" The Nottingham Passion "

St Mary's Church in the Lace Market.

First off, let me give you an indication of just how popular this show was. I arrived at seven o clock for a seven thirty start, and the queue leading from the doors of St Mary's Church snaked right back to past the Galleries Of Justice, blocking the doorways of the restaurants. The church was packed out.

The last time I saw a queue that long was when Daniel O Donnell's tickets went on sale at the Nottingham Royal Centre. Of course, I'm not making any comparisons between Daniel O Donnell and Jesus Christ!

This could be the most famous and beloved story ever written and is certainly the most well known story taught in schools. The Easter Story. The sections of the Bible that tell of Jesus’ final days of suffering and death are commonly referred to as the “Passion narratives” or his “Passion”, and as this story is performed in Nottingham, it's called "The Nottingham Passion" following on from previous tears when performed in Hucknall, Newark and Southwell, the town then prefixing "Passion".

What better place to hold a story about Jesus than in a church, and the story of Jesus Christ is steeped in theatricality, so the two are a match made in, dare I say, heaven.

People flock to see Andrew Lloyd-Webber and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar", not just for the brilliant soundtrack, but for the story itself, and without Lloyd-Webber/Rice's music, the story is just as dynamic, just as emotive and just as exciting.

I'll admit that I'm not overly religious, and you don't need to be, to be able to enjoy this powerful production in this incredible and beautiful setting. Both the show and the church will take your breath away.

Directed by, and is the brainchild of, James Pacey, himself a Church of England Priest currently working as a chaplain at Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, so is well versed in both fields of story telling, and what a story it is to tell. The presentation was paced perfectly, leaving gaps to create tension, especially with some of Jesus' speeches, creating just the right amount of impact. Using the aisle and back of the church also created an immersive feel, almost as if you were part of the crowd within certain scenes.

Jesus is played by Simon Carter. Now I know that every actor will play a certain role different to the other, but Simon did not go down the angry route; this Jesus was scared, puzzled as to why God had not protected him, and the emotional side of the man (Jesus) really emerged. The only anger scene was when Jesus cleared the merchants from the courtyard. Simon showed the pain of bearing the cross in his face and you believed the weight that he was carrying, physically and metaphorically.

Ade Andrews, aka Ezekial Bone, who you may also know as Nottingham's very own Robin Hood, plays Judas Escariot, and again we see a very emotional performance. I've seen some Judas' played angrily when identifying Jesus to the guards, but in this performance there was a reluctance to deceive his teacher, and this casts a very different light on both men, Jesus and Judas. We don't see the torturing of Judas' mind after the fact, or his suicide, and that's fine because we can use our imagination if we want those gory details.

Becky Bloor, who played Peter, is a very natural actor and I enjoyed the fleet denial scene as well as the scene earlier when questioning why Jesus was bathing the feet of others.

In many productions, mainly musical productions of this story, I can't really remember the presence of Mary, Jesus' mother, and Jacky Tivers who played this role presented a very maternal role, needing to be with her son as he was on his way to the crucifixion; a really emotional scene.

I also enjoyed watching Iain Turner as Pontius Pilate, passing the buck and literally washing his hands of the whole episode.

This was a big cast, over thirty, with some recognisable local actors like Luke Topping (Noah), Jason Wrightam (Gamaliel/Guard) and Alistair Langton (Simon of Cyrene/Guard), but then there were some faces I'd not seen on stage before, despite knowing them personally, like Heather Moore (Salome), and the biggest surprise to me, and I had to check the programme to make sure I was correct, Alan Geary (John The Baptist), who I knew of his acting history, but great to see him performing, albeit a minor role. Altogether a wonderful ensemble piece.

The lighting was atmospheric, at times the church was swathed in blue and red and purple. The lighting also created shadows presenting an eerier feel to some of the action. Sound wise, there were a few missed cues but apart from that the acoustics for this type of show were perfect and every word could be heard. The technical crew consisted of James White, Francis Shepherd and Service AV.

"The Nottingham Passion" is only on until Saturday 1 April, and if there are any tickets available, they will be from cancellations, so would be best to check first before turning up, but is well worth the opportunity to see this beautiful and emotive piece of work.

 "Lost" by Alan Hescott.

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

Originally commissioned for Nottingham's Television Workshop, "Lost" tells the story of a class of Jewish youngsters who are held in Prague town hall. In their innocence and naivety they struggle to imagine the horrors facing them. It's a powerfully moving play which deals with survival, sacrifice, friendships, love and, above all, identity. The play has only been performed a few times, once on Radio 4.

The play is performed by the Lace Market Youth Group, which makes this performance even more poignant. When you think about your own children, and then picture them in this position, it is utterly heartbreaking. And then when you discover that the children in the story are unaware that their parents are no longer alive, your blood runs cold. Don't they say ignorance is bliss? Not in this scenario.

The young cast work well as an ensemble and I would not be able to pick any one of them out for r5ecognition over any other. They deliver and deal with the emotive subject matter with maturity and professionalism.

Keeley Nason (Leah), Noah Ash (Wladyslaw), Theo Hutchinson (Moshe), Kate Russell (Shlomo), Charlie Rose (Shin), Edgar Shelton (Haim), Jay Durbacz (Miklos), Binobi Bear - which by the way is the coolest name ever (Stefan), Louise Humphrys | Tiana Ilic (Miriam), Alex Hort (Lotte), Dani Melo | Olivia Fenyn (Daniel), Jess Erwin-Jones | Angel Akpovi (Esta), Beau Theakstone | Viola Hiebert (Leon), Aayla Boughton | Viola Hiebert (Hanna), Emily Hallam | Vivien Hughes (Arlene), Tilly Plant | Olivia Fenyn (Sophie), Kiah Harrison (Mouse), and Phoebe Goodwin | Haliya Duncan-Mead (Gypsy). This is the stellar cast who play the young ones.

Fred Stevenson (Miklos Senior), Kenzie Phillips (Stefan Senior), Indica Davies | Lucia Lockley Morante (Miriam Senior) and Keira Fletcher | Judaea Williams (Esta Senior) play the elder versions of the four children who went on to tell the story. 

Directed by Malcolm Todd, with Co Directors Ian Smith and Ben Dixon. This must have been an emotional journey but also an enormously rewarding process to see how this young cast have dealt with the script, ingested the whole history and meaning of the story, and then delivered the performance they did.

Allan Green was in charge of the Lighting Design, creating scene closures, simple and effective.

Sound Design is by Jonathan Blacknell, and the simple piano music that meandered throughout was positively haunting.

The story is an emotional and shocking one. Yes, we all know the reality of the holocaust, but that does not dilute the shock factor, even today, and the understanding and maturity of this cast was appreciated by everyone who experienced this beautifully written piece of theatre.

"Lost" is at the Nottingham Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 1 April.

 "Kiss Me Kate" by LEOS Musical Theatre Company

May Hall, Trent College, Long Eaton.

The plot is a clever one: divorced Broadway stars Fred Graham (Petruchio) and Lilli Vanessi (Katherine) are opening their production of "The Taming of the Shrew" in 1950s Baltimore. Backstage tensions overspill into on-stage action with romantic misunderstandings between Fred, the soon-to-be-remarried Lilli and their young co-star Lois Lane, playing Catherine's younger sister, Bianca. Added to this Lois' boyfriend Bill, also in the show playing Lucentio, has signed an IOU for his gambling debts to Mr Hogan, the local mafia don, causing his collectors to pay the theatre a visit - eventually ending up as part of the show.

Cole Porter is one of my favourite songwriters and injects so much humour into his songs and this musical is a perfect vehicle for his work. Many of these songs are standards and have been recorded by many international stars. Hearing them in the context of this musical gives a lot of them new meaning. They are jazzy, bluesy and have a few naughty connotations - just listen to "Tom, Dick Or Harry". His lyrics are very clever - how long must it have taken him to write "Brush Up Your Shakespeare" where he deliberately bends the words to fit what he wants it to say. He plays with words, often giving the singer a tongue twister just for fun - "I've Come To Wive It Wealthily In Padua" or "Where Is The Life That Late I Led".  And then there are the standards like "From This Moment On" and "So In Love". Oh, and then there is "I Hate Men", pure brilliance.

Gavin O Wen plays Fred/Petruchio and commands the stage with a wry sense of humour. You could see that spark in Gavin's eye, showing his enjoyment in playing this fun character. The chemistry between Fred and Lilli is brilliantly created and you can tell that there is still that spark, especially with their first duet "Wunderbar". Gavin doesn't have that much of a chance to show off his vocal abilities here, but when he does, like in "So In Love", it shows class.

Anna McAuley plays Lilli/Kate. Now I don't think that I've had the pleasure of seeing Anna in such a big leading role in the past. Seeing her in this really proved what a gorgeous voice she has. "Sparkling" is a word that came to mind as I was sat in May Hall listening to her. Her voice just danced on the melody, putting the "Operatic" into the Operatic Society of this drama company's name. Anna also has the ability to show off her comic talents as well; just listen to the title song and her input with that one.

Josie Coleman plays Lois Lane/Bianca. There are so many strong actors and performances in this show and Josie is yet another strong actor and singer. Loved the jazziness in "Always True To You In My Fashion", a lovely contrast to the pleading "Why Can't You Behave" she sings to Bill.

Robert McAuley as Bill/Lucentio. I've watched Robert over the years develop into a very confident actor and singer, and in this role he shows what a fine actor and singer he is - I mean let's face it, it runs in the family anyway. He has matured like a fine wine; see how he takes charge of the stage in, yet another big song and dance number "Bianca" for proof of that.

Louise McGowen as First Man and Amy Clover as Second Man and is also the Assistant Director for the show. These characters are the debt collectors who are after Bill for his IOU, which he signed in Fred's name. I love accents and this pair cracked me up with their broad Noo Yoik accents. The ramped up the comedy even more with "Brush Up Your Shakespeare", a particular highlight for me, and as far as I could tell, an audience pleaser to boot.

Dan Bates as General Howell. I've seen enough of Dan on stage and in various roles to know what an excellent character actor Dan is. So seeing Dan play a loud General in the U.S. army just added to his list of comedy character actors. He knows exactly what he is doing with every part he takes on and delivers every time.

Arden-Caspar Jennison as Paul. Another actor I've seen come up through the ranks to become the solid and dependable actor, singer and, especially highlighted for me in this musical, a proficient dancer as well. The opening of Act two is the song "Too Darn Hot", which Arden performs with a big ensemble. This was yet another one of my highlights; you can't beat a big, flashy opening and that's what we got for the start of the second act, and leading that was Arden all the way.

Emma Collins as Hattie, who opens the whole show with the wonderful, and very aptly titled "Another Openin', Another Show". You can't help but get in the mood for thsi musical once you've seen and heard Emma perform this.

As you can imagine, with a musical that has a show within a show for the main show, there are plenty of minor roles and ensemble roles, all of which deserve a mention. After all, where would we be without the talented ensemble?

Oscar Gregory (Hortensio), Alice Taylder (Painter/Ensemble), Becky Morley (Painter/Ensemble), Charmian Hardy (various roles/Ensemble), Eleanor Harvey (Musician/Waitress/Ensemble), Emilia Pettit (Wardrobe Assostant/Ensemble), Jack Woolley (Ralph/ Stage Manager showing how difficult a Stage Manager's job can be/ Ensemble), Joanna East (Stagehand/Ensemble), Laurie Trott (Make Up Artist/Thora/Ensemble), Lilli White (Wardrobe Mistress/Ensemble), Lisa Stone (Publicist/Ensemble), Martin Orrell (Harry Trevor?Baptista Minola), Matthew McAuley (Gremio), Megan Fennell (Photographer/Haberdasher/Ensemble), Molly Parkinson (Danser/Ensemble), Phil Deakin (Pops/Doorman/Inkeeper), Phoebe Jennison (Dancer/Ensemble), Rachel Spence (Dancer/Ensemble) and Victoria Palmer (Dance Captain/Ensemble).

Giles Pettit is the Musical Director for "Kiss Me Kate" and his ten piece band sounded more like an orchestra. Lush and rich; every section of the band came together to create a sound not unlike a soundtrack recording of the show.

Choreographing the show is Rachel Murray, and what I loved most of all in this area was the big ensemble pieces like "Too Darn Hot". What a show for choreography, and what a choreographer.

Directing duties fall to Kathryn McAuley, who should know a bit about Shakespeare as she performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford last year. I just wonder how easy, or difficult it is to give direction to practically all of your family who are on stage. It goes without saying that everything was very tight and of the highest professional quality, because that's what you get when you love what you do, and Kathryn loves what she does, and it shows.

The Lighting Design is by David Price, an absolute expert in his field, and that shows with the quality of the design in this show, especially the opening to Act Two. The operation of the design was managed perfectly by Harvey Latter.

I only noticed a couple of missed cues with the sound, but what I noticed more was the quality of the sound at May Hall. Once upon a time the sound was not clear and was not good but it's got better, and tonight I think the sound quality was the best that I've heard in this theatre. Sam Lenord was the man behind  the sound tonight.

Set rostrums were provided by Roydon Charlesworth, who seems to be the man to go to for a solid set rostrum as he is all over the place and in a multitude of programme credits, and good on him for providing a sterling service and quality piece of set.

Loved the costumes (Lace Market Theatre Hire), Hair (Carole McTernan) and make up. There are so many props used in this show as well. I tried to count them but gave up. Again, it's not an area that gets much praise but it's a vital part of putting on a show and I think Katie Bird, Christine Daykin and Jack Warburton also deserve a mention. Many important cogs are needed to make a machine work, and if just one cog is missing..........

"Kiss Me Kate" will be at May Hall at Trent College in Long Eaton until Saturday 1 April. You'll be missing an absolute corker of a show if you fail to get a ticket.