"Lord Arthur Savile's Crimes" by Oscar Wilde.

Burton Joyce Players.

Burton Joyce & Bulcote Village Hall.

This play started off as a short story, written by Oscar Wilde back in 1891. In 1952 Constance Cox adapted the story and has been a regular theatre piece ever since. Anyone, like myself who likes a bit of Wildean wit, will wilfully wallow in this wickedly wonderful comedy.

The plot involves the hapless Lord Arthur, who is due to marry the lovely Sybil Merton. However Sybil’s mother, Lady Julia, doesn't trust Arthur and insists that he has his palm read by society palm reader Mr Podgers.

Unknown to Lady Julia, Mr Podgers tells Arthur that his palm reading reveals he must commit a murder. Arthur, aided and abetted by his faithful butler, Baines, decides to kill off one of his lovely elderly relatives, but all does not go quite to plan……

Bertie Black plays Savile, a role that seems to be made for him in every respect. Bertie is so accomplished as a visual, and physical comedy and character actor that Savile, Wilde and Black are the perfect combination. Bertie's quick thinking when props don't behave themselves was wonderful to see as he kept the character throughout those pesky props problems. They say every performance is unique, and this one, on opening night, certainly was and added to the comedy thanks to Bertie's quick mind.

Baines, the butler, is played by another actor who I know to be a "safe bet", and that's Patrick McDonough. Baines' expressions at some of the suggestions from his master are enough to make you chuckle without saying a word, but the droll delivery of the script for Baines is perfectly delivered. Even the slow walk to answer the door becomes comedy gold after a while.

Sybil Merton, Savile's betrothed, is played by Sophie Dobb. There's a lovely array of emotions with this character, all of which executed brilliantly by Sophie.

The Dean of Paddington is played by Roger Newman. I love it when you can have a laugh at high up people in the religious sector and not feel embarrassed, and Roger's portrayal is the perfect vehicle for that laughter. Even when the Dean is showing his more serious and angry side, this just makes it funnier.

Lady Windermere is played by the lovely Kate Purdue. Lady Windermere has had dealings with Podger previously, and shows us her distrust of the man. But why does she feel this way? Is it something he saw in her palm and then told her that she disliked?

Lady Clementina Beauchamp is played by Kathy Matthews, an actor of whom I've had the pleasure of seeing perform several times. Even now, after having seen this play before, she made me take an intake of breath with the chocolate/candy scene as well as the glass of port section. More than that I will not divulge because this is another great execution of Wildean wit in play form. You know when in a horror film and the victim goes up to the attic and you're shouting at the film not to go there..........nuff said!

Lady Julia Merton is a proper battleaxe, and I can't have imagined anyone playing a battleaxe better than Avril McCormick, if for no other reason than she is another cracking character actor who looked to have enjoyed playing a character far removed from her own personality. Her vitriolic put downs of Savile were loaded with acid and her withering looks make Maggie Smith's Downton Abbey Dowager look perfectly pleasant!

Greg Nicholas plays renowned palm reader, Podger. I last saw Greg in panto at the start of this year but also remember his fine acting in Arnold Ridley's "The Ghost Train", both performed by The Burton Joyce Players. Here he forges another fine character performance.

The house maid, Nellie, is played by Hannah Smith. Not a massive part but extremely believable in the role and with excellent manners.

And finally, one of the other big comedy characters in the play, Herr Winkelkopf, played by Danny Longbottom. Wilde had the knack of writing wonderful over the top comedy characters and Herr Winkelkopf is one of the best. With that archetypal German accent, his facial expressions and his wacky ideas, this role is perfect for a comedy character actor like Danny. Danny also seems to have an ear for "bad accents" - the accents are supposed to be see through bad, not that Danny does the accents badly - as I remember his South African accent in "And then There Were None" for West Bridgford Dramatic Society.

Directed by Deborah Craddock, and there is nothing that Deborah has not thought of to make this production practically perfect. You all know I love realism in productions; well, we have glasses and decanters with various coloured liquids that are consumed, candies in the candy box and after telling us that it was raining outside, The Dean's umbrella was wet when he entered on set. You can see the effort, time and attention to detail that Deborah has invested in this production, and it certainly paid off with me. Deep joy indeed!

The Set Design, which is of an 1890's drawing room in the house of Savile's in Grosvenor Square, London is by Bob Mercer. As soon as you step through the doors of the Village Hall, that marvellous set is there for you to drink in. Possibly one of the best sets that I've seen at the Village Hall to be honest. The props, and there are so many of them, are great and fit so well with the time period.

The costumes were splendid, with several costume changes for practically every one apart from Nellie, the Dean and Baines. Credit to Jenny Harwood, Lesley Tomlinson, Gwen McCormick assisted by The Lace Market Theatre.

Lighting Design by Dominic Mills, and as usual Dom did a great job of the lighting, which I assume included the wonderfully realistic lighting effects, which on a couple of occasions, combined with the sound effects, made me jump.

Sound Design tonight is by Deborah Craddock, who stepped into the breach at the last moment and did a sterling job.

Produced by Kathy Matthews and Patrick McDonough and stage managed by Molly Fitches.

One person who didn't have a lot to do - apart from follow the script - was the prompt, Dermot Randall, who was needed on just one occasion, and as there's a heck of a lot of script in this play, this was a top job done by the whole cast.

I am a big fan of the wit of Oscar Wilde and his plays, and when the play in question is performed as good as this, it'd be a shame not to go along and see this play.

"Lord Arthur Savile's Crimes" may, or may not, be committed at the Burton Joyce Village Hall until Saturday 30 September.

Tickets, £8.00 per person, are available to purchase from Rhubarbs Cafe, (Church Road), NOLA Coffee & Deli and the Willow Tea Room (both Main Street) or online from www.ticketsource.co.uk/bjp

 "Everybody's Talking About Jamie"

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

"Everybody's Talking About Jamie" is a coming-of-age stage musical with music by Dan Gillespie Sells, from the band The Feeling, and book and lyrics by Tom MacRae. The musical is inspired by the 2011 British television documentary "Jamie: Drag Queen at 16" and is based upon the true-life story of 16-year-old schoolboy Jamie Campbell, as he overcomes prejudice and bullying to step out of the darkness into the spotlight and become a drag queen, and also gets to go to the school prom dressed how he wants to dress.

The original musical made a star of Layton Williams, who went on to TV success in the comedy "Bad Education" and is one of the competitors in this year's "Strictly Come Dancing".

I watched the TV documentary and loved it. You have to admire a young person who wants to change the way people see certain things and fights for what they believe is right, breaking down prejudices along the way. This is one reason why I love this musical, and after seeing it for the first time last year, fell in love with the whole ethos surrounding the show, as well as the show itself.

Ivano Turco plays Jamie New and very quickly he wins everyone in the audience over. He has attitude and pathos and he drags you along for Jamie's journey through every high and every low - not that we need much dragging. Ivano has plenty of experience character acting, singing and dancing and he brings that experience to this show. there are some wonderfully sad moments where we really get a sense of what Jamie is going though, especially with the song "Wall In My Head" and "Ugly In This Ugly World". Love the chemistry between his Mum and Ray, and he made you want to go to prom night with him. How can that man walk in those heels though? That skill alone makes him a quadruple threat.

Rebecca McKinnis plays Jamie's Mum, Margaret New who unconditionally supports Jamie, even covering up her ex-husband Wayne’s disappointment of how their child turned out. I wondered where I had seen Rebecca before and when I got home, I realised that she had been in Peter James' "Wish You Were Dead". I love this character, she is really human. I also love this woman's voice. There is a song in this musical called "He's My Boy" and that song just gets me every single time.

The other massive song for Margaret is "If I Met Myself Again" and what makes this section even more stunning is the fact that there are two dancers performing a contemporary dance routine which just told the story of the song perfectly. I was completely transfixed by the pair of dancers and listening to Rebecca's voice.

Wayne New, Jamie's homophobic and absent father, is played by Akshay St Clair. You don't see too much of this character, and there is one scene where Jamie goes to thank his Dad for what he had done for him, and this is where Jamie finds out what his dad is really like and what his true feelings are for him. The whole auditorium was in silence at this piece. It takes a good actor to make an audience react either positively or negatively and the silence reflected their feelings. Akshay St Clair succeeded in his character's disgust of his son, and the audience's disgust of Wayne New's attitude.

Talia Palamathanan is Pritti, Jamie's best friend. She understands what Jamie is going through as she is also picked on for being Muslim. Talia has an incredible voice, as highlighted in the song "It Means Beautiful". I love the jaw dropping outburst from Pritti in the prom scene. Pritti by name and very pretty by nature.

Hugo/Loco Chanelle is played by John Partridge. Hugo owns a drag shop and, under the name of Coco Chanelle, was a former drag artist, becomes Jamie's mentor. I have had the pleasure of interviewing John in the past and can confirm this man is one of the loveliest actors around. On stage you see two sides of John. As Hugo he is a down to earth Sheffield drag shop owner. As Loco Channelle she is a legendary star that shines as bright as the sequins on her fabulous costume. John has one of those voices that sound so good coming from the stage. It's full of power and emotion and tells stories in songs. He sounds fabulous. He looks fabulous. He has the most fabulous legs. He is fabulous!

Hayley Tammadon plays Miss Hedge, Jamie’s teacher, who has difficulty accepting his drag dream. With her hair up in a bun, those costumes that show off her hourglass figure and those red high heels, why did none of her male pupils not have the hots for her. And when that hair was loosened from the bun and she got up on the tables to perform a rap, well I had to gulp down half a bottle of the water I had with me. Hayley Tammadon is HOT!! Sorry, what I meant to say was that Hayley is an excellent character actor and she has a fine singing voice also.

Shobna Gulati, another soap favourite, plays Ray, Margaret’s close friend, who urges her to tell Jamie the truth about his father. Shobna knows this role back to front as she has played Ray in the West End. Oh, I love this character as well - are there any characters I don't reaaallly like? Ray is the sort of best friend you want to back you up, take the scene where Jamie and his Mum are called into the office to speak to Miss Hedge, and she told Miss Hedge that she boiled her p***. What a turn of phrase and Shobna delivered every line as if it was an off the cuff remark. I loved Shobna in Coronation Street and I adore her as ray because the two characters are so distanced. I've had the pleasure of seeing Shobna in several stage productions and loved them all, but this character is simply the best.

Jamie's bully, Dean Paxton is played by Jordan Ricketts. Jordan is good looking and that perfectly matches the description of Dean Paxton. But this bully was never gonna win an argument with Jamie because the characters are on a different cerebral level. Shakespeare once said "I would challenge you to a battle of wits, but I see you are unarmed", a quote that I love, and that perfectly fits Jamie and Dean's personalities. I also love the last scene with Jamie and Dean - go and see it, if you can get a ticket.

An incredible supporting cast, and how good was it to see that the actors playing the pupils actually looking age appropriate and not like grown ups dressed in school uniforms. A special mention must also be given to Anthony Gyde (Laika Virgin), Garry Lee (Sandra Bollock) and David McNair (Tray Sophisticay), the three Drag Queens at the Legs 11 Club.

Directed by Matt Ryan, this show is full on all the way. It's paced perfectly with the high energy scenes being just that and the slower more intimate scenes giving you time for the musical to breathe.

Anna Fleischle's Set and Costume Design are a game of opposites. The costumes are as fabulous and shiny as the acting and the set reflects the dowdy school classrooms of any Sheffield school. Then there is Hugo's shop, filled with glamour, gloss and glitter. We see the academics of the changing rooms for the drag queens and just a teaser of the opening of Mimi Mee's drag debut.

Loved the way the desks doubled as the back garden wall of Jamie and his Mum's home, as well as the domesticity of their interior. A very smooth transitioning throughout the scene changes by cast and crew as well.

Choreographed by Kate Prince. This show is high energy and the dance routines show this. There's flips and spins and leaps and jumps and just about everything thrown in, especially in the opening number "You Don't Know Who I Am", "Work Of Art" and "Everybody's Talking About Jamie".

Lucy Carter's Lighting Design really comes into it's own with the above big dance numbers, bringing a taste of the West End to the Nottingham stage.

The Sound Design is by Paul Groothuis, and this is the only part of the production that let the show down for me personally. The volume was too loud in the music numbers, at times it was almost like listening to a dub record where you hear the music and then get a snatch of the song and then it is drowned out. Some of the comic lines from the title song were lost completely in the volume of the music. The ballads though did not suffer from this drowning and that shows that with just a little softening of the musical backing, this show could have been absolutely perfect.

The Video design by Luke Halls was great as, not only did they hide the band, who were incorporated into the set above the stage, they provided a picture of the Sheffield estates in black and white, contrasting with the glam and the glitter of the drag world.

Theo Jamieson is the Musical Supervisor for the show. This musical is full of catchy songs with a message for us all. Songs like "You Don't Even Know Who I Am", "Spotlight" and the title track, will have you boogieing in your seats while the aforementioned ballads will have you reaching for the paper hankies. And what a fitting song to close the show with, also leaving everyone with a message that they can take home with them, "Out Of the Darkness (A Place Where we Belong)".

I'd like to think that I led the audience by getting to my feet before everyone else but maybe they all had the same idea, just that I was a split second before them. Without looking behind I just knew that this show received a full audience standing ovation. And well deserved it was as well. Tonight, and for the rest of this run, everybody will be talking about "Everybody's Talking About Jamie". Drag yourself down - or up - to the theatre this week and see what everyone is talking about!

"Everybody's Talking About Jamie" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 30 September.

 "The History Boys" by Encore Performing Arts.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

The play is one I have seen on several occasions and is one of those stories that you just don’t tire off. This is due to the wonderfully rich writing of Alan Bennett and a story that never really ages, even though it’s set in the 1980’s. It’s issues are relative in any decade you set it, including today, so you can never tire of excellently observed pieces of literature, something that writers such as Bennett excel at.

The writing is well balanced with as much humour as there is pathos and inner pain. It takes you through the end of school pressures for those final exams as they try to get their places at Oxford and Cambridge and meanders through the personal lives and situations of the boys involved.

But it’s not just the boys’ lives we have insights to, as the teachers are just as important and as fascinating with the battle for teaching supremacy and skills between Hector and Irwin.

Arden-Caspar Jennison plays Posner. At one point in the play, Posner describes himself this way: “I’m a Jew. I’m small. I’m a homosexual. And I live in Sheffield. I’m f***ed.” Posner’s journey towards discovering his sexuality figures largely in the play. He feels attracted to Dakin, and doesn’t know what to make of those feelings.

Arden also provides the bulk of the singing, accompanied by Rob McAuley. Posner is the youngest of the characters and Arden, through the vulnerability of his acting, makes you aware of this. There is a scene in Act Two where he gets a hug from Dakin where you feel like punching the air, and that small step for Posner is highlighted well by Arden.

Robert Stott-Marshall is Dakin. Dakin is intelligent, charming, manipulative, self-confident, and handsome. This makes him popular at school, and at least three of the male characters in the play are sexually attracted to him. I last saw Robert as Orin, the dentist in "Little Shop Of Horrors", and in some ways there are similarities between both roles; both require him to be good looking and charismatic, obviously that part was not hard. The other part is that both characters attract other characters from the play who, as the character can reel in and then dispose of, plus the character is so strong that he knows that he has the draw to be able to be in control of the situations that he creates. It takes a strong and confident actor to bring out the traits in the characters they play. Robert is a strong, confident character actor, as shown as Dakin.

Robert McAuley plays Scripps. Scripps is Dakin’s closest friend, a pianist, and an aspiring writer. He is a devout and practicing Christian, and he says that his parents don’t understand this choice. Scripps delivers a large chunk of the play’s narrative asides to the audience. It's nice to see an actor actually playing the piano onstage as so many times I've seen the piano with it's back to the audience and it's quite clear that the actor is not playing the piano. Robert has these musical skills, as well as to create some of the music he performs on stage. Both are highlighted here.

Shantanu Bhumbra plays Akthar, a Muslim student, a fact that is referred to several times throughout the play. I've seen Shan play several roles, and no one can say that he is pigeon-holed. This role is very different to playing Reverand Moore in "Footloose" or Fagin in "Oliver". There is a deepness that now and again emerges in Akhtar, brought to recognition by Shan. An excellent piece of casting. I can promise that you'll be seeing much more of Shan next year.

Harvey Latter plays Lockwood, a thoughtful student who also participates in the class’s irreverent joking. If anyone from this cast looks like a school pupil, Harvey does. It is totally believable that every one of this cast could be of grammar school age but Harvey seems to morph into the character of Lockwood. Harvey has a certain talent to do this; I've seen him in several roles over the years and he has fitted the image of every one of them. He is chameleonic.

Rhodri Denton plays Crowther, an aspiring actor and theatre fan, and one of the quieter boys in this play. Rhodri makes his debut for Encore as Crowther, but it's as if he has known the cast, in and out of character, forever; the chemistry is all there. And that is one thing about this cast, chemistry shines through the relationships of the class.

Matt McAuley plays Timms. Timms is a funny and confident student, the class clown, often contributing to the class’s lively banter. When I spoke with him last week, he mentioned that there were nerves with this play, simply for the fact that this is his first play, as opposed to a musical; the normal vehicle for Matt's talents. He had no need to worry because this play shows that he is equally adept at character straight acting as he is within musical theatre.

James Wallace plays Rudge, a talented athlete from a working-class background. The teachers all underestimate him, and don’t believe that he has much chance of being accepted to Oxford. It's Rudge's definition of history that provides one of the play's most well known quotes. James also makes his Encore debut as Rudge. This character is not the most prominent, but it's the back story about his education woven through that makes his achievements later on such a great story as he gets to stick two fingers up to the school establishment.

George Lamb plays Irwin, a young, recent university graduate who comes to teach history at the school and help prepare the boys for their university entrance exams. Irwin’s philosophy of education is about looking at questions from an unconventional angle in order to appear more interesting to examiners. It stands in stark contrast it with Hector’s academic style. Irwin opens the play very differently to how we see him on his first day at school as the story flashes back to recall what happened to bring him to how we see him at the opening. It's not that often we see George not playing it fully for laughs, so it's nice to see that more serious side to his acting skills.

Terry Stephenson plays Hector, the central character in the play. A beloved teacher who believes that his students should learn literature by heart in order to help them weather life’s difficulties. His teaching style is irreverent and energetic. He often has the boys act out scenes or sing songs, and he seems unhampered by the usual school rules. You could very easily get hypnotised by Terry as he knows just how to spin a story and build a character. There is a slight naivety to Hector, or maybe just a devil may care and doesn't care who knows what he is doing attitude. Whichever way you want to opt for, Terry's portrayal of this incredibly enigmatic and addictive teacher, certainly brightens up his class. A class performance indeed.

Adam Worton plays the Headmaster of the fictional St Christopher's Grammar School in Sheffield where the action of the play takes place. His real name is Felix Armstrong. He is very concerned with sending the boys to Oxford and Cambridge in order to raise the school’s profile. He dislikes Hector’s scattered teaching style, and hires Irwin to make the boys more competitive university applicants.

Adam is another actor making his debut for Encore, although I have seen him before back in 2014 in the Lace Market Theatre's production of "The Pillow Man". You get a real feeling of bubbling under with this character, and when he explodes after relating the story told to him by his wife at the charity shop, you really feel that pent up anger and frustration he has with Hector, and his damage limitation actions. All this brought to life by Adam Worton.

Lizzie Norris plays Mrs "Totty" Lintott. Mrs. Lintott, whose first name is Dorothy, is a lower-form history teacher at the grammar school, and the only female character in the play. Lizzie brings out the supportive side of the character, as well as some stories that you wouldn't expect from a lady teacher of her standing. Oh! and that potty mouth outburst really takes you by surprise. What also took me by surprise is, even though I've seen Lizzie perform many times on stage, this is also her debut for Encore.

It really is testament to Encore, and the people behind Encore Performing Arts, that so many excellent actors want to get their name on the roll call of honour for them. And this is most certainly a top class cast.

Maybe it's their award winning reputation for producing incredible theatre - take for example "Frankenstein" - or whether it's the choice of plays. Alan Bennett is certainly a great choice and "History Boys" is such an enjoyable story, all the ingredients are there for both actors and audience.

Most people will know the song "Bye Bye Blackbird", but since I heard it used, and arranged for "The History Boys", every time I hear it, this play comes to mind straight away. Performed almost acapella, with just a few notes from the piano, it's haunting to say the least.

What I was also very impressed with were the Sheffield accents from all the lads. There's just enough of a difference to separate the Nottingham brogue from the Sheffield sound, and that accent was constant all the way through.

I was really excited when I heard that this play was to be directed by Christopher Mundy because I knew that I was in for a treat, having seen several of Chris's performances over the past as an actor. This is his debut as a Director for adults; his Youth work has stood him in very good stead to manage and extract everything from this cast that Bennett would have wanted to see on stage. Assisting Chris in this role has been Eleanor Carty; this also being her first play to direct.

You also have an inkling of the success of a show just by looking down the names involved. I have not seen a bad, or unsuccessful piece of theatre that has Adam Guest's name attached to it. Whether he is on stage acting or, as with this one, producing the play, he provides that Midas touch. A touch that shone bright again with this production.

The set was designed by Terry Stevenson, and let's face it, if anyone would know about a school room layout, Terry would. Excellent set with very manageable props, easily manoeuvred by the cast. Just one dodgy peg that did not want to hold that crash helmet. I've heard some of these pegs can be divas!!

Lighting Design and operation is by another well known name in the area of theatre, David Price. The spotlight on Scripps really brought the focus needed for the narration to be hit home.

Sound Design is by Christopher Mundy but operated by Adam Guest. Every cue was hit and I loved the music snatches played while the scenes were being changed, especially clever was the use of Queen's "Bicycle Race" plus the hilarious use of George Michael's "Faith" and the choreography of this song performed by the cast.

Great costumes - TGR Embroidery - and great props - Katie Bird. Watch out for the equally clever use of props to create Hector's bike.

"The History Boys" will be detained at The Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 23 September, so make sure that you turn up for this class act and anyone who fails to buy a ticket will need to bring a letter from their parents to explain their absenteeism!!