"Brief Encounter" by Noel Coward.

Riverside Drama Company.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

It may have been Friday the 13^th but it wasn't unlucky for anyone who saw this show tonight.

I have seen many of Noel Coward's plays but, apart from a radio version of the play onstage, this is the first time that I've seen it performed as a full on play. This play is adapted from one of Coward's earlier works called "Still Life".

Your heart dances. The world seems strange and new. You want to laugh and skip and fall forever… You are in love. You are in love with the wrong person. Laura, the respectable suburban wife, and Alec, the idealistic, married doctor, meet in a station buffet and fall passionately in love, but are doomed never to find fulfilment.

Trapped in a loving but unsatisfying marriage, Laura Jesson is unable to stop herself from falling for Alec, who she encounters at the train station. Alec and Laura realise that their innocent friendship is developing into something more serious. As passion takes over, Laura must make an impossible and heart - wrenching decision.

Laura Jesson is brought to life on stage by Lizzie Norris, and has that wonderfully clipped accent required for the role.  As usual Lizzie manages to morph into any character she plays brilliantly. 

Alec Harvey is the gentlemanly doctor and is played by David Round. Suave and sophisticated and madly in love with Laura.

Daniel Robertson doubles up as Johnnie, a soldier who pops into Milford Junction Railway Station for an alcoholic drink, but is refused by Myrtle due to it being outside of licensing hours, and gives her some cheek. Daniel's main role though is as the ever saucy Stanley, who has his sights set on Beryl. Daniel makes his debut for Riverside in this role, and even though he says that he has not been on stage since he was eleven years old, his performance was one of great confidence and comedy, so obviously a natural on the boards.

Beryl Waters, an employee at Milford Junction, who could not be described as a shrinking violet, also has her eye on Stanley. Clare Toska is wonderfully teasing as Beryl and great fun to watch this hopeless romantic who loves a good gossip.

Myrtle Bagot, who is in charge of the Milford Junction Station cafeteria is played by the wonderful Liz Turner, who also shows off yet another talent on stage, which I'll get around to later.

Albert is in a relationship with Myrtle and is on heat most of the time, and is a wonderfully flirty man, well, when he is in Myrtle's company. John Hurley plays Albert.

Laura's husband is Fred, a bit of a stick in the mud who most of the time is quite unaware of his long suffering wife. Stephen owns the flat where Dr Harvey is residing, and where he is also carrying on the affair with Laura. Both roles are played by Robert Osmond.

Bill, the other soldier who is in the café with Johnnie. He also has a bit of a mouth on him when he is told that he is not going to get his tot of alcohol before licensed hours. Bill is played by Russell Mason.

Hermione and The Waitress are only small parts but Sam Pearce's Waitress is a part that really stands out for all the right reasons. When serving Laura and Alec, the Waitress could not be less interested and the physicality of this character is just perfect. Let's face it we've all encountered a character like this, and that's what makes this role so much fun.

Dolly, a friend of Laura's who encounters one of the brief clandestine meetings, is played by Donna Osmond. Mary Norton, who also crashes the secret meeting, is played by Celia Billau.

Fred and Laura have two young children, and what is clever about this production is that these two young children are portrayed by puppets, made by Janet Whyatt and operated by Donna Osmond and Alison Lihou.

Directed by Jonathan Greaves, what I love about the approach and the adaptation by Emma Rice of this classic Coward play is that it's very silly, Coward would have loved it. There are musical breaks with some lovely songs that fit in perfectly with the era. Think "The Singing Detective" and that's the line that this production reminded me of. I love Dennis Potter and I love Noel Coward's humour, and the combination just makes for the ideal night out at the theatre. It's fun, it's concise, it has a great story and the whole cast look like they are having the best time. No wonder the spare seats I saw were minimal, practically a full house.

Musical Arrangers are Kev Jones (keyboards) and Ray Wiseman (Mandolin), who are both new to Riverside, plus Celia Billau and Liz Turner on Ukelele. 

Set design is by Bob Baron. The set is brilliant and combines the Jesson's home with Milford Junction cafe with the picture house and an overpass bridge above the rail tracks. The attention to detail in all areas of the set are to be admired as well; so much work has gone into this design.

The Props for the set are also well matched for the era and are thanks to Sandra Read and Alison Lihou.

There's also a large screen at the back centre stage where the projections of the trains, the steam as well as the watery scenes are projected. Steve Greatorex is responsible for this area of production, as well as the lighting for the play.

Sound is by Keith Salway, and I loved the various sound effects, which were timed brilliantly, especially the champagne cork popping.

Costumes are excellent and thanks to Charlotte King, Diana Edwards, Janet Whyatt as well as the Cast and Crew.

Stage Crew are Sandra read and Alison Lihou.

"Brief Encounter" ends its' brief run at the Duchess Theatre on Saturday 14 November.

 "The Gondoliers" by Gilbert & Sullivan.

Christchurch Gilbert & Sullivan Society - Shepshed.

Iveshead Theatre, Shepshed.

The twelfth collaboration between Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert, "The Gondoliers", lesser known as "The King Of Barataria" tells the story of two Venetian gondoliers, Giuseppe and Marco, who are informed that, due to an error of identity when they were young boys, one of them is the heir to the throne of Barataria.

They are delighted with the situation and agree to share the responsibilities of governing their new kingdom until it can be ascertained which of them is which, but matters are complicated when the Duke and Duchess of Plaza Toro reveal that their beautiful daughter, Casilda, was married to the future king as an infant. The problem? Giuseppe and Marco are both newly married to the contadine Tessa and Gianetta, and Casilda is in love with her father’s attendant, Luiz. 

Alex Conway, who makes his Christchurch G&S, is Marco Palmieri, a handsome and charming Venetian gondolier.  All of the girls are in love with him and his best friend and fellow gondolier, Giuseppe, and are anxious for them both to choose brides; in the first act, Marco selects and marries Gianetta. Alex has an excellent voice and is very relatable and great fun to watch.

Richard Craggs is Giuseppe Palmieri, the second of the operetta's handsome and charming Venetian gondoliers. In the first act, Giuseppe chooses to marry Tessa.  There's a lovely playful chemistry with Alex and Richard, which makes this bonkers adaptation even more fun.

Alison Matthews-Savage is Gianetta. Like all the other Venetian farm girls, Gianetta is smitten with the handsome Marco and Giuseppe, and is vying for one of their hands in marriage.  To her delight, Marco picks her stating that she is “Just the very girl I wanted!”, and the two are married. Anyone who has seen Ali before will testify what a gorgeous voice she has, and is perfect for so many of these comedy pieces. I hardly recognised her with the wig that she wears.

Tessa is played by Rosie Smith. Like all the other Venetian farm girls, Tessa is smitten with both Marco and Giuseppe. To her delight, Giuseppe picks her, and the two are married immediately. Rosie makes her principal role debut as Tessa.

Andy Savage is The Duke of Plaza-Toro, a haughty and proud aristocrat, but also a broke one.  As an infant, his daughter Casilda was married to the heir to the throne of Barataria, and at the time of the show, upon the death of the King, the Duke is eager to follow up with this. Another fun, larger than life, G&S role for Andy to perform.

The Duchess Of Plaza-Toro is a brilliantly glamorous role, and what a glitzy outfit she gets to wear, and along with some fun choreography, Laura Gregory looked as if she was having the time of her life on stage.

Casilda is played by Alix Ashurst. The beautiful twenty-one-year-old daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Plaza Toro, Casilda is innocent and ingénue-esque.  She is secretly in love with Luiz, her father’s attendant, but is informed by her parents that she was married as a baby to the infant future King. Here is another person I didn't recognise until I took a look at the programme in the interval, even though a couple of weeks' ago I was sat opposite Alix. Picture Nina, from "Coronation Street", the Goth assistant who used to work in Roy's Rolls, crossed with Amy Winehouse and that is what Casilda looks like. She has all the modern vernacular to go along with the modern look, and top that off with a great voice, and that is Casilda.

Luiz is the Duke’s attendant and drummer.  His mother was the nurse, Inez, to whom the son of the King of Barataria was entrusted.  He is madly in love with his master’s daughter, Casilda, and is devastated to learn that she is married to the heir to the Baratarian throne, and is played by Lee Bowley. This is Lee's first Gilbert & Sullivan show. Apparently, according to the programme, Lee has been away from the stage for more than two decades! The man must have been performing as a very young actor as he has youthful looks on his side, as well as a really youthful disposition on stage. Great costume for Luiz, which matches the modernised Calista costume.

Howard Pritchett is Don Alhambra Del Bolero, the Grand Inquisitor of Spain, it was Don Alhambra who went to Venice to seek the heir to the throne of Barataria.  He is also the one who stole the infant prince away to be brought up in Catholic Venice.  He makes it his business to know everything about everyone. Howard's voice is made for G&S and operetta, so rich and deep. The costume department have really pulled out all the stops for this production and the snazzy suit and hat that Howard gets to wear is fantastic and flash.

Kate King is Inez, the former nurse of the son of the king of Barataria; she is now a brigand’s wife and lives far off in the mountains near Cordova. Kate has been involved in many various roles with Christchurch G&S, behind the scenes, in the orchestra pit, and for this production on stage in another role that disguises her with some brilliant costume and wig work. Inez arrives at the end of the show to confirm who will be the King and to marry Casilda. The image for Inez is almost hippy-like.

Rachel Fitzpatrick is Fiametta. Like all the other Venetian farm girls, Fiametta is smitten with the handsome Marco and Giuseppe, and at the start of the show is vying for one of their hands in marriage.  She ultimately ends up with one of the other gondoliers.

Harriet Myers is Vittoria who is also smitten with both Marco and Giuseppe.  She also ends up with one of the other gondoliers.

Giulia, played by Valerie Hart, is yet another who is smitten with Marco and Giuseppe. 

Carrie Bareham is Rosalia, another of the show's four Waitresses.

Ed Atkin is Antonio, a Venetian gondolier who marries one of the Contadine (after Marco and Giuseppe have had their pick, at the ladies’ demand).  When Marco and Giuseppe find out that one of them is the King of Barataria, they bring their gondolier friends along. 

Francesco is a Venetian gondolier who marries one of the Contadine, and is played by Richard Tomlinson.

Giorgio, another of the Venetian gondoliers, is played by Adrian Dobson, who also directs this wonderfully zany and bonkers operetta.

Annibale is one of the other Venetian gondoliers and played by Alan Hobson.

The Ensemble is made up of Brigitte Ainsworth, Lynne Atkin, Mary Barber, Rachel Cousen, Eliza Craggs, Jane Dobson, Christine Hibbard, Amy North, Helen Oliver, Sally Portsmouth, Helen Smith, Sue Smith, Carol Weller, Dave Adlam, Paul Ainsworth, Ray Connelly, John Cousen, Brian Fletcher, Matthew Hammersley and Mike Jones.

Directed by Adrian Dobson, assisted by Angie Kilpin. I have mentioned that this show is very different to how Gilbert & Sullivan may have originally envisaged it. Like Shakespeare's works, a clever Director can bring a whole new look to a piece of theatre, and Adrian and Angie have certainly brought out the comedy in this work. The show is absolutely bonkers, in a good way. It has brought the operetta into modern times with many references to social media, the use of mobile phones, selfies, tablets, speed dating and modern language all thrown in and a really modern costume style and set design.

Musical Director is Meng Khaw. Gilbert & Sullivan wrote some absolute operetta bangers and this fifteen strong orchestra, under the guidance and Direction from Meng, sounded absolutely marvellous. There are some great "patter songs", the trademark of G&S, which mean that the performers really have to show a skilled breath control to get all of the words in, almost like 1990's rap. The timing with the singers also has to be spot on, showing that performing G&S is not as easy what people may think, but under a skilled MD like Meng, the magic materialises on stage. Oh! and the Italian in the musical is belissima.

Choreographed by Amy North is another area which deserves big words. The positioning and choreography for such a big ensemble and cast has to be incredible well thought out, especially with the stage size being full of people. 

Set Designers are Adrian Dobson and Gordon Kilpin. This is a great set design incorporating a Gondola which glides on stage from under a Venetian bridge, a swimming pool, bar area and other settings, all looking fabulous.

Costumes and Props are by Vintage Years, Lee Bowley and members of the cast. The costumes are all of a modern design, with the costumes for the two Gondoliers at one stage almost reminiscent of "Baywatch". From stylish and jazzy to T Shirts and shorts, with plenty of Hawaiian shirts being worn on stage, all of which bringing the sun into the auditorium. The wigs used in the show are brilliant and combined with the costumes and make up really transform this bunch of actors to an almost unrecognisable state.

Gordon Kilpin is Stage, Set and Safety Manager. The stage management part of this show is enough to keep anyone busy, but Gordon has a wealth of stage management crew with Louise Knowles, Luen Banks, Dave Jackson and Mark Smith, all responsible for keeping everything on stage running smoothly. 

And finally, I must state that the Front Of House staff are all absolutely amazing and accommodating, as well as so friendly. 

For anyone who may think that Gilbert & Sullivan may be a bit dated, or a bit stuffy, go see this show because Christchurch Gilbert & Sullivan Society will seriously change your outlook on this pair. The music is clever and fun and delivered brilliantly. They allow for a couple of modern updates to their work, let's face it Barrack Obama was never mentioned in any G&S song until this one, and in the hands of this cast, eyes are not the only things that sparkle on stage. And while this is not really a spoiler, especially if you have not seen this musical before, like myself, there's a wonderful twist at the end!

"The Gondoliers" is at Iveshead Theatre, Shepshed until Saturday 14 November.

Production photography is thanks to Stevie Ashurst.

 "Fences" by August Wilson.

Nottingham Playhouse.

Set in 1957 in the Hill District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Troy Maxson is a fifty three year old sanitation worker and former Negro League baseball legend whose athletic career was blocked by racial segregation. Bitter and hardened by systemic racism and missed opportunities, Troy projects his disappointment onto his family. He forbids his teenage son, Cory, from pursuing a college football scholarship, fearing white institutions will crush his hopes. His wife, Rose, struggles to hold the family together as long-buried secrets and unfulfilled dreams reach a breaking point.

Troy Maxson, the domineering patriarch, is played by Ray Fearon. Troy has issues with showing real affection towards his children, which causes problems later in the play, especially with Cory. There are several actions that Troy may, or may not, have taken that causes upset within the family unit. Plus there's an admission that he is forced to make to Rose, which causes all sorts of fireworks between the pair.

Rose Maxson, Troy’s devoted wife of eighteen years, is played by Madeline Appiah. What a powerful pair Ray and Madeline make; there's quite a bit of shouting between this man and wife, especially later on in the play, and that quite took me aback, due to the power of the shouting, there's no holding back with this pair, and that is what makes this play such a passionate and powerful piece of drama. There's a scene where Madeline gets to sing, and we discover that she has a beautiful, but sad voice.

Cory Maxson, Troy and Rose’s athletic, college-bound son, is played by Josh Tedeku. For much of his teenage years he has been ruled by his father's iron rod, and there's a really sad scene where Cory asks his father if he likes him, and the reply is not quite what he, or the audience, expected. This is the pivotal section that causes the final division between father and son. The fight choreography between Josh and Ray is done really well and looked very realistic. Fight Director is Kev McCurdy. There's a lovely turnaround for Cory at the end.

Gabriel Maxson is Troy’s brother, a World War II veteran with a head injury whose government pension helped buy the family home, after Troy took control of the money. Gabriel, who is a complicated character with a simple mindset, due to the war injury, is played by Simon Anthony Rhoden. Simon is one of the actors in the play who also plays an instrument on stage, the bugle.

Jim Bono is Troy’s loyal long-time friend and co-worker, and played by Everal A Walsh. We get to see and hear the various chats between this pair, and as you can imagine, the conversation between these two pals cover many a topic, along with several drinks. The chemistry between Troy and Bono represents one of those lovely, lifelong relationships.

Lyons is Troy’s older jazz musician son from a previous relationship. Lyons is played by Michael Ahomka Lindsay. Lyons also falls foul to his father's strict beliefs when he approaches Troy for a loan, and promises to pay him back because his girlfriend Bonnie had just got a job. Troy, who is a rigid believer in hard work and responsibility, belittles his son because he refuses to find a real job, as Troy did, rather than pursuing his dream of becoming a musician. 

The young daughter, Reynell, is played by six young actors, Aita Mushuku, Eliana Musongole, Kaiya Tomlinson, Kezia Alanna-Ama, Daphne Muli and Pelo Thithi. I'm not sure which one of these young ladies performed on Wednesday night, but she is a star in the making and one to look out for in the future. She has quite a few lines and delivers them without any hesitation and full of confidence.

The physical fence that Rose asks Troy and Cory to finish building around their yard serves as a central symbol. As Bono notes, “Some people build fences to keep people out… and other people build fences to keep people in”. For Rose, the fence represents protection and family unity; for Troy, it reflects emotional isolation and control.

Directed by Daniel Bailey this play, even at just under three hours long manages to draw you deep into the storyline of all the characters and the story completely engulfs you, making the time disappear. The passion and power of the acting is wonderful and the pace is paced so perfectly, at times giving you space to digest the scene you have just come out of. 

Set and Costume Design is by Lily Arnold. Let me start with this wonderful set design. There's a house on stage where you get to see parts of the internal structure and design through the curtained windows. There's also the yard with the fence running all the way around. We then see that the stage revolves and we get to see the interior of the house and this is so beautifully decorated for the time period, and we see there's  a piano downstairs and rooms upstairs, one of them becomes an illuminated frame for Lyon's saxophone playing, with a lower illuminated section for Gabe's bugle playing.

The costumes are faithful to the American blue collar worker of the period.

Composer and Sound Designer is Khalil Madovi. The soundtrack is infused with music from the jazz era with the original music working so well with this particular genre. The Sam Cooke song "A Change Is Gonna Come" is a lovely addition to the score, providing a message of hope for the future.

Lighting Designer is Jai Morjaria 

Movement Director is Shelley Maxwell.

Of late there have been several plays I've had the pleasure of seeing that have messages to deliver in their stories, and this is another one. There's always that message of hope for the future meandering throughout the serious storyline, but this is a gorgeous piece of theatre which is well worth seeing.

"Fences" is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 14 November where's a BSL performance on that day.

Photography by Tyler Fayose.

 "Accrington Pals" by Peter Whelan.

West Bridgford Dramatic Society.

The Studio, West Bridgford.

Of late, there seems to have been quite a few plays that I have not seen before, which is great for me, and for theatre fans in the area. "Accrington Pals" is another that I can add to the list of classic plays I've now had the pleasure of ticking off of that list, and could not have been timed better.

"Accrington Pals" is the poignant story of the 700-strong battalion from Accrington, Lancashire that marched off to war in the summer of 1914. But this play is as much about the women they left behind as the men themselves.

Spanning the period up to the battle of the Somme in July 1916, national optimism and jingoism begins to wane as the terror and sacrifice of war sets in. Back at home, the women find a sense of solidarity as they keep the town afloat and comfort each other in their loneliness. However, local stallholder, May, remains an outsider who battles with her inability to express her love for her younger cousin, Tom, who is fighting in France with the rest of the town’s men. The women band together to force the authorities to tell them the truth about the harrowing fates of their husbands and sons.

May, a fruit and veg stallholder, is fiercely independent, brusque, and outspoken. She lives with Tom, her younger cousin, who also works a shift on the stall for her. Although she is quick to put him down and disapproves of much of his behaviour, she is extremely fond of her cousin. May is played by Lesley Flounders and puts in an extremely powerful and passionate performance, especially the final scenes.

Joe Moore, who makes his WBDS debut, plays Tom, a lithography apprentice, aged 19. He is a talented artist and often draws sketches of his friends and neighbours. He also covers the early shift at May’s stall. Although there is a large age difference, Tom is extremely fond of May. This is clearly not Joe's stage debut as he oozes great confidence when performing.

Eva is played by Rachel Lindsay, who also makes her WBDS debut. Eva is a local farm worker and Ralph’s sweetheart. She is initially pleased for him to be getting away from the office and heading off to war. However, she misses him terribly when he is gone. Eva becomes May’s lodger and takes over Tom’s early shift on the stall. This is another wonderful debut for WBDS, like Joe, completely confident on stage. there were times that I actually thought that Eva was on the brink of tears, showing a talent for emotional drama.

Josh Plank plays Ralph, a local clerk, and is fed up with working in an office and is pleased to have joined up and to be heading off to war. He is a cheerful, cheeky chap, who flirts with all the women in the town. However, his heart belongs to Eva, despite one section of the play shows Ralph relating his war time transgressions. You can feel the frustration and fear in Ralph, via Josh, in the scenes of war time action.

Annie is a housewife in her late thirties. She is married to Arthur and they have a teenage son, Reggie. She is loud and rough around the edges. The neighbors all hear her coming and she is renowned for bringing her family arguments out onto the streets. Annie is played brilliantly by Linda Hoyland.

Dom Gaskell is Reggie. He plays the bugle in the Boys Brigade and is a typically cheeky teenage boy. He delights in teaching younger boys a rude rhyme and showing where to illegally poach fish. It's nice to see Dom on stage as so often I have mentioned his talents behind the scenes as well as in the lighting department, proving what a flexible member Dom is.

Arthur is Annie’s husband. Both Arthur and Reggie put up with Annie’s bad temper and loud personality. Arthur is a religious man and he leads the neighbours in prayer just moments before the local men head off to war. Arthur brings to life on stage a job that I was last told about at school by my French teacher, who was a wonderful Yorkshireman. He used to tell us about a "tapper's harker" and a "knocker upper", who was someone, like Arthur, who used to go around the houses waking people up in the early morning by tapping on windows and doors with a big stick, way ahead of the alarm clock.  Arthur is played by Rob Dixon in a very different role to others that I've had the pleasure of seeing him perform.

Sarah is played by Dawn Cochrane. Sarah is a married mill worker who enjoys winding Annie up and watching her explode. She feels stuck in a dead-end job with young children to look after, and dreams of starting afresh. Away from the family commitments, and with her friends, Sarah becomes a very different, fun character who loves to let her hair down in their presence. Her husband, Bill, goes to war with the rest of the town’s men.

Bertha is played by Emily Martin. She is an 18-year-old mill worker, young and naive, and believes everything she reads in the papers. She takes pride in her appearance and wants to appear attractive. With the men away at war, Bertha gets a new job as a tram conductor, where she attracts the glances of one particular man who proposes marriage, but Bertha is fiercely independent and knows what she wants in a husband.  

Bertie Black is CSM Rivers, a soldier in his thirties or forties. He is the warrant officer in the recruiting office. Rivers was on the point of retiring from the army before the war started. He is calm and persuasive when May comes to see him about relinquishing Tom from his army role.

Apart from the wonderful acting from all, I must also commend the accents from all. I love accents, especially when they are done with such style and unwavering accuracy throughout the whole play.

Directed by Barbara Seymour there's a lovely smooth flow of storyline, and when the comedy moments come in, it immediately breaks the seriousness of this piece of theatre. The fear, anxiety and frustration of war is always there, even behind the comic pieces. The individual characters of the people in the play are well expanded, making it easy to know who they were and their back stories.

Production Manager and Stage Manager is Lynn Burgess. 

Set Designer is Candice Gush and the construction of the set is thanks to Ritchie Sharpe. The artwork for the set pieces are quite beautiful, and would not look amiss hanging on a wall. The scenery stage right reminded me of a still from "Watership Down".

Lighting Design is by Sav Dixon and operated by Jeff Tullin. The whole impression of war was created really well thanks to the lighting design, as well separating the individual scenes with slow fades. 

Sound Designer and Operator is Jem Woolley. As with the lighting design, the sound design created  just the right impression of the bombing raid, and that combination of sound and light put you right in the middle of war.

The costumes and props are thanks to Charlie Willcox Costumes are excellent for every actor and the props looked very era specific. How much sourcing went into the props to make this play look just right, I couldn't ponder, but every prop was appreciated by this prop geek.

"Accrington Pals" is being performed at The Studio in West Bridgford until Saturday 14 November. You may need a small pack of tissues at the end!

 "Critical Care" by Stacey Moon-Tracy.

Lit Theatre Company.
Create Theatre, Mansfield.

A new play to me and possibly one of the most emotive plays I have seen in quite some time.

We've all been through Covid-19 and we have all, more than likely lost love ones through this period, whether as a direct result of Covid, or just in the same period from one thing or another. This play will take you right back to that time. In the period that Covid-19 was active, I lost my mother, my father and my wife to non Covid infections, and the issues raised in this very important piece of theatre just makes you think, as it did me tonight.

It's a very lonely period in time; I remember going into the University Hospital as often as I dared, face mask, scarf etc covering my face and seeing next to no-one in the hospital, making the place seem a very sad and cold, lonely place. Getting two buses there and back, keeping plenty of space between you and the next person in the queue and then trying to find a safe space to sit on the bus, many of the seats cordoned off by the bus companies. Work meant be separated from your work colleagues by desks out of use until things were put into place to be able to work from home, almost being kept prisoner in your own home, shopping, unless you got it online, almost being like a military procedure with shops only allowing so many people into their stores at one time.

Not being able to visit your parents inside their homes, which was even worse if they were actually in a home where nurses cared for them. Unable to be able to hug them, Birthday parties, weddings and any celebratory occasions were cancelled, and we all thought the end of the world was nigh. But most of us are still here to bear witness to what the Covid years were like.

But what was it like for the nurses inside hospitals who had to deal with patient's lives.....and deaths on a personal level. This play gives a real incite into those very special people.

The play developed between 2021 and 2023 in collaboration with NHS nurses across the UK. The script draws on first-hand testimonies gathered through Stacey's doctoral research at Coventry University and challenges the standard "hero or angel" public narrative, showing the human reality of ordinary people navigating trauma, fear, exhaustion, and personal sacrifice.

The play follows four ICU nurses. There is Frankie, who is newly qualified and excited about her future  in the medical world, Morgan, a new mother who cuts short her maternity leave to help her fellow nurses, Sam, a senior nurse caring for her elderly mother, and Alex, an ICU Sister holding the team together, as well as her own life and family under the pressure caused by this disease. All of their lives change overnight as the Covid-19 pandemic hits.

Frankie is played by Georgia Conlan, and you get to see the slow crumbling of her work life, especially after the first death she witnesses to Covid. You can see the pressure build in her and even small things that may seem quite petty to the outsider becomes a major issue to Frankie. Georgia really relays emotion in this character, and you just want to go and give her hug, and then you remember she is just telling a story, and then you want to just go and give her a hug. And in this role, she looks so much like a teenager, and you just know that it's so wrong for someone so young to have so much pressure at the start of her working life, Frankie that is, not Georgia.

Morgan is played by Mercedes Assad, who is a former Redhill Academy student, who I last saw as part of the cast of "Red Ellen" at the Nottingham Playhouse. Morgan has the energy of a horse and really fires the troops up on her entrance, the sort of person that you need working with you in situations like these. There are two areas in ICU, the "Green" area and the "Red" area, pretty self explanatory where medical grades for patients are concerned, and because Morgan should still have been on maternity leave, she was placed in the "green" area. But just how safe is green? As the play progresses we see another side to Mercedes' acting skills.

Sam is played by Hilary Greatorex. Being isolated from her elderly mother really creates strain and worry for Sam because she can't be there for her, her only contact is by phone, and Sam's mam is not as tech savvy where mobile phones are concerned, which causes Sam even more worries. Hilary also plays Frankie's mother, who is quite an opposite character to Sam's mother, and I loved the way that TV shows of the day were referenced as reasons for not being able to spend more time chatting to her daughter, Frankie, outside of the house with safe distancing. Near the end there's also another change of emotion and character with Frankie's mother.

Alex is played by Susan Earl. There are four different ways with these four medical heroes that show how Covid-19 affects them, and with Alex being the "mother hen" of the department, she carries her team's responsibilities and the responsibility to look after them and keep them all safe. But then there's her life outside of work, her family, her husband, so her worries are many fold, and you can see those stresses building up within her as well.

There's also quite a bit of comedy in this story as well, especially getting used to all of the PDI scrubs, masks, headwear etc, and that comic side of the job probably kept every nurse who worked through the pandemic relatively sane. You'll also find that people who work in the funeral trade or perform autopsies all have that dark sense of humour; it gets them through.

All four actresses have extensive theatrical CVs which also include TV and radio work, as well on stage.

Written and researched by Stacey Moon-Tracy, this is such a special piece of theatre. I have always said that theatre should really be educational as well as entertaining. This play certainly taught me a lot about the medical side of life, as well as gave me plenty to think about and to recall from my own experiences with life. I wouldn't say it's a play that I enjoyed watching, because I don't think it was a play that was written to be "enjoyed", it was written to show another side of the people who most of the time we take for granted and just assume that "it's their job"; it takes you behind the emotional side of the medical world.

The best thing is that Stacey has used the facts and stories from real people, and while these characters in the play are all fictional, the stories are not.

Directed by Orla O'Connor. The stories are all there to be told, but it's how you tell those stories that add the final ingredient to any production, and Orla has given us a play that touches every emotion possible. Hatred of the disease, sadness for the loss of life, empathy for these four life savers who must feel so disappointed when they fail to do that despite every effort, but love for the characters. 

Derek Nisbet is the Composer and Sound Designer for the play. What I was not expecting was for these four brilliant actresses to start and close the play with songs. the lyrics are incredibly moving and the incidental music throughout also adds another layer of melancholy to the story.

Janet Vaughan is the Set and Costume Designer. The costumes are not glamorous, but you wouldn't expect scrubs to be, would you? The set though looks fairly simple, apart from the hospital bed, but what you notice as the play commences is that the set has been designed to house many of the props etc, as well as to give that clinically clean image of a hospital.

Alice Williams is the Producer.

Stage Manager is Ali Bakewell.

The show has just started touring various venues in the East Midlands with the next stop being Derby Theatre on November 13, and then the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry on November 25, where there is also a post show Q&A session. Catch this if you can.

The production will also be supported by Matthew Dunster, Director, Actor & Playwright known for "2:22 A Ghost Story".

 "Flippers" by Kyle Eaton and Daryll Sidney.

Nottingham Arts Theatre (Studio).

"Flippers" is a new play which marks the return to the stage for comedy duo Kyle Eaton and Daryll Sidney, performing live together for the first time in over ten years. The sixty minute play made its' debut at Brighton Fringe 2025 and is now a part of the Nottingham Comedy Festival 2027

Lodgers Karl and Gary have just landed a once-in-a-lifetime deal from their elderly landlady, Evelyn, to renovate her crumbling London home, flip it for profit and split the cash.

Gary, played by Daryll Sidney, is a micro-managing control freak and very down to earth. He has recently split from his wife and kids, and more emotional is the fact that his ex has sole custody of their dogs. For three years he has been renting the place across the way, within binocular sight of his old home.

Kyle Eaton, who is Karl, has already spent their non-existent budget on scatter cushions, posh egg holders and exotic pets. Energetic and a cheeky character, in fact a lusty gay man who is missing his old flame, and when I say old, I mean mature in years! He is the complete opposite of Gary, but don't they say that opposites attract?

The banter between these two opposites land really well with me ,which makes the hour quite a rapid one, making you wish for an extension to the stage time. I could see this is a saucy gay sit com, and as I was sat watching the fun, I imagined the incidental music as the show's theme tune, and this as the pilot show.

Now, was it just me having a well tuned sense of humour, as I got all the subtle, and the not-so-subtle camp gags (sorry, I couldn't resist), and even knew where "rings I'm on" was heading for, which nicely brought the jokes full circle for me, but often I could hear just my chuckles, or possibly some of the audience didn't understand the naughtiness of the jokes; that may be just the top and bottom of it, who knows? But I loved the campness of the show and could see this as a late night sit-com, or podcast.

With a script so strong and full of double entendres and wordplay, you didn't need a big set or loads of props, although there were quite a few props to take note of, especially the wine bottle which had been near a radiator, which will teach Karl a lesson with his alcohol intake. The script actually set this joke up perfectly.

The frame for the scenery and set was used really well to move you around the house and garden, and even at one stage of scene changing there was a slight error, Kyle got out of the miniscule delay with an impromptu joke, showing how a touch of improvisational comedy can bridge that very small gap of rearrangement. Likewise, with Daryll and his comedy asides when, again the props didn't want to play ball; a sign of excellent comedy actors who can think on their feet.

Apart from being a very funny piece of theatre, it shines a spotlight on loneliness, chosen family and the chaos that comes when two very different people team up on a joint project, and have different viewpoints of the end project.

Directed by Adam Colborne this is one of my favourite styles of comedy theatre, and with it being new, I did not know what was coming, or what to expect, so the jokes and the "Carry On" style of slapstick - and talking of slaps and claps, I loved the running joke with the lighting. But, do this pair get to the bottom of what is causing that strange smell, and where it emanates from?

A wonderfully refreshing piece of comedy theatre that has legs aplenty, which I am sure would spread, the more people saw it.

"Flippers" was at the Nottingham Arts Theatre Studio space for just the one night stand.

 "Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert"

Masque Productions.

Mansfield Palace Theatre.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elizabeth Wolden is the show's Performance Track Technician.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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