"Acorn Antiques" by The Cast

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

Written by Victoria Wood, this was bound to be funny,and it's more than that because in the hands of these actors, "Antiques" is one of the funniest plays I've seen this year so far. Acorn Antiques is run by Miss Babs and Miss Berta, aided by their friends and cleaner: Mrs Overall and Mr Clifford. Soon, they discover a third sister, Bonnie who is initially scheming and devious,even sacking Mrs Overall. The plot unfolds and the sisters are faced with financial problems and eventually family secrets are revealed. The show ends with the return of Mrs Overall, a windfall, and the marriage of Miss Bertha and Mr Clifford. Well that's the main story, but there;s so much more to this wonderful comedy musical.

There's not a single member of the cast who isn't essential to the comedy cogs of this well oiled mirth machine, so let's take a look....

Miss Babs, played by Carrie-Anne Corner is so good you forget Celia Imrie. Babs is the sexually frustrated man-eater with a lovely line of double-entendre. Tie that in with a great singing voice, shown off well in  "Have You Met Miss Babs" and you have one third of the sisters.

Miss Berta is portrayed by Carolyn Smith, another killer of a comedy role, with just a touch of sadness as she recalls about the time that she nearly married Mr Clifford, but due to a freak accident, this didn't happen. Thanks to another freak accident with a tea tray though, a happy ending ensued.

Miss Bonnie is the baddie of the piece, well one of them, and at times gets a panto baddie reception with "boos" and "hisses" coming from the audience.Alex Taverner revels in this role and I loved the comedy that Miss Bonnie brings to table by way of the very talented Alex T. A wonderful trio of very funny characters and actors.

Mina Machin plays Mrs Overall, and if ever Julie Walters hangs up her overall for this part then Mina can step into this role with the greatest of ease. Not only does Mina look like Julie Walters in the role, but she sounds like her and she has all of the Mrs O's characteristics down to a tee. the character is comedy royalty and there's a scene where Mrs O goes up the stairs in a stairlift and waves to the audience who take great pleasure waving back. Oh but i was longing for Mina to do a Royal Wave in the way that the Queen does. Just an observation, mind! 

As I said, all of the characters were crucial to the musical so let's have a look at some of the others....

Mr Clifford, who is the Duncan Preston role is played by Jason Parker and his whole mannerisms remind me so much of Duncan's portrayal.

Derek (Chris Collington) and Mr Watkins (Martin Holton) play the only two men in the village who iron their cardigans!! Martin stepped into the breach just hours before curtain up after Keith Butcher took ill earlier. I hear that Keith is on the road to recovery which is good news.

There's a lovely comedy section which involves the two young shop helpers Hugh and Mimi, which shows Victoria's knowledge of classic comedy sketches as she seems to have been inspired by a sketch from Abbot and Costello with a clever word play scene around the names. Hugh and Mimi are transformed from two chavs to respectable antique lovers. Zach Foster and Emily Corner give brilliant character performances in these roles.

Tony is the other baddie. As the loan shark who tries to con the sisters out of the shop, Adam Richmond brings a slimy, almost devilish  feel to the character, who changes from the hard hearted con man, thanks to the actions of Mrs O and her macaroons!!

The rest of the cast play various other roles as shop owners, the lollipop lady, and the postman who was also on the radar for Miss Babs, well he is male! Every one of them giving faultless performances.

As per the TV version of "Antiques" there are shaky walls, missed cues and even the bits which weren't supposed to happen added to the comedy and got laughs where they weren't scripted in...cue door handle!

The orchestra, under the musical direction of Dave Dallard was, as usual, crystal clear, and not too loud that you couldn't hear the actors. A nice mix, thanks to Ben Tennett at the sound controls.

Beautifully and lovingly directed by Rob Corner, who obviously has an eye and ear for getting the pace of the comedy spot on. With this show playing up to the fact that missed cues are part of the comedy, playing it like this is harder than playing it to the cue as you want to and going against the comedy grain isn't easy. It's like Les Dawson playing the piano; he was a talented pianist but playing for comedy was harder.. you get what I mean don't you?

There are some wonderfully choreographed pieces here, especially the end piece which is straight out of Hollywood, via Manchesterford,

and a very clever tap routine, all choreographed by Laurie Trott.

You know, I can't find anything in this show to constructively criticise because these bunch of amateur actors gave an amazingly good performance to a professional level, which is what I had expected anyway. I've not smiled or laughed so much since "Fawlty Towers" on stage a few weeks ago, which shows that local theatre groups are just so talented where comedy is concerned. Don't always rely on professional shows for the big laughs because the talent is here at a local level. Now!

"Acorn Antiques" is on at the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 19 March 2016.

"Gangsta Granny" by David Walliams

Nottingham Theatre Royal

David Walliams is one of Britain's best loved comedy actors and his quirky sense of humour has also made him a best selling author of eleven children's books; one of them being "Gangsta Granny".

While being a funny play, as with all the best plays that are humorous, it also gives out a serious message and here it's to not take the elderly for granted. Ben is Granny's Grandson and he stays with her on Friday nights because his "Strictly" loving parents have their dance classes on that night, Ben hates staying overnight with his cabbage loving gran and practically begs his parents to come and fetch him, which they refuse to do. It's while on an unplanned visit that he discovers that his gran has a secret, and isn't quite as boring as he first thought!

Although the play is aimed towards the younger audience, this is one of those magical plays that appeals to all ages. It has a good story, albeit with some sadness towards the end, which also gives the message that you can follow your dreams, however simple those dreams may be, and not bow down to what other people want you to be, so there are several grown up sideline themes to the play.

Ben is played by Ashley Cousins. Very animated and with brilliant timing for comedy for one so young, but he has credible CV built up already and is going to make a wonderfully versatile adult actor.

Laura Girling and Benedict Martin as his parents who want him to be the next "Strictly" star, a far cry from what Ben wants. Benedict also plays the neighbourhood watch man Mr Parker. This character is as close as you'll get to David Walliams taking on one of these roles and you can recognise the Walliams' characteristic in this role.

Granny, played by Gilly Tompkins, is  a dream to watch as the ninja gangsta pensioner with the love of everything cabbage infused, which has obvious drawbacks, or is that blow backs!

There are several minor characters who work hard doubling up as other characters, and a special mention to Alison Fitzjohn who plays just about all the other female characters, apart from The Queen (Louise Bailey), who also makes an appearance towards the end of the play, confessing that, as a gran herself, her Grandsons also find her a little boring. Well I never!

Umar Malik and Richard James are the other two actors with the many costume and character changes.

The secret of the massive impact this play has is in the lighting of then play and the timing of the lighting, designed by Jason Taylor, is perfect. giving the play the maximum impact. Good sound, thanks to Nick Sagar, and the choreography for the entertaining scene changes is by Paul Chantry and Rae Piper.

The set, designed by Jacqueline Trousdale, is very cleverly thought out with all sets folding in and out of three tower blocks. With the way the design of this worked, it reminded me a little of "The Curious Incident Of The Dog In the Night Time".

Directed by Neal Foster, this is a lovely piece of theatre for all ages and David Walliams knows how to write a good tale which keeps everyone watching, and reading of course.

"Gangsta Granny" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 19 March 2016. Use your kids as an excuse to go and see it. they'll love you for it.

"Shafted" by John Godber

Lakeside, Nottingham

There's a few things that you can guarantee when going to see a John Godber play. Comedy, interesting characters and down to earth, plain speaking language. All of these and more are in John Godber's new play.

Dot and Harry, played by Jane Thornton and John Godber, travel through 30 years from 1984 to 2014, following the miner's strikes. Harry has lost his job and feels that Maggie Thatcher's government has "shafted" him and Dot. The loss of his job has also stripped him of a lot of his pride, but not that much that he sells their window cleaning round because it's not what he feels he should be doing. He is a proud man and doesn't want to accept anything beneath what he thinks he should be doing, and careful enough for him not to delve into the £80,000 redundancy fund.

Dot is holding down two jobs while he stays at home, and you can guess that this is putting strain on their marriage, and that's when Dot comes up with the idea of them running a Bed & Breakfast in Bridlington. Harry, steadfast and stubborn, digs his heels in because he doesn't want to leave the place that he knows and loves.

Dot is shown as the manipulator of the pair and Harry being the stubborn one, but Dot digs her heels in as well and she gets her way. Does that make her a manipulator or just a clever, strong and independent woman?

In act two we find the pair towards the end of their lives with Dot being pushed around in a wheel chair, which starts a clever reverse history of their life going back to the day they left their home in Upton. It's also quite a subtle reversal as Harry is literally pushing Dot around whereas before Dot was the one who did the pushing of harry in the direction he needed to be going, in every sense of the word.

One thing about Godber's characters that I love is the realism of the characters and the chemistry between the man and his wife. Being real life man and wife, the chemistry is there and this really shows in the way that they act, react and speak to each other, making Dot and Harry instantly believable and you warm to them from the start.

This could have been a political story but it's not. There are enough films and plays that deal with the miner's strike but this deals with the aftermath of the strike, it's about how Dot and Harry coped with the cards they were left with. They were given lemons and they made the best lemonade they could. And when it's all stripped back, at it's base, this is a love story between two people who stuck together through thick and thin. That love and respect for each other shows through and I don't think these two could really do without the other, despite how they sometimes berate each other.

The language at times is coarse, again something that Godber isn't afraid to shy away from, injecting realism and creating totally believable roles and situations.

The play is created in separate scenes of action, each one split by a piece of music from the era. Act one from the mid 1980's with act two drawing on music from Ellie Goulding, back through the 1990's and again to the mid 80's.

This isn't a long play but it packs a lot in with some trademark one liners and regional sayings and accents. Directed by John Godber and Neil Sissons with the effective lighting and set designed by Graham Kirk. It's a play that will make you think how much something that happened over 30 years ago affects those still around who, like me, can remember the strikes and the hardship at that time. It'll also give you some chuckle muscle action.

"Shafted" is being performed at Lakeside, Djanogly Theatre until Saturday 19 March 2016.

"Look Back In Anger" by John Osborne

Derby Theatre

The original "angry young man" play which has come home to roost to Derby. I must admit that I've never seen the film and this, I think, was a bonus in seeing this play for the first time.

 It concerns a love triangle involving an intelligent and educated but disaffected, working class young man, Jimmy Porter (Patrick Knowles), his upper-middle-class, impassive wife Alison (Augustina Seymour), and her haughty best friend Helena Charles (Daisy Badger). Cliff, an amiable Welsh lodger, attempts to keep the peace is played by Jimmy Fairhurst and Ivan Stott plays Colonel Redfern.

Patrick keeps his character simmering like a pressure cooker, which you feel is just on the verge of boiling over, but just when you think it's all going to kick off, the lid is put back on. he keeps an air of tension and gives the impression that he could be a dangerous man if he did lose it.

Augustina, again simmers but delivers a really passionate and heartfelt breakdown at the end of the play.

Daisy, as Helena, manages to fall under the bad boy Jimmy's spell, proving that the more you appear to dislike a certain person, is more likely to be hiding a passionate longing for them. She becomes a carbon copy wife set by Alison, and the circle continues.

Jimmy, who I remember from "Brassed Off" a few months ago at the Derby Playhouse, appears laid back to start with but even a best friend can only take so much verbal and physical, albeit friendly, abuse.

Although the play was written in the 1950's many of the subjects brought up by Jimmy Porter are still rife today. the homophobic comments, the class system and the attitude towards women are still current topics.The play proves to be an influential and important piece of modern literature which is still on many a school's curriculum.

The set is split into quarters with sections of the period flat easily divided and was designed by Neil Irish. Simple and effective with loads of props to keep your eyes roaming about for various knick knacks of interest.

Director Sarah Brigham brings out an almost impossible tense atmosphere in act one which also spills over into the second part. there's also an air of walking on egg shells when around porter and this nervous anticipation creeps into the audience.

"Look Back In Anger" is on at The Derby Theatre until Saturday 26 March 2016.

"Copacabana" by Erewash Musical Society

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton

Now here's a musical that isn't performed frequently by either professionals or amateurs. It's a good musical, just not a great musical, and while I can see the attraction in choosing this one because of the glitter, glitz and glamour, you need a little more than this to pull it off. It's not a case that I didn't not enjoy "Copacabana", I just didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped I would. Maybe I set my own expectations too high.

"Copacabana" is all about Stephen who is a struggling songwriter, trying to write that one song that will make his name. He dreams about the song while he is getting ready to celebrate his wedding anniversary, and his thoughts run away with him. he is transported back to 1947 with all the glamour of the nightclubs of the period. He is Tony and Lola comes into his life as a struggling singer. he gets her a job at the club he works at, the Copacabana, but when Rico comes on the scene, she is kidnapped and whisked away to perform at Rico's club, the Tropicana, and she is set to replace Rico's latest starlet squeeze, Conchita.

Sam Griffiths is the musical director and under his guidance, the orchestra of eleven, plus Sam on keyboards, are their usual powerhouse of crispness. With such a big sound this meant that some of the vocals from the actors suffered slightly and in an attempt to sing over the orchestra there were some strained notes. I don't mind a loud orchestra because it gives impact to the show, no issues at all from me with the sound.

The choreography, by Laurie Trott, was brilliant and quite complex at times with loads of Hollywood style glamour, but I noticed that the dancers were not as tight as they maybe could have been. if you think of the Busby Berkeley films of the 1940s, everything and every dancer was synchronised and this was lacking in parts here. Some of the dancers even looked like they were just going through the motions. 

Some of the dancers were brilliant and embraced the magical choreography, and they outshone the others. For some there was a lack of passion and commitment, I felt. I did however love the Bolero section as well as the glamour girls, despite the fact that some forgot to smile, and there was the occasional looking at their feet when the heads should have been held up.  I can remember hearing the phrase "eyes and teeth" as these were what needed to be on show most; I saw plenty of eyes, and read what was behind them, but I didn't see an over abundance of teeth. if you're not enjoying being there on stage, at least mask it by smiling, that way the audience will feel comfortable in knowing that you're enjoying it as much as they are.

I loved the cinematic back drops which made for a simple and efficient scene change and brought the stage to life. I also loved the amazing costumes which gave the era its' glamour and decadent feel. I loved the lights and the lighting effects and I loved the musical arrangements of Manilow's music. Barry's music isn't the easiest of musical pieces to sing, a bit like Abba. There are complex key changes and with Manilow's  background in jazz and classical music, some of his pieces of work can be difficult to master, another reason why "Copa" isn't one of the most performed musicals.

Directed by Matt Powell, you can tell he has enjoyed this experience and he has been passionate about this show. 

Lewis Haycock played Tony/Stephen and while I've seen Lewis perform better than this, he did make a convincing leading man and managed to hit all the big notes, which I was really impressed with. There were a few odd notes though and I know that if he is honest with himself, would agree. Lewis is a really confident performer and that's why I couldn't work out when he sung the songs, he didn't, for me, perform them. There is a difference. I used to teach and do judo and you could tell by looking in your opponent's eyes and at their body language what his/her next move would be, and I could see that level of telegraphing with Lewis. Don't get me wrong, i look for these things and any one who wasn't looking out for it would not notice a thing, so I'm sorry if this seems over critical. He did a cracking job though on the whole and I finally got to see the full passion in his performance right at the end when he performed "Copacabana".

Stephanie Ure was lovely as Lola/Samantha (Stephen's wife) and she has a really easy on the ear voice. Her dance steps were well executed and graceful and she has some really nice comedy bits in the show.

I absolutely loved Gary Lever as Sam, the boss of the Copacabana. Here is someone who really performed his songs and created a totally believable character. He reminded me a great deal of Melvyn Hayes, especially in his Hawaiian outfit, and what about that wig? The comedy in Sam really lifted the show.

As did the gorgeous Clare Toska as Rico's "old" starlet Conchita. Clare was brilliant in this role and she lit the stage up with her smile. Her accent didn't stray and was believable. She  danced and sung brilliantly and she made me smile every time she appeared on stage.

Another wonderful character part was Gladys, the cigarette seller who travelled round the Copacabana selling tobacco, cigarettes etc. Fiona Wright I absolutely adored you and you really brought Gladys' character out, even down to that walk. I loved Gladys.

Steve Wood was the nasty Rico and another really well executed character part which i enjoyed.

Although I enjoyed the show, this wasn't the best I've seen the Erewash Musical Society perform and that's what irked me as I know what a talented group they are and how much hard work goes into every show they put on. I feel that maybe the choice of musical could have been wrong, but you have to take that chance. For me there was plenty of great music but, sadly in some performances, a little lacking in passion needed to pull off a convincing performance down at the Copa.

"Copacabana" is on at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 12 March 2016.

"Half A Sixpence" by LAOS

Loughborough Town Hall

This, sadly, little performed musical from the sixties is my first experience of Loughborough Amateur operatic Society, as I missed out on seeing "Sweet Charity" last year, and what an introduction to this very talented bunch of thespians. You'd have to be a penny short of a farthing not to enjoy this energetic show. My money's on it being a total success by the end of its' run, this coming Saturday.

"Sixpence" is all about Arthur Kipps,  an orphan who is a shop boy and lives below the shop, owned by Mr Shalford. Kipps unexpectedly inherits a fortune, and climbs the social ladder before losing everything and realizing that you just can't buy happiness until he goes back to what he had before and marries his original sweetheart, Ann,

The musical was originally used as a vehicle for Tommy Steele back in 1967 and features eleven of the fourteen songs sung by Kipps, so there's a lot of pressure on James Highton who plays Kipps in this musical. James rises to the occasion with a strong and distinctive voice. Vocally he blends well with the ensemble numbers as well as the songs with the shop boys, Chitterlow and Ann. He has a clear tone which is also powerful, making sure that you hear every word of the songs. A confident and instantly likeable leading man who creates a realistic chemistry with Ann. You can see the enthusiasm in numbers like "Flash, Bang, Wallop", "Money To Burn" and "The Party's On The House" as well as a lovely air of melancholy in "She's Too Far Above Me", To me James was like a cross between Melvyn Hayes and Anthony Newley, fun with a great singing voice.

Ably supported by his fellow shop boys Liam Patrick (Sid), Ian Dean (Buggins), who also did a brilliant job as choreographer, especially as this was his debut for LAOS in this field. Josh Hill as Pearce completes the trio of co-workers with Hipps. There are some lovely, almost barbershop harmonies when the four sing together. Again some very energetic dance routines for the quartet.

The shop girls, Flo (Rose Morris), Kate (Nicole Ray), Victoria (Gemma Hopwood) and Emma (Gemma Baxter) were a lovely compliment to the male contingent of the shop, both looks wise and vocally.

Mark Chinnery (Mr Shalford) put the boss into bossy, or should that be the other way round, as was Sue Reynolds as Mrs Walsingham, one of the upper class ladies of the family that Kipps very nearly married into. Along with Mrs Botting (Kate King), they would have made Arthur's life a living hell. Helen Walsingham completed the female Walsinghams and was played by Nikita Collington.

Ann was played by the lovely Becky Bakewell. To quote another musical, lovely to look at and lovely to listen to. her solo song, "I Know What I Am" was quite splendid and sent a shiver up the spine to make the hair on my neck rise. Some lovely light and shade in Becky's performances, from the angry "I Don't Believe A Word Of It" to the slightly sentimental "Long Ago" duet.

Chitterlow, the actor and playwright in the play, delivers the news of the inheritance to Arthur, was played by Richard York. A lovely over the top ham performance by Chitterlow ,not by Richard. It looked like Richard mastered the drunken stagger and slur part, and I imagine hours of research may have gone into mastering the character.

Young Walsingham, the abtholute cad of the pieth, wath camped up with an added lithp, which made the role even funnier and played for maximum laughs and comedic affect by Andy Marmoy.

It's a large cast with a combined ensemble of fourteen others aside from the main roles. All slotting in nicely and making the full ensemble choreographed scenes feel like a fun day on the set of "Eastenders" (if you can remember "fun" and "Eastenders" being used in the same sentence).

A wonderful orchestra created a lovely clear sound and was under the musical direction of Hazel Needham. Directed by Nicola Dexter,l who was in the last production of "Sixpence" by LAOS in 2004. she brought out the fun and the energy in the actors. There's only one thing I would have changed if I was director and that was at the close of Act One. The act ended on the brilliant "If The Rains Got To Fall" with the cast, part kneeling, to the lights being dimmed to close. they then made their way off of the stage after the applause. I would have had the curtain come down so the last we saw of the cast would be in the final positions, not getting to their feet and making their way into the wings. i suppose that's why I'm reviewing though and not directing the show!

Some simple but very effective and colourful scenes, which were changed with the absolute minimum of fuss, and some wonderful costumes made this an aural and visual delight.

A thoroughly enjoyable show which is great fun to watch. The story is not over complicated so is easy to follow, The songs are recognisable and had the practically full Town Hall audience clapping their hands, stamping their feet and if they had big bass drums, they would be banging them as well. A talented bunch of people who obviously love doing this show because it shows in their enthusiasm.

"Half A Sixpence" is being performed by Loughborough Amateur operatic Society at Loughborough Town Hall until Saturday 12 March 2016.

"The Dance Of Death" by August Strindberg

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre

This is a surprising play, as well as a new one to me, as is the writer, Strindberg. Surprising because from the brief description I had, it was to be a bit of a depressing affair. Well it's not because there's a lot of comedy here, in the most depressing of situations.

"Dance Of Death" can be translated in a couple of ways. Edgar is ill and is due to celebrate his and Alice's 25th wedding anniversary but we discover that he is ill, although he has tried to hide it from Alice. It could be the merry dance they lead each other towards his imminent death, or it could just be the death of their marriage.

They insult and pick away at each other verbally,and at times physically, insulting the staff and each other. Introduce into this volatile mix Alice's cousin, Kurt, who's support for the pair changes like the wind.

Purposely I read nothing about this play, or Strindberg, just so that i'd get the full un-cushioned or pre-warned affect of the play, and that's the way I like it. Strindberg seems to write in the same way as some of the great Northern writers, because he creates real characters who you can believe in, characters who have a certain freshness and truth to them, this automatically breaks down any barriers between the audience and the character in the quickest of time.

Fraser Wanless as the retired artillery captain and tyrant is wonderful, and possibly one of the best roles I've seen Fraser portray. He made me believe the character, his vitriol and nastiness towards his wife. He's a liar, the opposite of what you'd expect from a man of his calibre, as in the first half he comes across, or gives the image of having no money. In the second half, he's quite flush!

In the second half, Alice, who was a former actress, seems to be a stronger person and less caring and human, until the final twist when her would be future world seems to be crashing down around her, and Edgar gets his way again. Alice is played by Kareema Sims, and it's lovely to see both quality actors letting rip with some emotional scenes. At first it seemed like Alice may be a weak character but the slow burn soon dispelled that idea.

Kurt, played by Graeme Jennings, is also a slow burner. He looks decidedly embarrassed, like a naughty school boy, when Edgar is ripping into him at the start but it is in act two that the tiger in Kurt was released. Again some powerful words and scenes from Kurt, especially as his relationship with Alice evolved and exploded.

The fourth character is the maid, Jenny, also doubling as Maya, played by Danielle Wain.

Directed by Paul Johnson, he manages to bring the emotion out of the actors, and the subtle sideways glances from Edgar and Alice at the start and end of the play, just adds that little something which makes you believe that these two, even though they profess to want the other out of their lives, they do have feelings for each other.

A simple set, in the upper part of the theatre, it doesn't add anything to the play, but it's not supposed to enhance the play or the script. Oliver Lovely created the set to be unobtrusive and it did the job it was meant to, and let's face it, without the simple table, chairs, chaise longue and piano, the actors would be upstanding throughout.

The sound design of the effects were subtle but effective in setting the atmosphere and creating an external space away from the performing area. painting pictures in the viewer's imagination.Designed by Gareth Morris.

An interesting play, which is something that the Lace Market Theatre do so well. I know that I'm in for an education whenever I'm at the Lace Market Theatre and their choice of productions need applauding for being just a little different and brave in their choices.

"The Dance Of Death" is on at the Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 5 March 2016.