"Hamlet" by William Shakespeare.

Royal Shakespeare Company.

Nottingham theatre Royal.

God, I love Shakespeare, especially when it's done as good as this production has been done.

Reading the play, or the book, doesn't always deliver the comedy element of "Hamlet", and with this play having so many dark moments in it, you need the occasional shot of comedy; and you certainly get the balance of comedy to darkness ratio in this latest production from the Royal Shakespeare Company.

This particular play has so many phrases that are used in everyday modern life that it almost doesn't seem as old - or should that be classic - as it actually is. Phrases like "to be or not to be", "neither a borrower nor a lender be", "method to the madness" and "the lady doth protest too much" are all from this play, and of course there's that "alas, poor Yorick" speech as well.

Most people will know the story, the play, the film of "Hamlet", but this is the first time that I have seen the full blown version of this play on stage; so what's it all about? Here's a very quick summary without any spoilers.....

The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet. The play ends with a duel. I don't think I've given too much away there, in the same way as if I am seeing a new piece of theatre, I don't like to know the ins and outs or how the story ends. Therefore, to thine own self, be true!

Hamlet is played by Ralph Davis. Roger has an incredible stage presence and has the ability to turn Hamlet from a grieving son to a comedic but crazy maniac, gurning and reverting back to an almost childlike son, creating so much of the comedy element in the play. When he is in grieving mode you can feel that he is in the depths of despair, and when he is feigning madness, you cannot help but smile at the silliness in his face and actions.

What you get from a Royal Shakespeare Company production is a cast who are at the top of their game. It's akin to seeing a Matthew Bourne choreographed ballet, or a Northern Opera show because you know that you're going to get the best of the best. They wouldn't be on the stage if they were less than the best, and you know that they are all experts in their field.

That said, here's the rest of the incredible cast....

Colin Ryan (Horatio - Hamlet's friend), Raymond Coulthard (Claudius - the new King of Denmark), Poppy Miller (Gertrude - Queen Of Denmark), Ian Hughes (The Ghost of The King/Player King), Richard Cant (Polonius - Chief Counsellor to the King), Benjamin Westerby (Laertes - Polonius's son), Georgia-May Myers (Ophelia - Polonius's daughter - who has a show stealing scene in the second act), Jamie Sayers (Rosencrantz - an old school friend of Hamlet's), Julia Kass (Guildenstern - another old school friend of Hamlet's), Maximus Evans (Marcellus - an officer), Dijibril Ramsey (Barnardo - a sailor), Leo Shak (Francisco - a sailor), CJ Johnson (Player Queen), Mark Oosterveen (The Priest), Rob Alexander-Evans (Captain), Maximus Evans (Orderly) and  the ensemble were Jonathan Savage and Kat Collings.

Directed by Rupert Goold, Sophie Drake being the Revival Director. The play has been set in 1912, the same year as the Titanic, and there were nods to that story with the music and choreography as well as the costumes, and of course, this version of the play has been set on a ship, making it easy to dispose of the bodies by dumping the dead over the side of the ship. The whole feel of the play is so different to how I had imagined it may be, from having read the play as well as the book version of "Hamlet".

Es Devlin's set design is brilliant moving from being on the deck of the ship to cabins, and when used with the video design, by Akhila Krishnan, made you feel as if you too were aboard some kind of ocean liner. The whole of the back of the stage was wall to wall, floor to ceiling video of a surging, inky black sea. By the second half of the play I found myself slightly swaying side to side with the rhythm of the waves. Good job I don't suffer from seasickness! The video design also takes you below deck showing the massive machinery that drives the ship on when Hamlet is chased into the bowels of the vessel. It's one of the most effective set/ video design for a Shakespearian play I have seen in the theatre. It certainly gives the "wow" factor.

Costume Designer is Evie Gurney and you can see the work that has gone into this area by taking a look at the photos attached.

Jack Knowles lighting design sets your mind visually alert with the murderous scenes swathed in deep red tones, using subtler tones as well as darker shades for various sections of the story.

Sound Designer and Composer is Adam Cork. There are a couple of choreographed sections to original music; even a section that could have been lifted out of the musical version of "Titanic" with singing as well as dancing. The music used is recorded but the quality of the music used made me think that maybe the musicians were somewhere backstage due to the clarity. The original music director is Lindsey Miller.

Music Director is Dan de Cruz.

Hannes Langolf is the Movement Director and there are echoes of Frantic Assembly in the movement elements of this show, at times giving the audience almost dreamlike scenes.

Kev McCurdy is the Fight Director. This also provides an exciting element with some energetic and vicious sword fencing choreography. These scenes certainly do not hold back with the actors involved certainly delivering a realistic set of fights.

Dramaturg is all thanks to Rebecca Latham.

Shakespeare is one of those writers who has managed to write stories that have transcended time, which is why so many people flock to watch his plays over and over again. Keeping plays that may be over 400 years old fresh is all down to the subject matter and the vision of top Directors. There's a certain element of topicality as well in this play with the theme of madness and power and keeping an eye on those who wield the power, which could not be more relevant today than with the war situation in the world. The theme of revenge affects everybody at some time in their lives, so we can all relate to the main storyline. Shakespeare wrote about normal people, created plays and presented those plays to the man in the street, so what was affecting people in his day, still affects people in 2026. He certainly is a man for all time, and will continue to be so.

I can see why this particular play is the most performed Shakespeare tragedy play, yes, even beating Macbeth into second place, and is often quoted as being his greatest work. It certainly has all the elements for an exciting evening in the theatre; especially when wrapped up as perfectly as this production has been.

If you still haven't been to the theatre to see a Shakespeare play because you may think you won't understand the way that he writes, or you think you won't "get it", then make this your first because the staging and presentation is absolutely stunning, incredible and non stop entertainment.

"Hamlet" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 21 March.

 "A Night At the Musicals"

Long Clawson Village Hall.

This wonderful night was in aid of The Brain Tumour Charity, and in exchange for very little monetary investment everybody who packed the Long Clawson Village Hall received in return the most marvellous wealth of talent and a catalogue of musical theatre gems. A night right up my street and I have to thank Katherine Vernon for asking me along.

The Brain Tumour Charity relies 100% on donations and midway through the evening Katherine reported that with all the ticket sales, raffle tickets sold and the cakes and refreshments, just over £2000 had been raised, enough to fund one whole year of bioluminescence imaging for gliobastomia research, and that's not the final balance either. The charity was chosen, and the style of the event, because of Katherine's Aunt Teresa was diagnosed with a brain tumour and she sadly passed away six years ago.

A fantastically talented bunch of performers, who you can see on stage in various guises and musicals around the area performed twenty-nine musical theatre pieces and from the beautifully choreographed ensemble opening of "One Night In Bangkok" to the closing dance party classic "Dancing Queen", it was like listening to a compilation album of all of your favourite musical theatre songs, most you'll know well with the occasional little known gem thrown in.

Giving their everything on stage were Victoria Adams, Tash Bailey, Amy Beale, Georgie Bladon, Sam Carter, Peter Etherington, Katie Felts, Ryan Green, Jojo Helstrip, Andrew Hull, Kiri Humphreys, Steph Lingard, Andy Longley-Brown, Debbie Longley-Brown, Megan Lowe, Vikki Taylor, Leanne Thornton, Chris Warmington and, of course Katherine Vernon, who also acted as host for the show.

I loved every single performance, but of course one is going to have favourite songs, and all my favourites included were performed exactly the way I hoped they would be performed.

Vikki gave me shivers and tingles a plenty with "My Days" from "The Notebook", Andy made me smile with "You'll Be Back" from "Hamilton", as did Andrew and Chris' "Agony" from "Into the Woods". "Seasons Of Love" showcased a wonderful ensemble performance with some insane solos, "In His Eyes" from "Jekyll & Hyde" made me melt; Georgie and Katherine's vocals were so well matched. 

"Gethsemane" from "Jesus Christ Superstar" is one of those massive songs that often falls just a little flat because of the big falsetto piece and I've often heard it flattened and reduced from falsetto because those notes can be so hard to pitch correctly, so when Chris started singing I really hoped that he would be able to get somewhere close to how it should be sung. I've heard professional touring companies shy away from the "big note" but Chris absolutely nailed - if you'll pardon the pun - the note mid way through as well as the one at the end; possibly one of the best versions of that song since Ted Neely in the original film version. Sam Ryder should be looking over his shoulder with a falsetto like Chris's.

"Requiem" from "Dear Evan Hansen" was sublimely sung by Megan, Debbie and Andy. Another one of my all time favourite ballads from a musical is "I Know Where I've Been" from "Hairspray", and you need a powerful set of lungs to do this song justice and, as with Chris's "Gethsemane", Tash smashed the vocals right out of the Village Hall and all the way to Melton. With a backing trio who brought the gospel backing, this version was also a massive crowd pleaser, and rightly so!

Ryan's "My Petersberg" from "Anastacia" also showed off the power and control in his voice.

The "Elephant Love Medley"  from "Moulin Rouge" was one that I'd not really paid much attention to in the past, but I am going to revisit that soundtrack, thanks to Andy and Debbie.

I could mention every performance tonight for credit, because there's not one performance that didn't impress me. A selection that spanned decades of musical theatre favourites; classics as well as newer gems highlighted the talents that local theatre performers have in abundance, and it was always a given, from me at least, that there was only one way that this evening was going to end; with a richly deserved standing ovation.

 "Little Shop Of Horrors" by Funky Studios.

Create Theatre, West Notts College, Mansfield.

This performance is the final one of its' run, and I was so lucky that Katie Funk could fit me in for this "in the round" performance. A staging that I'd not seen done in this way in the past.

With the audience on all four sides of the performing space, this meant that the actors were always on the move, having to perform to all four sides of the space. This also meant that there was not a set but instead a raised section in the middle of the space where all the actors entered and exited from. One corner was designated the place for Audrey 2, but even then this plant did not stay in one place.

This staging is very different to any other staging I had seen before, in fact there were many things about this production that had been changed up and arranged in a different way.

Almost everyone will know the story of the mild mannered, meek shop assistant, Seymour, who buys a strange tropical plant and places it in his boss's flower shop window to attract custom in order to save the shop from closing down by its' owner Mr Mushnik. This would put him and his other, more glamorous assistant, Audrey, out of a job. The plant needs a special diet in order for it to flourish, and when it does, it makes Seymour a local and nationwide celebrity. And we all know the cost of that!

I am not going to mention under everybody's name how good their vocals are because they just are. The training that they get from Funky Studios, whether that be vocal training, stagecraft or choreography has always been of the highest quality, and that is what we heard and saw on their final night of "Little Shop"

Playing the part of Seymour was Maxwell Cooper. Funky Studios have moved away from showing Seymour as a nerd, instead they, and Maxwell, depicted this character as a slightly absent minded, probably brought on by overworking for the slightly bullying Mushnik. Apart from showing Seymour as not being the geeky one, this staging showed quite a mature, forward thinking botanist, as well as brilliantly showing the angst and stress brought upon by Audrey 2. You could feel the tension inside Seymour start to stretch to breaking point, brought emotionally to the surface by Maxwell.

Audrey is played by Lily Orton. Again this production has moved away from the archetypal blonde bimbo air head and we are presented with a young woman who feels that the controlling, violent and bullying boyfriend is all she is worthy of, something that of late has been highlighted by tv soap storylines, and having Audrey shown as not being some "dumb blonde" quite a bit of the comedy is removed from the character and a more serious Audrey is shown. I said that I wouldn't comment on how every singer is vocally blessed, but boy can Lily sing; she gave me tingles with her range that went from an almost whisper to a powerhouse belter.

Mrs Mushnik is played by Niamh Cross. Another change in the story because I have not seen a Mrs Mushnik in this musical. Niamh brought much of the comedy here, especially in the "Mushnik and Son" piece. A nice change to see the role reversal, and also to not have Mushnik with a Jewish accent as often I feel that sometimes adds pressure to a younger cast member to get the accent as it should be. With that pressure removed the comedy side of the character can be focused on.

Orin Scrivello, the dentist and sadistic boyfriend of Audrey, was played by Oliver Edwards. Orin has always been one of my favourite musical theatre baddies and I've seen many excellent Orins over the years. Here, Oliver delivers another different character-filled performance. Without having the joys of a dental set and props, he could, and had to rely on the physical comedy side of the Dentist, which Oliver did brilliantly by way of his vocal interpretation of the loud, brash and bullying and his facial acting, especially with the clear face mask in "It's The Gas". the song "Dentist" is also a brilliantly penned song which Oliver performed wonderfully.

Audrey 2 was another casting I had not expected, or seen before, as far as I could remember. As the plant grew in size, so did the amount of voices and young people depicting the monster plant. Eva Donaldson, Surann James, Tristan Tennyson and Sean Peat all created the multi-layered voice of Audrey 2. With four people this indicated the size, and power the plant had over Seymour, all participants suitably using their arms to indicate the expanding plant parts.

Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon, the 60's chanteuses created a lovely retro musical feeling from the doo wop age and are played by Cassie Hopley, Maisy Slack and Emily Matthews. Their voices just melted into one another, sounding multitracked and very typical of the Sixties girl group sound. If this trio ever went into recording music, I'd definitely buy their tracks because of their tightly perfected harmonies, and they looked like a girl group from the Phil Spector era which completed the whole look.

The ensemble consisted of Jessica Clarke, Faith Dent, Emily Mason, Lola Miles and Sienna Wright. Such a hard working ensemble, and they needed to be because there was no place for them to hide away with the show being in the round, so if they weren't in the stage area performing, they were in various corners, also acting and reacting.

Directed by Katie Funk. I love it when a Director takes a well known musical, or play, and changes various things within the production, looking at the show with new eyes and ideas. For someone like myself who has seen "Little Shop" many times, to see a production with so many visual changes that add to the original story instead of spoiling it, as I've seen some Shakespeare plays tried and failed, this makes me sit up and take note instead of expecting a carbon copy of the original direction. Thank you Katie for making me sit up and take note!

Choreographed by Katie Funk and Charlotte Neea. Once again with the shape of the stage changed, and the position of where the audience are, a new look at choreography also has to be taken into mind, and it was. I love the original 1960's style dances but there were also new choreographed moves in there to keep this show as fresh as the blood needed by Audrey 2.

Musical Director is Jacob Savage. And even more new arrangements I spotted in the songs and the newer contemporary style sounded so fresh to these old ears of mine. With Katie's Direction and Jacob's musical arrangements, this show came across as refreshingly refreshed.

The soundtrack includes some well loved songs, "Somewhere That's Green", "Suddenly Seymour", "Dentist", "Skid Row/Downtown", "Call Back In The Morning" - which had echoes of "Christmas Bells" from "Rent" - and the finale of "Don't Feed The Plants" will all remain in your head, well after you've left the building.

Stage Managed by Jasper Swanwick with Sue Funk backstage.

Sound is thanks to Matt Trigg and Tregi Worsley. So many times I have wished that the sound departments in theatre had done what this pair did on Friday night. The mic's were turned up for the singing and turned down for the dialogue, which worked so well in this smaller performance space, but also meant that every word of the songs were heard perfectly, and there's a lot of comedy in Howard Ashman's lyrics.

Lighting was by Rachel Wells, blending the danger and bloodiness with red lighting and the plant area with green lighting.

I also liked the difference costume wise in this production. Out were the typical costumes for this musical and the costumes for Crystal, Ronette and Chiffon were denim, almost rural style farm outfits and the ensemble with red and black chequered shirts, defining the two groups. Orin had the usual leather jacket but without the dentist uniform whites. Audrey's usual figure hugging dress was replaced with an updated T-Shirt and jeans. There was still the understated tank top outfit for Seymour and Audrey 2 actors were dressed mainly in black with green gloves, some with a floral pattern, but we all knew that this quartet was of the flora division.

Produced by Cat Orton.

A lovely fresh performance with some outstanding performers that created a wonderfully new feel to an old classic.

 "The Good Life" by Riverside Drama Company.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

When Tom and Barbara Good decide to exchange the pressures of the rat race for an alternative, more sustainable way of living, they set about turning their suburban home in Surbiton into a model of self-sufficiency. They grow their own fruit and veg, keep livestock in the garden, make their own clothes, and even generate their own electricity from manure. It's the good life for them - but not for Margo and Jerry Leadbetter, who live next door, and are desperately trying to maintain the Surbiton status quo. 

Jeremy Sams's stage play, based on the hugely popular sitcom by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, reunites the well-loved characters (not forgetting Geraldine the goat) as they get themselves into and out of scrapes - some old, some new, all hilarious.

Tom is played by David Round. While it was strange, to start with, to see Tom as a bearded character, David drew in all of Tom's energy, enthusiasm and Cheerfulness. there were even times where you could even hear Richard Briers delivery coming through the character.

Barabara is played by Jane Harris. Barbara is like a ray of sunshine with her quick wit and positive attitude, two traits that are forefront in this character and shown on stage on Thursday night. Once again, the more you listened to Jane's delivery, the more you could picture the gorgeous Felicity Kendall saying those words.

Margot is played by Lizzie Norris. Margo loves all the perks associated with having a husband with a good income. She's usually unflappable with a pretentious air although she can be undone if she does not get her own way, and Lissie draws this out of the character brilliantly, especially when Margo discovers how useful the gift she gave Barbara earlier that day turned out to be. Lizzie is so good at getting beneath the skin of a character, and combine that with the upper class voice of Margo, and you have the perfect snob.

Jerry is played by John Sully. Jerry likes to keep his wife happy, in every way possible, if she'd let him. John is great at bringing the fun side of Jerry to just within sight, before Margo yanks his lead bringing him into second in command. This in itself is great fun to watch, and the scene with Sir and the office banter is wonderfully played out.

Sir, aka Andrew Ferguson, the boss over both Tom and Jerry at the offices where the designs and production of the small plastic figures that used to be found within cereal boxes, is played by John Hurley. The running joke in the TV series where Sir could never remember Tom's name has been kept in the play, which raised quite a few chuckles from the packed auditorium.

Sir's glamorous wife, Felicity, is played by the wonderful Liz Turner. The dinner at the Leadbetter's scene where they all loosen up with drink and food is especially comical, especially with the dancing to Edmundo Ros.

Moya Magee doubled up as Mary, Dr Joe's slightly eccentric receptionist who delivers a spare canister of oxygen to the Good's home, and Margaret, the boss's enthusiastic secretary.

Dave Wilson is Harry the Pigman, who managed to get on the wrong side of Margo, and decided to spice up their dinner party with Mr and Mrs Ferguson!

Anna-Birga Ostendorf is the Milkwoman who enters the story after Margo lifted a bottle of gold top from the milk wagon, but all for a good cause. It would have to be for Margo to turn thief in Surbiton.

Dr Joe, who is not a vet, is played by Russell Mason, and helps to resolve a situation in the second part of the play.

Jonathan Greaves plays the policeman who becomes quite an arresting sight for one of the play's characters, all in the line of duty in saving a life.

And, of course, Geraldine the Goat makes several appearances throughout, and is operated by Donna Osmond; and what a cute goat she is as well - Geraldine, not Donna that is!

Directed by Celia Billau, assisted by Liz Turner. When two Directors of this stature and history pool their Directorial experiences, you can guarantee that the result is a success. Need I say more?

The long list of props are provided by Sandra Read, Alison Lihou, Janet Whyatt, Diana Edwards and Donna Osmond, who are also the Backstage Team.

Sound Designer is Keith Sawley, who made sure that all of the sound effects were delivered in a timely fashion. The doorbells and the Volvo car horn could have been a little quieter as they seemed just a little out of place being at the volume that they were, but apart from that, everything sound wise was spot on.

The lighting, by Robert Osmond and Lewis Reid, was a simple procedure, visually, and alternated between the split set of the Leadbetter's sitting room and the Good's kitchen.

Talking of the set, they were built by Bob Baron along with several helping hands and looked great alongside the furniture on both sides of the stage.

"The Good Life" is one of those TV sitcoms from the 1970's that will forever be loved by people of a certain age. The script is well written and includes new material as well as sections from the original TV series. The comedy is from an age where TV comedy was at its' peak; a style that did not have to rely on smut, but seaside humour, and although these characters are from fifty odd years ago, the comedy was written to stand the tests of time. At the end of the day, funny is funny, and this show retains the fun as well as the funny.

"The Good Life" is at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 14 March, but I'd check for returns because as of Thursday night, the rest of the run is a complete sell out.

 "Matilda Jr" by Roald Dahl.

Wilsthorpe School Theatre, Long Eaton.

"Matilda Jr" is the story of a girl who dreams of a better life and the children she inspires and has the audience rooting for the "revolting children" who are out to teach the grown-ups a lesson.

Matilda has astonishing wit, intelligence... and special powers! She's unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher, the loveable Miss Honey. Matilda's school life isn't completely smooth sailing, however – the school's mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves thinking up new punishments, including spending time in "The Chokey", for those who don't abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils' saving grace, as well as changing the life of Miss Honey!

I have seen several "junior" versions of "Matilda" over the years and have gradually grown to like the musical. I think it's got to the stage where I actually love this musical, thanks to this production. Every version I have seen has been rather good but this production just nudges that bar up another notch.

"Matilda The Musical" is based in a school setting, and in some versions I have seen, it just didn't quite feel like a school, but as this is a school that has produced this show this time around, the ability to use a large amount of school children to create that atmosphere and that really worked for me. Needless to say, it's a big ensemble!

Matilda is played by Holly; this is Holly's first show with Wilsthorpe and she has got everything spot on as Matilda. From the voice to the attitude, and how she made that beaker fly off the table, not once but twice is real theatrical magic. I looked for strings or some way to make that beaker move but I could see nothing. A fantastic debut and you can tell her dance training has paid off in this production.

Mr Wormwood, Matilda's dad, was played by Quillen in his Wilsthorpe debut. I know Quillen, as well as his very talented siblings - the last time I was at Wilsthorpe, two years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing his brother Findlay in "High School Musical Jr". It's about time that Quillen was given a main leading man role and he managed this role brilliantly. Quillen is a funny guy away from the stage and so taking the lead man in a comedy role is right up his street. He has funny bones, he sings well with a Cockney accent and has the moves. 

Yasmin played the self-obsessed Mrs Wormwood, Matilda's mother. Sometimes I have to pinch myself as to just how very good these young people are. I last saw Yasmin as Rusty Charlie in "Guys 'n' Dolls" which is a completely different character to this one, show great diversity in Yasmin's acting armoury. Another excellent female comedy role, and played brilliantly and naturally comical by Yasmin, who has all the signs of being a brilliant character actress.

Michael, Matilda's TV obsessed brother is played by Harry. I love this role and I love the way that Harry brings the excitement that Michael feels at the simplest of things.

Rudolpho, Mrs Wormwood's personal dance teacher, is played by Ben. A wonderfully camp character that Ben plays with great zest and confidence. Great costume for this character who reminded me quite a bit of dancer/choreographer Louis Spence from Pineapple Studios.

Miss Honey is played by Livvi, and this is Livvi's final show with Wilsthorpe, but what a role to go out on. A sensitive and compassionate role which meant that when she did rear up, it made you sit up and take notice.

Miss Trunchball is played by Ivan, and I have also had the pleasure of seeing and having the chance to write things about Ivan, who I last saw in "Crazy For You" as Moose. As with Quillen, it's about time we saw Ivan in a main role and Miss Trunchball is played deliciously evil. the scene where Bruce belches and the chocolatey mist that spreads over the class is brilliantly and comically received by Ivan's Trunchball as her tongue flicks the air like a lizard. Excellent characterisation, and this role, at the final bows, was received with cheers and not boos, which all shows the love this audience on Wednesday evening felt for Ivan's portrayal of this nasty.

Mrs Phelps, the school librarian, who loves to listen to Matilda's stories and engulf herself in them is played by Elsie. You actually believe that Miss Phelps believes in Matilda's stories due to the excitement and the concern she shows as the stories are unfolding, all showing that Elsie managed to convince us of her character and the character's investment.

The Acrobat in Matilda's story is played by Avanni and the Escapologist in the story is played by Jude. The scenes with this pair really take you into the world of danger and fantasy and I loved the puppetry utilised in their scenes.

One scene from the film that always stuck with me was Bruce Bogtrotter's devouring of the famous chocolate cake, as a punishment by Miss Trunchbull. Playing Bruce was Harrison who has played the role previously in primary school. This particular scene managed to avert my eyes away from the chocolate cake scoffing long enough for me to not notice where that massive cake actually disappeared to. I normally watch carefully where it disappears but due to the cleverly choreographed scene, I completely missed it disappearing! Looking at their theatrical CV in the programme, they obviously have a love for performing varied roles, and this is another hit role to top their CV.

The Cook who brought in the massive chocolate cake for Bruce to eat, is played by Sienna.

Nigel is played by Ronnie.

Lavender, Matilda's best friend, is played by Libby, who is another young actress I've had the pleasure of seeing on stage in Long Eaton a couple times previously. There's a scene in Act two where Lavender sets the scene for the "newt" scene, trying to not give too much away and ends up giving it all away. A lovely character role highlighting a delightful young actress.

Daisy plays Erica, Noah plays Tommy, Beth is Hortensia, Bethany is Amanda and Heather is Alice, the main children in Matilda's class.

Sergei is played by Alexa and the two Mafia heavies are played by Megan and Sienna.

The Mechanic at Wormwood Motors is played by Chris.

The three main "Big Kids" are played by Sophie, Katie and Molly.

The Big Kid Principal Dancers are Sophie, Katie, Harriet, Molly, Rowan, Avanni, Matilda, Jude, Kiera, Florence, Connie, Alexia, Cherry and Jasmine.

The Little Kid Principal Dancers are Effie, Pamela, Darcie, Olivia, Laila and Maddie.

The Big Kids Acting Ensemble consist of Ben, Sienna, Evangeline, Amiliah, Tom, Chris, Alexa, Megan, Nicole, Scarlett F, Erin, Gracie, Caleb, Christina, Sophie, Olivia, Scarlett S, Honey, Evie and Lydia.

The Little Kids Acting Ensemble consist of Amelia, Dan, Matilda, Megan, Tayha, Erin, Reuben, Sia, Harvey, Abigail, Nancy, Anya, Ravini, Archie, Thea-Rose, Eva-Summer, Skye, Pearl, Jessica, Evie, Beth, Esmae, Layla, Emily, Sophie P, Ruby, Noah, Holly and Lilly. 

Deftly stage managed by Miss S Beara

The Creative Team are Mr D Page, Miss S Beara, Miss Plummer, Mrs Baker and Miss Howell.

The start of Act Two seemed to be very new to me, or maybe other productions had not managed to get this scene stuck in my mind. It's a wonderful comedy sketch headed up by Mr Wormwood as he addresses the audience, almost panto style participation and then launching into a piece called "Tele", extolling the virtues and the knowledge gained by Wormwood by watching the television. I loved the introduction of a Teletubby, Del Boy and other TV characters.

I also loved the puppetry used in this production, especially the use of books to create a talking face with eyes, nose and mouth. There's also other forms of puppetry included, which I won't spoil by telling you what it is, but it's done very well by these young people.

The set and props are designed and created by Miss S Beara, Mrs K Fowler, the Arts Department as well as Proscenium Scenery Hire. As soon as you step into the theatre space, you become engulfed in the world of Matilda with large blocks that can be moved round, massive bookcases and a large TV set. The stage set itself is practically floor to ceiling with towering book cases, the blackboard magically writes itself, and there are loads of desks and chairs and educational paraphernalia. A really well thought out set in this show.

Sound and Lighting is by Mr D Page and Mr P London. Apart from a few mic issues at the start where some of the young actors weren't fitted with mics or the odd missed cue, the sound was really good with the possibility of the volume even being turned up a notch. the Lighting was excellent with lights scanning the audience, and one particular lighting effect used when Trunchball was spinning Amanda around in her signature "hammer throw" was very effective.

The songs from the musical will be well known with the opening number "Miracle" performed in a brilliantly choreographed piece where everyone seems to appear from behind a table on stage. Everybody who loves musical theatre should know the songs "Naughty", "Revolting Children" and "When I Grow Up", but also listen out for the clever "Smell Of Rebellion", sung by Miss Trunchball with a brilliantly comical choreography section. Comedian Tim Minchin, who is responsible for the music and lyrics for this show, has a knack of writing songs that will be hanging around for decades to come and will be stuck in your mind for days.

The Technical Crew consist of Emily, Oscar, Zack, Tayler, Winnie, Theo, Oli, Mason, Ruby, Alyssa-Mae, Freyja and Eleanor.

This is a big musical with over a hundred people, students and staff involved, and the quality of these contributors is on the stage to see

"Matilda Jr" is being performed at Wilsthorpe School Theatre in Long Eaton until Friday 13 March.

 “The Woman In Black”

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Written by Susan Hill and adapted for the stage by Stephen Mallatratt, this play has been in the West End for 33 years. It’s the story of a lawyer, Mr Kipps, obsessed with a curse that he believes has been cast over him and his family by the ghost of a mysterious woman in black. He hires a young actor to help him tell his story in play form, within the play. It begins innocently enough but gradually they get caught up in Kipps’ eerie past.

Having seen the play previously, it can be difficult for a newcomer to this theatre play to conceive that a piece of theatre can have the same scare factor as the film. Certainly from the amount of screams from the audience, it was found out that this production does have a big scare factor! What we must remember though is that this was first a book and to get the most from a book, you have to use your imagination, and that’s part of the secret of this play.

Many of the scenes played out in the film are described aurally as well as having sound effects to allow the viewer to conjure up images in their own mind, in some ways quite the opposite of what theatre is meant to do as most theatrical productions are very visual, but that’s where the scare factor comes from. While your mind is conjuring up the images from the sound effects and story, this allows the visual side of the play to take over and create that “sudden” image which makes you jump.

Not only that but there’s the expectation of being frightened and when that fright comes at you in the surroundings of a place like a theatre, not at the times you expect it, that’s where the true frightening experience comes from. there are scenes where the silence seems to go on for a longer than expected time, and then when you start to relax back into the expectancy, the jump scare comes.

The choice of set is simple yet effective. For instance a smoky stage and a lighting stencil of a vast mansion are all that there is to depict the marshland beyond the deceased Alice Drablow’s manor, leaving the audience’s mind to question what might be lurking in the mist.

The show has several ‘jumpy’ moments; the use of lighting is incredibly effective when revealing the ghostly figure of Jennet Humfrye in several unexpected places plus the sounds from Alice can also take you by surprise.

It's not all frights though as the play, before the play within the play, has several wonderfully jocular moments which is a big contrast to what is to come later in the play.

Some say the play takes a bit of time to get going but it's very clever as it builds the tension up all throughout Act One, paving the way for a tense Act Two.

John Mackay(Kipps) and Daniel Burke (The Actor) are extremely good at building, maintaining and breaking the suspense, It's the direction by Robin Herford, the lighting by Kevin Sleep and the sound design by Gareth Owen that make this story come to life and create the shocks.

The set, by Michale Holt, is sparse, which is good for not being a distraction, but the props that are there, like the rocking chair are vital and you home in on this as well as the music box with the knowledge that they are there for a reason, helping the anticipation and the tension because you just know that there's a reason for them being there. The raked stage also makes it very easy to see everything from front to back.

You will jump, I did and I've seen it before, and the appearance of the Woman In Black at the end will unnerve you and possibly stay in your memory for a while.

What was really good to see was the age range of the audience, and there were a few schools and colleges in on Tuesday night. Apparently, Susan Hill's "The Woman In Black" is on the educational curriculum and is being classed as a "modern classic", well I can't disagree with that. When I was at school the literature spectrum consisted of Shakespeare, Dickens and the like, certainly not a modern horror, but if it gets a younger audience into the theatre then I am all for that!

And if you have to walk home, be aware of any sudden mists, or frets, and shadows! Don't have nightmares.

"The Woman In Black" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 14 March and has an age guidance of 12+