"An Evening Of Christmas Cheer"
Nottingham Arts Theatre.

What a cracking Christmas Cracker of a festive show this was, and more fool you lot who missed it!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love Christmas and the lead up to Christmas, and this show, rapidly following on from their smash hit panto, set the mood perfectly.

A gorgeous melting pot of classic carols and hymns as well as more contemporary pop Christmas hits, blended in with some music theatre hits. Fold in some festive readings and this Christmas offering left even the most Grinch like of people feeling toasty warm inside with a massive grin on their face.

It was lovely to see many of the regular faces on stage again for this one night only celebration (which i really hope becomes an annual do). Not only did they entertain us splendidly, they looked really happy to be doing so as well.

Bertie Black, Christine Boothe, Mike Bulford, Glenise Ellis, Laura Ellis, Tony Ghostwalker, John Gill, Ella Greenwood, Amanda Hall, Beth Hinchliffe, Barry Hobbs, Jacob Fowler, Patrick McChrystal, Ray Mcleod, Mike Pearson, Sophie Petruccio-Hall, Marie Rogers, Amy Rogers-Gee, Hannah Rogers-Gee, Alison Sheppard, Roy Smith, Laura Thurman and Emily Wilkins sprinkled Christmas cheer over the theatre and the audience. All we needed was snow.

And I must not forget Rob Kettridge and Nathan Penney on the technical side of things

The audience were provided with song sheets for the carols and were encouraged to sing along, and even I aired a few vocals from the anonymity of my seat , so wrapped in a merry mood was I.

Not only did this special show spread the most festive of cheer, but it also showcased some of Nottingham's finest voices, and I really am trying not to spotlight any singers, as they were all so very good, but there were a few performances that really did give me that shiver up my spine moment. Nothing that was not expected by me as I've mentioned their names in many reviews over the years for their vocal prowess, and here they also shone in a sky full of equally sparkling stars that radiated from the Nottingham Arts Theatre stage.

I'd also like to mention how beautiful the theatre itself looked with its' deep red curtains and blue stage, and the seats being so much more comfortable after the refurbishment, which is still a work in progress but well on their way.

I am very lucky in knowing the majority of the people on stage tonight, well enough to chat with them when our paths cross, and that means that i know their work ethic and what they are capable of, and when they perform to this standard, it makes me very proud just to be able to say that i know you.

To everyone on stage, and behind the scenes who have given so much entertainment to us audience members for the last year, I'd just like to thank you for your amazing talent, the blood, sweat and tears that you all give, the time you give up for rehearsals, the hard work that you all put in to make your performances look so effortless. Thank you, I am so in awe of the special talent you have.

Have an amazing Christmas and I can't wait to see you all again in 2019.

“Red Riding Hood”
Nottingham Lakeside

Presented by Eugene House in association with Lakeside Arts, this year’s Christmas show, aimed at kids, but is just as entertaining for adults, is the story of Red Riding Hood.

Written by Mike Kenny and Directed by Matt Aston, this is a joyous piece of theatre that returns to Lakeside after its’ 2011 debut and will entertain and enthral kids of any age.

The show has musical numbers especially written with children in mind by Julian Butler, who has written pieces of music and songs for children for years now, so he knows what he is doing to capture the little ones imagination and attention.

As an adult theatre-goer, I could hear distant echoes of "Into the Woods" songs and I love the dark feel through the songs. Because let's face it, the story is quite a dark one that may go unnoticed by younger audience members, again making this story work on different levels for all.

The story is about a little girl, Brigit, who went to spend the night at Grandma’s house, and her little brother, Stephen, came too. She just wanted to go to sleep but he was excited and wouldn’t settle down. To help get him off to sleep, the young girl promised to tell her brother a story. But when you start acting out your favourite fairy-tale, who knows what’s in store?

The set is very quirky and quite cartoon-strip style but also holds a lovely nostalgic olde-world "grandma"style brown interior design look, which all adds to the feel of this piece of theatre. Designed by Laura McEwen.

Anne Kirkman and Adam Ryan who play the kids, and all of the roles, are quite magical to watch, and as an adult, I found their story-telling just mesmerising and their characterisation spot on from the eyes of the children.

One thing that makes brilliant theatre, and can either make the show a success or not, is the lighting and sound and both Richard Statham (Lighting design) and Edwin Wallace (Sound design) added that extra layer of magic to this play.

I also loved the choreography (Claire Cunningham) which worked so well in this piece.

Beautifully directed by Matt Aston, he created a very understated piece of magic for the whole family

The play only lasts 55 minutes so is a lovely diversion from the hustle and bustle of Christmas – or New Year – preparations and will keep everyone transfixed, if only for a short while. I'm sure though that it's something that the audience will be talking about long after they have left Lakeside.

I must also mention that the end of the story also has a lovely twist, which I certainly had not anticipated!

“Red Riding Hood” is at Djanogly Lakeside Theatre until Sunday 30 December 2018 and get there a bit earlier so that you and the little ones can check out the wonderful digital installation exhibition by Barret Hodgson that is at Lakeside as well.

'Breathing Holes' by Jonathan Davies
Nottingham New Theatre

Another New Theatre and Nottingham University student play, closing this season at the theatre. There seems to be so many talented writers and directors as well as tech people and actors, and Mr Davies is in that mix.

Over the last couple of years I’ve seen a few productions that Jonathan has been involved in, “Uz & Them”, “Five Kinds Of Silence” and the crazy “Cogito Ergo Bum”. And now comes “Breathing Holes”.

We all daydream, and often as not, sometimes we can't make sense of what we dream. It's often random ideas thrown together, and that is what this play is about.

There are four characters, none of which have names, that doesn't matter and is unimportant because it's what they say, not who says what that is the centre of this piece of theatre. You'll have to excuse me if I'm not making sense here but it's the sharing of the experience that is what is on show here; the randomness of our dreams and thoughts.

It shows four possible daydream situations, at the sink looking out of the window, in bed and on the settee, and then there is a character trapped, metaphorically, in a glass jar. The image of this is particularly interesting. We're not told why, and I think this leaves the audience member to make their own minds up as to why, he is in this jar, but again this could all be metaphorical, but when he breaks free from the jar, this could herald the awakening of the day dream. Who knows, that's my understanding, but we all possibly have a different image and understanding of this.

This is one piece of theatre unlike anything else that I have seen at the NNT, and while the four characters separate monologues may seem unconnected, listen carefully because there is a link between the four, which may only come to mind when you've had time to digest the piece as a whole.

It's very clever writing and will make you think. It's poetic and the poetry of the words and the piece are well matched with the wonderful video images. I know that if I were looking out the window on a rainy day, my mind too would wander.

And it's all about train of thought as well. Isn't it great to just let your mind roam and you soon look back and realise that what you end up musing about may not be anything like your first thoughts, but how did you get from A to B to C without that smooth train of thought?

Well that was what I felt this piece of theatre experience was about, and if it wasn't, then this is either me misconstruing the mind of the writer, or a clever piece of writing which has given every audience member free reign on taking what they see and moulding it into their own little piece of theatre within their minds. I'd like to think it's a bit of both.

The four mind bending actors responsible for bringing the script to life are Rohan Rakhit, Lucy Chandler, Sophie Curtis and Rosiella Sutherland, who also produced this piece.

Written and Directed by Jonathan Davies and, as usual at the NNT, a very talented tech and creative bunch of people.

One of the most interesting original plays this year that credits the audience with the intelligence to interpret the script with their own understanding.

The play is only 40 minutes long followed by a "Q & A" session, which also gives you plenty of time afterwards to discuss it in the public bar.

“Breathing Holes” is at the Nottingham New Theatre until Friday 14 December 2018.

“The Hound Of The Baskervilles”
Nottingham Lace Market Theatre

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic winter thriller is not being taken seriously by the Lace Market Theatre – but that is how they have planned it to be. It’s a spoof of the classic tale so don’t worry, I’m not being derogatory!

The story has been adapted by Steven Canny and John Nicholson into something similar to “The 39 Steps”, but with flashes of The Two Ronnies, Monty Python and through to The Young Ones and The Sooty Show (honestly), with even a nod to Strictly Come Dancing along the way.

There is a curse on the Baskerville family and the latest victim is Sir Charles Baskerville. Enter the great Sherlock Holmes and his trusty side kick, Dr John Watson, determined to unmask the killer before another victim falls prey to the infamous hound.

Before the story really gets going though there's an introduction to the actors and their roles which really gets you in the mood for a brilliant night of fun and frivolities.

A cast of three play all the parts in this fast paced comedy, with even faster costume changes. A plethora of accents as well as props are abound, creating mischief, mirth and merriment.

When you think back to the classic films and the various Holmes and Watsons, you always have the idea that it is Watson who is the quiet hero of the piece , letting Holmes be the one to take all of the credit. In this production that scenario is the same and Holmes seems to take a back seat to Watson in this breakneck theatrical piece.

Mr John Parker plays Sherlock Holmes, as well as six other parts, This man never seems to get out of breath despite racing around the stage in various guises. And I still reckon that if there is a theatre version of "Rising Damp", then John will be the only one who can play Rigsby. He has very expressive eyebrows as well!!

Mr Richard Young is Doctor Watson, and two other characters and while trying to be the more serious of the characters, there were wonderful breaks from the "seriousness" with some crazy facial expressions

Mr Jamie Goodliffe plays Sir Henry Baskerville and all the other parts. Thankfully we also discover at the end of the play where his trousers keep disappearing to, and that one shoe.

All three actors show what talented character and comic actors they are with a talent for a certain amount of ad-libbing, just long enough to cover the quick changes for the other actor to return to the stage, when requred.

Possibly one of the fastest plays I have seen, and most definitely one of the funniest and manic with so many nods to many comedy kings through the decades. You'll feel out of breath just trying to keep up with this masterclass of farce and spoofdom. the comedy covers many idioms; physical, mime, men dressed as women - with or without beards- and a lot of silliness bordering at times on slapstick. there's even the odd break of character to comment on the stage managers, who would have earned their money on this run, if only they were getting paid for it!

Directed by Mr Matthew Huntbach, who I know has a love of great comedy and spoof, so this is right up his alley. This isn't just pacy, this is breakneck.

There are so many things, as a reviewer and audience member, that i was so impressed with. the sound effects designer, Darren Coxon played an absolute blinder in this show, and that sound effect "timing" also created several of the comic moments itself.

Brilliant Lighting design by Phil Anthony all added to the whole atmosphere of the play.

In the spirit of panto, this is an alternative to panto but still also provides a lot of classic panto style fun which i know will be loved by all age groups.

You will, however, be extremely lucky if you want to get a ticket for this show because every single night is sold out, even before the doors opened tonight, but it’s always worth checking in at the box office for any return tickets or cancellations.

It’s brilliant as someone who loves the theatre to see this in local theatre, especially when the theatre itself is hidden away from the main roads in the Lace Market. It shows that theatre goers are faithful to the Lace market and that the best advertisement is word of mouth and social media because being sold out is not a rarity at the Lace Market Theatre, so you have to get in there pretty sharpish! At least before Saturday 15 December 2018.

It doesn’t take a great mind to deduce that this production is non-stop fun from start to end and is going to be another massive success for the Lace Market Theatre; it’s elementary my dear reader!

Oh, and make sure that you buy a programme (£1.00 - cheap at half the price, so buy two) and see if you can spot even more spoofing throughout. I now know what a fire-place pilot is but any ideas what a dog wrangler is? Anyone?

"Peter Pan"
Nottingham Theatre Royal

Boy-cie did that two hours fly by - literally! Nottingham Theatre Royal's panto this year stars John Challis and Joe Pasquale as Captain Hook and Smee, respectively. Two comedy geniii (is that the plural of geniuses?) prove why they are National treasures in the world of comedy.

Everyone knows the story of Peter Pan, the boy who never grew up, Tinkerbell his fairy friend and Wendy, Michael and John, the children who flew away to Neverland with Peter and Tinks.

Keeping the story concise, there were no Mr and Mrs Darling and the action started practically straight away with the arrival of Tinkerbell and Peter Pan into the Darling children's bedroom and then straight off to Neverland to battle Captain Hook.

Jack McNeill was a brilliant casting as Peter Pan as you could believe that he was of that age, well he is only 22. He has great energy, which is what is needed for the part of Peter Pan, and his smile is infectious. All this and a talented vocalist as well.

Lucy Evans plays Tinkerbell, and I love the sass in this character - a rude fairy, great fun. Lucy even managed to win over the audience when Tinks was dying after having her wings cut off by the evil Captain Hook.

Talking of whom, John Challis as the nasty Hook was the perfect baddie. Not too frightening as to scare the kids but just nasty enough to get them all boo-ing him. Classic panto villain.

Starkey, Hook's aide, was played by Paul Gabriel, a regular face in TV. Another fun role to watch.

Directed, and choreographed by Jonny Bowles, I really liked the trimmed back version of the story, getting straight into the action and grabbing the kids attention straight away.

What also seemed to be trimmed back were the songs, there didn't seem to be as many songs featured as in previous years, and no real "big" songs. the highlight for me was "Rewrite The Stars" from "The Greatest Showman", but if you didn't know the soundtrack, you wouldn't know the song, so music wise, I didn't feel this show had as much musical impact as the other two pantos in the area this year. And no "Baby Shark" which would have been apt as part of the story line is dependent on the sea.

Talking of which, the 3D section of this panto this year was an under water trip around a wreck, which I loved. 3D is now quite over used in shows but I really did feel that this piece was quite spectacular.

A couple of other high lights for me were the "12 Days Of Christmas" section, which again is becoming a staple part of panto, but still remains comical, especially when the people sitting next to year to decide to leave their sense of humour at home and left their seats when they got sprayed by the water gun, and didn't return. "Boooooo" bring your sense of humour with you nest time!! It's only water after all.

The other part which I enjoy is the kids on stage participation bit. Joe again showed what a supreme ad lib comedy star he is with kids.

The sets are, only to be expected, lavish, which is what Qdos do so well.

I loved the giant crocodile which completely filled the stage and loomed over the orchestra pit, glaring at the audience and swaying it's giant hungry jaws from side to side.

The ensemble, again something that you grow to expect from panto are timed to perfection in the choreography.

The orchestra, I felt were just a tad too loud, very slightly swamping the vocals on some of the songs.

The comedy is a mix of old stuff with a few new, and funny gags thrown in, and there is nothing wrong with old stuff being in there because it still remains to be funny. The seat which Joe sits on is still worthy of an eye watering giggle, as is the pitch change on his voice straight afterwards.

What is there not to be loved about buckles being swashed, flying fairies, pyrotechnics, water guns, giant crocodiles and a very entertaining bunch of actors. Oh yes they arrrrr ( to be said in a piratey style voice).

All in all this is another classic panto with stars who are guaranteed to create big, (me) hearty laughs. It does make me wonder how much of the ad lib is ad lib but that doesn't matter because the kids loves it, as well as the adults, Everyone left with smiles on their faces, which is the aim of a pantomime, so a job well done by all involved.

"Peter Pan" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Sunday 13 January 2019.

“Grant Meets Death” by Säm Mörris
Nottingham New Theatre.

Another new piece of theatre from the Nottingham New Theatre, this time written by Sam Säm Mörris.

One night Grant McKenzie wakes up and finds Death standing over his bed, wanting to take Grant’s life. Now obviously Grant isn’t too keen on this idea ,and Death is desperate for a lunch break, so he is no rush either. he has a watch that will stop time for 90 minutes and gives Grant these 90 minutes. The story takes us back over Grant’s life to determine if he should live or die through his memories and actions over the years.

One thing we learn is that "Death" himself is really only the delivery man because he is just responsible for transporting the chosen one from the one place to the next. No matter how much we try to stop the circle of life (and death), it will happen!

This may sound pretty grim but I'll tell you what, this is one of the best new pieces of writing I have seen this year. It has everything in there - laughs, emotion, sadness, music, dance, the Turtles, Fleetwood Mac - both play an integral part in the story - life, death, love, hate, physical theatre, mime, it's all in there. There's even a touch of magic.

Sam's writing belies his years with a lovely air of solemnity in places and throughout a delicious amount of black comedy.The script is a very clever one and because of the 140 wonderful minutes of theatre, I can only imagine the physical script took a long time to produce. Apparently, the idea for the story came from listening to a Johnny Cash song.

Ethan McCrystal (Grant) is wonderful as the 53 year old who faces death in the face. Ethan shows his comic side off and nearer the end also his more serious acting side as the inevitable dawns on him; his time is up! The play is a very physical one and Ethan is on the receiving end of a lot of that physical side. His scene as he is with his wife as she dies is quite simply beautiful as well as immensely sad.

Miguel Barrulas (Death) plays a blinder, and possibly the best performance I have seen him give. Very droll and relaxed performance. Great make up as well. From his "matter of fact" approach as Death to a more empathetic ending via some wonderful comedy lines, Miguel mastered this part, and I hope that when Death comes to greet me, I hope that he is like this portrayal. It'll make going such fun.

Flo Avis plays Lucy and Hugo Minta plays Marcus. Both wonderful character actors. Flo making her NNT debut in this role, and very confident she is as well. I've seen Hugo before and this part compounds what a talented and comic actor he is.

Boo Jackson plays Eleanor, and like all of the above (and below) an excellent character player with a great range of emotions to show.

Arthur Mckechnie and Eloise Dooley play Multi-roles throughout, fleshing out the character list. Talking of flesh, we see another side of Arthur in a fetching green evening gown and heels among his roles.

The choreography is used to good effect ranging from ball room to contemporary, both working well with the slow motion sections of the play.

There is another very novel section of the play which involves a game show with Death as the host.

Co Directors Säm Mörris and Lillian Race have done an amazing job on this multi-pace piece of theatre that never falls into a lull at any stage of the show. Your attention is demanded at every second of this play.

Francis Simmons is the hard worked Producer for this play, which I could see as a film if anyone were to be brave enough to take on the story.

The technical side of this show is superb with the graphics - Technical Director is Martin Tomlinson. the video design is by Zoe Smith

The excellent lighting is designed by Andrew Houghton, assisted by Zoe Smith and the equally excellent Sound Design is by Tara Prasad. The mix of the ticking clock to The Turtles song "Happy Together" is an inspired choice as we never know how long happiness with loved ones will last - only time will tell.

If you love new writing which is clever and intelligent coupled with an incredible bunch of talented actors with the ability to bring a character to life, a great set which was not as simple as it first appeared, and a whole host of technical wizards, then this is the play for you,

Not only will it have you laughing out loud, but it will also get you thinking as well, and possibly make you question many things about yourself and your life. It may even get you to rethink your life to live every minute as you never know when you may be waking up and staring death in the face!

“Grant Meets Death” is at the Nottingham New Theatre until Saturday 8 December 2018.

“Urinetown” by BIlborough College Drama
Bilborough College, Nottingham

In a Gotham-like city, a terrible water shortage, caused by a 20-year drought, has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. The citizens must use public amenities, regulated by a single malevolent company, the Urine Good Company, that profits by charging admission for one of humanity's most basic needs.

Amid the people, a hero, Bobby Strong, decides that he's had enough and plans a revolution to lead them all to freedom with the choice to pee “wherever you like, whenever you like, for as long as you like, and with whomever you like”

Things get a bit complicated though when Bobby falls in love with Hope Caldwell, the daughter of the UCG boss, Caldwell B Caldwell.

As the narrator tells us though, this is not a happy musical. Never has such a tragic musical been so much fun. That's satire for you!

As soon as you take your seats you're involved with the play as the actors mill around in character and interact with the audience.

Edward Turner plays the people's hero Bobby which not only highlights his leading man status but also a pretty powerful singing voice as well.

Emily Wilkins plays Hope, a brilliant vehicle for her comedy side and, goes without saying, another wonderful vocalist in this musical. Emily is a busy lady at the moment as she is also appearing at the Nottingham Arts Theatrein "Beauty & the Beast".

Fiona Kinsella plays Penelope Pennywise, the woman in charge of collecting the money from people wanting to pee. Not only is she a lovely little comedy actor she has a wonderful voice with great range and power.

Eleanor Carty is another brilliant comic actor ans as Little Sally is an integral part of moving the narration on via the fourth wall.

Ellie Mai Jackson is the baddie in this piece and plays Caldwell B Caldwell, looking like Kid Creole with the slick suit and the moustache. A brilliant fun role for Ellie and a fun role to watch.

Lydia Messam, as Officer Lockstock, also doubles as the narrator in the most revealing police outfit I have ever seen and as a double act with George Le Blond James - what a great name - who plays Officer Barrel. If you watch Barrel carefully he's a bit of a letch, which may have been missed by many of the audience members as I don't think it received the comedy reaction it deserved . This pair are well matched as characters because the comedy shared between the two is often subtle at times but always smile inducing.

The rest of the cast/ensemble are just as brilliant as the leads and carry the comedy well, both through the script as well as the musical numbers.

It would be easy to mistake the soundtrack music as being recorded but no, the six piece band are excellent under the baton of Jack Bratby and the Musical Direction of Jack and also Will Huxtable.

The soundtrack itself is catchy and is laced with some very funny lyrics which you mat have to listen to, to get the full extent of the comedy. At times not the easiest of soundtracks to perform but this cast did a cracking job, and, having not seen this musical before, they brought the soundtrack to life for me.

The musical is well directed by Izzie Gatford-Ball and Sam Hamilton and the pace of the musical is kept up really well.

There's some very good choreography thanks to Luke Rouse and this is well carried out by the whole cast.

Produced by Sharon MacInnes.

I've had the pleasure of reviewing Bilborough College Drama for the last five years and every year they get better and better, which isn't easy when I think of the incredible shows they have put on like "Cabaret", "We Will Rock You", "Our House" and "Les Miserables".

“Urinetown” is being performed at Bilborough College, Nottingham until Friday 7th December 2018.

“It’s A Wonderful Life- A Live Radio Play” By The Festival Players
Loughborough Town Hall

This festive American holiday classic comes to life as a live 1940s radio broadcast. With the help of an ensemble that brings a few dozen characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey unfolds as he considers ending his life one fateful Christmas Eve, but then he experiences Divine intervention. For anyone who has seen the original film, starring James Stewart, you’ll know what a slightly dark but wonderfully heart-warming story this is.

“It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play”, written by Joe Landry, is exactly what it says it is. Five radio play actors, supported by a sound-effects man, deliver the lines of all the characters from the movie, and is very different to any other theatre play that I have seen before. For anyone who has listened to plays that have been performed on the radio, i.e. “The Archers” this brings the sounds and sights of what happens within a live radio play performance to life.

As soon as I walked into the Victoria Room upstairs at the Town Hall, that in itself took my breath away. It is a gorgeous room and so very apt for this play. It's almost of ball room proportions

The room created an atmosphere in itself which really spilled over for the feel of this play. Now I know that this may be a sweeping statement but this may be the best I have seen from the Festival Players and I have seen some really excellent plays by them.

Directed by Jez Malpas, who is also responsible for the Sound Design as well as operating the sound simply transported me to another place altogether with the incidental music.

If you shut your eyes it would just be like listening to the film, but why on earth would you want to close your eyes when there is so much radio magic unfolding on stage.

Nick Grainger (Freddie Filmore), Tom Grainger (Jake Laurent),
Simon Page (Harry ”Jazzbo” Heywood),Persephone Leafe (Sally Applewhite), Victoria Price (Lana Sherwood), Jessica Hannah (Trixie Devine), Chris Marshall (Foley Artist) who provides all of the sound effects for the radio play and Valerie Schmitt-Li (Assistant) were just mesmerising. You really could not take your eyes off this cast the whole time they were on stage.

They all stayed in character from before you walked in to when they left the stage, and even in the two ten minute intervals, Nick (Freddie) would provide the countdown to being back "on air" again.

This play just goes to show the hard work that radio actors put in to bringing the emotion of their characters to life when you can't see them.They paint pictures in the listeners minds, and even though you couldn't see the settings from the film, with the wonderful sound design and the way the scripts were delivered, you could picture where the characters were at any particular stage of the play.

The excellent set design is by Andrew McGowan.Never having been in a radio play studio I had only imagined what it would look like and this set was just what I would have imagined it to be

While being entranced by the actors, I was also captivated by Chris Marshalland the timing he has for slotting in those sound effects which was so smoothly done. Who would have thought just using an empty glass to talk into could emulate the sound of a telephone caller. As a radio person myself I was absolutely fascinated and enchanted by this whole play.

Costumes are so important in period pieces and as this is set in 1946 the costumes are of the era and very classy and in charge if this area is Liz Berrisford. This is after all the era when radio announcers wore tuxedos to present the news in. The nearest I get to this level of class is wearing a shirt and tie for my radio guests.

Keeping the reality for these kind of radio plays for this era, they all had promotional songs as jingles to promote the show's sponsor. All of these jingles, unlike today's 30 second jingles were all performed live on air and by the actors themselves, and this also was the case her. An education for a radio nut like myself.

This is a play for all ages and who wouldn’t fail to be affected in some way at this tale of despair being turned around by the help of another, and we learn that “no man is a failure who has friends”. A mantra for all ages and for any year.

If you aren't yet in that Christmas mood, go and see "It's A Wonderful Life" because "It's A Wonderful Play" which is not to be missed. It's truly magical.

The Festival Players are also supporting Rainbows Hospice for children and young people with this production.

“It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play”, is at Loughborough Town Hall until Thursday 6 December 2018. You can also see this play on 12th and 13th December 2018 at the Century Theatre in Coalville, Leicestershire performed by The Festival Players.