"Much Ado About Nothing" by William Shakespeare.

The Theatre Royal Players.

Nottingham Royal Concert Hall.

Level 4 Foyer.

For those who are not familiar with this story, or have never seen this play before, here's a quick run through of the plot.....

Count Claudio falls in love with Hero, the daughter of his host. Hero's cousin Beatrice (a confirmed spinster) and Benedict (an eternal bachelor) are each duped into believing the other is in love with them. Claudio is deceived by a malicious plot and denounces Hero as unchaste before they marry. She faints and is believed dead, but recovers to be proved innocent by a chance discovery. Benedict wins Beatrice’s love defending her cousin’s honour, and to his surprise, Claudio is reunited with Hero, who he believed to be dead.

Some people may not understand everything that is said, but remember, these lines were written some 400 years ago. You don't have to understand every thing that is said, and the more Shakespeare you see, the more you "get it". The comedy a lot of the time is visual and physical but why miss out on the beauty of the language.

George Lamb, the Director, has given the play a completely modern makeover, while still retaining all of the comedy and beauty of the story, with a soundtrack full of camp classics; Kylie, Madonna, Cher, Abba, Lady Gaga all play a part in the musical journey of Claudio and Hero et al. In parts the celebrations were more akin to an 18 - 30's holiday (not that I know what they were like, but I can imagine) than a Shakespearian comedy.

That's the wonderful thing about Shakespeare, and I've said it many times, a good Director can set a Shakespearian story in any decade (I've even seen Sci-Fi versions of his plays) and produce excellent shows and still keep the story faithful. This is one such production. It's fun and the story even benefits from the added updates, but then I expected nothing less from George, because I've had the pleasure of seeing George's work as both actor and Director. This is George's directorial debut for The Theatre Royal Players.

This is an ensemble cast, and every actor stood shoulder to shoulder with the next cast member strength wise, so for those who aren't too sure about who the characters are, I'll introduce you to them....

Beatrice, Leonato's witty, independent niece. She engages in a "merry war" of words with Benedick and fiercely defends her cousin Hero, is played by Hatty Hunt-Blow.

Benedick, a Lord and soldier from Padua. He vows he will never marry, but is tricked into falling deeply in love with Beatrice. Benedick is played by George Davis.

Claudio is a young, heroic Florentine soldier. He falls in love with Hero, but is easily deceived into doubting her virtue. Claudio is played by Jess McWhirter.

Hero is played by Emily Giles. Hero is Leonato's gentle, obedient daughter. She is wrongfully accused of infidelity by Don John.

Leonato is played by Gurmej Virk. Leonato is the respected Governor of Messina and father to Hero.

Don Pedro is played by Tom Morley. Pedro is the noble Prince of Aragon. He acts as a matchmaking friend and general leader. Love the wig as well.

Don John is Don Pedro's bitter, villainous half-brother. He engineers the malicious plot to ruin Claudio and Hero's wedding and is played by Paula Heeley.

Conrade is played by Collette Wong and Borachio is played by Rachel Elphick, both scheming followers and accomplices of Don John.

Margaret is played by Elsa Kitching. Margaret is unwittingly used in Don John's plot. She is Hero's loyal gentlewomen and attendant.

Dogberry is the absurd and wonderfully over the top Chief Constable of the night watch, played brilliantly by Beth Yearsley. We also get to hear those powerful singing tones at the end with a Lady Gaga classic.

Verges, Dogberry's dim-witted partner on the watch, or should that be S.W,A.Tch, is played by Ross Levy. Good to see Ross back on stage again.

Friar Frances is played by Chris Stevenson. He is the Priest who proposes the plan to fake Hero's death to clear her name.

Friar Frannie/Sexton is played by Róisín Kelly. The Sexton judges the trial of Borachio’s wrongdoing, when Dogberry captures him and brings him to trial.

Balthasar is an attendant and musician played by George Lamb, who also gets to show off his singing skills as well as his musicianship.

Seacole, a member of the City Watch, is played by Karen Peckover.

First Watchman is played by Kathy Bear and the Second Watchman is played by Rob Chrich. I don't need to expand on their job description.

Production Co-ordinator is Rebecca Morris.

Technical and Front Of House are thanks to the Theatre Royal and Concert Hall Crew.

I never make any secret about my love of Shakespeare; I'm nowhere near being an expert by a long shot, but I do love a Shakespearian production, and especially when the play is in the hands of people who love what they do and understand the Bard so as to deliver an entertaining production, such as they did this evening.

The seating upstairs in the foyer of the Royal Concert Hall goes quite a way back from the raised performing area, but as this area is not raked, make sure that you get there early to get a seat close to the front, just in case you get someone taller than you, as you may need to shift from side to side to get the full view of the action from further back. Also try not to get near an open window as you will get noise bleed from the street outside.

That aside, this production is an ideal introduction to Shakespeare for younger people or for anyone who still thinks that Shakespeare is a bit stuffy or highbrow.

There's another chance to see this vibrant production next Monday, 28 September and at the price of £5 for a prebooked ticket and £7 for a ticket bought on the night, you really can't go wrong.

 "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller.

Nottingham Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA).
Bonington Theatre, Arnold.

Written in 1953 and based on the Salem Witch trials of Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. In a small tight-knit community, personal grievances clash with lust and superstition, fuelling widespread hysteria. Miller’s classic story attacks the evils of mindless persecution and the power of false accusations.

The play isn’t wholly about supernatural happenings that may, or may not have happened in this period of history, but also about human manipulation of the mind of their fellow man.

Making someone believe in something non fact based can be a very dangerous thing, which is also why there are so many comparisons with the political world since and currently. The power of the mind is a dangerous thing!

It’s also about power, lust, respect and love as well as unfounded belief; an intoxicating blend. Fact is swirled with fiction and it’s well documented that Miller did his research well before writing this literary classic, which still stands up with the best of today’s theatrical works.

In reality this cast cannot be dissected for their individual merits because, as a whole cast, they are superb and so passionate at delivering this script. Miller's script, in my eyes, has never been delivered with such energy by such a young cast. The hatred, as well as the fear that these lines hold are released with such meaning and intent, that at times you forget that this is a play you're watching, and grow quite fearful for some of the actors on stage, almost like watching bear baiting.

Cohen Taylor plays John Proctor, the play's tragic hero. Honest, upright, and blunt-spoken, Proctor is a good man, but one with a secret, fatal flaw. His lust for Abigail Williams led to their affair (which occurs before the play begins), and created Abigail’s jealousy of his wife, Elizabeth, which sets the entire witch hysteria in motion. Cohen is one of those very confident actors who really gets under the skin of the role he is playing. I remember Cohen from last year's "And Then There Were None" as a young speed demon; this year's role couldn't be more diverse in character.

Abigail Williams is played by Melody Rhodes. Williams is the villain of the play, more so than Parris or Danforth: she tells lies, manipulates her friends and the entire town, and eventually sends nineteen innocent people to their deaths. Throughout the hysteria, Abigail’s motivations never seem more complex than simple jealousy and a desire to have revenge on Elizabeth Proctor. My favourite scene with Melody is her impassioned scene with Cohen as John Proctor; pure emotion from both.

Elizabeth Proctor is played by Matilda Stapleton. Elizabeth is faithful, in every sense of the word, to her husband, John, as well as deeply caring and sensitive, if still hurting from what has happened to her. John had an affair with Abigail when she was a servant in the Proctors’ household. Matilda has a lovely way with Elizabeth, playing the loyal wife, not wanting to drop anyone in it (too much).

Reverand Parris is played by Dominic Tomlinson. Parris is the minister of Salem’s church. He is a paranoid, power-hungry, but self-pitying figure. Many of the Salem townsfolk, especially John Proctor, dislike him, and Parris is very concerned with building his position in the community. It's always nerve racking to open a scene at the start of the play, but I don't think nerves are in Dominic's vocabulary. There's so much energy and passion with Dominic's acting, which makes him such a believable character to buy into.

Reverand John Hale, a young minister reputed to be an expert on witchcraft, is called in to Salem to examine Parris’s daughter Betty. Hale is a committed Christian and hater of witchcraft. His arrival sets the hysteria in motion, although he later regrets his actions and attempts to save the lives of those accused. Hale is played by Ged Watson, who has a wonderful way of delivering his script, which isn't the easiest I must say, but the passion in that delivery really makes you believe every word  that is uttered by Ged.

 Sophenya Mannering plays Mary Warren, the servant in the Proctor household and a member of Abigail’s group of girls. She is a timid girl, easily influenced by those around her, who tried unsuccessfully to expose the hoax. Hannah brings out the fear that Mary has in her soul, especially during the second half of the play. 

Judge Danforth, played by Hal Watson, is the deputy governor of Massachusetts and the presiding judge at the witch trials. Honest and scrupulous, at least in his own mind, Danforth is convinced that he is doing right in rooting out witchcraft. Hal has a great way of line delivery, even when using a book as a prop, as well as a prompt. There aren't many young actors who can make a script sound as natural and delivered with realism, in the way Hal did this afternoon. 

Judge Hathorne is a judge who presides, along with Danforth, over the witch trials. John Clarke releases the almost power-crazy side of Hathorne in his characterisation of the second in line Judge.

Giles Corey is an elderly but feisty farmer in Salem, famous for his tendency to file lawsuits. Giles’s wife, Martha, is accused of witchcraft, and he himself is eventually held in contempt of court and dies an uncomfortable death due to sticking to his guns. Corey is played by Kieran Rhodes who delivered a passionate performance.

Lexie Garrett plays Ann Putnam.

Rebecca Nurse is played by Polly Edwards. Rebecca is Francis Nurse’s wife, a wise, sensible, and upright woman, held in tremendous regard by most of the Salem community. However, she falls victim to hysteria when the Putnams accuse her of witchcraft and she refuses to confess.

Betty Parris is played by Brie Gooch. Betty is Reverend Parris’s ten-year-old daughter who falls into a strange stupor after Parris catches her and the other girls dancing in the forest with Tituba. Her illness and that of Ruth Putnam fuel the first rumours of witchcraft. 

Mercy Lewis  is played by Ellie Gibson, one of the girls in Abigail's group.

Allana Taylor-White plays Tituba, Reverend Parris’s black slave from Barbados. Only a minor role but Allana's subservient character acting is completely convincing.               . 

Susanna Walcott is played by Vanessa                   .

Directed by Kirk and Bex Mannering.  When a production is as tight, energetic, emotive and passionate as this, there are no more words to say apart from "Thank You". The production started off on a high and stayed there throughout, keeping me, who has seen this Miller classic in the past, on the edge of my seat.

I thought last year's "And Then There Were None" was  good, but this production is just incredible, especially when you think of the subject matter, the way the script is written and how it should be delivered, this young cast are acting way beyond their years; I've seen adult productions of the play that fall below this quality of drama.

There may have been a few little nerves from some at the start where projection could have been better, but I could tell that any nerves soon exited stage right and left and the projection was spot on from all. And I've already noted this, from every actor on that stage, but the passion in the delivery, and complete understanding of the script is simply scintillating.

This production is only being performed twice with an evening performance at 7.30 today, Saturday 19 September.

 "Shrek The Musical"

Derby Youth Musical Theatre.

Derby Theatre.

Shrek is a green ogre who lives in a swamp just outside the kingdom of Duloc. He finds out that the kingdom is becoming corrupt and that Lord Farquaad has plans to become the next King, but he needs to marry a Princess to be able to do this. Shrek makes a deal with Lord Farquaad to save the swamp but he has to first do something for Farquaad. Along with his loyal steed Donkey, Shrek sets off on a quest to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona from her tower, guarded by a fire-breathing, love-sick dragon. Add a gang of fairy-tale misfits, and a biscuit with attitude and you’ve got an irresistible mix of adventure, laughter and romance!

And not forgetting a brilliant fun soundtrack as well. "Freak Flag", "Make A Move", "Big, Bright Beautiful World", "Story Of My Life", "I Know It's Today", "Who I'd Be", "When Words Fail" and of course the final belter "I'm A Believer".

Playing Shrek is Billy Sweet, who brought everything that you would want from a green ogre to his performance. He had comedy, he had stage presence and he has a very strong set of vocal chords; but that came as no surprise to me, having seen Billy perform in the past, notably as Pharoah in Derby Youth Musical Theatre's production of "Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat", last November. Great prosthetics for Shrek and a real sweet performance.

Daniel Pimperton plays Shrek's sidekick, Donkey. I love the character that Dan brings to Donkey, along with the comedy and the accent. Dan gets some wonderful songs to sing like "The Travel Song", "Forever" and especially "Make A Move". The costume and make up for Donkey are also excellent, and whoever is responsible for the make up is a very talented individual.

Bella Syson plays Princess Fiona. Yet another wonderful voice, as shown in the opening of Act Two where Bella also shows off her dancing skills in a brilliantly choreographed showstopper of a number called "Morning Person", followed by the equally wonderful "I Got You Beat", the duet with Shrek. It doesn't matter how old you are, a "fart" gag is funny, which is what makes this particular section a musical hit.

Playing the young Princess Fiona is Ava Hickling, and I don't know how old Ava is but she already has a beautifully controlled voice.

Teen Fiona is played by Robyn Preston, and like Ava, that voice is superb. I can't wait to hear both Ava and Robyn's voices when they get older. When they sing with Bella the three voices merge beautifully.

One role that is sure to bring an actor, quite literally to their knees, is that of Lord Farquaad and this part is played by fourteen year old Takoda Liverman. Takoda I have never seen on stage before, as this is his debut for Derby Youth Musical Theatre, but what a find this man is. You can tell that he has had experience on stage due to the confidence he shows every second Takoda is on stage. He really encapsulated the character, brought out the comedy and sings brilliantly. But let's take a minute to appreciate the choreography for this role, all of which is performed on your knees.

Caitlin Smith is Gingy, the opinionated Ginger Biscuit. This requires, not only puppetry but also a certain vocal technique. Caitlin also doubles up as Sugar Plum Fairy.

Georgia Bullock plays the Dragon, well the voice of the dragon, and what a voice. Georgia is a disco diva in the mould of people like Donna Summer, Amii Stewart or Gloria Gaynor and The Dragon's big song, "Forever" has never sounded so powerful; it's not only the dragon's wings that were soaring on Thursday night.

The Dragon herself was engineered by Sarah Doughty, Oscar Drake, Rachel Casey, Sam Reed and Lauren Wells. And what an impressive Dragon she was; I'd have guessed over twenty feet high with an impressive wingspan and looking absolutely superb.

Playing Pinocchio is Riley Chambers. Talking as well as singing in the higher, more squeaky range as the wooden puppet, sorry boy, really created the right image.

This is a very big cast, so here's the rest of the characters that you can see onstage.......

Ania Rakic (Wicked Witch), Ralph Garnham (Peter Pan), Thomas Smith (Mad Hatter), Liliana Simmons-Clark (Mama Bear), Ben Mather (Papa Bear), Poppy Fawcett (Baby Bear), Bella Carolan (Ugly Duckling), Eddie Clarkson (White Rabbit), Megan Beastall (Fairy Godmother), Hannah Lake (Humpty Dumpty), Stevie Kirkham (Big Bad Wolf), Ethan Adamson, Taylen Brodsky and Teddy Osborn (The Three Pigs), Taylen Brodsky (Thelonius/Papa Ogre), Rachel Redfern (Queen Lillian/Elf), Louis Whitfield (Captain Of The Guard/ King Harold), Finley Williams (Pied Piper/Bishop) and Louie Drake (Young Shrek/Grumpy The Dwarf).

Abi Ashforth, Daisy Hamilton and Emilia Shapcott were the incredibly stylish Three Blind Mice who also contributed to another one of my favourite scenes with Donkey in Act Two in "Make A Move".

The Ensemble of Villagers, Wedding Guests, Knights, Guards, Duloc Dancers and the Rat Tap Dancers are Ruby Armstrong, Abi Ashforth, James Bailey, Michael Bately, Emily Box, Georgia Bullock, Emily Campion, Eddie Clarkson, Millie Dalziel, Poppy Fawcett, Ralph Garnier, Daisy Hamilton, Katie Kirk, Robyn Preston, Emilia Shapcott, Tia Shaw, Louis Whitfield and Finley Williams.

Directed by Holly Earl. assisted by Hope Lo Monaco. I have always said that a Director with a vision is the making of a memorable show, no matter how many times you've seen a show previously. This production certainly has some lovely subtle additions, including, either a flashback to a previous DYMT show, or a mention for another society's show coming up in the next few weeks by having a very colourful character appear from a side entrance of the theatre. There are also several nods to other musical theatre shows throughout, especially in the musical arrangements. A very clever production which gives regular theatre goers like myself a few things to notice, as well as creating a first class show for anyone who has not seen the show previously.

I will also state that near the start of the show there was a stoppage, something that Directors are never in favour of doing, but after Donkey threw himself on the floor there was a lot of crackling from the mic pack, resulting in us not getting an amplified Daniel. Stage Crew came to the stage and advised that there was a technical issue and that the scene would be restarted. Daniel has a really good projection technique but as there was a song coming up, without amplification, we may have had a problem hearing him. After a short gap, the story was taken up again. This was a brave action for a Director/Stage Crew to take, but a wise one under the circumstances.

Musical Director is Charlotte Daniel, a well respected name where MD ing is concerned. I don't know if it was Charlotte who arranged the music, but I loved listening to the slight change in musical arrangements, that maybe I had not heard or picked up on in other productions. There are several nods to other musicals like "Frozen", "Les Miserables" and "Dreamgirls" among them, so if you, like me are a fanatic of musicals, see how many nods you can spot. Charlotte heads up a ten-piece Shrek Band who sound marvellous.

Choreographed by Caroline Green Dance, assisted by Ellie Beech. The massive cast carried out the choreography impeccably, especially the tap dance section, bringing a Hollywood style feel to the choreographed scenes. Dance Captain is Caitlin Smith.

Technical Director is Kate Borrington and Technical Advisor is Chris Moss.

Set Design is fun, colourful, sparkly and brilliant, all at the same time, but there's no mention in the programme as to who is responsible and who provided the set.

Head of Wardrobe is George Cooper, Costumes thanks to Utopia Costumes.

Sound Designer is Harry Greatorex, and with all the sound experience that Harry has, we are guaranteed a spectacular, clear sound, well mixed. Sound 2 and 3 are thanks to Sophie Gitcham and Liv Michaud and Trainee Sound Technician is Sam Jackson.

Lighting Designer is by Jamie Vella and brings a real fun and colourful rainbow of light design to highlight the fun onstage. Training Lighting Technician is Corey Donnelly.

Stage Managed by Pete Roberts with Deputy Stage Manager being Izzy Longson and assistant Stage managers being Reece Bland, Hannah Casey, Rachel Casey, Oscar Drake, Findlay Parker and Lauren Wells. This is a big show but is really well stage managed by this stage crew.

There is another BSL interpreted show on the Saturday matinee by Natasha Redfern.

This is the perfect show to lift you out of the swampy doldrums and by the end of the show you'll be flying that freak flag high and proud.

"Shrek The Musical" is at Derby Theatre until Sunday 20 September.