"An Evening Of Christmas Cheer"

Nottingham Arts Theatre

You just can't fail to get into a Christmassy spirit with these performers, all of which you may have seen in various productions at the theatre over the last twelve months.

There are traditional Christmas songs and carols, Christmas pop standards, Christmas readings, comical parodies and humorous oratories of a seasonal flavour.

Singalongs, raffles and tokens for free warm mulled wine and mince pies, as well as complimentary programme with songsheet. The Arts Theatre really did go that extra mile to make sure that every audience member left feeling in a Christmas mood.

Amy Rogers-Gee , Barry Hobbs, Bertie Black , Daisy Donoghue , Emme Gunn , Hannah Enderby , Hermione Cumbers, Kate Russell, Marie Rogers , Mike Pearson , Olivia Bonham , Roy Smith, Shantanu Bhumbra and Sophie Benner were the cast for this one night only Christmas cracker of a show.

It's not easy to pick highlights from this show, due to every section holding something just a little special, but I loved the sentimentality of Barry's "The Christmas Song", Daisy, Emme and Amy's gorgeous rendition of " O Holy Night", Bertie's humorous take on Jona Lewie 's "Stop The Cavalry", Amy, Marie, Bertie and Shan's alternative version of " The 12 Days Of Christmas", Marie and Mike's "Politically Correct Christmas", Hannah's "The First Noel", which reminded me vocally of Kate Rusby, Mike, Bertie, Shan, Roy and Barry channelled Michael Bublé for "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas", Olivia and the rest of the ladies' rousing version of Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas Is You", plus a unique version of "Ding Dong Merrily On High". So much crammed into a two hour show.

A wonderfully entertaining show that put everyone in an almighty Christmas groove. Bring on the Brussel sprouts, Christmas I'm ready for you!

 Cranberry Flick Christmas Show.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

Cranberry Flick are a seven piece band consisting of Angie Jean, Glenn Martin, Ken Morrell, Roy Carney, Leon Wade, Sean Garavan and Mike Burton.

Defining their music is not so easy as they cover quite a few genres, from blues and rock n roll to jazz. This Christmas Show encompasses the above plus a smattering of classic Christmas songs like the sexy "Santa Baby", "Merry Christmas Everyone", "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday","Jingle Bell Rock", plus tracks from their recorded albums, including one of my favourites that they have covered, "A Night Like This".

Cranberry Flick celebrate ten years together, and that shows because they are a tight combo who can have fun on stage, and the kind of fun that doesn't look forced, the comedy is natural even if some of Glenn's jokes should have stayed within the cracker.....only joking Glenn.

This band look after their audience, for instance, the layout at The Duchess Theatre has a cabaret vibe with tables and chairs, leaving room for some enthusiastic dancers to swing and jive the night away. On the tables there were mince pies, there was a spot prize for the initial dancers and there was banter both on and off stage. Glenn even ventured out into the audience with his trombone.

I last saw the Cranberry Flick Christmas Show back in 2015; Goodness knows why I left it so long to repeat the experience. A wonderfully seasonal party atmosphere was created and enjoyed by all.

You may have missed this one off show but 2023 looks to be as busy for this excellent band as it has been over the last decade, so if you get the chance to see Angie, without her shoes, and the rest of the band with plenty of soul, bag yourself a ticket.

 "The Stationmaster"

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

Written by Mark Jennison-Boyle and Kim Harris, this is a ghost story set around World War Two, between 1938 and 1945, about a group of people, all of which have very interesting back stories, as to why they want to board the train and travel to America, which are all revealed throughout this musical. All these people have one thing in common as to why they are all converged on this particular  platform at Prospect Valley.

Throughout the first half of this musical, it all seemed a bit like a jigsaw puzzle that didn't seem to fit, but then, come Act two, all the pieces slotted into place. Why was the clock on the platform stopped at eighteen minutes to four? Why was there rust on the tracks? Why was the signal box not working? Why was the Captain still revisiting the platform after he had received the news that was delivered to him by The Stationmaster?

There is also a special twist at the end, which could lead to further stories down the line, if you'll pardon the pun!

Okay, I won't mince my words here. I was pleasantly confused for most of the play but this has to be one of the loveliest and best written new piece of theatre that I've seen in a long while. Having seen "At Journey's End", the piece that this musical has developed from, I can completely appreciate why the Stationmaster became the thread which goes through the whole piece.

Mark Jennison-Boyle started writing the music around thirty years ago and is absolutely stunning, as have been his past musical ventures. Four years ago, Mark staged an early version of this musical at The Guildhall Theatre in Derby called "At Journey's End", and "The Stationmaster" is the result of several rewrites and additions to the soundtrack. It was during the staging of "At Journey's End" that Kim and Mark met and decided to write together and form Tall Tales Productions. Kim, at that time played the role of The Stationmaster, and it was a development of the back story for the Stationmaster that brought about the change in the name of the musical to what it is now.

Graham Buchanan is The Stationmaster, and having seen Graham in many different roles over the years, this one tops everything that I have seen him perform. There are many layers to the Stationmaster and Graham reveals these layers throughout. there are some magnificent emotional parts played by Graham, which comes as a contrast to quite a few of his past roles, showing just what a talented actor Graham is.

Miss Smith is played by Sandy Lane, and is possibly the most fascinating character out of a cast of fascinating characters. To start with you are presented with a bitter and sharp old woman, but as we reach the end of the play, we discover exactly why she is like she is, and you really start to feel differently towards the character. Again I have seen Sandy play many roles over the years, but this part really shows what a brilliant actor Sandy is. This play seems to have brought out the best in many of the actors, and that can only be put down partly to the wonderful characterisation from the writer, as well as the talents of the actors. Brace yourself for an emotional second act with Miss Smith and a wonderful emotional song called "I Never Came Close".

Hilary Leam plays Rosa Leibovitz, her husband Josef Leibovitz is played by Paul Makinson and their daughter, Katerine is played by Georgina Bateman. Again an unexpected back story surrounding these three, and there are parts that I found my jaw dropping open. My jaw dropped open for a different reason to start with, and that was their vocals.

Brodie, an Irishman who wants to travel to America from Ireland with the prospect of then settling and bringing his family over. Brodie is played by Phil Deakin with a lilting Irish brogue, whcih was maintained when he sang as well. Brodie's main song is the very positive "Life, I'm Coming For You".

Curtis Taylor-Tipton plays Edward Lawrence, the Captain who returns to the platform pursuing his young lady. He's back from the war, and there's a twist there as well. It's been a while since I've seen Curtis on stage but in that time his voice has matured so well. He sings with no effort at all,a nd I had to agree with my audience member neighbour when she commented on what a lovely voice he has, His voice has matured like a fine wine, and like Graham and sandy, this role has brought out another level of excellence in his acting.

Lucy Gazzard plays Beatrice, ward of Miss Smith. This back story also has a twist that you wouldn't have seen coming either. Miss Smith is her Aunt who has been given the job to take her away from her loved one, by her parents; well that is waht we are lead to believe.......

Julia Harris plays Cynthia/Joan flitting between the two, both parts played with wonderful emotion.

Ben Sherwin is Darragh/Stefan and the prison guard, and it's as the latter that he is at his most vile and concerns the story with the Leibovitz family. 

Paul Makinson again triple plays as Josef Leibovitz, as previously mentioned but also plays Cartwright and Richard, two very different characters.

Charlie Buchanan plays Emma Henderson, The Stationmaster's daughter. Here also is a very emotional storyline which also brings out a new level of acting ability from Charlie. The ending is also a bit of a tear-jerker involving Charlie and Graham, so make sure you have a Kleenex at the ready.

Owain Jones plays Jack, The Stationmaster's nine year old son. Owain has played several roles previously but this sees him playing a more grown up character, which he plays with great maturity.

Directed by Kim Harris, the pace of this is timed to perfection, and the mystery involving what has happened in the past is well shrouded which makes the reveal, even more of a surprise. The element of tension is also kept well, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.

The Musical arrangements and production of the songs is by Mark Jennison-boyle, and like his other musical productions is extremely evocative, especially the Music Box section. As usual there are overtones of Celtic influences, which I love. The whole soundtrack is superbly composed, but when seen, and heard as part of an onstage piece just springs to life.

Sound Design by Dave Martin. You could hear every word sung and spoken and the music soundscape at times gives you chills due to the acoustic clarity.

Lighting by David Coull, and in this musical, the lighting creates the right atmosphere, especially when the back stories come into play, merging the past with the present time of the drama.

The set design is by Kim Harris and Les Parkes, and it's as if a platform has been lifted from a train station and transported to the Duchess Theatre stage, complete with age appropriate advertisements for the war era. The stage extension is courtesy of Roydon Staging.

The costumes are all excellent and really transforms you back in time, thanks to Lichfield Costume Hire and Judith Evans.

Choreography is by Charlie Buchanan.

So, if you want an unnerving piece of theatre, with an incredibly talented cast and an evocative and emotive soundtrack delivered with musical perfection, then this is one new piece of theatre that you need to see.

"The Stationmaster" is being performed at The Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 17 December.

 "High School Musical"

Gilly Archer Theatre, Bilborough College.

The musical is based on the 2006 Disney film of the same name, which also coincides with Bilborough College also being opened officially.

Troy Bolton tells his Jock friends, Chad Danforth and Zeke Baylor, about meeting Gabriella Montez on New Year's Eve during winter vacation on a ski trip. Gabriella, who has just moved to Albuquerque, also tells her newfound Brainiac friends Taylor McKessie, Kelsi Nielsen and Martha Cox of her vacation. A little like when Danny told his friends about Sandy, and vice versa in "Grease". We also meet Sharpay and Ryan Evans, the two drama stars of the school. Sharpay is selfish, with an overblown ego, and Ryan follows her orders but tries to be friends with everyone.

Mrs. Darbus tells her class of the upcoming winter musical, "Juliet and Romeo", a new version of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", written by Kelsi Nielsen, a shy East High student. The next day, thespians audition for the play as do Sharpay and Ryan. When the auditions have closed Tony and Gabriella sing the audition song the way that Kelsi had meant the song to be sung, as a ballad, and to their surprise are called back for a second audition. As you can imagine, Sharpay and Ryan are not happy about the rug being pulled from under them, so they hatch a plot to try and stop Tony and Gabriella from getting the lead roles of Juliet and Romeo.

Coach Bolton thinks that Gabriella is interfering with training for Troy, and that his head is not in the game and their respective groups also feel that the auditions will mess up both groups chance of success. Troy and Gabriella are being torn from all angles but do they listen to their friends or to their hearts?

So there are the Jocks, Troy Bolton, Chad Danforth and Zeke Baylor.

Troy is played by Samuel Onwuteaka, and he is a young man to look out for. He'll catch the eyes of the ladies, making him future leading man material when he gets older. Samuel has a really good soulful voice which blends well. He can also dance and when the finale comes you see him really start to get into the choreography and breaks free. There's also a really nice believable chemistry between the two lead roles.

Chad, played by Benjamin Case is also a really confident performer who looks as if he is enjoying his role as a jock.

Zeke is played by Noa Hart, and as Zeke, has a bit of a crush on Sharpay, and also has a secret passion for baking. Not that secret though as Zeke bakes a cake for Sharpay which does not quite go to plan. At the end of the show though Zeke seems to be winning Sharpay over.

Then there are the Thespians, Sharpay Evans, Ryan Evans and Kelsi Neilson.

Sharpay, who is the President of the Drama Club is played by Holly Chippendale. The Evans' are my favourite characters as they are full of, well character. Holly brought the sass to the show, and I can imagine that she rather enjoyed playing the dominant Evans twin as she got to boss Ryan around.

Ryan is played by Evan Fretwell, who I last saw playing Mr Mushnik in Copper Studios production of "Little Shop Of Horrors". Now just watching Evan perform you can see that he is a natural dancer. He is also a natural comedian and a really good visual comedian, as well as a wonderful character actor.

Kelsi is played by Angel Sherrard, and is another who looks comfortable on stage as a performer.

The Brainiacs are Gabriella Montez, Taylor McKessie and Martha Cox.

Gabriella is played by Bethan Moore, and like her surname, I was left wanting to see more of her talent, especially that voice of hers. It's sweet and tuneful and, as I mentioned earlier, blends very well with Samuel's. There is that natural chemistry between Troy and Gabriella, brought about by the lovely acting skills of both young actors.

Taylor McKessie, who is the President of the science club, is played by Ama Nicol/Nakiya Francis-White. A lovely, naturally soft young actor who I can see being useful in local theatre in a few years' time.

Martha Cox, who has a secret passion for hip hop music - I believe that Dr Brian Cox also shares the same passion, is played by Adara Gonzalez Pillay.

The Skater Dudes are Ripper, who we discover has a passion for the cello, and played by Esmee Khadimand. Mongo played by Lily Essex.

Jack Scott, the "Velvet Fog Of East High", is the news announcer and played by Teddy Smith

The Adult characters are Ms Darbus, who is the head of the drama department, who has a dislike for the Jocks and Coach Bolton. I really enjoyed the very mature performance by Holly Hughes, and even managed to look old enough to be a teacher. That is probably also due to the excellent costume for Ms Darbus as well as the wonderful hair and make up for this character.

Coach Bolton, who is head of the basketball team, and also Troy's father, is played by Asher Jenkin Jones. A solid, young actor who delivers with just the right tenacity.

Ms Tenny, the chemistry teacher is played by Anique Taylor.

The other students in this musical are played by Monet Pearson-Henry (Jason), Jazmine Lockwood, Shreya Rajappan Pillai, Alyssa Moore, Julia Sereda, Lorna Shepherd, Hope Sandhu, Lucy Fearn, Adara Gonzalez Pillai, Sophie Collis, Anique Taylor, Lily Essex and Esmee Khadim.

The Cheerleaders were Gabriella Beardsley, Laabiah Amjad, Lucy Fearn, Julia Sereda and Jessica Henley-Marshall. Every one of these ladies burst out with such energy and athleticism.

Anyone who knows the soundtrack will know that there are some very catchy songs here; "We're All In This Together", "Start Of Something New", "Breaking Free", "Head In The Game" and "Stick To The Status Quo" among them.

The Director always has the hardest job in my opinion because it's up to them to get everything right, and Tom Green, assisted by Jess Carter, got everything right on stage. It was full of energy, packed with fun and paced really well.

Production manager was Neve Saxton.

Musical Director was Jessica Lin, who fronted the seven piece band, and can I just give a virtual pat on the back to Will Robbins, who is going to be a drumming force to be reckoned with in the future. The whole band sounded excellent. My only issue though is that the band are situated at the back of the audience and can be at times just a little loud, not uncomfortably loud, but loud enough to drown the singing and the actor's delivery of their lines. This would have been resolved by the mics the actors wore having been executed timelier. The timing did get better as the musical progressed though.

I've touched on the choreography, which was suitably energetic, as well as fun to watch. Lara Pitt is responsible for this area of the production crew. I can tell by the choreography that Bilborough College have some very talented young dancers in their midst, and a fresh choreographer as well.

I'll also mention the costumes, which were great. Head of Costume was Holly Milsom, along with wardrobe assistants Clara Freestone and Emily Reynolds. Loved them all but especially loved those for Sharpay, Ryan and Ms Darbus.

Make-up and hair was by Alicia Bond.

A very tight production which highlighted a great deal of talent in all sections with several of these actors who, hopefully will go on to perform on more local stages, especially the male actors, as all local theatre groups are always crying out for male actors. I hope that they don't waste their talent by not continuing with the gifts that they have.

"High School Musical" is being performed at Bilborough College until Friday 16 December.