"Legally Blonde - The Musical" by Gatepost Theatre Company.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

You can never tire of watching a good show, and this is a very good show.

"Legally Blonde The Musical" is the story of college sweetheart and homecoming queen Elle Woods, who doesn't take no for an answer. When her boyfriend, Warner Huntington III, dumps her for someone serious, Elle puts down the credit card, hits the books and heads for Harvard Law! Along the way, Elle proves that being true to yourself never goes out of style.

Elle Woods is played by Hollie Smith and from the very first time she appears on this stage in this show to the final bows, Hollie enchants her audience. Her character voice and her singing voice is so good and her characterisation of Miss Woods, comma, Elle is spot on. Hollie is fun to watch, and there is a tendency to compare actors with previous actors in the same role, but Hollie, like all the Gatepost actors, make their roles special to them. You'll notice, if you've seen as many Elle Woods as I have, little things that are slightly different to the previous Elle, and the other Legally Blonde characters. And what about love? There's a lot of love given to every character by the people playing them.

Warner Harrington III is played by Gary Heap. In this production there are several actors who are playing roles that are quite different to roles that I've seen them play previously, and Gary ticks that box for me with Warner. Warner is arrogant and a social climber who tries to claw back what he had lost after losing his "Jackie". Gary always manages to morph into character perfectly, which is what he does here. A nice smug version of "Serious" sets the tone for his eventual downfall.

Emmett Forrest is played by Christopher Collington, and here is another role that you maybe wouldn't expect Chris to play, especially after seeing him previously as Dewey in "School Of Rock" and Stacee Jaxx in "Rock Of Ages". Chris is a very convincing romantic leading man role - it proves what a very good character actor Mr C is. The vocals for this role are toned down and are really smooth, but what more would you expect from such a smooth person in real life.

Paulette Buonufonte is played by Jude Cliffman. it's down in black and white that Paulette has always been one of my favourite characters in this musical, and Jude brings another version of the Hair Affair owner to the stage, For me it would be impossible to make any comparisons between previous Paulettes because Jude does her vision of Paulette, and I love Jude's vision.

Vivienne, Warner's new girlfriend, is played by Tilly Bedford. Vivienne takes to heart the Shakespeare quote in this musical, "to thine own self be true. And it must follow , as the night and day, Thou canst not then be false to any man", as she changes direction from the initial Vivienne we see at the start (Who'd have thought that Hamlet would have been quoted in such a lovely, fluffy and pink musical as this?). 

Professor Callahan is played by Gavin Owen. Another excellent character portrayal from a man who is the exact opposite to the character he is playing. Watch closely and you'll also see what a good visual - as in his face - actor Gavin is; the expression he emits with his eyes show the character's feelings. I've always known that Gavin's voice is another strong point of his performance and we get to experience this in songs like "Blood In the Water".

Brooke Wyndham, the fitness queen accused of murdering her billionaire husband, is played by Shannon Elmore. It's always the initial scene where we see Brooke that stands out for me with this character. You have to have, not only a good voice, but great breath control as well. Brooke is seen skipping and exercising while singing "Whipped Into Shape". Shannon may have been a bit breathy after this section but during, her breath control and vocals were wonderful. Great stamina.

Enid Hoopes, another of my favourite characters, is played by Jordan Neary.

Kyle, the UPS delivery man with the package is played by Josh Neville until Friday evening where Jack Lawrence  will take over as the weekend delivery man. Josh seems to have developed his own swagger for Kyle, which is similar to a lope, making another difference for a character in this show. Great fun to watch, and the audience loved him.

Margot, Serena and Pilar, Elle's best friends, Delta Nu Nu sisters and biggest cheerleaders are played by Laura Stone, Lottie Lodge and Claire Webb respectively. A very energetic and fun trio, especially in the "Bend And Snap" section.

Grandmaster Chad is a fun cameo role for Harrison Ince, who also appeared as several other characters throughout the musical.

This is a musical with loads of wonderful characters......

Chutney - who would name their child Chutney? - Wyndham has a really bad perm and an even worse attitude.

Winthrop, Lowell and Pforzheimer are three admissions officers of Harvard Law School who eventually admit Elle into the program after some critical evaluation.  

Nikos, the man in the dock who works for Brooke as a pool man. A minor comic role where we have to decide if he is gay or European. The truth is out, quite literally when his best friend, or is that boyfriend Carlos interrupts the court proceedings with a little outburst; a scene they both manage to steal.                         .

Dewey, Paulette's ex is a caveman of a person who lives in a caravan with Rufus, Paulette's dog. 

Anyone who knows the story, they also know that there are two four-legged stars involved, who are always going to get the audience "ooohing" and "aahhing". 

Woody plays Elle's beloved dog, Bruiser and Don plays Paulette's much-missed dog, Rufus. Since Paulette split with her ex, Dewey, Paulette has been separated from Rufus. Whoever said not to work with kids or animals have never worked with Woody, Don and Chris (Chris isn't included in the animal simile by the way!)

The ensemble play several parts throughout and consist of Alana Grummitt, Ben Gray, Christie O' Connor, Dean Porter, Ellie Heap, Hilary Sherwin, Isobelle Walker, Jade Buckingham, Jessica Collis-Milward, Josie Cunnington, Kasia Cichocka, Kate Russell, Kiah Smith, Max Wilde, Olivia Docherty, Phoebe Owen, Sally Elliott, Sarah Butler and Steph Dennett. One of the best ensembles I've seen as they work so hard throughout, and they sound brilliant also.

Directed by Chris Collington, who is also the MD for the show. I have been asked in the past, why do I go and see the same show over and over again? Well, the reason for that is because you may go and see the same show, but it's never really the same. With a good Director, no two productions are ever the same, be it a play, piece of Shakespeare or a musical. A good Director will make the show their vision, and that is what we have with Christopher Collington. There are several little bits in this show that I have not seen in previous productions of "Legally Blonde", and that is down to this man, so thank you Chris for giving me something slightly different in parts to watch.

Musically, the show is full of bounce. I am sure that I don't need to mention every actor and say how good their vocals are, because anyone who has attended a Gatepost performance before will know the calibre of vocalist they have in their ranks. Nuff said on that point, I think.

Choreographed by Lottie Lodge, the amount of energy that has been put into this area of the show is evident with the routines, but never once do any of the dancers look breathless; again, the stamina in this group is absolutely applaudable. Harrison Ince also needs a mention for this section as Dance Captain. If you've seen Harrison in any show before, you'll know what a flexible mover this young man is.

The Set design is by Mark Green and Laura Stone. Another area where the difference to any other production is evident. The design makes the opening of the show also different to what I'd seen anywhere else.

The props involved in this show are completely off the scale, number wise. You may not notice a lot of them but the number of props is massive, thanks to Tilly Bedford and Lottie Lodge.

Costumes for this production are by Lottie Lodge, and as you can see from the size of the cast and ensemble, there are a load of costumes to make and source. Loved the fact that at the final bows, everyone, as far as I could tell, on stage wore pink costumes.

Hair and make up is by Georgia Oliver, rounding off a wonderful visual aspect of the performers.

And while I am on the subject of the size of the cast and ensemble, I must also give a shout out to the Stage Managers John Cliff and Mark Green for a smooth continuation of stage flow.

Lighting Design is by Stephen Greatorex. Particular attention has been paid to certain areas of the lighting for particular segments, which I certainly appreciated. The wash of green during Paulette's homage to "Ireland" and the rainbow lighting for the "Gay Or European" section particularly stood out. Apart from that, the lighting was as exciting as the performances, creating an atmosphere worthy of any touring production.

Sound Design is by Mascd Audio. There were a few minor sound issues, possible mic pack issues may be the cause of that which, once you're on stage can't be sorted out until the actor leaves the stage. Plus, what I'd have liked to have heard was the volume of the music turned down slightly because in some places, not all the time, it seemed to overpower the vocalists.

Let's face it, this musical is such fun, it's frothy, it's pink, it has cute dogs, a great soundtrack, wonderful characters, an excellent cast, so a couple of sound hiccups is never going to spoil my enjoyment of this show. You will leave the theatre feeling in the pink.

"Legally Blonde The Musical" is at The Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 14 September. This is yet another local production that has SOLD OUT for the run, but you may want to contact their box office just in case there are any returns.

 "The History Boys" by Alan Bennett.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

This is one of my favourite plays by one of my favourite authors. I love Northern writers, their plays and the whole northern humour, so straight off this was always going to be a winner with me. It's also the 20th Anniversary production of the play and anyone who has seen the play before will spot a few differences.

The play opens in Cutlers' Grammar School, Sheffield, a fictional boys' grammar school. Set in the early 1980s, the play follows a group of history pupils preparing for the Oxford and Cambridge entrance examinations under the guidance of three teachers (Hector, Irwin, and Lintott) with contrasting styles.

This is the only school-play in English drama that is about the process of teaching. Not just about the sexuality or politics of school life but about the daily process of opening up young minds. We get to see the heroic Hector, and the insidious Irwin - the play's intellectual antagonists who just so happen to be in the same boat sexually - at work in the classroom.

The play is also sublimely funny, not least in a scene where Hector improves the boys' French by getting them to impersonate the clients of a bordello, only to be interrupted by a surprised and astonished headmaster.

The original stage play (2004) and film (2006) paved the way to stardom for Matt Smith, Dominic Cooper, Russell Tovey, Jamie Parker, Samuel Barnett and James Corden.

The humour is as sharp as when Bennett wrote the play and the whole 1980’s feel is still very evident from the soundtrack used. What is also still crystal clear is the distinctive light and shade of the story with the repressed but evident, to the boys at least, sexuality in the all boys schooling of the period.

Simon Rouse is 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 and often has the boys act out scenes or sing songs, and he seems unhampered by the usual school rules. He does not believe that exams are useful.

Milo Twomey as Headmaster of the grammar school 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. Milo brings a slight Basil Fawlty feel to the character, especially with some of the physicality.

Gillian Bevan is Mrs. Lintott, whose first name is Dorothy but known to the lads as "Totty", is a lower-form history teacher at the grammar school, and the only female character who speaks in the play. There's a lovely played down, matter of fact charisma with Totty, especially when she mentions her first pizza, and other firsts, commenting which was the more memorable.

Bill Milner 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. I love the nervousness with Irwin near the end when he is cornered by Dakin.

The students are played by Archie Christoph-Allen, in his professional stage debut as Dakin. Dakin is 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. A really confident performance, which is what you need for this character.

Lewis Cornay as Posner, a role a million miles away from being Spongebob Squarepants. One of the most memorable lines from this play comes from Posner when he describes himself and his background. 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. Lewis has a really pleasant voice, which we get to hear on a regular basis.

Teddy Hinde as Timms, a funny and confident student who often contributes to the class’s lively banter.

Yazdan Qafouri, who theatre fans may know from being part of "The Band" a few years ago after winning through on the TV talent show "Let It Shine". 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.

Ned Costello plays Rudge,  This is not Ned's first foray into the magic of Alan Bennett as I can remember seeing him in Bennett's "The Clothes They Stood Up In" at the Nottingham Playhouse a few years ago. Rudge is 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, but they are in for a surprise! Rudge also delivers one of the other most famous quotes from the play regarding history.

Mahesh Parmar plays Akthar,  and Mahesh is another actor who is no stranger to Nottingham stages as I remember first seeing him seven years ago playing Mowgli in "The Jungle Book" at Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside, directed by Martin Berry.

Tashinga Bepete is Crowther, an aspiring actor and theatre enthusiast; one of the quieter students in the class.

Curtis Kemlo plays Lockwood, a thoughtful student who also participates in the class’s irreverent joking

Rowena Bentley, Morgan Phillips, Zrey Sholapurkar, Elliot Parchment-Morrison, Rob Astillo and Jolyon Young make up the ensemble, many of whom are making their professional stage debuts.

Directed by Seán Linnen, assisted by Emily Oulton. I mentioned that this production is slightly different, so even if you've seen a production of this show previously, this one has slight differences. Everything about this show has pace, especially the scene changes, which are carried out, often at breakneck speed, by the cast members.

The whole cast actually look like they belong in school, which straight away locks in the characters to the school setting. 

The Set and Costume Design is by Grace Smart. The main set is a back to back class room and exterior setting with desks, tables and chairs, plus the piano that Scripps plays.

Lighting Designer is Ryan Day and Movement Director is Chi-San Howard. 

Composer, Arranger & Sound Designer is Russell Ditchfield with the  Musical Director being Eamonn O’Dwyer. With the play being set in the 1980's we get to hear some classic 80's bangers in shortened, instrumental offerings of the original arrangements. 

What is also lovely, as well as different to some of the other productions of this show, is the amount of acapella work the cast perform. We start off with acapella, and there's also a wonderful acapella version of Adam & the Ants "Stand And Deliver" to open the second act, completely unexpected, and then there is the final version of "Bye Bye Blackbird" which always sends a cold chill down your backbone.

Any theatre goer cannot fail to be touched - if that is the right word in this context - by this brilliant Bennett blockbuster, and especially this cast. It is warm, funny and has balls, so if you can fit this show into your timetable, you will not be disappointed.

"The History Boys"  will be at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 14 September, and don't arrive late or you better have a note!

 "Mumsy" by Lydia Marchant

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

This production opens the new Autumn/Winter season at the Nottingham Lace Market Theatre, and is a wonderful way to start what is an exciting roster of diverse plays.

Sophie is about to become a single mum and she's terrified. How will she afford to feed her baby? Or a Deluxe Snuggle Pod? Can she hold on to her job? What if she's crap at parenthood? Surely she can count on her own mum and nan to help...

Her mum, Rachel, has got used to having a life of her own, and doesn't fancy giving up pole-dancing class and Tinder to go back to changing nappies and no sleep. Meanwhile, fresh out of hospital with a broken leg, her nan's having a three-quarter-life crisis of her own, and has moved into the one bedroom flat with Rachel and Sophie.

There's plenty of music played throughout in sound bites which smooth over the scene changes nicely. Every track has been well chosen to keep with the theme of the storyline, ranging from Blondie and Abba to The Killers and Hozier.

Performed in the upstairs studio area of the Lace Market, it makes the whole story from start to end a really intimate affair. 

Sophie, the mother to be, is played by Lucy Deane. Every scene is a gem with Lucy in; ranging from that nervous anticipation of breaking the news of the pregnancy, and exactly how the pregnancy occurred, through to the scans and all of the episodes an expectant mother has to endure. Morning sickness, worries about everything, reduced hours at work and the resulting shortage of money, which brings its' own problems affecting her health. We see Sophie questioning options and finally confiding to her mother and nan about her hidden worries, several of these scenes are emotional, many of the scenes really comical. A growing bump also brings mobility and physical issues which Lucy conveyed brilliantly.

Rachel, Sophie's mother, is played by Becky Goddard-Hill. As the play goes on, we discover that Rachel is not quite the selfish mother she first appears to be, and many situations turn out to be the exact opposite of what we first thought, especially in the second act. I loved the scene when Rachel returns home at 4.30 in the morning, slightly worse for wear, with her descriptions of her young 22 year old one night stand, and how the roles of mother and daughter are reversed. A brilliant piece of writing, and beautifully executed by both Lucy and Becky.

Linda, her nan, is played by Sharon Phillips. These three actors could not have been better cast because you really start to believe that the three characters are related by motherhood; the relationships built and made to gel by three very talented actors who obviously understand that wonderful connection that only mothers with their daughters can have. Another physical role as Linda throughout has one of those boots on her foot, due to the character, not falling, but having an accident at work. If you go and see the play, you'll understand why I have phrased it in this certain way!

The language is of an adult nature, but then again, that goes along with the situation that is quite literally thrust upon Sophie, and the reactions from Rachel with the double whammy of having, not only her pregnant daughter coming to stay with her, but her mum also joining them.

Directed by Charlotte Hukin, she has made sure that this gem of a play rolls along at just the right pace, making sure that the humour and the more fraught scenes are well balanced. There are some parts of the play that reveal upsetting scenarios, but these are quickly digested and progressed to some wonderful, lighter moments.

Lighting Design is by Esther Warren, and there's more lighting than I had thought there would be. That is due to the scene changes when we are kept entertained with the lightshow and the soundtrack to the story.

Sound Design is by Gareth Morris. there's just one scene change where music is not involved, and that makes that section ever more poignant. Loved the soundtrack, as I have previously said, and I can imagine that the team who created the playlist not only had fun putting it all together, but also put a great deal of thought into which songs go where, because if you listen to the songs, they also move the story on.

Stage Manager is by Linda Hoyland, assisted by B Anthony, and there are many scenes where quick costume changes are required by all three actors. The minor changes to the set are done by the actors in a natural and smooth motion.

I always like to get into the theatre quite early just to have a proper look at the set and the props. With this being in the studio upstairs, this made my scrutiny of the set very easy. The set is designed by Charlotte with a convertible sofa bed and kitchen units with a working fridge freezer; this plays an important role, which I will let you work out. The props are sourced by Lesley Brown, and there are quite a few to take in.

Summing up this play, which by the way I had never seen before, and that's because this production is only the second time that the play has been performed, the debut being by the Hull Truck theatre Company, which is apt as the play is set in Hull. The language is deliciously ripe and the accents are superb. Charlotte has ever so slightly tweaked the ending to create a more rounded end. Beautifully emotive and the writing is delightfully descriptive.

"Mumsy" is at the Nottingham Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 14 September, but you'll need to get your tickets pretty quick as it's close to being a sell out week.

Photography by Grace Eden Photography.