HERCULES by New Art Club
Nottingham Playhouse

Billed as a dance cabaret for all ages and I think that just about sums it all up. A new twist on the 12 labours of Hercules through various dance styles and comedy by Tom Roden and Pete Shenton who are New Art Club, with a little bit of help from their friends and co produced by Dance4 and Nottingham Playhouse.

It's nice to see history presented to kids in a way that they will take interest and remember. Just think of the TV programme "Horrible Histories" and how popular that show is in the theatre, and this could replicate that, although I have a feeling that Tom and Pete have been doing this longer than the Horrible Histories have been touring.

The show is a melting pot of dance style ranging from contemporary to ballet and jive using music that will not be unfamiliar to the younger members of the audience, some of the Grandparents may have problems spotting a few of the tunes but that didn't stop them from joining in with the audience participation, very much in the panto style of entertainment, and there were many elements of this throughout the show.

What I thought was really well thought out was when we were all asked to close our eyes and then open them when told, and the actors changed positions on stage, which may sound a bit boring, but you had to be there to get the effect!

A really well thought out show, with some nice comedy moments, wacky, colourful, audience participation, plenty of soaking with water guns, and at just 90 minutes long, there's just no way that either the adults or kids can get bored.

The "Hercules" UK Tour starts in October 2014 and you can find out more about New Art Club at www.newartclub.org

OLIVER by The People's Theatre Company
Nottingham Arts Theatre

The People's Theatre Company have pushed that bar up even further and this production of "Oliver" is the benchmark for what an amateur theatre company should be aiming for.

Everyone knows the story of the workhouse boy who escaped from the nasty Mr Bumble, head of the workhouse, after being sold to work in a funeral parlour. He is befriended by The Artful Dodger and taken in by Fagin but his career as a petty thief stalled when he was caught stealing an handkerchief from the upper class Mr Brownlow, who then took him only to discover that Oliver was really his Grandson.

There were so many stand out performances in a cast of amazingly good actors. I loved Chris Teasdale and Gill Cook as the funeral parlour pair, Mr & Mrs Sowerby, Katie Inglis as Nancy, who made my skin tingle as she poured her heart out in "As Long As He Needs Me", Stephen Godward's amazing voice and characterization of the classic Ron Moody character Fagin, and believe it or not, I didn't think once of Ron Moody throughout the show. Stephen Godward was Fagin!

Jason Wrightam was so intimidating as Bill Sykes, the bullying of Nancy was at times quite unnerving and realistic, fist clenching stuff! Lennon Bradley played Oliver and is someone to look out for in the future; a confident actor and singer who teased a few "aahhs" from the audience when singing "Where Is Love". Lennon alternates with Jacob Simpson in the role all this week.

Another confident and talented young actor is Chandler Wagstaff, who plays The Artful Dodger, again alternating with Jacob Baker-Telling this week.Chandler has real stage presence and can also be seen in "Oh What A Lovely War" in July at the Arts Theatre.

They say never work with kids and animals and in this show both are stars because Bullseye, Bill Sykes dog is played by Mabel. How they managed to train Mabel to look lovingly at Bill Sykes throughout shows that Mabel really has dogged determination to make it in show business!

Only a few names from such a large cast, and I noticed that every young actor knew all the words of the songs, every piece of choreography, not needing to look at the person next to them for their cue. Professional to the last.

The sound mix was spot on and you could hear every single notation, every word from the singers, and a lovely sound from the orchestra under the musical direction of David Hails.The lighting and sound courtesy of College Street Technicians, added another professional touch to the production.

Some great sets as well, beautifully designed by Cris Brawn and well constructed.

This is yet another directorial smash for the incredibly talented Maggie Andrew who gives blood, sweat and quite a few tears to every production she waves her magic wand over. I feel a NODA nomination in the future for "Oliver"

The show started bang on 7.30 which was practically a miracle in any theatrical show to start dead on time. I can't praise this show enough and not just the actors on stage but to the back stage grafters, the scene shifters, prop movers all the way to the incredibly friendly front of house staff. A more professional, amateur production you'll be hard pressed to find.

"Oliver" is on at the Nottingham Arts Theatre until Sunday 18 May 2014.

You can hear my chat with Stephen Godward who plays Fagin, on my Nottingham Hospitals radio Sunday morning show below.
https://soundcloud.com/kev-castle/stephen-godward-oliver-chat

DR FAUSTUS at Djanogly Theatre, Lakeside

Members of The Nottingham New Theatre performed Christopher Marlowe's classic but controversial for the time, "Dr Faustus", under the direction of Lakeside's Martin Berry.

It's the story of John Faustus who wasn't satisfied with his lot and wanted ultimate power and knowledge, along with the seven deadly sins and, through his interest in ancient magic, he conjures up Mesphistopheles and sells his soul to the devil for 24 years of power and knowledge, and signed the deal in blood.

He spends his 24 years living it up and playing tricks on others to keep himself and the devil occupied and amused, indulging in all of the seven sins. This is why it's described as "the most controversial Elizabethan play outside of Shakespeare".

It's beautifully done by the young cast from the University, with Faustus being played by Tej Obano, mastering the rhythm of the text with ease and creating true drama from the dramatic character role.

Faustus' sparring partner, Mephistopheles, was portrayed by Andrew James Stevenson. capturing the devil may care attitude of Lucifer wonderfully, creating great fun out of Faustus' mischief, and knowing all along that he is in a "win win" situation. He takes great joy at the end seeing Faustus try and wriggle out of the deal, but being dragged kicking and screaming into the smoke filled hell.

There is a great thread of comedy interwoven throughout the play, joyfully spread by the ensemble cast, headed by Emma Kendall and Kati Hall, a nice deflection from the sinister main plot.

The set is very effective and makes the stage seem so much bigger than I remember. The special effects were employed with perfect timing , as were the crystal clear sound effects. Lakeside has one of the best acoustic stages I've had the pleasure of. Technically everything was just so spot on, and there is great use of the TV screens to count down Faustus' 24 years with great dramatic effect. Wonderfully effective lighting effects also add to the drama, at times creating a very sinister atmosphere.

I may be wrong but knowing the director, Martin Berry, and his love for Dr Who, I can see shades of the old style Dr Who effects and "fear factor", which worked so well within this particular story.

Personally I could not see anything to find fault with, not that I was expecting to either. It's a great classic romp, and although it was originally written in 1606, stories like these never seem to age and could be set in any era and still deliver it's moralistic message.

"Dr Faustus" is on at Lakeside up to Friday 16 May 2014.

WEST SIDE STORY
Nottingham Theatre Royal

This will probably be one of my shorter reviews.Billed on the posters as the No.1 musical of all time, I'm very tempted to agree with that statement (I do still love "Blood Brothers"). Every one knows that this is based on "Romeo & Juliet" and the story of turf wars, prejudice and of course love across the barricades. Now I've got the story out of the way, let's get down to the nitty gritty!

I've seen a few versions of "West Side Story" and this is the best I've ever seen. Apart from a prop that wanted to upstage the unknown stars of this show, this musical was practically perfect.

A great set, amazing lighting, beautiful music, the mix of orchestra volume and singers volume was practically perfect, strong but passionate voices, fantastic choreography, some of the best accents for the Peurto Rican characters I have ever heard, so hats off to the voice coaches! The dancing was just out of this world, so tight, what choreography. Obviously the songs are some of best written for a musical by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Classics like "Tonight", "Maria", "Somewhere", "One Hand One Heart", "America", "I Feel Pretty" and of course the comic song "Gee Officer Krupke"

Maria is played by Katie Hall who has just the most amazing operatic voice which had you hanging on to her every note. Tony, Maria's short lived love is a star to look out for in Louis Maskell. Louis again has one of those voices that you could listen to all night and has an amazing control over his long notes, easily switching from the powerful notes to the whispery vocals in the song "Maria".

The gorgeous Dialenga Scott plays Anita, the fiesty girlfriend of Bernardo, played by Javier Cid. Some eye candy for both men and women! Riff is played by a young John Barrowman lookalike, Jack Wilcox.Cracking voices all round.

This musical is technically one of the best that I've seen, one of the most enjoyable with equal amounts of passion and comedy, and as I said earlier, probably the No.1 musical ever. there's nothing to nit pick or find fault with here.

I have it on good authority that tickets for two weeks that "West Side Story" is in Nottingham are scarce, and I can see why, so get your tickets fast as it's here until Saturday 17 May 2014. It's one NOT to miss this year!

LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS by Spotlight Theatre School
Nottingham Arts Theatre.

Some would say that "Little Shop Of Horrors" isn't quite age appropriate for a young theatre group to perform due to the small matters of human sacrifice and physical abuse, but hey, it's a happy kind of musical which doesn't have a happy ending, except for Audrey 2, the plant.

The story, as everyone knows, is Seymour's story of his rise to fame thanks to his discovery of a flesh eating plant which needs human flesh and blood to survive and the decision which Seymour has to make as to whether he continue his fame, and all the trappings that go with it, or do the right thing and destroy the plant before it destroys him. Well we all know that there is no happy ending where Seymour and Audrey skip off hand in hand into the Brooklyn sunset.

I'm going to be mildly critical here because I think the group can take it, and I hope they realise what a fan of "Spotlight" I am. At times the live band, who I must admit were excellent, were sometimes a little overpowering with some of the young singers who didn't have as powerful a voice as some of the others, and some of the humour in the songs was lost due to this, but I could tell that the sound mixer was doing his best to make it better, which I noticed in part two, there was an improvement.

Acting wise, James Murray was great as the nerdy Seymour and you can tell that his voice has matured from last year's "13-The Musical" and has grown stronger.

Audrey, played by Charleigh Hunt, could have gone a wee bit more over the top with the Brooklyn accent but gave a good performance as the loyal punch bag for her boyfriend/dentist Orin Scrivello, played by Miles Cliff, who for me stole the show with his manic S&M portrayal of the Steve Martin character in the film.

Crystal (Eva Sheppard), Chiffon (Grace Hodgett-Young) and Ronnette (Georgia Hodgett-Young) fizzed nicely as the opening scene setters and backing singers, and Audrey 2 was suitably menacing in the hands of Billy Stockwell and the voice of Cassie Hall. Some really strong vocals from the soul/gospel plant!

Rounding off the main characters was Alex Reed as the florist shop owner, Mr Mushnik.

Nicely designed set and good use of the stage and the auditorium itself.

Making her directing debut in "LSOH" was Jessica Royce (who also choreographed the show), ably assisted by Liam Hall. Production was undertaken by Amanda Hall and a very smooth job by all three to bring this production to the Arts Theatre stage, only 9 weeks after being cast.

A solid team effort by everyone from Spotlight, and while it's easy for me to nit pick here and there, this group of young people put their all into shows like this and deserve the recognition for what they do in providing entertainment to the theatre going public of Nottingham.

AN EVENING OF CRIME SHORTS
Nottingham Lace Market Theatre

"The Zoo" and "Little Dolls" are the latest short plays to be performed in the bijou surroundings of the upstairs section of the Lace Market Theatre. The audience are almost within touching distance of the actors which makes it all the more difficult for the actors who can actually see the eyes of the audience and hear them breathing!

The Lace Market Theatre are renowned for producing plays of this sort, plays which are sometimes quite off the beaten track, but at times true gems such as these two plays.

"The Zoo" features two characters, Peter, an older man who works in the printing business relaxing on the park bench in Central Park one Sunday afternoon. An afternoon he will never forget for the rest of his life. He's happily married, two daughters, loving wife, two cats and two parakeets. Along comes Jerry a young man who really wants to have a conversation about, amongst other things, his visit to Central Park zoo. We find out all about his life, his love life, his lusty landlady and his landlady's dog, who Jerry tried to kill. Things then turn strange for the pair when they vie for possession of the park bench they are both sitting on, with drastic results for both of them.

A fascinating look at how the mind of a potential killer, who at first glance seems a regular guy, can U turn. Brilliant acting from both Guy Evans as Jerry and Richard Holmes as Peter and a fascinating piece of thought provoking theatre.

The second play is "Little Dolls" and this is dark in every sense of the word. Vicky is having therapy for an incident that happened when she was 11 years old, her therapist is John. They are sat in his office in the dark, because Vicky is now afraid of the dark, with a safety net lighter for when she becomes unable to take the dark any more. We hear of what she thinks she heard on the night that changed her life, but what really did happen and is there really a strange man following her around, and how did her 11 year old friend really die? So many questions that don't produce answers in this dark and increasingly sinister play which will literally have you on the edge of your seat.

The nervous and untrusting Vicky is played by Emma Hayes and the strangely mind controlling and quite scary therapist is played with great understatement by Matt Huntbach.

Both plays have a couple of things in common. The characters Jerry in "The Zoo" and Vicky in "Little Dolls" are both word weavers who are storytellers who will keep you hanging on to their every word. Simple sets keep you focused on the words and the characters. But not all the talent is on show because there's some sterling work done by the directors for both plays, Kareena Sims for "The Zoo" and Michael Darmola for "Little Dolls"

Both plays will leave you quite shocked and with plenty to talk, and think about when you leave the theatre. But don't hang around because they are only on until Saturday 3 May 2014

THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE by Alan Ayckbourn
Nottingham Theatre Royal

"Things We Do For Love" isn't a play that I knew, but I'm so glad it was introduced to me. It's a comedy all about attraction and the virtual masks we all wear in everyday life and what happens when we let these masks slip.

Take Barbara (Clare Price), a career woman and owner of the property, a smart tidy, stylish one bedroom apartment where she lives where there's not a thing out of place. Upstairs she rents out another small one bedroom flat and a basement flat, rented to Gilbert (Simon Gregor), the handyman/postman who just happens to have a "thing" about Barbara, which includes creating a ceiling mural in his flat of Barbara in the nude. he also has a penchant for wearing her clothes, which she has given to him to take to the charity shop, but never quite gets there!

Barbara's college friend, Nikki (Natalie Imbruglia) is about to rent the upper flat with her fiancé Hamish (Edward Bennett), just until the house they are buying is completed. We find out Nikki has just come out of a stormy and violent relationship eight months previous, and Hamish is her ideal man. Barbara gave up on love after her virginity was taken by the school janitor's son, Coot, who had a nosebleed while in the act. And while we have the image that Nikki and Hamish are at it like rabbits, nothing could be further than the truth! I think we can all see where this story is leading to!

Well they say opposites attract, and that is the case here, and where Hamish and Barbara get off on completely the wrong foot, Barbara's safe, middle class image is transformed into a ravenous man eater with Hamish. Nikki is then told by Hamish and Barbara about the dalliance and Nikki decides to shred every piece of clothing Hamish owns and walks out. Attracted by the violent row that Barbara and Hamish are having, Gilbert, who has been touching up his art work, falls and breaks his leg and emerges from the basement flat bedecked in black dress, high heels and blond wig, and is taken to hospital. And none of them live happily ever after.

it's a great set, spread over the three separate flats, the middle elaborate and highly ornate flat, the top flat, well we can only see the ankles of the actors up there, and the basement flat where we get to see the ceiling section, but I bet it took an age to get the set in place and construct. Hats off to the designer, Giles Cadle.

All four actors were excellent and a surprise to discover this was Natalie's stage debut, what a natural! There's a very funny scene where Gilbert turns up at the evening tea at Barbara's blind drunk because he felt it a privilege to be allowed over the threshold. A classic Ayckbourn comedy well acted.

"Things We Do For Love" is on until Saturday 3 May 2014