"Another Round" by Sharon Rutland.

Nods Theatre Company.

Royal Oak, Ockbrook.

This is Sharon's second play, following on from "Escape", which Nods Theatre performed back in 2023. The play is all about beer and campanology - that's bell ringing to you and me - and the venue is a pub in Ockbrook, Derbyshire.

Kev is a man who lives by standards, and tries to enforce his standards on everybody else involved in the bell ringing group. He is tense and takes that tension out on almost everyone, although sticks up for his wife, who wears many hats within the group, including the Treasurer. Kev is played by Ray Harrison, and I am sure that if I could have seen the veins in his neck, they would have been bulging due to all of that built up pressure of upholding standards. Kev is a brilliant character because inadvertently he adds much of the humour into the plot.

Rachel, Kev's wife, we discover has had a busy past, which comes back to bite her on the backside. She is also the Treasurer and has a penchant for shopping; now there's a pairing that could either go hand in hand, or become a temptation that Oscar Wilde may have a thing to quote about! Played by Heather Berry, this is another character that has been well thought out by Sharon.

Cathy in this evening's show, was played by Sharon Rutland, stepping in at the last moment as Sue Leahy became unwell, and let's face it, who else is going to know the script and the character better than the creator herself. Cathy is a lovely character who sees the comical edge to most things and loves to smooth troubled waters.

Lauren, another bell ringer, is played by Victoria Herbert. Lauren is a mother to Rose, played by Erin Rutland, who brings a breath of fresh air to the collection of bell ringers. Lauren doesn't really "big up" Rose's artistic talents, but through the conversations, those talents are recognised by several of the other characters, which really brings out a different side to Rose's character, and this Rose really starts to bloom!

Like so many of these characters in the play, you recognise them in people that you know, or have known in the past. Bob, is one of those characters. Easy going in nature, Jonathan Wolff brings that easiness out of the character, who, as we go through the play, we find knows all of the other characters' backgrounds, as you do when you're part of a village like this.

Jack is always putting off his role in the bell ringing, preferring to spend his time at the village pub, cracking jokes and pulling out the puns, some so bad that there were a few groans from the packed audience. As we go through the play, we find out a few things about his past. In the end though, he comes good when his bell ringing experience realises that there's something he needs to do! Owen Anthony is Jack.

Tom is one of the guests of the wedding party that the bell ringers are ringing their bells for. He finds his way up to the tower where the bells are being rung from and straight away gets into Kev's good books by showing that he is a capable campanologist and would like to keep his hand in. Tom also recognises a familiar face among the group who he has history with! Tom is played by Ian McHugh.

Alex is the barmaid at the village pub that Jack spends so much time in. There's a scene near the end that made me smile, which was done quite subtly, with Alex reacting to a conversation with Jack Kerry and Tom. Alex is played by Hazel Whaley.

And finally Kerry, the new Vicar, who has some interesting changes in mind for the church, changes that would definitely fall way below Kev's standards. Kerry also gives an interesting insight into some of the other characters in the play. This very modern Vicar is played heavenly by Jennie Ruddle.

Written and Directed by Sharon Rutland, who has rung a few bells in her time, so the facts about bell ringing are spot on. I was educated and entertained with this new play and Sharon has created some wonderful characters all set around the hobby of bell ringing, and not forgetting beer as well. Richard Whitehorn is Assistant Director; Richard I last saw, as far as I can remember, in their last production "The Roses Of Eyam".

Pat McHugh was the show's prompt, and even though there were times when I though a prompt was needed, I didn't hear one prompt from Pat. This, I think, was a wonderful example of leaving a gap in the script to create an air of tension, and the prompt recognising when one is actually needed is a special quality.

Lighting for the production is by Timothy Fryzer-Smith. The two areas of the village pub and the bell ringing area were separated well with the lighting.

Sound Designer is Jane Hough. There are some lovely timed sound effects which really expand the external vision of this play.

The set design is by David Bloodworth, Elaine Sellors, Brian Meese and Dennis Henshaw. The main area for the set has six ropes suspended from a framework with a wall showing an interesting whiteboard and information board, plus an exit which leads down the stairs of the tower, enabling another access point to enter and exit the "tower". The other section of the performing area contains the bar scenes. This is a massive boon to have a real working bar to use for a bar-room scene.

Talking of which, this is the first time that I have been to The Royal Oak in Ockbrook, and what a gorgeous pub it is. Think oldie worldy atmosphere with a few offshoot rooms named the "Snug" and the "Tap Room", almost reminiscent of the Rovers return from the Sixties. Cosy little nooks, the largest room being the room where the play is performed. The staff are extremely friendly and the decor just takes you back to a time which is so much simpler than today. An absolutely lovely venue for a play of this feel.

The reason for the name of the play is revealed in the very last sentence of the play as well. This is a new play which has plenty of ap peal, hitting all the right notes, and just in case you want to expand your terminology of bell ringing, there's plenty of that in the programme as well. Educational and thoroughly entertaining.

Nods Theatre Company are supporting the charity "Little LIves, Big Journeys", the Centre Neonatal Transport, which is a dedicated service based in the East Midlands, specialising in neonatal transport between hospitals.

"Another Round" is at The Royal Oak until Saturday 17 October with a 2.30 matinee, but tickets are very sparse, and after tonight, I can see exactly why they are.

Cheers!