"American Idiot"

Nottingham Theatre Royal.

Having seen this rock opera using the music of Green Day once before, I knew what to expect, so I knew I was in for a great night, and I was not disappointed.

The story centres on three young men, Johnny, Will, and Tunny. Johnny and Tunny escape a boring suburban lifestyle and parental restrictions, while Will stays home to work out his relationship with his pregnant girlfriend, Heather. Johnny and Tunny look for meaning in life and try out the freedom and excitement of the city. Tunny quickly gives up on life in the city, joins the military, and is shipped off to war. Johnny turns to drugs and finds a part of himself that he grows to dislike, has a relationship and experiences lost love before turning his life around and returning back to suburbia.

It all starts with TV news coverage of the twin towers attack on a massive TV screen, setting the scenes for that period of explosiveness.

Newton Faulkner plays Johnny and with his musical experience through his songs and performing, he was a natural for a role like this, and I was impressed by his stage presence and charisma.

X Factor contestant, Amelia Lily as "Whatsername" was a big surprise as I couldn't picture her in a role like this, but she also really impressed me. She has a magnetic stage presence and a clear vocal style, providing passion to the show and the songs.

Tunny, played on Tuesday night by Cellen Chugg Jones and Will was played by ex Son Of Dork singer/bass player, Steve Rushton.

St Jimmy, Johnny's drug-dealing alter ego, was played by Lucas Rush. Playing him with a more comical, possibly evil clown like side and looking a bit like Keith from the Prodigy but with a big rock voice.

A brilliant live band provided a powerful backing to the singers, and while being able to feel that bass thumping at your chest, when they turned to the more orchestral works of Green Day, they also produced a lovely tender, almost classical side of the band's music.

As you'd expect, with two hit making singers to the fore, the vocals, not just from Newton and Amelia, were spot on, sometimes they were a little hard to hear over the powerhouse of the band, but you're not there to listen to the lyrics, Most people already knew the lyrics from the Green Day album anyway. Saying that, when the ballads were performed, you heard every word, and the odd pin dropping.

A multi levelled set made sure that you could see all three of the main characters situations all at the same time, in different settings. Many highlights for me including the hospital scene, "Extraordinary Girl", which was a master of a dream-like sequence.

Prior to this scene there is a scene where Will is on the couch with his pregnant girlfriend, Tunny has been shot and wounded in battle and Johnny is in bed with "Whatsername". The music which fits all three scenarios is "Give Me Novacaine". References to swellings also show the tongue in cheek lyrics for all three as being apt.

Other highlights were the songs "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams", "Wake Me up When September Ends", the mighty and anthemic "21 Guns", the opening "American idiot" and the closing "Time Of Your Life".

The language, as you may expect is a little fruity, but realistic for the post 9/11 bohemians and there's plenty of flesh on show with Newton and co often parading around laddishly in their pants and nothing else, but the girls also look rather tasty in their costumes.

Brilliant production team headed up by director and choreographer, Racky Plews, and the choreography was stunning.

This is a brilliant rock opera and you don't even need to be a fan of Green Day to enjoy this show. The music is amazing anyway, the story is good and the acting and singing is powerful and emotive, plus it has a message to give. One slightly flustered fan in the interval also excitedly remarked "Newton Faulkner in just his pants, what's not to like?"

"American Idiot" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 18 June 2016, and you'd be an idiot to miss it!

"And The There Were None" by Agatha Christie.

Nottingham New Theatre.

Christie's classic murder mystery thriller is performed extremely well by this group of actors, and I must admit, being a Christie fan, I was impressed to start with that director, James Fox is also a fan of the thriller writer and genre, and chose this particular play.

What is also impressive is that this is James's directorial debut.

A group of people are lured into coming to a deserted island under different pretexts. All have been accused of the deaths of other human beings, but either escaped justice or committed an act that was not subject to legal sanction.The guests and two servants who are present are "charged" with their respective "crimes" by a gramophone recording after dinner the first night, and informed that they have been brought to the island to pay for their actions.

All ten are killed in turn, each in a manner that seems to parallel the deaths in the nursery rhyme. But if there were ten guests and ten deaths, then who is the killer if there's no one on the island but them?

A very strong cast consisting of James Roscow (Tom Rogers), Izzy Miles (Ethel Rogers), NNT newcomer Roberto Loza (Narracott), Niamh Caines (Vera Claythorne), Harry Pavlou (Lombard), Jeremy Dunn (Marston), Omid Faramar (Blore), Max Miller (MacKenzie), Charlotte Sanders (Emily Brent) and Gary Berezin (Dr Armstrong) present a tension packed programme, greatly appreciated by the very busy audience on Thursday night.

A brilliant set design by Ollie Short and some excellent light and sound design. The lighting also designed by James Fox. The technical crew, including producer Joe Strickland, were as important in creating the atmosphere with a wonderful creeping sound scape and evocative lighting.

The attention to detail is also one to watch and it's the little things in this production that just added that little extra for me. When the doctor and Lombard came in from the rain, their clothes were wet and the time checks given were actually accurate. it was if the play was being carried out in real time, even though it spanned two days, well you know what I mean by that.

Great costumes, hair and make up by Laura Jayne Bateman and Lydia Smith respectively, and I don't know if the cast had a voice coach but the accents were very good indeed.

Another cracking presentation at the Nottingham New Theatre by yet another intelligent and articulate cast, and I for one can't wait for the next one.

"And Then There Were None" is being performed until Saturday 11 June in the evening. so still time to find out whodunnit!!

Oh and if you want to know who did do it, it was..........................

"Saucy Jack & The Space Vixens"

By Musicality

Staged in the Portland Building @Studio Live at the Nottingham University, this is the story of saucy Jack, a cabaret club owner who's artists seem to have the nasty habit of being bumped off with a sparkly red slingback. Strangely enough, moments after leaving the employment of..... Saucy Jack!

Jack (Thomas Outhwaite) has collected and saved several characters and gave them jobs at his cabaret spot. These include Mitch Maypole (Joe McGeehan), the barman who reveals a fetish for plastic. A fetish also shared by psychoanalyst Dr Willy Van Whackoff (Jake Gelernter) making the pair the perfect pairing. Booby Shevalle (Bobby Hughes) is the cocktail waitress and "female" vocalist at the nightspot, well after the last one was mysteriously murdered. Then there is the club saxophonist, Sammy Sax (Rhodri Denton) who has a fixation for Space Vixens.

The Space Vixens are the equivalent of the CSI and are dispatched to solve the murder mystery. Jubilee Climax (Gemma Burton), Bunny Lingus (Maria Bennett) and Anna Labia (Emily Dervey).

There's also nightspot visitor and intergalactic smuggler, Chesty Prospects/Shirley Tristar (Charlotte Howarth) and the compere/Vulva Savannah (Nikki Fish).

One of the Space Vixens though has a secret which is revealed in Act two and has a bearing on the revealing of who was the slingback murderer.

This was great fun to watch and on the lines of "The Rocky Horror Show" with the colourful, slightly over the top characters and audience participation. There are also nods to sci-fi favourites like Barbarella"" as well as the sauciness of the "Carry On" films with lashings of double entendres.

A catchy disco soundtrack which is as camp as a row of tents swathed in gallons of glitter and borrows lines from some fave camp classics like "I Will Survive" and "I Am What I Am" among others.Along the way it delivers heavy-hitting 80’s rock, good old vaudeville, a couple of power ballad show tunes and even a thumping reggae number to open the second act.

Directed by Jonathan Walker, assisted by Joe McGeehan and produced by Charlotte Mann and Katie Monk. musical direction by Rachel Loggenberg and Tom Williams.

Using the middle section of the performance area and seating the audience along the sides, Musicality made the most of the space, but it also meant that the actors could draw in the audience as dancers, especially in the song "Cheers Up Bunny".

Some brilliantly catchy songs like "All I Need Is Disco", the anthemic "Glitter Boots Saved My Life", "Park My Bike", "Let's Make Magic" and the line dancing inspired "Space Trucking".

Brilliant fun, made all the better by the cast mingling and chatting with the audience before the show started and in the interval, having selfies taken with the audience and ending in a mass dance with the audience to close the show.

Like panto, this talented bunch used their ad libbing skills to keep the show fresh, and not once did any one of them look tired of performing. They looked like they enjoyed performing as much as the audience loved seeing this show.

Once again though, a shame that this space age musical was only on for three days because i have a feeling that this could have gone on for a few days more than it did. well there is always that adage... "leave them wanting more"... and they did. What a party!

"Skool Daze"

Clarendon College HE Festival.

A short piece of work about the best days of your life, and director Luke Gascoigne, who also appears in the play.

All four actors play the parts of kids in the classroom and actually play the characters out really well as they seemed to get under the skin of the children's characters.

They highlight bullying of one character who just happened to speak differently and then, as kids so, changed it around again and became friends again. How fickle can kids be? They also read out a piece of what they did that weekend which was very typical of the way that kids speak and write, putting a smile on my face from the start.

The script was very well written and observed from the eyes of a school child and I also loved the section where the two girls were singing that rhyme, which takes me back to my childhood listening to my sister chanting "A sailor went to sea, sea, sea, to see what he could see. see,see". i also remember my sister and her friends singing it as fast as they could, just as they did in the play. Aaahh memories!

Really entertaining playlet which has the scope, I think, to be extended past the 20 minute piece. A nice touch as well at the end to close on Take That's "Never Forget", because we should not ever forget our childhood and our school days. i look forward to what Luke does next.

I would have name checked the other three actors but they weren't stated in the programme and unfortunately I didn't have time to get their names, but they all did a great job at regressing back to their childhood schooldays.

"It Means Nothing"
Clarendon Community Theatre.

It's quite rare that social commentary can actually be entertaining, and that's the secret in getting your message across to your target audience. This is where politicians fail miserably and while some speeches can sound exciting and interesting by the tone and enthusiasm, the content may be absolute rubbish. That's why Donald Trump has people listening but not hearing what he says.

Jake Brindley, Jess Hardy-Turner and Tyler-Jake Harrison have managed to combine social comment with theatre entertainment and executed it in such a way that got people listening to what they were saying. I think their words will stick with the people who saw the performance tonight for a while and take heed.

They have done their research with the facts and figures, also quoting from people who have first hand experience about homelessness in Nottingham, hitting hard but in a way that you're compelled to listen.

Parodying modern songs like Adele's "Hello" and combining music with satirical speeches and then switching to factual accounts of how homelessness came to the featured characters. This reminded me partly of the approach Eve Ensler had with "The Vagina Monologues"; presenting emotive subjects with a twist of humour, and look how successful that show has proven to be over the years.

There were screened segments too, lampooning the lampooners with a sketch from "Spitting Image" where the Royal Family were visited by the bailiffs for not paying Council tax and they ended up living in a block of flats. A perfect example of how many a true word said in jest can come true, and not just for a group of puppets.

Very entertaining 40 minutes that hit the spot just where it needed to hit, It should be seen by more than the few who came to see it at Clarendon college.

"The Skriker" by Caryl Churchill

Nottingham New Theatre.

Churchill's story of a shape shifting faerie who emerges from the underworld to wreak havoc and terror on the world. The play's most sympathetic characters are two young women, played by Boo Jackson and Emmy Latham. One has killed her baby; the other is pregnant. The Skriker haunts them, tormenting and enticing as well as taking over the bodies of anyone who takes their fancy to do their mischievous little jobs. In a away reminiscent of Puck in Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream"

The Skriker’s language waterfalls from sense to utter madness, as if trying to find the correct word or phrase.“Pin prick cockadoodle do you feel it?” The opening, delivered by three Skrikers (Emma White, Ronan Lee and Beth Summerfield) is like a dysfunctional nursery rhyme setting the pace for the disorderly and eerie mood to come.

The other cast members are Beth Angela, Arshia Jain, Josie Macgilchrist and Will Baglin, making the play predominantly female, focusing on the secondary subject of the play as the horrors and fears of bringing new life into the world. In a way parallel to the introduction of the shape-shifting Skriker from the Underworld into the human world. Or am I reading too deeply into this play?

Directed by Joe Strickland, assisted by Emma Summerton, this is an interesting play, and a fascinating choice for the New Theatre's first New Slot. I imagine this was an interesting project for the directors and producer James Collyer to work on.

The set design, also by Joe Strickland, was interesting. using a two tier format, it split the dark Underworld from the upper human world with a wonderful entrance from the Underworld by the first image of the Skriker, Ronan Lee, using quite balletic movements to move around the set giving a spooky stalking impression.

The lighting, by Joanne Blunt, also provided the stark change of scenes and added to the eeriness and air of tension that hung over the audience. Completing the production and technical crew was Sam Layton as the Tech director.

Again this play was only on for two days (should have been longer) and from the appreciative crowd it attracted on Thursday, it could go a few more days, maybe later in the year.

Another play that reinforces my love for University theatre productions as they do not shy away from lesser known plays and are not afraid at taking risks. Something that outstanding theatre is based on, and something that bigger theatre groups can't financially take the chance with. This often means that a lot of wonderful plays go unperformed to a wider audience.

Nottingham New Theatre, I salute you.

"Grease" by Carlton Operatic Society.
Nottingham Theatre Royal.

I could have written this review without seeing it because of the calibre of people involved and the history of the Carlton Operatic Society, but then I wouldn't have had the utter pleasure of the good gushing that is following.

Imagine a good basic burger that you've enjoyed for years and then add a slice of mature cheese, bacon, relish and side salad. How scrummy and enjoyable is that? Well that's the analogy for tonight's performance.

I love "Grease" because it's such a fun, fluffy musical that everyone knows; great songs and a happy ending with loads of great comedy lines. In the directorial hands of Amanda Hall and her incredibly talented cast and crew, this musical has been escalated to another level of fun and enjoyment.

I know not if I've missed some of the lines in other productions, maybe due to sound issues or whatever, but there seemed to be lines here that I hadn't noticed before. Comedy lines I couldn't remember which now brought a new sense of fun to the show. But then again this is the stage version and not solely based on the film version.

A massive cast with a mix of debut performances and established board-treaders who merged so well that you wouldn't be able to tell the newbies from the rest; so professionally good was this cast. This shows what a brilliant relationship this group have away from the stage for it to spill over into the on stage performance and inter character relationships, making the whole cast 100% believable.

There are so many people to mention who brought this show to fruition. Let's start with the amazing cast.

Mark C-Bainbridge as Danny Zuko, almost unrecognisable without his facial hair and with the "D.A." hair style. Another faultless performance for Mark and I was so happy that, in his solo numbers, he didn't go over the top, and his rendition, especially of "Sandy", was just like the soundtrack. Completely controlled, as was all of his vocals, and he played Zuko as a lovable college jock.

Catherine Cunningham (Sandy), again spot on with her version of the naive pussycat who was transformed into the sexy tiger. Catherine's "Hopelessly Devoted" was a full production with backing vocals and a much fuller orchestral sound, and the sound I'll get on to later. Another classy vocal performer.

The T Birds, Patrick McChrystal (Doody), Liam Hall (Roger),Sam Hutchinson (Kenicke) and Paice Lees (Sonny) formed a wonderful supporting cast and, as only to be expected, provided some great backing vocals, and nice to hear Liam with a solo singing part.

Loved the almost dreamlike sequence section with Doody singing "Those Magic Changes" with the backing singers and the glittery back drop and lighting plus the look on Sonny's face of disbelief at the glittery scene change is something to watch for.

Mirroring the T Birds are the equally good Pink Ladies, Judie Matthews (Rizzo), Sarah Millington (Frenchy), Aston Fisher (Jan) and Abby Wells (Marty). A brilliant support but I must mention Judie's "There Are Worse Things I Could Do". This is one of my favourite songs from the musical and the passion behind her voice just sent the shivers up my back and neck. Just gorgeous.

i always look forward to seeing "Teen Angel" and over the years this role has varied and has been changed somewhat vocally. Matt Wesson has now topped the previous roles I've seen, all of which I have enjoyed but Matt took this role through the roof. His voice is amazing; it's soulful, bluesy and ending up with a gospel feel with audience participation call and response, he just blew me away. I think his ambition to appear in the West End singing in "Les Miserables" is not an impossible one after this performance, hopefully though not before he has put in more performances in Nottingham.

Ross Lowe (Vince Fontaine) got this role just right as the egotistical local celebrity DJ (I've made notes for my own personal use, Ross).

Putting a smile on everyone's face was James Murray as Eugene, the wimpy kid. James has perfected this character type with previous roles as Evan in "13" and Seymour" in "Little Shop Of Horrors". A wonderful character role for a talented actor.

The other main cast members are Michelle Smith (Miss Lynch), Amy Rogers-Gee (Patty), Zoe Scott-Smith (Blanche),Helen Tunnicliff (Mrs Murdoch), Adam Collishaw (Coach Calhoun), Graham Ward (Johnny Casino) and Sophie Petruccio (Cha Cha DiGregorio), again a perfect supporting cast. A massive cast who created wonderful ensemble pieces, filling out the stage beautifully.

There are some lovely new arrangements of the classic "Grease" songs, under the musical direction of Christopher Rees and musical arranger Jon Orton. You will love the new rockier arrangement of "Greased Lightning" and the accapella start of the show, as well as some of the other songs from the soundtrack which have been given a fresh lease of life. Especially the live megamix at the end of the show.

Wonderful crisp sound by Rob Kettridge meant that every word was heard clearly.

Great choreography from Rachael Rees and Jessica Royce, which every member on stage made look as if you could do at home, but I know isn't as easy as it looks and a lot of blood, sweat and maybe tears have gone into this area of the show,

A multi-tiered set, designed by Amanda Hall and Tom Mowat allowed the show to spread out naturally, making the large cast not look cramped or crowded. Tom was also responsible for the brilliant lighting design, adding another level of professionalism to the performance. Although the audience may not appreciate the work that goes in to the lighting, I must mentionSimon Carter and Peter Hodgkinson for their "spot on" work with the follow spots. It's only noticed when the spots aren't as sharp as they should be, and the spot follows behind the actor instead of on the actor.

These little things all go to enhance the performance for the audience member. Things like the continuity of music while the scenes are changed on stage, distracting the audience from what is happening between the main scenes.

You know I could could go on and on just telling you how much I loved this performance but the best thing to do is go and see this show yourself. Even if you've seen it a hundred times before, go and see this performance because I guarantee that you'll see it with new eyes and ears.

"Grease" is on at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Sunday 5 June 2016.