"Shrek The Musical"

Derby Youth Musical Theatre.

Derby Theatre.

Shrek is a green ogre who lives in a swamp just outside the kingdom of Duloc. He finds out that the kingdom is becoming corrupt and that Lord Farquaad has plans to become the next King, but he needs to marry a Princess to be able to do this. Shrek makes a deal with Lord Farquaad to save the swamp but he has to first do something for Farquaad. Along with his loyal steed Donkey, Shrek sets off on a quest to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona from her tower, guarded by a fire-breathing, love-sick dragon. Add a gang of fairy-tale misfits, and a biscuit with attitude and you’ve got an irresistible mix of adventure, laughter and romance!

And not forgetting a brilliant fun soundtrack as well. "Freak Flag", "Make A Move", "Big, Bright Beautiful World", "Story Of My Life", "I Know It's Today", "Who I'd Be", "When Words Fail" and of course the final belter "I'm A Believer".

Playing Shrek is Billy Sweet, who brought everything that you would want from a green ogre to his performance. He had comedy, he had stage presence and he has a very strong set of vocal chords; but that came as no surprise to me, having seen Billy perform in the past, notably as Pharoah in Derby Youth Musical Theatre's production of "Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat", last November. Great prosthetics for Shrek and a real sweet performance.

Daniel Pimperton plays Shrek's sidekick, Donkey. I love the character that Dan brings to Donkey, along with the comedy and the accent. Dan gets some wonderful songs to sing like "The Travel Song", "Forever" and especially "Make A Move". The costume and make up for Donkey are also excellent, and whoever is responsible for the make up is a very talented individual.

Bella Syson plays Princess Fiona. Yet another wonderful voice, as shown in the opening of Act Two where Bella also shows off her dancing skills in a brilliantly choreographed showstopper of a number called "Morning Person", followed by the equally wonderful "I Got You Beat", the duet with Shrek. It doesn't matter how old you are, a "fart" gag is funny, which is what makes this particular section a musical hit.

Playing the young Princess Fiona is Ava Hickling, and I don't know how old Ava is but she already has a beautifully controlled voice.

Teen Fiona is played by Robyn Preston, and like Ava, that voice is superb. I can't wait to hear both Ava and Robyn's voices when they get older. When they sing with Bella the three voices merge beautifully.

One role that is sure to bring an actor, quite literally to their knees, is that of Lord Farquaad and this part is played by fourteen year old Takoda Liverman. Takoda I have never seen on stage before, as this is his debut for Derby Youth Musical Theatre, but what a find this man is. You can tell that he has had experience on stage due to the confidence he shows every second Takoda is on stage. He really encapsulated the character, brought out the comedy and sings brilliantly. But let's take a minute to appreciate the choreography for this role, all of which is performed on your knees.

Caitlin Smith is Gingy, the opinionated Ginger Biscuit. This requires, not only puppetry but also a certain vocal technique. Caitlin also doubles up as Sugar Plum Fairy.

Georgia Bullock plays the Dragon, well the voice of the dragon, and what a voice. Georgia is a disco diva in the mould of people like Donna Summer, Amii Stewart or Gloria Gaynor and The Dragon's big song, "Forever" has never sounded so powerful; it's not only the dragon's wings that were soaring on Thursday night.

The Dragon herself was engineered by Sarah Doughty, Oscar Drake, Rachel Casey, Sam Reed and Lauren Wells. And what an impressive Dragon she was; I'd have guessed over twenty feet high with an impressive wingspan and looking absolutely superb.

Playing Pinocchio is Riley Chambers. Talking as well as singing in the higher, more squeaky range as the wooden puppet, sorry boy, really created the right image.

This is a very big cast, so here's the rest of the characters that you can see onstage.......

Ania Rakic (Wicked Witch), Ralph Garnham (Peter Pan), Thomas Smith (Mad Hatter), Liliana Simmons-Clark (Mama Bear), Ben Mather (Papa Bear), Poppy Fawcett (Baby Bear), Bella Carolan (Ugly Duckling), Eddie Clarkson (White Rabbit), Megan Beastall (Fairy Godmother), Hannah Lake (Humpty Dumpty), Stevie Kirkham (Big Bad Wolf), Ethan Adamson, Taylen Brodsky and Teddy Osborn (The Three Pigs), Taylen Brodsky (Thelonius/Papa Ogre), Rachel Redfern (Queen Lillian/Elf), Louis Whitfield (Captain Of The Guard/ King Harold), Finley Williams (Pied Piper/Bishop) and Louie Drake (Young Shrek/Grumpy The Dwarf).

Abi Ashforth, Daisy Hamilton and Emilia Shapcott were the incredibly stylish Three Blind Mice who also contributed to another one of my favourite scenes with Donkey in Act Two in "Make A Move".

The Ensemble of Villagers, Wedding Guests, Knights, Guards, Duloc Dancers and the Rat Tap Dancers are Ruby Armstrong, Abi Ashforth, James Bailey, Michael Bately, Emily Box, Georgia Bullock, Emily Campion, Eddie Clarkson, Millie Dalziel, Poppy Fawcett, Ralph Garnier, Daisy Hamilton, Katie Kirk, Robyn Preston, Emilia Shapcott, Tia Shaw, Louis Whitfield and Finley Williams.

Directed by Holly Earl. assisted by Hope Lo Monaco. I have always said that a Director with a vision is the making of a memorable show, no matter how many times you've seen a show previously. This production certainly has some lovely subtle additions, including, either a flashback to a previous DYMT show, or a mention for another society's show coming up in the next few weeks by having a very colourful character appear from a side entrance of the theatre. There are also several nods to other musical theatre shows throughout, especially in the musical arrangements. A very clever production which gives regular theatre goers like myself a few things to notice, as well as creating a first class show for anyone who has not seen the show previously.

I will also state that near the start of the show there was a stoppage, something that Directors are never in favour of doing, but after Donkey threw himself on the floor there was a lot of crackling from the mic pack, resulting in us not getting an amplified Daniel. Stage Crew came to the stage and advised that there was a technical issue and that the scene would be restarted. Daniel has a really good projection technique but as there was a song coming up, without amplification, we may have had a problem hearing him. After a short gap, the story was taken up again. This was a brave action for a Director/Stage Crew to take, but a wise one under the circumstances.

Musical Director is Charlotte Daniel, a well respected name where MD ing is concerned. I don't know if it was Charlotte who arranged the music, but I loved listening to the slight change in musical arrangements, that maybe I had not heard or picked up on in other productions. There are several nods to other musicals like "Frozen", "Les Miserables" and "Dreamgirls" among them, so if you, like me are a fanatic of musicals, see how many nods you can spot. Charlotte heads up a ten-piece Shrek Band who sound marvellous.

Choreographed by Caroline Green Dance, assisted by Ellie Beech. The massive cast carried out the choreography impeccably, especially the tap dance section, bringing a Hollywood style feel to the choreographed scenes. Dance Captain is Caitlin Smith.

Technical Director is Kate Borrington and Technical Advisor is Chris Moss.

Set Design is fun, colourful, sparkly and brilliant, all at the same time, but there's no mention in the programme as to who is responsible and who provided the set.

Head of Wardrobe is George Cooper, Costumes thanks to Utopia Costumes.

Sound Designer is Harry Greatorex, and with all the sound experience that Harry has, we are guaranteed a spectacular, clear sound, well mixed. Sound 2 and 3 are thanks to Sophie Gitcham and Liv Michaud and Trainee Sound Technician is Sam Jackson.

Lighting Designer is by Jamie Vella and brings a real fun and colourful rainbow of light design to highlight the fun onstage. Training Lighting Technician is Corey Donnelly.

Stage Managed by Pete Roberts with Deputy Stage Manager being Izzy Longson and assistant Stage managers being Reece Bland, Hannah Casey, Rachel Casey, Oscar Drake, Findlay Parker and Lauren Wells. This is a big show but is really well stage managed by this stage crew.

There is another BSL interpreted show on the Saturday matinee by Natasha Redfern.

This is the perfect show to lift you out of the swampy doldrums and by the end of the show you'll be flying that freak flag high and proud.

"Shrek The Musical" is at Derby Theatre until Sunday 20 September.

 "The Great British Bake Off Musical" 

Gatepost Theatre Company.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

I will admit that, before Gatepost proclaimed that they were doing this musical, I had never watched an episode of the TV show; after all, who wants to watch people baking on TV? It'll just make me feel hungry! I now get the fascination and since that day, I've been watching "Bake Off" on a regular basis, so thank you Gatepost.

"The Great British Bake Off Musical" is a celebration of baking, self-discovery, and the joy of community, served with a generous helping of British charm and comedic flair. The show brings the beloved baking competition to life, blending the charm, humour, and heart-warming moments of the TV show with catchy tunes and recognisable characters. Whether you're a fan of the TV show or just love a good musical, this is a theatrical treat that promises to rise to the occasion with a guarantee that you won't end up with a soggy bottom with this showstopper of a musical.

The competitive bakers are.....

Gemma is played by Claire Webb. Gemma is a 35-year-old carer from Blackpool, England. Until recently, she has taken care of her late mother and has now been called onto the show as the backup contestant on "The Great British Bake Off". The girl next door, Gemma lacks confidence in her abilities as a baker but as she moves through the stages, discovers that her skills, and not just in the baking department, are rather tasty. The more confident Gemma gets, the fancier her clothes.

Ben is played by Ewan Waddell. A police officer from Bristol, Ben is a kind and caring dad who loves his daughter very much. Having lost his wife to illness not long ago, he is now trying to navigate what being a single dad is with his fourteen year-old daughter Lily. Knowing her dad needs cheering up, Lily fills out the application form without his knowledge. The duet with Ewan and Ben's daughter Lily, "My Dad"will bring a tear to your eye. Ewan and Claire also have a marvellous duet called "The Perfect Petit Fours" in the second act, where you get to experience some lovely choreography, as well as vocals.

Izzy is played by Isobelle Walker. Izzy is a 21-year old Cambridge student from the home counties in England. An incredibly ambitious girl, she spends most of the competition assuming she will take home the crown, but confidence can hide a few naughtier traits. the song "Obviously" tells you all you need to know about the character, right from the start.

Francesca is played by Laura Stone. Francesca is a fashionable Italian art teacher in her 30s who now lives in Bangor, North Wales. A very welcoming and kind soul, she describes her students as her “children” and is the kind to believe in everyone. There's an absolutely gorgeous track called "Grow" which reveals quite a sad secret of Francesca's, accompanied by a lovely animated video piece. I loved the conversation segment in the second act that Francesca has with Hussan as well.

Hassan is a 17-year-old student living in Wembley, and is played by Shantanu Bhumbra. With a very positive and optimistic personality, Hassan brings his lucky red T Shirt to the competition, confident it will help him succeed. When it goes missing later on, he continues to persevere and discovers that he can succeed without the T Shirt. This is such a lovely upbeat character, portrayed brilliantly by Shan, that you really hope that he wins the show. Hassan also gives Shan a chance to show off his rap skills.

Dezza is played by Jude Cliffman. Dezza is a hipster activist who lives on a canal boat in London. She is very passionate about causes like the environment and animal rights and arrives at the competition with a forward-thinking vegan take on baking. 

Russell is played by Josh Birchall, a nautical engineer who lives with his husband Mario in Macclesfield. Russell not Josh, that is. A man of precision, he has entered the competition hoping to use his tools, grafts and charts to stay on top in the tent. Josh brings some lovely campness to the story but is never over the top, just enough to extract a giggle or two.

Babs is played by Carrie-Anne Corner. Babs is a retired grandmother of 17 grandchildren and hails from London’s East End. With three ex-husbands under her belt, she learned to bake years ago and loves to add extra liqueur in everything for “flavour”, something that Pam is in favour of! The connection with Phil is really nice; it's a love/hate vibe, but those real feelings for Mr Hollingworth rise to the top in a big musical number called "Bab's Lament", and I loved what Babs had on under her coat flaps! And that's not a euphemism!

Sandy Lane is Pam Lee, one half of the famous "Great British Bake Off" judging team. Pam has tremendous life experience as a baker and shares her knowledge with the contestants throughout the show. Based on the real life Prue Leith, Pam is slightly over the top and provides many of the saucy double entendres. Sandy is perfect for this role as she has a naughty glint in her eye whenever I see her away from the stage, and that is perfect for Pam Lee. Act two opens with a big glitzy number called "Keep On Keeping On" which would not have looked out of place in an old Hollywood blockbuster. Sandy also gets a fun duet with Ian in "I'd Never Be Me Without You", which has a feel of "Timeless To Me" from "Hairspray"

Ian Taylor is the second judge, Phil Hollingworth, based on real-life celebrity baker Paul Hollywood. A very confident man, he is often known as the harsher of the two judges, but offers a coveted handshake to the bakers who have impressed him. A handsome silver fox who strikes up a lovely comedy pairing with Babs, with a series of "knock knock" jokes which runs throughout the musical. One of the catchiest songs in the musical is one called "Slap It Like That", sung by Phil and The Bakers, and there's some fun choreography in this section as well.

Luke Grainger is Jim, one half of the popular presenting duo of "The Great British Bake Off". A big personality, he bounces off his presenting partner Kim in an over the top hosting fashion throughout the entire show. Luke doesn't have to do a lot to make people smile because he has one of those faces that can extract laughter from an audience, and I mean that in the nicest of ways. I've seen Luke play comedy roles as well as serious roles and he excels in both genres. One of my favourite duets he gets to sing is called "Bring On The Scone" with Kim and the Ensemble. 

Lottie Lodge is Kim, the other half of the hosting. A big personality, she is loved on set and always happy to joke around with her other hosting half, Jim. Throughout the show, Kim lends a sympathetic ear to contestants when needed. 

The role of Lily, daughter of Ben is shared by Esmie Cockayne-Smith, Bella Nicholson and Isla Farrell. Wednesday night was Esmie's night on. Lily is fourteen years old and comes to set every week with Ben. Her mother, Ben's wife, passed away from not so long ago and together, they are learning what it is like to be a family of two. Very loving in nature, Lily only wants the best for her dad and is very protective of him.

Tilly Bedford, Arfaa Butt, Sarah Butler, Emily Corner, Daisy Donoghue, Ben Gray, Alana Grummitt, Ellie Heap, Amy Hunter-Parker, Jordan Neary, Gabi Owens, Alison Russell and Dean Porter make up the Ensemble, who also just happen to be the TV Crew Members as well.

I don't have to tell you what brilliant singers this cast are, all you have to do is listen to these gorgeous harmonies, quite choral in fact. All the main characters get to shine individually with their back stories and their vocals, which is why I've not said just how good they are separately with each character. It goes without saying when you look at just how strong the cast is.

Directed by Chris Collington, who is so good at bringing the comedy side of shows out even more. Anyone who has seen any other Gatepost show directed by this man will know just how good shows like this can be when you have a Director of Chris' quality on board. 

Musical Director is Martin Lewis, again another indication as to how good this show is musically. the Bake Off Band consist of Martin and Gabryl Oleshko (Keyboards), Dawn Bratby (Reeds), Austin Owen (Guitar), Jonathan Jarvis (Bass) and Harry Lane (Drums). A band that certainly rose to the occasion.

Choreography is by Lottie Lodge, and there's so much to love about the chorographical side of this musical, as I've already touched on earlier in the review. It has (Paul) Hollywood style running all the way through.

Set Design is by Mark, Will and Alison Russell. Loved it, and not a piece of canvas in sight.

The props for this show are brilliant with all of the cakes and baking items delivered to the stage, along with cooking utensils etc. So many and all sourced by Tilly Bedford, Chloe Porter and Jude Cliffman. 

Costume Supervisors are Tessa Raum and Gabi Owens. There are quite a few costume changes in this show, especially for the judges and presenters, plus the style upgrades for Gemma.

Stage managed by Mark Green with a Stage Crew consisting of Sam Bunting and Mark Russell.

Lighting Designer is Steven Greatorex and Sound Designer is Dave Dallard and Granite AV. I quite often have a knock at the sound quality, and occasionally the lighting, but tonight both fields were, yet again, absolutely spot on with the sound being crystal clear and the vocals well mixed with the live band. they all made these areas feel as easy as a piece of cake to be this good.

I mentioned the animated projection earlier and this was an area which really added another layer of style. From the very start of the show we were treated to really lovely projections onto cooking aprons and onto the fronts of the baking stands. This area of excellence was created by Chris Collington.

It's a fairly new musical, and sometimes theatre goers avoid shows that they don't know, especially musicals, but this is a fantastic musical which retains all the fun from the TV show and has a cast who are specialists in the field of entertainment. Only one downside and that is watching all that onstage baking, I found myself getting really hungry. Ah! but Gatepost have thought of that and there are cakes available to buy in the interval and they are delicious, so if your tummy rumbles throughout Act One, head for the foyer and quell that hunger.

Oh, I didn't say who was the final winner did I? Well, I advise to get a ticket to see the answer to that one.

"The Great British Bake Off Musical" is at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 19 September, so on your marks, Ready, Set, Get your tickets!!

Photography by Martin Holtom.

 "The Silence Of The Lambs"

Indigo Productions and Crossroads Live in association with Curve.

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

The play had its world premiere at the Curve Theatre in Leicester earlier this year, and is Directed by Curve's Nikolai Foster. It's written by Gina Gionfriddo, based on the book of the same name by Thomas Harris.

The 1991 film has been one of my favourite thrillers probably since its' release, and this stage play is based more on the novel rather than the film, and you may notice a few slight differences in the stage version, one of them around "Buffalo Bill".

 FBI trainee Clarice Starling is sent by her superior, Jack Crawford, to interview the brilliant but dangerous Dr. Hannibal Lecter. The FBI needs Lecter's unique psychological insight to track down "Buffalo Bill," a serial killer who kidnaps and skins women.  Lecter agrees to help, but only if Clarice feeds him details about her difficult childhood and innermost fears. Their sessions turn into a tense mind game that feels like a twisted form of therapy. 

John Partridge plays Hannibal Lector, the  brilliant, imprisoned psychiatrist and manipulative cannibal who offers Clarice psychological insights. I've reviewed John's stage performances several times now, but this is a role like no other. John has that ability to outwardly look like the nicest bloke on the planet, and then with just a change of his features, morphs into a look that will terrify you; and that is Hannibal lector. All he has to do is stand there and look out from the stage in his glass box to send the chills down your spine, with or without Lector's iconic mask. Add that voice to the equation and a glass of chianti is the last thing on your mind! It almost reminds me of a visit to one of those sea life centres where you can walk through a glass tube and there's a vicious shark in the tank, watching you, slowly circling, looking harmless until the teeth show and you pray that the glass is strong enough to keep that distance between you; frightening but thrilling all at the same time.

Clarice Starling is played by Coronation Street's Mollie Gallagher in her professional stage debut. Starling is the young FBI trainee assigned to help catch the notorious killer. You get so used to hearing an actor talking one particular way, with a certain accent, especially a soap actor who is in your living room several times a week, so when you first hear Mollie as Clarice, you have to hand it to her for sounding, and looking so different to Nina from Corrie, and so much like Jodie Foster. The accent, and you know I love accents, is so spot on it almost throws you for a second. Mollie is on stage probably about 99% of the time, an absolute mammoth of a task for anyone making their first outing as a professional stage actor. I can't wait for Nina to come back from Whitby, and then on the other hand, I can't wait to see Mollie on stage again.

Jame Gumb, aka "Buffalo Bill", the main serial killer hunted by the FBI who abducts women and skins his victims, is played by Sam Jackson, who I last saw on stage back in 2013 as Billy Caspar in the play version of my all-time favourite film "Kes" at Derby Theatre. You may recognise Sam from playing Alex in "Skins". Sam gives another excellent lesson in how to play a psychotic, unhinged serial killer, and the scenes where he dresses up as his late mother using human skin and hair is incredibly unnerving; the scenes near the end of the play are also made even more chilling with the lighting design in that particular scene.

Oliver Farnworth, who you'll also recognise as serial killer John Sugden in "Emmerdale", plays Jack Crawford, the head of the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit who recruits Clarice for the dangerous assignment. Crawford comes across as quite hard-nosed at the start but then he starts to mellow out when he sees the quid pro quo results Starling gets from Lector. Oliver is a seasoned stage performer and has worked with Director Nikolai Foster previously. This character is a million miles away from the roles we have seen him play on the TV, showing his flexibility as an actor.

Dr. Frederick Chilton. a pompous and unpleasant supervisor of the psychiatric hospital where Lecter is locked away, is played by Minal Patel. Chilton is a real slimeball and soon changes his attitude with Clarice when he realises that she is not just going to cowtow to his demands because of his position. As with film, theatre of TV, a good actor will really make you feel things about their character and Minal has no problem making the bile rise with Chilton.

The rest of the cast are Jo Mousley, no stranger to Derby Theatre, (Senator Ruth Martin / Kimberly Emberg), Lottie Amour (Catherine Martin / Frederica Bimmel), Mark Peachey (Lucas / Pilcher / Greg), Andrew Joshi, another regular to the area, (Peterson / Lamar / Pembry), Jonny Magnanti (Brigham / Miggs) and Mary Timbrell Hill (Ensemble).

Having four extremely well recognised actors upfront can make believing the characters that they are playing sometimes a little difficult, but not this time around. It was long before I was watching the characters from the film/novel, and completely forgot that I was watching some of my favourite soap/drama actors on stage.

Directed by Nikolai Foster, the Leicester Curve legend who has brought so many great musicals and dramas to life on stage. The tension and the build up to the explosive sections were subtly done, building to a dramatic crescendo. Associate Director is Julia Thomas.

Michael Taylor's stage design is equally as thrilling. The glass enclosure housing Lector was superb and claustrophobic, and the journey to his prison would give anyone the creeps, especially when other crazies were shooting their arms out and shouting out obscenities. The rapid and smooth scene changes to the FBI Office all helped with the fluidity of the play, almost becoming cinematic. Gumb's hide out made you believe the threat he created for the women while having that cold feel, even though Gumb rarely wore more than just his pants, the starkness of his abode screaming serial killer. 

The lighting design by Howard Hudson is enough to provoke nightmares, the dim lighting, the smoky alleyways, the glaring white lights illuminating Lector's glass case presents a wonderfully overwhelming sense of doom and danger.

Carolyn Downing's sound design is also an important aspect to create the mood of the play. You can hear that creeping menace approaching which sets your nerves on edge, and of course, when it's combined with the lighting design it's guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seats.

The Projection Designer is George Reeve. Brilliantly designed to create that butterfly effect, only with moths, and of course the red designs of many of the video designs screams danger at you. It's also used to show the news report about Senator Ruth Martin's missing daughter, heightening the horror that she may be the next victim of Buffalo Bill.

Grant Olding's musical compositions are like another member of the cast. They creep up on you, surround you and swallow you up, giving every hair on your body permission to stand to attention, I love this musical score.

Costume Supervisor is Debbie Bennett and all the iconic costumes from the film are here, immediately positioning all of the characters in your mind, breaking down any need for introductions and background to the characters.

Wigs Supervisor is Bev Chorlton. It never fails to amaze me just how a good, accurate wig can change a person's whole look, and with Starling's look, the wig changed Mollie's appearance straight away.

Props Supervisor is Robyn Harding. At first glance you could be mistaken into thinking this stark set is just that, stark. But then just take a look around and tot up all of the props used, there's loads of them, all bringing the story to life.

The Movement Director for the show is Dale White. This area is most prevalent with Hannibal Lector. He has a very distinctive way of moving while cooped up in his tiny glass cell, almost as if he is saving energy, with only the odd outburst of angry energy. There's a very different set of movements with Dr Lector near the end of the play when he resembles an uncaged tiger, making sure the rest of the creatures know that he is the boss; a very confident swagger.

Everything you could want from such an iconic chiller thriller is here in this play, along with the perfect cast of actors. Anyone who has seen the film, or read the book, will know what happens at the end, so make sure that you don't have nightmares, and check that your front and back doors are securely locked, and in the words of Shaw Taylor, "keep 'em peeled". Sleep tight!

"The Silence Of The Lambs" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 19 September. The Doctor is expecting you, so book your appointment, it's best not to keep him waiting!