's when she fails to recognise her husband in their own home that you realise that there's something more serious afoot. Michelene plays the gradual onset of Alzheimer's with great sensitivity, and it's the pain and frustration that the character is obviously going through that really hits home and creates an emotional recognition from myself. I have a tendency to forget names and places and it makes you think, on a personal level, could that be me somewhere down the line? 

Any actor wants to know that the work that they have done on stage has affected their audience in the way that they and the Director intended the character to do, and to tell their story. It certainly had me welling up, especially seeing how the frustration was felt by the family and the things that they said and did. There's a scene where Evelyn has wet herself and the following scene just makes you want to scream inside. If Michelene never plays another role, which I really hope will not come true, I'll know that I have seen an actor who blew me away emotionally; an actor who made me feel useless and an actor who made me feel anger at their treatment by their loved ones. I can also only imagine that Michelene feels quite drained after every performance of Evelyn.

Peter is played by Malcolm Todd, an actor that I've had the pleasure of seeing on stage many times. This character is first seen returning from a wedding, slightly worse the wear for drink, and I must admit Malcolm plays tipsy very well. Believably tipsy. You see the love that Peter has for his wife that slips into frustration and then guilt. Another very emotional portrayal of a character who has to relearn how to cope with what is happening to his wife, as well as the effect the situation has on their family.

Sally, their daughter, is played by Emily Girton, who also acts as one of the main narrators. Sally makes a discovery while at the wedding that she had attended with Peter, and her story is also shown throughout the play. Sally's story though does have a happy ending as she revises her casual outlook on love, relationships and marriage.

Grace, the sexy woman who attracts Sally's attention at the wedding, is played by Margarita Papadopoulou. Grace is focused on what she wants going forward from the toilet cubicle fumble with Sally, but Sally is not 100% on board with the headstrong Grace. Margarita portrays a realistic and subtle sexy temptress without going over the top, and she makes you see that this couple could work out, especially with the commitment that Grace puts into chasing the relationship.

Robin, Evelyn and Peter's son, is played by Bertie Black in yet another change of character and acting skills from his last role as a pirate. I like Bertie in a more serious role, and while there's still comedy delivered by Bertie, as well as the other actors, he shows the whole gamut of emotions from the son. There's one scene where Robin starts to get emotional, and I wasn't sure if this was the character or the actor I was watching. 

Directed by Calum Sharp. I was not expecting the effect this play would have on me, and that is due, not just to the wonderfully written story, but to the way the play is directed and the way that Calum has steered the story and the honesty that he has extracted from his cast via the characters' love, anger and frustration. There were times when the story and acting could have strayed over the top, but not once did this happen; if it had, the story would not have had such a profound affect on me, and hopefully everyone else.

Set Designer is Jerome Foley. The design has a subtle wedding feel with the three "walls" of the set dressed in silk with three boxes, used for seats, also dressed in such a way to resemble large wedding presents, wrapped with a bow. A simple design that allowed the actors and story to shine without any distractions from a busy set. The set dressing was done by Charlie Willcox and the props and costumes  were thanks to Eleanor Roberts.

Sound design and operation is by Jeff Tullin, and the sound is possibly more important in this style of play as it sets the scenes with soundbites and music clips, and also moves the story on. There's a section that takes you back to the film soundtrack of "Casablanca" which is particularly poignant, especially to Evelyn.

Lighting design is by Annie Haley and operated by Jem Woolley. As with the music operation and design, this area of production also guided you to where the story wants you to go. The opening scene and the scene directly after Evelyn wets herself in particular highlights what I am getting at.

The projection design is also utilised well and cleverly acted like the chapters of a book, using part of the script from the end of one scene to introduce the story in the following scene, producing fluid continuity. 

"A Wedding Story" is beautifully sad and beautifully written by Bryony Lavery, combining a natural human ability to make humour of a fated future, with heartbreak and an inability to put the brakes on or take control of the inevitable. The script does include several profanities that may shock, but they are not used gratuitously. This play will give you plenty to think about and plenty to talk about.

"A Wedding Story" is at the Studio Theatre in West Bridgford until Saturday 7 February.

 "The Red Shoes" by Matthew Bourne's New Adventures.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Everybody should know that Matthew Bourne is the king of modern ballet choreography. This is his adaptation is of the Academy award winning Powell & Pressburger’s 1948 film of the same name and Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale. It’s about a girl, Vicky Page, who lives to dance, and the two men who inspire that passion within. It's about passion. It's about dancing. It's about control. It's about obsession. What more could you want from ballet?

Vicky hopes to impress Boris Lermontov, the poker-faced director of an innovative ballet company, and she manages to attract his attention. He’s impressed and invites her, as well as a moody young composer, Julian Craster, to join his company. The pair’s talents flourish under his guidance and then romance rears its head for Craster and Page and that's where the problems start.

The set and costumes are designed by Lez Brotherston. The set is cleverly designed utilising a large stage within a stage where the curtains can revolve allowing you to see both sides of the stage. it also acts as a split section allowing the stage crew to change one side of the scenery while the other half is being used. With a smooth rotation of the curtains we can then move to the other half.

We visit the ballet stage, the beach at Monte Carlo, A sleazy music hall and we even get a steam train in there as well. There are brilliant blasts of cinematic scenes, moving to monochrome sets that create that old time movie feel and introduces even more drama to the story.

The costumes, as only to be expected from Sir Matthew's ballets are eye-catching, exciting and blending the contemporary with the outlandish. Visually a treat for all. There's a lovely red and purple pin stripe suit matched with black shirt and vivid red tie that immediately pops out at you, and would look great in my wardrobe.

Paule Constable has designed the lighting. It changes from stark to Hollywood glamour, from brilliant sunshine on the beach to dark eerie castle gloominess and from cavalcades of colour to stark black and white.

The gorgeous, rich and romantic sound is the responsibility of the New Adventures Orchestra. sweeping strings transport you to a far away place and then bring you back to the darker side of the ballet with just a staccato exchange. 

Paul Groothius designs the soundscape. He makes you feel like you're sitting by the Monte Carlo beach with a gentle sound of the waves washing over you, then later creating the sound imagery of an approaching train.

The music itself is orchestrated by Terry Davies using the magical music of Hollywood composer, Bernard Herrmann, who has worked on scores for Martin Scorsese, Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles among other legends.

Helping you locate the various scenes and places, there was a lovely fun and atmospheric projection design by Duncan McLean.

Matthew Bourne combines several dance styles in his ballets, from Latin American, ballroom, lindy hop via contemporary and also includes a wonderful comedy Wilson and Keppell sand dance routine. And comedy is one thing that Mr Bourne loves to inject into his work and there's loads of humour in this one. Just watch the dancers physicality, as well as their musicality, and even just a shrug or a raised eyebrow can relate comedy here. But this ballet also has a darker underbelly as well.

I'm not going to spout loads of wonderful things individually because the whole cast and ensemble are the best of the best; they wouldn't be in New Adventures if they weren't, but here's who played who....

Andy Monoghan (Boris Lermontov - Ballet Impresario), Cordelia Braithwaite (Victoria Page), Dominic North (Julian Craster), Katrina Lyndon (Irina Boranskaya - Prima Ballerina), Will Bozier (Ivan Boleslawsky - Premier Danseur), Glenn Graham (Grischa Ljubov - Ballet Master, Choreographer and Character Artist), Rosanna Lindsey (Nadia), Shakiera Ward (Svetlana), Daisy West (Beryl), Isabella Chandler (Pamela), Jarrod McWilliams (Mikhail), Matthew Potulski (Anton), Kingston Taylor (Serge), Thomas Ireson (Frederic), Molly Shaw-Downie (Lady Neston, Joyce and Edith), Tom Barnes Standing (Sergei Ratov) and Mark Austin (Dimitri).

I don't know much about ballet but I know when I have been entertained of an evening, and I was royally entertained, as I always am when a Matthew Bourne show is in town. I don't know about anyone else but I just find it so relaxing to watch these dancers glide over the stage and the music to wash over me, transporting you to a completely other world. 

The dancers are masters of their craft, athletes who train harder than most sport stars, and get to perform this magical choreography for our entertainment. If you've never been to a ballet before, let this be your introduction to a most wonderful and disciplines dance form, and if you've been a ballet fan for a while, but not seen this production, go on treat yourself!

Matthew Bourne's New Adventures "The Red Shoes" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 7 February.

 "Rapunzel" by Mansfield Hospitals Theatre Troupe.

Mansfield Palace Theatre.

For anyone my side of Nottingham who may not have heard of Mansfield Hospitals Theatre Troupe, they are a group of people who get together to put on a pantomime each year, something they have been doing since 1980, to raise money for local charities. This was my first time seeing any of their work, and I must thank George Morley for inviting me along to see their latest production.

Princess Rapunzel has been kept locked up in a tower for almost eighteen years by witch Gothel, who she believes to be her mother. But her royal parents, have not given up hope that one day she may return to them. And every year they celebrate her birthday, by releasing one sky-lantern for every year she’s been gone.

Rapunzel’s loneliness is broken by the arrival of three Fairies, who persuade her to let them transport her to the outside world. Gothel discovers Rapunzel has been freed, and enlists the help of two villains to return her to the tower. The scene is now set for a daring rescue.....

With the amount of local theatre groups I am blessed to see, it always astounds me of the quality of each individual production and every individual performance, especially when you roster into the equation that they have regular jobs, family life, children etc., but somehow they all manage to create entertainment that is worthy of being on the stage.

Rapunzel is played by Paige Allen. At the start of the panto, Paige is sat in the tower looking every bit a Disney Princess, and from that moment on all I saw and heard was a Disney Princess. Her voice is exquisite and when she gets to duet with her Prince on a couple of numbers, their voices seem to just melt into each other.

Nurse Hetty Hairspray is played by Martin Killick. I think this winter period there has been a few bars raised with both panto baddies and panto Dames, and here is another fantastic Dame, and what I like about Dame Hetty Hairspray is the common factor; no airs, no graces, just a good down to earth character who talks in the same way as her audience, which straight away endears the character to them. With the Mansfield Hospitals Theatre Troupe, I have seen only one person in this group previously, so I have nothing else to compare any of them to, but Martin has an obvious flair for Damehood, so I have to conclude that this can't be Martin's first rodeo in a frock, he is so comfortable in the role. He has some great lines but I think on Monday night the audience needed to catch up with Martin. I also liked the way that he came to the aid of another cast member when a line was missed, and while bringing the panto back on track, created the gentlest of prompt and worked it into the performance.

Prince George is played by  Sam Mycroft. Not your archetypal Prince figure but the surprise, for me at least, came when he opened his mouth to sing. What a voice this young man has! It's contemporary and really easy to listen to. There's a duet/mash up with Paige of Meghan Trainor's "Dear Future Husband" and Olly Murs' "Dance With You Tonight" which sounded incredible together - great choice of songs for that mash up by the way. Sam would be a boon in musical theatre with the voice he has; again I know nothing of these actors so know not if that is something that he has done in the past, or may want to do in the future, but his confidence on stage is really boosted when he sings.

The three magical fairies, Fairy Good, Fairy Well and Fairy Nuff are played by Alice Apark, Donna Ramsden and Hannah Brown. There's a lovely comedy section with Rapunzel regarding their names and the accidental use of them in conversation. I really liked the way that Fairy Nuff was the rebel fairy of the three; you could see this right from the start with the image, which gave this trio an edge.

George Morley played Willy Widdle, and straight away you just knew that the troupe would be having great fun with the name "Willy", as did the audience. George is the only one that I have seen in the past when he played the role of "Shrek", but this role is very different to that one, and just as fun. Willy is the character who gets a lot of the silly lines, the silly dances, the silly jokes and the slapstick, and is responsible to get the audiences involved, and he does that perfectly. It also helps in panto that you have a cheeky face which is smiling every moment that he is on stage.

The evil Gothel is played by Selina Payne. Now, you know that I love panto baddies, and I said earlier in this piece that the quality of panto baddie has risen, well Selina is another incredible panto baddie. the make up, wig and costume completely transforms Selina into this character who the audience, again took a bit of time to properly "boo", but they got there from the start of the second act. Deliciously devilish character but another gorgeous voice. I think Gothel's version of Queen's "Don't Stop Me Now" is possibly the best stage version I have heard and another clever mash up of Blondie's "One Way Or Another" and The Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" was genius, all sung with such ease. Maybe Selina is a rock chick in disguise! Another brilliant baddie and another excellent voice.

The comedy duo in this pantomime are a pair of roguish villains called Ball and Socket. Ball is played by Rachel Best and Socket is played by Brett Maynard in a great pairing with Ball being the brains behind the duo and Socket being superbly silly. One scene they are involved in is with a stolen ladder which belongs to a window cleaner, played by James Robinson, who also gets a comedy cameo of his own. Ball and Socket are hired by Gothel to retrieve the missing Rapunzel after the three fairies give her freedom. As you can imagine there's cases of mistaken identity and several comic scenarios that arise.

On the hunt for Rapunzel as well is the army, which Willy signs up for, and is led by Sergeant Hawkeye, played by Sharna Allsop. Another minor comic role but what adds to the comedy is the large handlebar moustache Sharna has to keep control of.

While locked away in the tower, Rapunzel befriends a group of mice, led by Chief mouse, played by Liane Worth, who comes to the rescue of Rapunzel near the end. More than that I shall not say, as I don't want to give too much away.

Playing Rapunzel's real parents are Simon Roebuck as The King and Emily Gent as The Queen. Here's another fun pairing, both script wise but also height wise, proving some of the best deliveries come in small packages. Loved the chemistry between the King and The Queen.

There's  just two more cameo parts to mention, the first is from Bernadett Birzulis who comes on as The Ghost in the section where some of the characters are chased away by a ghost. there's a different look to this ghost, something I didn't ex-spectre see, and again no spoilers from me.

The other cameo part was right at the end and played by Caroline Hogg. Now if you were looking for Caroline's face to spot her, you wouldn't have been able to, but again, no spoilers from me!

The chorus consist of Rebecca Evans, O'Cean Tucker, Bernadette Birzulis, Laura Cassell and Jake Chapman.

The Senior dancers were Poppy Payne, Khaleesi Boreham, Lacey-Grace Hallam, Lucy Saucedo, Kacie-May Blyton and Holly Ann, all adding even more glamour to the show.

The young dancers are from Happy Feet Dance School and are Sophia Humphrey, Frances Lindley, Lucy Carter, Alice Gullett, Charlotte Ekins and the cutest curly-headed, blond young man Alfie Robinson, who all did their dance school extremely proud. So jealous of their moves as well.

Directed by Sarah Tideswell, who along with Deborah Wilson are the Finance Directors; Deborah also being the Chairperson for the Troupe. They also agreed to have a chat with me last Sunday on my radio show about the production, as if everything else wasn't stressful enough for them! Seriously though the pace of this show was incredibly well done and the scenes flowed beautifully with everyone knowing where they needed to be at all times, with maybe a little help from the Backstage Crew Neil Burzulis, Matt Henson, Glyn Dring (what a great name), and Stevie Cassell.

Musical Director is Nathan Fox. I have mentioned just how strong the vocals all are in this troupe and I reckon that Nathan may have had a hand, or a baton with this area. The live band sounded brilliant and consisted of Ryan Wilson (Guitar), James Wells (Keys and Guitar), Pete Smythe (Keys), Nathan (Drums), Hannah Bowler (Woodwind), Chrissie - who doesn't have a surname (Bass guitar) and Rachel Bowler (Woodwind). This seven piece band sounded gorgeous, showing that a live band will always sound better than recorded click tracks.

The choice of songs in this show really do cover the full age range from the 1940's to modern dance bangers, and I loved hearing a song that had been written and performed by one of my favourite guilty pleasure and fairly local band, the Lancashire Hotpots. I won't spoil it by telling you the title, in the same way that this very same track was teased in the telephone interview I had with Deborah and Sarah, but as soon as the music started I knew it was the one. Just don't go to this show without having your dinner/tea first as salivation may be brought on!

Choreographed by not one, not two but three choreographers, Kelly McCubbin, Evie Robinson and Sarah McCubbin. It's a big cast, along with the ensemble and dancers, but you can see just how much work has been put into this show choreographically. And I bet it was not the easiest of jobs getting everyone in the same place at the same time for dance rehearsals as well, but I loved how everything dance wise looked on the night.

The costumes are brilliant for every one on stage, right down to the young cast members and have been provided by Alice Apark, Donna Ramsden and Molly Limpet's Costumes. Lottie Peake and Deborah Wilson were also on hand to help Nurse Hetty in and out of her costumes, all of which looked marvellous.

Make up Artists for the pantomime are Lottie Peake and Elisse Hardy.

Sound and Lighting at Mansfield Palace Theatre are always very good, and they gave me nothing to grinch about in this show.

All profits from this production go to support local charities, so every ticket you buy helps make a difference in the community, which is why it is so important to support local theatre like this.

"Rapunzel" will be at Mansfield Palace Theatre until Saturday 7 February with both matinee and evening performances; go on let your hair down and get over there, see this show and have a really good chortle.