"Horrorshow" by Chronic Insanity.

1 Fisher Gate Point, Nottingham.

First off, let me say that I hadn't been aware of this venue before, but what a brilliant bijou little place this is. It has a comfy seating area looking out onto the traffic flow, a small bar selling a selection of mouth watering drinks and snacks, and up the stairs there's a performance space that has seen several bands play and for Friday night is home to Chronic Insanity's "Horrorshow"

This is the show that is due to head up to Edinburgh for The Fringe as from 25 August until 31 August at the Summerhall, Anatomy Lecture Theatre (Venue 26).

Written by Doug Deans, what I really liked about this piece, which is just a little over an hour long, is that the story starts at the same place as the story also ends, bringing a complete circle. 

Dan's got a rucksack full of weed that he has stolen from his mother's current boyfriend, and he has a plan that'll definitely work, and also get him out of the family home. There's also something that he has been hiding from his best friend, Ollie. Living on the Isle of Wight, neither have been to the iconic festival that is held on the island and Dan, along with his rucksack, has plans to get them into the festival, and make a bit of money as well. Dan is played by Doug Deans and plays guitars and on vocals.

Ollie's got his A-level reading list and serious reservations, aiming for University and a job in London. They've been mates their whole lives, but they're also becoming strangers, as their lifestyles head off in different directions. Joe Matty, who by the way looks like a young Ralf Little, plays Ollie and also is on keyboards and vocals.

Joe Strickland provides the voices of every other character in the story and is on drums.

Set against the 00s music festival that swallows their town every summer, "Horrorshow" tears into class, nostalgia and masculinity. The musical backing is all by Joe, Joseph and Doug, playing original songs by Anya Pearson of Dream Nails. The songs written for this piece of theatre are incredibly catchy with echoes of The Housemartins, Brit Pop bands and even Chas'n' Dave in a little ditty which revolves around the quantity of beverages at the Festival Bar.

I have my fingers crossed that, maybe sometime in the future, these songs performed in the show will turn up on some streaming site, because they are just too good not to have a lasting record of.

Musical Direction, music and lyrics are by Anya Pearson.

This is such a clever show because it's like listening to a visual audio podcast play, and what I mean by that is that, if you closed your eyes (but why would you) the story is so well delivered that you can picture everything that happens in your mind. This trio provide all the narrative to allow you see, hear and even smell the journey that Dan and Ollie go on.

Directed by Joe Strickland, this is the perfect vehicle for The Fringe, and it's possibly one of the best pre Fringe shows that I have seen. Some short theatre pieces I've seen has left me wanting more; this one didn't because it delivers a story that has a start, middle and end, completing the story that the show has been written to deliver. It's the perfect length with a wonderful storyline that bubbles along at just the right pace. The characters are completely believable, as is the storyline, and with the soundtrack being completely original, this gives yet another big bonus in the show.

There's one more chance to catch this show which is tomorrow, 22 August at Bolton Gate Arts, Stoke at 6.30.

I guarantee that this show is going to be a big success at the Edinburgh Fringe.

 "The Nightmare Room" by Tabs Productions.

Colin McIntyre's Classic Thriller Season 2026.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

The second of the three plays in this year's Classic thriller season is a play written by John Goodrum, adapted from the 1921 story of the same name by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The original story concerned two men, this version switches the genders in this love triangle and updates the story. Tabs last performed this play at the  Nottingham Theatre Royal back in 2018.

When Helen regains consciousness, she finds herself bound and blindfolded in a locked room. Her captor, best friend Catherine, challenges her to a deadly game of Russian roulette to decide which of them will win the handsome film star they both desire. But the game – like the room – is far from what it seems... are they alone in the room... or is there someone watching?

Helen, the mistress and long time best friend of Catherine, is played by Corinne Begluk. Corinne has performed with Tabs in the past, in a time before I discovered what a brilliant theatre company Tabs were, well over a dozen years ago, so this is my first time seeing Corinne.

Sarah Wynne-Kordas plays Catherine, the disgruntled wife. There are echoes of Kathy Bates in the unhinged way that Catherine's mind seems to work, with explosions of anger and jealous rage.

There are flashbacks which give you an idea as to how these two women have ended up in this white room. In contrast with the harshness of the white room, the flashbacks present a warmer glow in ivory, along with a stencilled wall pattern and giant window that you can imagine allowing sunlight to flood in, giving a more pleasant and less claustrophobic feel to the story and atmosphere. These two lighting choices are split by complete darkness in the blackouts.

The timing between the past and present scenes, by Corinne and Sarah, are split second, thanks to the lighting design and operation, as they move back and forth through time, to and from friendlier days. 

These two talented actors keep you right on the edge of your seat, and for just two actors to be able to keep everyone so enthralled is not only an acknowledgement to the wonderful adaptation of the play, the direction and the original story, but to the incredible acting skills of Sarah and Corinne.

Combine the lighting with the sound effects for this chiller thriller, and you'll see just why the sound is so important when you see it, and I can promise that you're in for a white knuckle ride!

After several twists, including one big one to close the first act, you may think you've got it sussed and everything has been revealed, but if that's the case, wait until the second act which has a few more twists in store.....

Directed by Karen Henson, this is an excellent example of how to keep an audience guessing where the story is going, and keeping them on the edge of their seat. The positioning of the bottle of poison on stage reminds us of the ever present danger, but which of them is in danger, and who is the dangerous one? Karen's direction and John's adaptation keep you guessing right to the very end!

The set design, by John Goodrum and Conal Walsh (from an original design by Keith Tuttle). The set is clinical white, almost asylum like in it's look, and it certainly grabs your attention as soon as you clap eyes on it. There is one table, two chairs, a water decanter, two glasses and a bottle of poison. 

Loved the costumes, especially Catherine's power dressing white suit. Helen's black outfit cleverly shows that they are on opposing sides.

Production Manager is Duncan Hands.

Deputy Stage manager is Conal Walsh, assisted by Juliette Strobel.

This is a complete contrast from last week's comical thriller, and again, very different to the final play in the season next week, which is "The Mantrap".

"The Nightmare Room" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 22 August, but don't have sleepless nights about getting tickets for this brilliant production.... get your tickets NOW!

 "A Summer Soiree - Musicals Through The Years" by 4th Wall Theatrics

Bonington Theatre, Arnold.

4^th Wall Theatrics are a fairly new group but made up of many well known faces from the Nottinghamshire area.... as you'll soon see. This is the second showcase by the group that I have had the pleasure of being entertained by.

The Summer showcase consists of thirty-four pieces of musical theatre loveliness and variety working its' musical journey from Biblical times with the opening song from "Joseph and The Amazing technicolour Dreamcoat", through the years, right up to "Dear Evan Hansen", all in a magical musical time warp (yes, that's also included in the fun finale). the pieces are performed by performers from toddler age (who are mega cute) right the way up to the most senior member of the group.

So, let me tell you who was responsible for showcasing the entertainment on Saturday night.

The cast consists of Barry Hobbs, Hannah Enderby, Sophie Benner, Amy Rogers-Gee, Pippa Ward, Emme Gunn, Isobel Munden, Paul Mapplethorpe, Kev Jones, Bertie Black, Barbara Benner, Saurav Modak, Lindsey Jaycock, Tallulah Enderby, Maisie Winfield, Alison Watkins, Roy Smith and Christine Boothe. Some of the aforementioned names I have not seen on, or offstage for a good few years.

Every song chosen for this showcase was completely diverse and spot on for entertainment value, covering all reaches of musical theatre and all ages.

I'll be here until tomorrow night if I mention all of the pieces, so here are just a few that I particularly loved, for various reasons.

It was so good seeing Barry open the show with "Any Dream Will Do", a piece that I've seen Barry sing on stage a few years ago, This song perfectly suits his voice and laid back style, especially with a chorus of ensemble members.

"Six The Musical" was featured with six stunning queens, Hannah, Sophie, Amy, Pippa, Emme and Isobel in a history lesson concerning the "Ex Wives". Not even a sound failure with the backing track put them off and I noted the lovely comic touch with the introduction to this piece, the second time around. 

Now, I have been banging on about a musical called "Something Rotten" for about a decade and it's only this year that it traversed from America over to the UK. The soundtrack is brilliant and one of my favourite tracks from the score, "Hard To Be The Bard" was performed by Paul Mapplethorpe. Paul is a brilliant entertainer and never just sings the songs, he performs them every time; even if he is just providing back up vocals, he is performing. I caught him after the show to say how much I enjoyed the show and to ask about a particularly shiny jacket and trousers he wore in one particular number, "Tonight Belongs To You" from the musical "The Prom". I am now on the lookout for a similar suit in my size!

Pippa Ward has a beautiful voice and gave us a gorgeous rendition of "As Long As He Needs Me" from "Oliver".

And then came the "aaah" factor with the two youngest members of this showcase, Tallulah Enderby and Maisie Winfield as they sang "Food Glorious Food", also from "Oliver".

"Les Miserables" has always been one of my favourite musicals, and the song that brings light relief in the show is "Master Of The House", performed with great humour by Bertie Black and Alison Watkins. This is a real character filled song and Bertie and Alison replicated this character and humour brilliantly.

One song that I didn't know was one called "Astonishing" from the musical "Little Women". Sung by Emme Gunn, it's a song that I'll be looking for the next time I'm scouting for songs for my Wednesday night musicals show on the radio.

The bangers just keep on coming and another lady with an incredible voice is Lindsey Jaycock who gave us a pitch perfect version of "Think Of Me" from "Phantom Of The Opera". You can see where Jonathan gets his musical talents from.

Next up, yet another gorgeous voice, provided by Sophie Benner, singing "Journey To The Past" from "Anastacia". I have been lucky enough to have seen Sophie's journey in theatre from quite a few years back. The woman you see on stage is the culmination of lots of hard work in local theatre, and her voice has never sounded so pure.

The dreamy "Hushabye Mountain" was performed by Kev Jones and Hannah Enderby, followed by a classy rendition of "I Could Have Danced All Night" by Isobel and Lindsey.

Paul was back with another wonderful piece from "Chicago" in "Mr Cellophane", along with the ensemble.

I have a bit of a soft spot for sea shanties and Kev, Amy, Hannah, Pippa, Barbara, Saurav, Bertie and Paul gave us "Sail On Boys" from "Operation Mincemeat".

And that's just the edited highlights from the first act!

Act Two started back in the late 1950's with a monochrome inspired version of "Jailhouse Rock" involving Kev, Bertie and Saurav along with the Company.

Emme and Paul gave us a sublime version of "Suddenly Seymour" from "Little Shop Of Horrors", all bathed in green light.

It was then back to the 1970's glam with "Hold Me Close", a song featured in the jukebox musical "All The Fun Of the Fair", sung by Roy Smith and his backing vocalists Lindsey, Barbara, Pippa and Isobel.

Bertie really got into performance mode with his rendition of "Science Fiction, Double Feature" from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" backed by Emme and Paul dressed in white doctor's jackets!

A raunchy version of "Candy Store" from "Heathers" was next by Emme, Amy and Sophie.

Christine then got her time in the spotlight with a piece called "What Age Expects" from the musical version of "Calendar Girls". So pleased to have been able to catch up with Christine before, as well as after the show.

One of the big hits in theatre over the last few years is "Come From Away", and the song "Welcome To The Rock" was performed by the company.

Hannah returned to the stage for a solo of "There's A Fine, Fine Line" from "Avenue Q". By the end you could have heard a pin drop. That's not the only time that happened because Alison returned singing one of my favourite power ballads from a musical. "He's My Boy" from "Everybody's Talking About Jamie". I love that song and Alison's rendition sent the shivers up my spine; so packed with emotion.

"Apex Predator" is a song from the musical "Mean Girls" and performed this evening by Emme and Isobel. Three quarters through the song, the backing track disappeared, but Emme and Isobel finished the song acapella style, which was really appreciated by the audience.

The full company then performed "Waving Through A Window" from "Dear Evan Hansen".

Finishing off with "The Timewarp" was the perfect way to end this party.

I said that I'd only mention some of my favourites and have practically mentioned everything. The pieces I missed out on were just as entertaining, so even if I haven't mentioned them all, as I stated earlier there wasn't one piece that I would have considered leaving out; I just had an absolute blast and I hope that my highlights have included at least one by all the performers individually.

The evening was not short of technical issues, but I have always said that it's the way you recover from them that is more important, and while the sound system, on a couple of occasions failed, the professionalism of the performers did not, and the problems were swiftly sorted out.

So, let's get to the people responsible for everything else off stage....

Company Directors are Amy Rogers-Gee and Marie Rogers.

Musical Directors are Amy Rogers-Gee and Emme Gunn.

The show was choreographed by Amy Rogers-Gee and Pippa Ward.

Produced by Amy Rogers-Gee, Emme Gunn and Michael Coles.

The brilliant costumes, and there were different costumes for each piece, were by Amy Rogers-Gee, Emme Gunn, Pippa Ward and Alison Watkins.

And now a few areas that Amy wasn't involved directly in.

Lighting Designer is Nick Elliott.

Sound design is by Bob Betts.

Stage managed by Matt Allcock with Stage Crew Chris Gillibrand and Eli Gayton.

In all seriousness though, I know Amy's work ethic, especially when it comes to the theatre, and I know just how much work Amy puts into things like this, and what a fantastic night it was.

Congratulations to everybody involved, I had an absolute ball.

Thank you Amy for inviting me along and thanks to all on stage for an evening of fabulous musical theatre talent.

 " Blind Eye Kids Summer School Showcase"

The Bonington Theatre, Arnold.

This show is the culmination of two weeks hard graft from these youngsters, as well as the tutors, of course.

The show started off with a bold statement song which introduced us to all of the students, "The Greatest Show". We were treated to some great little pieces from some appropriately matched musicals, "Matilda", "Shrek", "Hairspray", "Oliver", "Toy Story", "High School Musical" and a couple of more grown up pieces from "Six", "Mary Poppins" and "Dear Evan Hansen" among the pieces performed. Mix these in with a couple of drama pieces and an amazing finale, which included all the kids in "Defying Gravity" from "Wicked". Fifteen pieces which made the time fly.

The students, Alexandra Wright, Caitlin Rodgers, Emily Ratcliffe, Lacey Bramley, Lexie Rodgers, Lily O' Toole, Lucie-Mae Wright, Roman Nicol, Ted Hudson and Noah Hudson, all looked like they were having a great time entertaining us, and boy, did they have some energy on this warm Summer evening!

There wasn't one section that I didn't enjoy watching, but here's a few of my highlights of the evening....

Loved the opening number, and there were some brilliant costumes, and of course the title of the opening piece "The Greatest Show" did live up to its' promise.

The next full cast piece was "You Can't Stop The Beat" which again showed off just how good this group are when singing and dancing in ensemble mood. They also show just how tight knit the group are as the bigger ones guided the two youngest members, Noah and Ted, not that they needed much guiding because they were both on it all of the time.

Another thing it highlighted for me was the individual talents when it came to dance; the young ladies are all great little movers on stage but I must also mention Roman who is a choreographer in the making as he really looks to understand dance and is a dancer in the making. Roman also took centre stage for "Consider Yourself" from "Oliver" highlighting a good confident singing style. Sitting and watching this group, "Confidence" is the word that sums them up.

Closing the first half of the show was a wonderful version of "Six" by Lacey, Lucie-Mae, Lexie, Caitlin, Alexandra and Emily, all proving that these six could also bust out some impressive moves.

Bringing us into the second half was another brilliant full cast version of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious", setting the energy levels for the second part of this showcase.

Not long into the second half came my favourite piece of the whole show "You've Got A Friend In Me" from "Toy Story". This featured Ted, Noah, Caitlin and Alexandra; the cuteness level was completely off the scale in this one, especially with Ted and Noah dressed up in cowboy outfits.

"You Will Be Found" featured the powerful voice of Gabriella and the sublime ballet work of Alexandra.

I loved the choreography for "We're All In This Together" and the cherry on the top of this showcase cake came with the finale of "Defying Gravity" complete with some wonderful outfits.

Finally, I would like to congratulate Caitlin and Emily on their two-hander acting piece about a maths exam. It may have been nerves that threw one of them off but neither panicked and after a quick regrouping finished the piece to a massive round of applause. It doesn't matter is you forget a line, it's how you recover and not let it affect you that matters.

A lovely evening of brilliant entertainment by a team of talented and hard working young people and tutored by another group of lovely and talented people headed up by JJ McCormack.

 "Grease The Musical" by Zak Scott Productions Summer School.

Squire Performing Arts Centre, Nottingham.

I may not have had a leather jacket to don, but I automatically raided my pink attire and hair gel and systematically made my way to Squire Performing Arts Centre as fast as greased lightning to watch one of my favourite electrifying, fun and frothy musicals that transported me back to my teenage years, "Grease". Now, when I say that, I mean that I was a teenager when the film was released, not that I was at school in the late 1950's!

After all these years, and the amount of times that I have seen show on stage, this musical is still amazingly good fun and everyone knows the complete soundtrack in full. “Summer Nights”, “You’re The One That I Want”, “Sandy”, “Hopelessly Devoted To You”, "Greased Lightning", “Grease”, “Beauty School Drop Out” and my favourite “There Are Worse Things I Could Do”. First performed in 1971, seven years before the film version starring John Travolta as Danny Zuko and Olivia Newton-John as Sandy Dumbrowski, it's lost none of its' frothiness.

We all know what to expect from "Grease" so I don't really need to tell the story of the musical. What I can tell you is that this production encapsulate the whole feel of the era, 1959, and of the "belonging" to the separate gangs, The "T Birds", the leather jacketed "lads" gang, and the "Pink Ladies", the all more refined collection of ladies who have sleep over parties and discuss the teen idols of the day and make up.

What makes a difference to a show is the vision of the Director, and Creative Director Zak Charlesworth has made subtle changes that make this production feel very fresh. He has omitted the "Alma Mater" opening scene and opened with Danny and Sandy, as in the film. This production is a blend of the original musical and the film, with the songs in almost the original order with the additional songs from the film slotted in as per the movie version.

"Grease" is a sexy film, let's not sugar coat it, a group of High School teenagers back in the 50's were just as emotionally rampant as teenagers are today. Many of the productions that I have seen on stage have played that side of the story down, some even leaving out "There Are Worst Things I Could Do" to skip over the possible pregnancy, but this production doesn't shy away from the attraction of the opposite sex, but does it with plenty of humour.

What also makes this show extra special is that, with it being a Summer School production, it's all put together in one week, a fact that belies the quality of this show.

Danny Zuko is played by Nathan Crookdale. I last saw Nathan as Lurch in "The Addams Family", and this role is as different as you can get, and so is the vocal style and level. As Lurch he showed a baritone level, and in this we hear a different vocal technique with a smooth falsetto, as highlighted in the song "Sandy", showing that Nathan has a great range vocally. I also loved the arrogant stances that he takes, blended with some sharp Michael Jackson-esque moves. Nathan is  a very confident actor, singer and dancer who really manages to bring the character to the surface.

Sandra "Sandy" Dubrowski is played by Neve Johnson. Her vocals, and especially in "Hopelessly Devoted To You", have a lovely delicate feel to them, contrasting with the more fun vocals of "You're The One That I Want". The image change from good old Sandra Dee to the final version of Sandy is a massive transformation, and from where I was sitting, looked just like the Olivia Newton-John vision at this stage. It shows just how much effort has gone into the costume and wigs to create those iconic Grease images.

Phoebe Litherland is Betty Rizzo. Rizzo is one spunky lady who is in charge of what she does. The whole "girl power" image that Stockard Channing created in the film is here, brought to the stage by Phoebe. I can see and hear the work that Phoebe has invested in this role because the accent is perfect, as is the whole attitude and stage stances. Rizzo's song is the aforementioned "There Are Worse Things I Could Do" and was like listening to Stockard Channing, note perfect.  The wig and costume completes the image of Rizzo to a tee.

Eddie Clarkson is Kenickie. When the film was made, John Travolta wanted to sing "Greased Lightning" even though the car belonged to Kenickie, so it's right that the musical goes back to the original version which allows Eddie to belt out the brilliant "Greased Lightning" with all the suggestive hip wiggles and thrusts required to visually show his intentions with his car, "Greased Lightning". This whole scene with the car's transformation is also a fresh version of the scene with an ensemble starting the upcycle and the rest of the crew making an entrance in a very colourful costume change.

Doody, one of the younger members of Zuko's crew, and boyfriend to Frenchy, is played by Stevie Kirkham. There's a really nice naivety about this character with a lovely boyish response to Doody asking Frenchy out to the dance. There's also another one of those changes that I had not seen in previous productions in "Those Magic Changes" scene where Doody is "playing" the guitar to the rest of the lads. 

Niamh Syson plays Frenchy. Oh, I love this character because she is such a simplistic person. She wants to be a beautician but fails at that, confirmation coming from Teen Angel in the dream sequence, surrounded by plenty of ensemble angels. A lovely fun role that Niamh excels at.

Teen Angel, who gets just the one song in the show, "Beauty School Dropout", but what a song, is played by Samuel Perrin. I think that Samuel is a new name to me, but what a way to catch my attention with his comic ability in this role. He has a lovely comic face which transfers to the role, making Teen Angel an even more fun role to watch.

Quillen Parker plays Roger, or "Rump" as he is nicknamed. Why does he have this nickname? Because he is the best "mooner" in school. Don't know what a "mooner" is? Look it up or come and see "Grease". The song "Mooning" has a lovely falsetto part which Quillen hits well. Roger is a "proper lad" and that fun and playfulness shows perfectly via Quillen's skills. I've seen Quillen in several musicals over the last few years and have seen him mature on stage. His voice has matured and deepened well and his comedy delivery is second to none. Quillen is a really expressive actor and even if he was in a silent musical, you'd know every emotion his character would be feeling. It also shows just how much fun this young performer is having on stage.

Finlay Tomlinson is Sonny, a wonderful comedy role for an actor and Finlay, like Quillen, looks to be enjoying every second playing Sonny. It's a fun performance with plenty of energy and quite an animated character, forever chasing skirt. If you've seen Fin on stage previously, you may have to take a second look because he looks so different. Fin's trademark hairstyle has been slicked back and he doesn't wear his glasses in this role. He seems to have shot up in height again and is looking very trim. This young man is another that I have seen on stage many times and he still manages to make me smile, especially as the testosterone filled Sonny. This is another role that he has absolutely smashed in all departments.

Jan, the compulsive eater, is played by Isobel Pickering. Izzy is one of those actors who always looks natural on stage, and that makes the comedy just flow from her. The scenes in the sleepover scenes are lovely to watch as are the scene where we first properly get to see Jan at school where she makes sure that none of the food left about is wasted.

Hermione Cumbers is Marty, the "beauty" of "The Pink Ladies", looking more mature than the rest of the ladies, that is until she opens her mouth. A nice cheeky performance from Hermione.

Alex Povey plays the nerdy Eugene. Yet another actor who I've had the pleasure of reviewing and watching his acting skills grow. The slicked back hair and nerdy spectacles, as well as the costume was enough to get me checking in the programme who was playing this particular role, as he was completely unrecognisable. This is another one of those really fun roles which Alex plays with lots of gusto.

Talking of fun roles, Lucy Gordon is Patty Simcox, the athletic and attractive cheerleader who also, and quite naturally, has an eye for all of the jocks, including Danny, even though she knows that Danny has eyes for Sandy.

Maddi Woodland is Miss Lynch, the Rydell High Head Teacher. I really can't commend the costume, make up and wigs team enough with this character. It was like looking at a mature woman addressing the school in full Head Mistress mode. Maddi's physicality is excellent as Miss Lynch.

Vince Fontaine, the fast talking radio DJ, is played by Jamie Higgins. I have always been an admirer of U.S. DJs of this era. The Weird Beard, Johnny Holliday, Joey Niagra and Hunter Hancock; radio presenters who talked as fast as the rock n roll music they played, and that took skill to never be lost for words and rhyme what they were announcing. I was really impressed by the speed that Jamie rattled his way through Fontaine's speed speak and he looked the part of the DJ who comes into the young girls room every night......via Station WAXX.

Cha Cha, Kenickie's blind date for the prom, is played by Lexi Hart, the best cha-cha dancer with the worst reputation, Cha Cha that is not Lexi. the scene with Eugene where she is trying to teach him to Cha Cha Cha is as comical as ever.

Johnny Casino is played by Riley Chambers. A singer who performs at prom night, providing the music, with his band, for the dance competition. The last time I saw Riley on stage was at Derby Theatre, with a false beard, I think. This time around he is at the top of the stairs in the corner, so hopefully next time I get to see him on stage, it will be a bit more centre stage and without a beard. Decent singer just waiting for a bigger role.

The Radio Girl is played by Avaani Babra, who looked fabulous, on or off the radio. There was a slight sound issue in Avaani's scene, but nothing could spoil hearing that lovely voice.

The Announcer was Siena Thorpe.

An energetic and fresh-faced ensemble added more meat to this rich stew consisting of Amelia-Jane Chamberlain, Alice Whitaker, Bethany Stockdale, Clarissa Armitage, Evie Perks, Isla Baskill-Conroy, Katie Winfield, Keeley Rickerby, Libby Stockdale, Lottie Ellis, Lucy Coulson-Jones, Megan Price, Molly Price and Violet Graney.

Choreographed by Shannon O'Donnell who has a reputation for exciting and energetic choreography, so this show sill have been a Godsend for Shannon. The big ensemble numbers were performed so smoothly, and as you can see from the above, this is a big cast. I think my favourite piece was for the "Greased Lightning" scene, and I really commend the decision to keep the sexiness in the choreography because that made this show more real than some others. 

Set Design is by A Stage For Hire, and as soon as you walk into the auditorium, the set hits you right between the eyes. I won't give any spoilers, but let's just say that the two tier set with the two big doors where "Greased Lightning" makes its' entrance does not disappoint.

Technical Director is Roydon Charlesworth.

The car is supplied by Sculpture Studios, and as I mentioned earlier, the transformation scene is done in a novel way. No spoilers.

Musical Director is Sam Griffiths, another legend of, not only local theatres, but transatlantic fame, so you just know that anything to do with the music side of a show is in excellent hands with Sam, and it was tonight (Wednesday).

Costumes for the show have been provided by Friends and Family of Zak Scott Productions, and as I have already alluded to, they are excellent.

Make up is uncredited, but I know that it's often the norm for the actors to do their own make up sometimes. Never the less, whoever is responsible, they all looked fabulous.

The wigs used in this show are equally fabulous and are thanks to Simon Theobald and Carol McTernan.

Props have been supplied by Claire Collishaw.

Sound design is by Future Techs, which is a team of young people who are trained via Squire Performing Arts Centre and Zak Scott Productions in order to provide training in areas concerning to the technical side of lighting and sound design and operation. Not everybody wants to be centre stage and this programme provides young people an opportunity to be part of a show like this. Let's face it, where would a show be without sound and lighting? It also provides an incite into stage management as well, providing the technicians of the future.

Lighting Design is by Abby Cattow. Only one slight light slip up in the second act but apart from that a great job done. LX Hire from Encore and Dave Martin.

Production Manager is Ellie Simmonds.

Producer is Zak Scott Productions.

When you see a musical like "Grease" as many times as I have, you can't help but notice changes, some magic, some less magic, but what makes this musical so very magical is the story, the strength of the acting and that brilliant soundtrack. You will not be disappointed at all and you'll leave the theatre singing away to several of the big hit songs, and they'll stay with you for long after you've got home. It'll be "the word" on every theatre goers lips this week, and mine as I'll be telling everyone about it.

It's the one that you want to see on a warm Nottingham Summer night.

"Grease The Musical" is at Squire Performing Arts Centre until Saturday 15 August.

 "Anybody For Murder" by Brian Clemens and Dennis Spooner.

Tabs Productions.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Here we go again, it's that time of year when Nottingham welcomes back Tabs Productions and their Colin McIntyre Classic Thriller Season; this time around with three weeks of fun and thrills. Not only do you get an incredibly talented cast, but you get an incredibly lovely group of people as well.

As soon as I saw the set I straight away realised that we could be in for a classic farce, due to the five doors on set, and a thrilling farce it turned out to be with a multitude of twists and turns, even up to the very end.

On a remote Greek Island, a scheming husband, Max Harrington, is set on murder. He is planning to collect his wife Janet’s life insurance, but she just won’t stay dead! He wanted to enjoy life with his girlfriend, Suzy, when old, practically forgotten family friends Mary and George arrive on their Greek island with news that Janet is the beneficiary of a huge fortune, and soon everyone is hell bent on murder. Mary is second cousin, but Janet is first cousin, so it would only be right that the millions left in the pot should all go to her, Mary on the other hand feels differently and wants her hands on the money, money, money. The only thing that stands in their way is the presence of a neighbour who knows a thing or two about murder, crime writer Edgar Chambers.

There's always at least one play in the season where Tabs get to showcase their comedic side and this is the one.

Max Harrington, the cunning manipulator with murderous intentions, is played by John Goodrum. Max  practically skips across the stage while trying to do away with Janet; you could almost see the £ signs in his eyes as his mind starts to work double-time. He has a dream, which quickly becomes a bit of a nightmare (or is that next week?). In every production John is in, he always brings a  massive sliver of comedy to his performance, and this play is right up John's street as he gets to show off his wonderful comic skills. 

Janet Harrington is played by Karen Henson, who also directs this wonderful slice of farce. Karen makes her only stage performance this season in this play, and what a memorable one, but how many times can Janet meet her Waterloo?. Karen has a natural comedy streak, on and off stage, and that with the character's speech impediment made this a lovely character-driven role for Karen, as well as the audience.

Girlfriend Suzy Stevens is played by Sarah Wynne-Kordas. Suzy is not the sharpest tool in the box, and as well as that attribute, Sarah delivers some brilliant physical comedy pieces to this role, a real super trouper. 

George Tickewell, the less than competent lawyer, is played by David Giltbrook. Every character in this play shines comedically throughout, and even though George is heavily under the thumb with wife Mary, that in itself is funny to watch, there are some great stand-alone comedy splashes from Mr Giltbrook. Voulez-vous dare to talk back to Mary?

Mary Tickewell is played by Susan Earnshaw. As long as I have been a fan of the Classic Thriller Seasons, I have been a fan (ando) of Susan Earnshaw. I was going to say that Susan is one of the finest natural actors going, but this bossiness in Mary must take a lot of working at because Susan is one of the loveliest of ladies off stage (as are all of the female actors within Tabs). That said, it must be great fun to boss and command people around for a living, well at least this week. The whole physicality of this role lets you know that she is the boss in this relationship.

Edgar, the thriller writing, Ouzo drinking neighbour, is played by Jeremy Lloyd Thomas. Edgar gets a lot of inspiration for his "worst selling crime novels" from Max; maybe more than Max seems to realise! As always, Jeremy delivers a class performance just by walking on the stage. Mamma mia, as the Greek say.

Who out of the above will be the winner who takes it all?

Set Designer is Sarah Wynne Kordas, and anyone who has seen the sets that Tabs Productions use will instantly know what amazing sets they produce. This one gives a typical Grecian feel to the apartment, even the exterior backdrop made you feel the warmth of the sun seeping through those patio doors. Inside the room, which is a two tier set, for reasons that will be clear when the story unfolds. I chatted with Sarah in the bar afterwards, extolling my admiration of the work that she puts into creating the sets and especially the vast array of props. I was also told some theatre secrets about some of the props, which I will not reveal.

Sound design is by David Giltbrook and Lighting Design is by Conal Walsh. Both experts in their respective fields. Love the Greek music as well as some of the other songs which allowed my tongue to become firmly fixed in my cheek. There are several lighting changes, nothing dramatic, allowing us the knowledge of the time passage and development of the action.

Stage Managed by Fran Gardiner and Alison Willcox and Production Manager is Duncan Hands.

The play has Brian Clemens' writing and comedy all the way through it. Not your typical thriller but a wonderful farce with a clever script, brilliantly acted and with more than a nod to another piece of theatre set on a Greek island... some of the music and one particular costume may just give it away!

All I will add to the above is watch the salt and beware of goats!

"Anybody For Murder" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 15 August.

And as I hear you cry gimme gimme gimme more thrillers, then you only have to wait until next Tuesday when you can see the second instalment of this year's season with "The Nightmare Room"

 "Waitress The Musical" written by Jessie Nelson

Nottingham Royal Concert Hall.

I don't know if it was just my senses working overtime, but when you entered the auditorium, there was a gorgeous and mouth-watering smell of cake.... or is it just the magic of theatre?

"Waitress" is based on the 2007 film of the same name written by Adrienne Shelly. It's the story of Jenna, a pie maker and waitress in a local eaterie, Joe's Diner, who is trapped in a marriage to Earl, that she wants escape from. Things get worse for Jenna as she discovers that she is pregnant with his child. She yearns for bigger things and dreams of owning her own diner one day and making a fresh life on her own, away from Earl. She sees a possible way out, financially, if she won a pie baking competition in state.

With help from her diner friends, Becky and Dawn, she has to overcome the obstacles in her way to be able to reach her dreams. She then falls for the charming Dr Pomatter. But that's another problem – he’s married as well!

Carrie Hope Fletcher is Jenna. The most well known song in this musical, which by the way is full of wonderfully crafted songs, is "She used To Be Mine". Carrie delivered an emotion packed and tear jerking performance of this glorious ballad. I've seen Carrie in several roles, but I think this has to be my favourite. There's a lot of fun to be had with Jenna, as well as a lot of sauce, then she delivers a dollop of emotion with a side plate of sadness. The acting is pure West End quality and her voice is at times as fragile as a cobweb as she holds the audience in the palm of her hand. Pure class.

Les Dennis plays Old Joe, whose rendition of "Take It From An Old Man" was perfect. Les is a wonderful character actor, again I have seen Les play many roles in theatre over the years and his ability to make you believe in the character he is playing, and not that you're watching Les Dennis the actor, is a skill in itself. Just watch as well for the nifty moves he shows as he grooves off the stage after the final bows.

Becky is played by Sandra Marvin who opened the second act with "I Didn't Plan It", after a certain transgression was revealed, was a belter. Brilliant comic timing in every scene and a face and smile that could replace all the lights in lighting gallery. 

Dawn, played by Evelyn Hoskins, was equally as comical, with that high pitched voice and her repressed urges, brought to the surface by Ogie, a man she meets online for a five-minute date which then lasts for the rest of the show. Both geeky, but the perfect geek match. Another cute, geeky but irrepressible character who will have you smiling from the first scene to the final bows.

Ogie is played by Mark Anderson. You could tell from his face and demeanor just the kind of character you were going to get with Ogie. Brilliant fun and a perfect match for Dawn. I imagine that Mark and Evelyn had great fun in rehearsals, and on stage, with these roles.

Dan Partridge is Dr Jim Pomatter. In my mind, Dr Pomatter verges on being a sexual predator, and the comical sections made it seem quite wrong to laugh, but laugh I did all the same. All morality went straight out of the doctor's room window. But if both Jenna and Jim weren't married, this would have been a match made in heaven. Fabulous vocals and a lovely slice of comedy is what is prescribed, and that is what you get. If you think that you may have seen Dan somewhere before, then you may be right as he played the role of Charlie Price in "Kinky Boots" last July in the UK tour of that show.

Nurse Norma is played with great comedy by Ellie Ruiz Rodriguez.

Mark Willshire plays Earl. Earl is controlling and jealous of the attention Jenna showed to her friends and the reciprocation of the attention. He even made Jenna promise not to love the expected baby more than she loved him. Earl is a seriously flawed character, and the ending for him is possibly one that a new mother may not have taken out of fear of possible retribution, but Jenna found the strength in her new position of responsibility to do what she deemed to be right for her, her new baby girl, and their future. Roles that are not so nice to play out are often the most meaty, and Mark delivers a lot of meat. There are very few redeeming features with Earl, but we do get to see a glimpse of just how much he loves Jenna, but is that love or insecurity?

Dan O Brien plays Cal, who runs the pie shop. A non-major role but always seemed to be there in the background, and his dalliance with Becky made that scene unforgettable.

The Swing and Ensemble members are Will Arundell, Yochabel Asante, Amelia Atherton, Alice Croft, Jamie Doncaster, Daniel George-Wright, Will Hardy, Bailey Hart, Olivia Lallo, Emma Lucia, David Mairs-Mackenzie and Ellie Ruiz Rodriguez.

The soundtrack is written by the incredibly talented Sara Bareilles and includes the gorgeous "She Used To Be Mine", which was delivered with such heart-felt emotion. Other stand out tracks from the soundtrack for me were "Never Ever Getting Rid Of Me", "Bad Idea", "You Matter To Me", "Take It From An Old Man" and "Everything Changes".

Directed by Diane Paulus who has a made a few subtle changes from the last time that I saw this musical, one of them being the omission of Jenna's little girl right at the end. This is left out so there are no young actors needed to play this role. The rest of the show is so quick moving; I had actually forgotten just how swift the scene changes are. Everything about this musical is precise; from the prop settings and scene changes to the assisted costume changes on stage, the timing is as tight as you could ever wish for.

Musical Supervisor and Arranger is Nadia Digiallonardo with orchestrations by Sara Bareilles. The musicians are on stage, but in a corner of Joe's Pie Shop, almost as if they were the Pie Shop's house band. They sounded great and were perfectly mixed, sound wise, to the vocal styles of all of the vocalists on stage, lead and ensemble vocalists. I say that because the last time I saw this musical in the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, I recall that the acoustics, or the sound mix, was not as sharp as it was tonight. This time around it was perfect.

Choreographed by Lorin Latarro. When I ;last saw this show I didn't really notice that much of the choreography, maybe because I was concentrating on so many other areas of the production, but there is some excellent choreography here. The contemporary feel to many of the scenes which feature the main characters, shadowed by the ensemble, are created so tenderly that I found myself often holding my breath. The big choreographed pieces are equally as exciting, power wise, but for a different reason. The timing in the big numbers are stunning and a lovely contrast to the tender scenes.

The set design by Scott Pask was immense. The clarity of the back drop, which filled the Concert Hall stage from stage to roof. It was so realistic you wanted to wander on stage to open the doors and wander out beyond the diner. The props, big and small, from the serving feature to the kitchen/baking sections are so realistic, they were as if one of those big cranes that you see in an amusement arcade had swooped down and removed them from a real life pie shop. There are also so many props of a smaller variety in this show, including some delicious looking cakes with some equally mouth-watering names.

Lighting Designer is Scott Billington. A lovely variety of lighting techniques are employed to create the various moods for the show, most of them being bright and colourful, but just a few which deepen the mood, especially when Jenna and Earl were together as a pair.

Sound Designer is Rob Bettle. As I mentioned earlier the sound tonight was absolutely spot on, unlike the time when I last saw it here when the acoustics just didn't produce the sound that we all experienced tonight, opening night. Crystal clear and as well mixed as one of Jenna's cakes.

I must also commend how quickly and covertly a little accident on stage was cleared up.

This musical has the perfect recipe for a great night out at the theatre. With comedy as well as sadness, brilliant acting and a great soundtrack, it's as easy as pie to see why this is the massive hit it is.

If this is going to be the first time of seeing this musical, I can promise you that you're in for a sweet treat. If you've seen it before, then you are going to love your second helpings as much as your first course serving.

"Waitress The Musical" is at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall until Saturday 15 August.