"Ladies Day" by Amanda Whittington.

East Bridgford and Bingham Drama Group.

East Bridgford Village Hall.

I thought that I'd seen this play before, but now I don't think I have. Even after looking through my documented reviews I could only find "Ladies Down Under" and "Ladies Unleashed", so maybe this viewing completes the trilogy of Amanda Whittington's brilliant "Ladies" series.

Life is one long, hard slog for the fish-filleting foursome Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda. But their fortunes are set to change when, to fulfill one of Pearl's wishes to celebrate her "retiring" from work, the quartet head to Ladies Day at the York races. Factory hairnets make way for fascinators as the four friends hit the races for what turns out to be an unforgettable day out.

Secrets are spilled with the champagne and friendships are tested to the limit. Yet as the day unfolds and tempers fray, their accumulator bet keeps quietly winning. If their luck, and their nerve holds, the ladies could hit the jackpot – and then some!

Amanda Whittington has always been a favourite playwright of mine, and I have had the pleasure of reviewing many of her plays over the years, and there's not been one that I haven't loved. That may be because of her infinite talent for writing multi-layered characters who you feel that you know after being in their company for a couple of hours. Amanda takes everyday women with everyday problems and shines a spotlight on them, and female friendship, making her characters so relatable.

Jan is a devoted single mother whose life revolves entirely around her teenage daughter, Clare. She is self-sacrificing and naturally cautious with money, Jan is terrified of empty-nest syndrome as Clare prepares to leave for university. Her emotional arc centers on learning to let go, recognizing her own self-worth independent of motherhood, and finally addressing her unexpressed romantic feelings for factory supervisor, Joe. 

Jan is played by Karen Peckover, who is a wonderfully gifted comedy actress. Jan has a few too many glasses of champagne, and Karen's "drunk" acting is so realistic, and so very funny. I wonder how much is method acting? The facial and physical aspects of her acting arsenal are well stocked and are on full show in this role and I loved every minute of her performance.

Shelley is the brash, loud, and outgoing wannabe who drinks heavily and dresses to get noticed. Desperate for fame and fortune, jumping at any chance to ambush TV cameras at the races. However, her flashy, "good time girl" persona serves as a confidence mask for deep insecurities and crippling credit card debt. Her journey is about stripping back the superficial layers and realizing her true value lies in her genuine friendships.

Played by Rebecca Cresswell, who reminded me so much of Catherine Tate, another of my favourite comedy actors. Every character in this play is perfectly written, and every actor in this play is perfectly cast. I love the pushy, sexy portrayal of Shelley by Rebecca, and I also loved how the character knew when to pull back from a certain situation, and also revealed her softer side with the other girls.

Pearl is the eldest and most composed of the group, acting as the "mother hen" and confidante. On the surface, Pearl appears to have a stable, traditional home life and is planning a well-earned early retirement. However, as the champagne flows, she reveals she is hiding a long hidden secret! Pearl represents the quiet sacrifices women make and the longing for romance or validation outside of domestic routines.

Pearl is played by one of the two new members to the group, Jane Murray. Obviously new to the group but I imagine not new to am dram and the stage because of the presence she projected on stage, as well as her "cool as a cucumber" acting ability. There's a lovely scene near the end which revolves around the secret that she has been hiding, that makes your heart go just a bit. It also leaves you undecided on what the scene means.

Linda is the youngest, quietest, and most innocent of the four. Shy, conservative, and easily exploited and often taken advantage of by others, including a demanding mother. She attends the races with a pure, obsessive passion for Tony Christie, using song titles to guide their betting accumulator. Linda’s arc is a coming-of-age story; through her interactions with the women and a local Irish jockey, she finds her voice, gains independence, and learns to prioritize her own needs.

Lauren Parnell is the other new member, but again I have a feeling that this stage role is not Lauren's first rodeo. I love the excited, almost innocent image we get of Linda from the start, and how that shyness soon evaporates when in the right company.  Her love of Tony Christie, and his music, also paves the way to the ladies' success on the racecourse. Jane and Lauren are fantastic am dram finds, and I hope that we see both on stage again very soon.

The male characters act as catalysts for the women’s realizations, offering romance, perspective, and a mirror to their insecurities, ultimately driving the emotional and comic climax of the race. In many productions all the male characters are played by one male actor, but in this production there are two.

Barry is played by Chris Henley, who turns up right at the end of the show. We discover about half way through what the connection is, but leaves us to make our own mind up, by one line from one of the girls, if what we are looking at is the real thing, or is the particular situation just a mirage!! 

Joe, Fred, Patrick, Jim and Kevin are all played by Rob Hurst, who is the only actor in this play that I have seen on stage before. We get to see so many different sides to The Postman's acting skills, including a seedy announcer, a drunken gambler, the boss who is over the four filleters and an Irish jockey. Patrick, the jockey is hilarious, and played for laughs by Rob. The irony of the character and the script for this jockey does not go unnoticed and raised howls of laughter from the packed Village Hall.

A more completely, perfectly cast, cast for a play is here on stage in East Bridgford.

Directed by Sally Baldock, this play is everything I could have wished for, and especially for an Amanda Whittington play which is so strong and beautifully written for women characters, as all of her plays are. The cast and Sally have done Amanda proud, as I am sure that Amanda's Dad, who was sat behind me would attest to. Sally has been assisted by Jane Cooper in the Director chair, and Jane is also responsible for the lead props in the show.

Choreographed by Karen Peckover, and I was not expecting choreography, but the four ladies treated us to some dance steps to the music of Tony Christie

Costumes are courtesy of Jackie Valentine.

Set design is by Julz Dawson. This is a clever set which uses a fold away fish factory piece, which unfolds into the backdrop for the York Ladies Day backdrop very simply, resulting in no awkward manoeuvres when the scene change arrives. Simplicity mixed with sensational is the key words for this area of production.

Lighting and Sound is by Jon Shepherd, Ian Weir and Julz Dawson. Ian being a new recruit to the Production team.

Stage Managed by Miha Lingu.

Caroline Aldrich is the show's Producer.

This is my first visit to East Bridgford and the first play that I've seen by East Bridgford and Bingham Drama Group; I hope that it won't be my last because there's a lot of talented people in this area.

"Ladies Day" is a sure bet for fun and enjoyment and can be seen at East Bridgford Village Hall until Saturday 13 June.

 "The Park Bench" by Ashley Burgoyne.

The Watson Players.

Shakespeare House, Derby.

I know a couple of people who will only go and see plays that they know. That being the case, if they, like myself, had never heard of this play previously, decided to not see "The Park Bench", they would be missing out on a real gem of a production.

Charles always shared the same bench in the park with his wife. Now Charles is alone, with only his memories of Rose sitting on the other end of the bench, until various people start to share the bench with him. These people may, or may not, be the cause of Charles misplacing something. Was it misplaced, or was it stolen? And who are the two mysterious people constantly checking their mobile phones and looking furtive?

First off let me say that the writing for this play is absolutely beautiful. The characters are all beautifully created and the storyline is gentle but immensely captivating. Who'd have thought that a play set around a bench in a park could be as imaginative and fascinating as this one.

Karen Jones plays Tina, and Colin, Tina's Geocoaching partner, is played by James Ash. For those who do not know, and I had never heard of this until this play, Geocoaching uses a GPS-enabled device or smartphone, you then navigate to specific sets of coordinates to find hidden containers, known as "caches." Karen has a history of playing half of very entertaining double acts, and between Karen and James, they create another memorable comedy duo. Tina and Colin become a vital piece of the jigsaw to resolving the mystery of the missing money.

Ian is an Office Manager and played by Ryan Barber. Ian often takes a walk in the park to eat his lunch away from the office, and one day decides to sit next to Charles on the park bench. The two quickly become quite friendly and share details of their lives, which is where the story starts and the mystery begins. the introduction, by phone by Ian of his wife to Charles is a lovely comic piece, and the explanation of Ian and Linda's current marital issues via a debate in the office is a very clever, and funny example of wordplay within the script.

Linda is Ian's wife and is played by a new member of The Watson Players, Bekki Armstrong. Linda starts off not trusting of Ian after an incident at an office Christmas party, but throughout the play, and with a little help from Charles, Linda and Ian get their relationship back on track. With that issue sorted, Linda and Ian turn their attention to help Charles with his mystery. Bekki is not new to the stage, only new to The Watson Players, and a welcome and lovely addition to the group.

Stacey, the single mother who gets baby Jim to sleep by doing laps around the park in his pram, is played by Ciara Beighton. When we first see Stacey and Ian in the park there's another example of clever writing when two separate telephone conversations are combined to produce a lovely example of two one sided conversations creating a comedy scene all of its' own. Stacey starts off a very different person to the finale of the play, but this is because of a stereotypical image of some single mothers, but the more we get to know her, and with a little help from Linda, we discover a different side to her character.

Another new member of The Watson Players is Michael Smith who plays Charles, the widow who often visits the park bench to talk to his late wife, Rose. The most gentlest of characters and Michael brings that gentleness and human edge of the story to the stage. There's an edge of que sera sera to the events that surround Charles; he is always ready to help others with a kind word or piece of advice, and that is what attracts the audience to this lovely warm-hearted man. He expects nothing in return, but when he shares with Ian about certain events that happened at the scene of the park bench, good karma comes around.

Michael is a wonderful find because his acting is so natural. It's almost as if he wasn't acting or performing a script, it was like he was just chatting off the cuff. This is one very laid back gentleman of a performer.

The brilliantly entertaining Park Bench Ensemble consisted of Georgia Barkes, Lisa Griffin, Mel Pugh, Bayleigh Watson and Adam Thornewill, who gets to show off the best legs on a man I've seen for a long while.

Directed by Nigel Taylor this is a wonderful production of a play. The gentle pace of the play and the development of these characters from start to end is so lovely. The pace really helps to connect all of the jigsaw piece characters to come together to make the full picture of the mystery whole. The scene changes have a life of their own, and when you see that the only thing to centre the story around is a park bench, you may think that the scene changes themselves would be quick and simple. Not so, because Nigel has given us wonderfully entertaining vignettes of action, which is where the Ensemble come into their own. The music that accompanies the scene changes work so well, adding to the entertainment value.

Stage Manged by John Woolley and Brian Hartshorn, who kept the pace flowing perfectly.

The main prop, the park bench, is not the only prop, and surprisingly the prop count was more than I'd thought there may be. Sourced by Angela Barradell and Regina Repton.

Costumes by Patricia Church and The Watson Players.

Sound design and operation is by John Woolley and lighting design and operation is by Lee Hartshorn. Perfection in both areas.

This is one of those plays that I could watch over and over, mainly for the wonderful way it's been written, as well as the excellent casting and naturalistic performances by the cast. A real treat on every level.

"The Park Bench" is being performed at Shakespeare House, Kedleston Road, Derby until Saturday 13 June.

Photography by Ali Langton.

 "The Choir Of Man" by Nic Doodson and Andrew Kay

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Here's a musical that I've been waiting to see since the announcement of its' creation back in 2017 where it premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Featuring hits from the likes of Queen, Luther Vandross, Sia, Paul Simon, Adele, Guns & Roses, Avicii and Katy Perry to name but a few, this uplifting celebration of community and friendship offers something for everyone.  The cast of nine (extra)ordinary guys combine beautiful harmonies and foot-stomping singalongs with world-class tap dance and soulful storytelling. 

Like so many of musicals just recently. this is an ensemble piece, with the actors playing instruments as well as singing, dancing and acting. This is one such musical with a cast that work so wonderfully together it's almost as if they are all from the same community and go to the same pub to drink, dance and sing. This friendship on stage is no feat of acting, they all come across as great friends, sharing comical asides and playing with the audience to amuse the rest of the cast.

The cast are as follows.....

Rob Godfrey (Beast), Joshua Lloyd (Barman), Ben Mabberley (Joker), Gustav Melbardis (Maestro), Oluwalonimi Owoyemi (Poet), Aaron Pottenger (Bore), Jack Skelton (Handyman), Levi Tyrell Johnson (Hard Man), Sam Walter (Romantic). Swing consist of Neil Woodson, Lewis Dragisic, Sam Ebeneezer and Jared Leathwood.

Set inside The Jungle, a  public house where these men share everything from women troubles to loss and happiness; a place where you could never imagine a disagreement or fight to break out. A pub of the old variety and feel, warmly decorated with a piano and a big old bar which tenders real beer; beer that is free for everyone in the theatre to partake of just by going up on stage. Free beer always tastes nicer, and my beer tasted like the best pint ever!

The cast were not resigned to just being on stage either as they ventured into the audience, getting people up on stage for a dance, a singsong, or even just a free drink. It was like the best lock in at the best party night ever. This was not just a stage production, this was an experience that will never be forgotten with a whole bunch of new best friends.

All individually were introduced to us, and we were told all about them and where they came from, just as if you were being introduced at a get together. Every one took the spotlight during the night, and they all played instruments on stage, and what a glorious sound they all made when singing together, sometimes with full musical backing, and other times accapella, so sincere and heartfelt that you could have heard a pin drop on the carpet.

So many stompers like "Living On A Prayer" and "Welcome To The Jungle", plus a plethora of jaunty Celtic tunes and gorgeous versions of "Dance With My Father" and "Chandelier", both of which would bring a tear to a glass eye. They injected humour into another of my favourite songs "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)" and the most amazing tap routine to Paul Simon's "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover". There really is something for everyone in this two hour long party on (and off) stage. I have never seen an audience react in the way that Tuesday night's audience reacted; they were totally under the spell of every one of these nine performers.

Before the end of the show though we were treated to another very special performance. Every venue The Choir Of Man visits, they get together five local choirs to perform with them. The combined choirs and the cast performed a version of Sia's "Chandelier" in an almost flash mob kind of performance, except we knew what was going to happen, so there was no surprise, just a very special and powerful ending to one of the best evenings I have experienced in a theatre.

Every performance is guaranteed to be different at every performance, and that is primarily down to the audience and the cast's reactions to the audience. Beer and drinks are handed out to audience members and packets of crisps are thrown into the audience by the cast to make sure that everyone haves a good time down at their very welcoming pub.

Directed by Nic Doodson, this show is one that I have never seen the likes of in my life. Nic makes sure that everyone on and off stage have the best time of their lives, giving the audience an experience never to be forgotten.

Musical supervision, vocal arrangements and orchestrations by Jack Blume with Musical Director being Ehsaan Shivarani. I love the way that every cast member played the instruments live, some even playing several instruments throughout the show.

Movement direction and choreography by Freddie Huddleston. Here's another fabulous piece of this show, the choreography. There's no fancy choreography, just party, fun moves which are wonderfully performed and show just what an incredible time these blokes have every night. Of course, the exception is that amazing, seemingly effortless, tap routine.

Monologues written by local celebrity Ben Norris. Some people may recognise Ben's voice, not from this production as we don't hear it, but from The Archers, voicing Ben Archer, which coincidentally was at the Royal Concert Hall one the same night as this opening night. The monologues are gorgeous and have the ability to create tears of laughter as well as emotional tears.

Scenic design by Oli Townsend. I've previously mentioned what a great set design this show has; it really is just like walking into a country pub from a few decades ago. Warm, welcoming and vibrant. A long bar, piano, tables, stools, pictures on the walls, coat racks, everything.

Lighting design by Richard Dinnen. This is a production that doesn't need any fancy light designs, but the designs that you see compliment everything that is seen on stage.

Sound design by Sten Severson. The combined sound of the musical instruments played live and the powerful vocals rattle your rib cage, and that is how I like it. I love to feel the power of music physically, so this was just perfect for me.

Costume design and co-scenic design by Verity Sadler.

This is feel-good, foot-stomping entertainment so good you’ll want to come back and see it again and again. All this and free beer, what more could a man (or woman) want from a night out?

"The Choir Of Man" can be seen and heard at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 13 June.

 "Alice In Wonderland" based on the novels by Lewis Carroll.

Your Chance Productions.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

If ever there were a piece of theatre that enthralls everyone from children to Grandparents, then this is the one to treat everyone to this week. It's like a visual storybook that springs to life before your eyes

Alice plunges down the rabbit hole and becomes involved in a madcap series of adventures immortalized by Lewis Carroll. From having tea with the Mad Hatter to playing croquet with The Queen Of Hearts, the story is an absolute bonkers one, and who doesn't love a bit of bonkers every once in a while?  A kaleidoscope of action and madness, with the necessary elements of suspense and frustration make it all work beautifully.

The show is like "Jackanory" with a side of Enid Blyton fun and a smidgeon of Roald Dahl darkness; plus there's a smattering of original songs.

Imogen Wilson is Alice, and I was getting a Julie Andrews type vibe from this character. Not vocally, but the sensibility and primness shines through, with help from Imogen, of course. The beginning and end of the play bring the Enid Blyton echoes.

Lily Stalls plays the Knave Of Hearts, Rose, Walrus, Pat The Parrot and Griffin. You'll notice that many of the actors play several roles, some involving puppetry.

Rosie Hann plays Lorina, who is Alice's sister, Daisy, Fish Footman and Card Gardener #5.

Karina Liu is Lily, Dormouse, Oyster, Hedgehog Ball and Mock Turtle. Dormouse is a lovely gentle character and one I thing Karina looks to be having a lot of fun with. Likewise the Mock Turtle, and I love the shell part of the costume. What I also enjoyed about Karina's performance was her projection and the character she gave her characters.

Cara Grace-Crawley plays Daisy, Pig Baby, Card Gardener #2 and Hedgehog Ball.

Bill The Lizard, Frog Footman, Carpenter, Card Gardener #7 and Hedgehog Ball are all played by Jesse Okoro. I wasn't sure if Jesse had a mini attack of nerves at the start as I couldn't hear his voice that well, but if there were nerves, and there's nothing wrong with having nerves, they soon disappeared and his voice became stronger and I then heard every word. By the end of the show, Jesse was one of my favourite young actors, as his confidence grew immensely so did his projection and character.

The Queen Of Hearts is played by Chantelle Ruston. I love this role and Chantelle revelled in the nastiness, ordering almost everyone to have their heads chopped off. Wonderfully silly. 

Sarah Mullane is The Narrator, The White Queen, The Duchess and Tweedle Dee. Four very diverse roles, all of which highlight the flexibility of Sarah's acting skills. The pairing of Sarah and Alex as Tweedle Dee was wonderful, both visually, Alex is so much taller than Sarah, and fun chemistry wise.

Madeleine Levy takes on the role of The Cheshire Cat, another of my favourite roles. It's been two years since I last saw Madeleine in a play, which was "Witness For The Prosecution", and this role is as far removed from playing a policewoman as you can get. Acting as puppeteer for the Cheshire Cat, as well as providing the voice of the Cat, was a fun watch, especially in the scenes in the Courtroom, which was literally detached from the real world, as well as the rest of the Cheshire Cat's body. That detached head performance really got me thinking just how many drugs Lewis Carroll was on at the time of writing "Alice In Wonderland".

Martin Weston is The Caterpillar, The White Knight as well as The White Rabbit. Two of my favourite characters are provided by Martin; The bubble blowing Caterpillar (the four-man costume looked incredible) and The White Rabbit who was completely bonkers and seemed to be fuelled by Duracell. He is packed with energy as he zooms across the stage as well as the stairs in the middle of the auditorium. Another thing that I like about Martin is his projection. This man has no need of a microphone. We also get to hear Martin's fine vocals with one of the songs especially written for this production.

David Hawker is The Mad Hatter. There are so many wonderful and animated characters in this story and The Mad Hatter is so obviously on of them. David is a ball of energy and he puts every molecule of energy into this role

Alex Chalk plays The March Hare, The Card Gardener and Tweedle Dum. I've mentioned above about the wonderful comedic pairing with Tweedle Dee, and much as I love that duo, The March Hare is brilliantly loony and Alex brings the excitability of the Hare to the stage and his performance. The scene at The Mad Hatters party with Dormouse, Alice and The Mad Hatter is  wonderful.

There are a couple of scenes that almost remind me of pantomime with illuminous animals that come to life under the UV lighting, bringing even more magic to the show.

Directed by Philippa Buchanan, she creates a cartoon, storybook image in the staging and set. There's a very interesting trip down the rabbit hole and back up to the "real world" which works really well. The casting is superb, especially as there's a good mix of established local actors and newcomers. There were a couple of scenes that could do with tightening up, where there was a couple of bare stages, actors wise, but Monday night is opening night, and knowing this group, by Tuesday or Wednesday, the scenes will be watertight. That aside the pace was well observed.

Philippa is also in charge of costumes. The costumes are all brilliant, especially the caterpillar suit, which has to be my favourite of all of them.

Joy Skelton is responsible for the props. There are so many props in this show - where on earth would you look for four flamingo pink, fluffy umbrellas complete with flamingo heads?

Choreographed by Kim-Louise Sparks, who is also the Production Manager, Designated Safeguard Lead, Programme Designer and composed the original music for the show. Anyone who managed to see "Jane" earlier this year by Prism will know how talented Kim-Louise is where composing original music is concerned and the music here is fun and upbeat and infuriatingly catchy.

The Puppetry Co-Ordinator is Jessica Morgan-McLean. These puppets are wonderful, and the operation of these non-human stars are excellent.

Sound is by Daniel Foster. The actors are not mic'd up, which makes the mix of the recorded music to vocalists a little more difficult than if the actors were using mic packs. That fact obviously held no issues for Daniel though because the volume was perfectly pitched to make sure that we could all hear the words of the songs over the backing tracks.

Lighting is by Dave Martin. I know that whenever I see Dave's name on lighting, or sound, that there's no issues expected, and again I was correct. The show in itself is very colourful, and with the added colourful illuminations, especially in the UV sections, the pastel colours completely covered the stage as well as the walls of the theatre like a living rainbow.

I liked that the show has an earlier than usual start time (7pm), which means that the show ended earlier (8.45pm), so you're leaving the theatre in daylight! Ideal for a younger audience as well.

"Alice In Wonderland" is at The Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Wednesday 10 June, so don't be late as you really do not want to upset the Queen of Hearts now do you?

 "Little Shop Of Horrors" by 

A Derby Theatre and Northern Stage Production.

Derby Theatre.

From an audience point of view, this is one musical that you can't go wrong with. It has everything going for it, comedy, great songs, romance as well as a dark, macabre man eating plant that lives on human flesh and blood, sado-masochism, greed, murder, lies and deceit. And all this in a couple of hours!

It's the story of a nerdy florist shop worker, Seymour, who raises a vicious, raunchy plant, Audrey 2, that feeds on human blood. He falls in love for his co worker, Audrey, but obstacles, in human form, are placed in the way of his fame and his romance.

Watching "Little Shop Of Horrors" is like being in a dark room when a light is switched on. It lights up everything and makes you feel happy to be there and that's how this musical makes you feel. Blending science fiction, a Motown/Doo Wop/1950's/1960's infused soundtrack and B Movie Horror flicks together in one gorgeously gory musical.

Mr Mushnik, the owner of the flower shop, is played by Jon Bonner. There's no exaggerated Jewish accent, which I really enjoyed, only a sign of religion with the singing style in parts. The duet of "Mushnik and Son" is a firm favourite of mine, and Jon and Kristian kept that opinion solidly in place for me. I also loved the more dramatic scenes that start the second act with Mushnik, complementing the more comedic scenes in the first act. 

Seymour Krelborne is played by one of the most beloved local actors, Kristian Cunningham. Kristian is a perfect piece of casting, not only for the physicality of the character, but for Kristian's ability to transfer from the nerdy character who jumped at Mushnik's raised voice, to gaining the strength to take control of his life, all by way of the love for and from Audrey. Anyone who has seen Kristian on stage previously will already know that he has a brilliant voice for musical theatre, but when teamed with Amena, between them, they provide enough chills to keep even Danny Zuko happy. Kristian's transformation to Seymour also brings flashbacks visually of the original Seymour in the musical, Rick Moranis.

Audrey,  the dotty co worker with the violent boyfriend, is played by Amena El-Kindy. Over the years Audrey's whiny airhead voice seems to have been filtered out, and that is a blessing for me, personally. Amena's vocals are gorgeous to listen to, and to have had to return to a whiny Audrey voice would have really been at odds with those lovely singing tones. Her version of "Somewhere That's Green" actually feels like an invite into her dreams via her heart.

David Rankine, plays the sado-masochistic, bullying sleazeball of a dentist and boyfriend to Audrey, Orin. I love this character and David gives a wonderfully animated performance, which also reminded me of a character called Robbie Rotten from a children's old TV series called "Sportacus". David has a wonderfully mobile face which adds the comedy to the character. You want to hate Orin, but the character itself is such a marvellous creation that you wish that he was in it more than he is. Even after Orin has been dispatched into the ether, or the gas of your choice, it's not the last you see of David as he pops up in the second act in a few other guises.

Producing the voice for Audrey 2 was Tasha Dowd, and what a voice! The norm used to be that Audrey II's voice was a deep voice, but recently female voices have been used and Tasha's powerhouse vocals, which we really got to experience in the final megamix, again something that I can't remember seeing performed previously. Tasha's voice is insane, and another way to send the chills up your spine. If providing the voice to the most demonic of plants, plus being the owner of an incredible set of vocals, Tasha also has the best costume, which of course we only see at the final bows.

Puppeteer of Audrey 2 is Ross Lennon, who also is part of the ensemble. The synchronisation between Tasha's voice and the operation of Audrey II's head and mouth is possibly the best co-ordination I have seen. Puppet Director is John Barber and is supplied by Accord Stage Works, and ends up as possibly one of the biggest Audrey II's I have seen. I've no idea how big Ross's muscles are but I bet that he has not had to go to the gym during the run of this show!

The wonderful trio of Sixties Girl Group imagery was brought to reality by Emmanuella Chede (Ronette), Shekinah McFarlane (Crystal) and Chioma Uma (Chiffon), and what a gorgeous and soulful sound they made. Enter even more chills to the back of the neck. This trio though not only provide those gorgeous vocals, they also provide a meaty bassline on guitar with a sideline of sexy sax. This threesome also have the most costume changes ranging from enough glittery outfits to cover a disco ball convention to being Orin's trio of dental assistants.

The voice of the announcer is by Ivan Stott.

The Ensemble consist of Ross Lennon, Wilf Stone and Hannah Woodward, who is also the Dance Captain.

Directed by Sarah Brigham. This production speeds by and seems to end almost as soon as it begins, or is that because I am loving the show as much as normally do. Sarah has brought in Emma Jude Harris to make sure everything American and Jewish is represented correctly in the Dramaturg department and Anita Gilbert ensures that the accents for all are accurate.

Orchestrator and Musical Supervisor is Matthew Malone with Sian Campbell being the Musical Director. The soundtrack by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman contains some of musical theatre's favourite songs. Songs like "Suddenly Seymour", "Somewhere that's Green", "Dentist", "Feed Me", "Don't Feed The Plants" and of course the title track.

Sian also plays keyboards and Amy Gray is the drummer alongside the musician/actors on stage.

The Set and Costume Designer is Verity Quinn. The set has a lovely slanted comic book style using bright colours to further enhance that comic style. Many of the costumes also resemble those seen in comic books. I love the gentle colour scheme for Audrey, the archetypal tank top design for Seymour, and I have already mentioned the best costume, apart from Audrey II - but that doesn't really count as a costume, does it? - being Tasha's; that green suit is just my style.

Choreographed by Myles Brown. What is there not to enjoy with this musical, and especially the energy in the choreography, especially for "Mushnik and Son".

The show is fully captioned, which has been designed by Ben Glover, making this show accessible for deaf and hard of hearing audience members.

Sound Designer is Adam P McCready. For me the volume was perfectly set and well balanced with the music played on stage with the vocals by the actors. I've always said that Derby Theatre is one of the best theatres acoustically, and that is proven with this production.

Lighting Designer is KJ. The lighting is excellent and is a feast for the eyes with plenty of green shades and lighting as well as the occasional red light splashes. I think you know the importance of these two colours within this musical.

"Little Shop Of Horrors" is at Derby Theatre until Saturday 20 June. Whatever you do, don't miss this production, even if you've seen the musical before, you'll want to see this one as well, and one more thing.......don't feed the plants!!

Photography by Pamela Raith.