“Otherwise Engaged” by Simon Gray
Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

With his wife away, Simon Hench, a successful publisher and avid fan of Wagner, is looking forward to a long, luxurious listen to his brand new record of "Parsifal". But the love life of his lodger, Dave, and his brother’s desire to share his anxiety over his prospects for an Assistant Headmastership turn out to be just the beginning of a string of interruptions which increasingly draw Simon himself into a whirlpool of accusations and recriminations.

I'll admit that i knew nothing of this play and its' author, but Simon Gray writes a humorous tale with some very colourful characters which would not be out of place in an after the watershed soap opera.

Ian Currie (Simon Hench) plays the character practically comatose, he is so laid back. With all the things that disrupt his afternoon, as well as the revelations that become revealed, he is remarkably cool about it all.

Richard Young (Stephen Hench). This character doesn't have his brother's placidity and Richard's almost neurotic performance is a lovely opposite.

Beth played by Dawn Price, makes an entrance towards the back end of the play but provides the spark in the tinderbox of Simon's existence. Her secret has been revealed but what has she been hiding for the last 10 months?

Jeff played by Malcolm Todd is one of my favourite characters in this play - don't get me wrong, all of the characters come with a back story that is of interest. Jeff likes a drink or twenty and his gradual decline after his love life becomes even more complicated than it was is a piece of comedy gold. Let's face it, we all love to laugh, maybe snigger, at a drunk and Malcolm plays an entertaining drunk.

Davina is Malcolm's other bit on the side and played by Danielle Hall. Davinia is a tease where the men in the play are concerned, and doesn't take her long to latch on to Simon.Danielle looked as if she was enjoying every second of this fun and flirty character, and it was fun watching Davinia.

Dave is played by James Whitby. Quite the typical 70's student, I imagine, but in line with what I can remember from those 70's sit-coms where there is a student featured. Either stoned or drunk or both, again it's great fun watching someone on the verge of tipping over. With a back story of an unlucky love life, Dave gets quite a bit of a sympathy vote, especially neat the start.

Wood, played by Richard Fife, has an interesting past, as well as an interesting present. To the onlooker, Wood has had a pretty varied life which we find out is still far from boring!

Directed by Christopher Collins, this is his debut as a Director but he seems to have chosen not the easiest of plays to direct, but he has turned out a very impressive debut. Chris has a brilliant cast and tech team and any nerves that he may have had before the play started were rapidly hidden. Running for the full 90 minutes straight through, he made the right choice to do it in one act because of the smooth flow of the script and action. I look forward to seeing more directing from one of local theatre's Mr Nice guys.

Sound Design by Gareth Morris and Lighting Design by Rose Dudley. As far as i could tell all of the sound cues were spot on and everything ran very smoothly for both Gareth and Rose.

The wardrobe department sourced some wonderful typical 70's garb, especially for Dave and I also loved the props which straight away set the feel of the era up for the audience.

To summarise, even though this may not be one of the most well known plays by a well known writer, it's sometimes an education to see something slightly off of the beaten track such as this. It's remarkably well written with some brilliantly observed comedy lines. The cast deliver their roles brilliantly and with the sprightly pace of a good farce, for me it all came to a close sooner than the elapsed 90 minutes. Always a good sign for any piece of theatre when you don't notice the time!

I have it on very good authority that it's practically sold out all week but don't let that stop you checking for ticket availability because I think anyone who likes a good pacy comedy will love this one.

“Otherwise Engaged” is at the Nottingham Lace Market Theatre until Saturday 14 April 2018.

“Blackadder Goes Forth” by Encore Performing Arts
The Space, Arboretum Street, Nottingham.

Taking four of the six episodes of “Blackadder Goes Forth” BBCTV series, Encore add another success to their roster of theatrical smashes.

“Captain Cook”, “Corporal Punishment”, “Major Star” and “Goodbyeee” make up the programme.

It's 1917, inside the Allied trenches, Captain Edmund Blackadder is an intelligent, self-centered officer whose aim is to survive until the war is over. He is assisted by the eager but stupid Lt. George Colthurst and the moronic, grungy Private Baldrick. Blackadder's commander is the insane General Melchett, who is assisted by Blackadder's rival Captain Darling...and Edmund will stop at nothing to avoid going 'over the top'.

For anyone who remembers the comedy of Ben Elton, they will remember that his comedy style is very quick, satirical and very witty. His teaming with Richard Curtis makes this script one that you really need to listen to in order to get the maximum comedy effect, and I don't think the audience's ears were tuned in to this comedy part of the time as there were giggles sporadically spread over the theatre.

If I may make a comparison here. The comedy and the ability to listen and hear the comedy is almost like Shakespeare's words. You need to tune your ears in to the script and style of the bard to get the jokes, and I think this is the same with this style of comedy. This could be why some people got the wit and some didn't.

Anyway, this is not a reflection on the production, more of an observation of the audience.

I'm a fan of the "Blackadder" series, so i knew where the comedy was and even chuckled in advance of the funny lines to be delivered.

Blackadder is played by John Lowe, and John possibly had the hardest job because of the iconic character played in the series by Rowan Atkinson.From the first glance, John actually look like the character. It's going to be hard to inject the sarcasm and distinct pronunciation of particular words and

phrases into the script written for Atkinson, but John got very close to replicating this. After about five minutes you forget the actor and see the character, and that makes the enjoyment of John's acting skills more prominent.

The Honourable George Colthurst St Barleigh is played by Christopher Mundy, and playing the upper class, slightly naive character, really seemed natural to Chris.The character is also possibly the most emotionally layered character showing affection, loyalty and, possessed of a warm, gentle, cheerful, selflessly compassionate nature, which, in combination with his almost fearless stupidity, adds up to a truly tragic heroism with the coming of the final push at the end of the final piece. Chris really seemed to envelop himself in this character.

David Hurt plays Baldrick, and again, this iconic comedy character is one that any viewer will, like Blackadder himself, refer back to Tony Robinson and expect a Tony Robinson performance. David didn't do a Tony Robinson performance and I think that he would have been foolhardy to even try. What we had was David playing the character in the way that the script was written for the character and not for Robinson. Like John, after a few minutes you saw past the expectations of seeing Tony Robinson - or Rowan Atkinson in John's case - and we saw a lovely gentle comic role. David does comedy so well and this role was right up his alley.

General Melchett is played by Graham Buchanan. Graham just seems to morph into any role and character he is given to play. You soon forget Stephen Fry and Graham Buchanan becomes Melchett with all of the vocal and physical mannerisms.

Captain Kevin Darling is played by Chris Reed. I loved the utter embarrassment of the Captain's surname being used in the script, and the disgruntled reaction from the character. Chris has been away from the stage for a while but this is a welcome return in this role.

Private Bob is played by Emily Fox, and a nice little cameo role for Emily in the "Major Star" section of the production.

Other cameo roles for George Johnson, Bertie Black, Jack Readyhoof as Privates and Adam Guest in a double cameo.

Produced by Adam Guest and Sam Griffiths and Directed by Emily Cook, this is another classy production. i won't say it's a brave choice of play because there is nothing wrong with going out on a bit of a limb, especially when you have already built up a solid back catalogue of theatre productions as Encore. After all if you don't push yourself and your team and take a bit of a risk, what's the point? No resting on laurels for this team.

Loved the scenery (Terry Stevenson) and costumes (Nottingham Community Wardrobe/ Sherwood Rangers). The props were well researched and appropriate ( Katie Bird / Milly Shawcross), as was the sound design and effects.

The lighting and sound (Richard Heappey) were well utilised,

The audience reaction in Act One was slower than I would have expected but they - the audience - seemed to start listening and reacting to the script more in Act Two, which i am sure was felt by the cast because it seemed like the appreciation of the cast and the play were ramped up.

A clever comic piece of theatre with an emotive ending. Adam and Sam use the best local actors in all of their productions and this one is no exception.

As with all of the productions that Encore undertake, they choose an appropriate charity to collect for at every performance. This time around Encore are collecting for the Royal British Legion.

“Blackadder Goes Forth” is at The Space at The Nottingham Girl’s High School on Arboretum Street until Saturday 14 April 2018.

"Now That's What I Call Variety"
Burton Joyce Village Hall.

There's just not enough variety shows around in my opinion, so this show, which raised money for Rainbows Hospice, was a very welcome production.

Produced by Adam Miller and Tom Shepherd, they compiled a lovely mix of entertainment which was greatly appreciated by the small but enthusiastic audience at the Burton Village Hall.

Starting the show was Zoe Samson and her dad with a couple of crowd pleasers in Charlie Puth's "Attention and Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know". Zoe returned later in the proceedings to sing "A Million Dreams" from "The Greatest Showman"

Magic played a big part in the variety line up and Doug Gregg was up first with a very entertaining set, part of which paid tribute to the late great Tommy Cooper.

Adam and Tom recreated a piece called "Poppadum", which I've seen them do before but still made me smile. They teamed up in Act Two with Zoe to perform another old but funny sketch called "Crossword". You can't beat a good comedy sketch and these two sketches are well written so the comedy is still funny and lives on. Well chosen and well performed.

The lovely thing about variety is there should be something for everyone and the silent cabaret was performed by a lovely lady magician called Jean Moore. Very gentle entertainment which was well received. Jean also showed us that age is no barrier for variety.

Closing Act One were Scarlet Choir; a group of accapella singers in the style of Swingle Singers covering a variety of musical styles from Sondheim to the Beatles to The Spaniels doo wop. A great way to close the first half.

Act Two opened with Claudia Hughes who really made the audience's eyes water. Claudia is the bendiest most flexible woman I've seen. Contorting herself into some wince-inducing positions she knows how to make a person's eyes water.

Clive Moore, who did a fantastic job of MC tonight with some classic comedy, some I'd heard but a lot I hadn't, but every gag being funny. Clive performed some magic and his routine with a lady's ring was very clever, as was the humorous patter that went along with it.

Dan Miller was up next with an adult orientated comedy sketch, first performed I believe for "The Secret Policeman's Ball" many years ago.

Tom then returned on his own to perform a magic trick with the "mystery box" which had been suspended above the audience's heads the whole night. Fortunately everything went perfectly to plan and he received a big round of applause for a very clever piece of magic.

Closing the night was a very lively instrumental from the Nottingham School of Samba. the evening air may have been cool but inside the atmosphere was hot hot hot from this group of energetic percussionists, bringing the audience to their feet. An explosive end to a brilliant night of entertainment which truly deserved the tag of variety.

It was a shame that more of the Burton Joyce residents weren't there to enjoy this show and supporting Adam and Tom's hard work, but it's the residents who missed out on a fabulous evening of live entertainment.

And that is what I call variety! Can't wait for the next one .....2020?

“Footloose” by Kristian Thomas Company
Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

Ren McCormack arrives in town with his mother and is in shock when he discovers the small Midwestern town of Bomont he now calls home, has made dancing and rock music illegal. As he struggles to fit in, Ren faces an uphill battle to change things.

With the help of his new friend, Willard Hewitt, and defiant teen Ariel Moore, he might loosen up this conservative town. But Ariel’s influential father, Reverend Shaw Moore, stands in the way. How can he change the mindset of the Reverend and the townsfolk?

"Footloose" has always been a bit of a favourite of mine, and I've seen a few productions, both local theatre and professional, but this productions tops the lot.

The pure energy explodes from the stage and there are three things that make this production for me perfect.

The acting by the whole cast just blew me away. It was like I'd never seen the play before and I sat there agape at the incredibly professional performances presented by every single person on stage.

The singing was amazing (sorry i used that word again). the ensemble/group vocals were like a tidal wave that hit you in the face. You could feel the force of their voices hit you in the chest and go through you.

The soundtrack has always been a bit of a guilty pleasure for me and had my toes tapping all night long

If you’ve seen the stage version of this musical, you’ll already know that the songs are as catchy as measles, “Let’s Hear It For The Boy”, “Footloose”, the gorgeous “Almost Paradise”, “Holding Out For A Hero”, “Somebody’s Eyes”, “Heaven Help Me” and the lyrically comic “Mama Says”. This song in particular extracted such a massive response from the audience and the choral harmonies at the end of the song were heavenly.

The third part being the incredible choreography. I have but one word "WOW!" The energy and sharpness of the moves made this one of the best choreographed pieces of theatre I've seen lately. the hoe down section was a visual dream. It also helps when the cast has an abundance of brilliant dancers. Once again I was left open-mouthed at the dancing from start to end.

Alysha Gomes directed this wonderful show. It was so tight, even changing scenes while the back end of the previous scene was being played out, making a smooth move from one to the next.

Produced and choreographed by Kristian Cunningham. What can I say? One of the best choreographers in the area. i knew that i was in for a cracking good dance show, but Kristian has elevated that bar with his professional knowledge.

The music was loud, just the way i like it, and it didn't drown anyone out. The Duchess Theatre has recently had a new sound mixing system installed and the sound has never been better or clearer. Tom Bond is the Musical Director and I was amazed to find out that all of that sound was the result of just three people, Matt Henderson (keyboards), Jeff Widdowson (Bass) and Tom on drums.

Making sure that the sound was perfect was sound designer Harry Greatorex with Stephen Greatorex providing another wonderful lighting design.

Tom Simpson (Ren) showed what an incredible dancer he was incorporating many dance styles from line dancing to moonwalking. How this man has the energy to do what he did, sing and act without showing any signs of being out of breath I don't know. i do not normally stop behind after performances but I had to stay to let Tom knew what an amazing job he did - that and to make sure that he was really human and not some kind of singing/dancing machine. His comedy and his chemistry with the other roles in this musical is very natural and a joy to watch.

Shannon O'Donnell (Ariel) shows the two sides of her character, Ariel. She's ballsy but on the flip of a coin she shows that softer romantic side, beautifully proven with her duet with Ren in "Almost Paradise". A wonderful casting for Shannon as it also gets to show off her gorgeous voice.

Phil Stanley plays Reverand Shaw Moore. I have been a fan of Phil's for a while now, mainly to do with his silky soulful voice, which is dripping with emotion in "Heaven Help Me". But it was one of his speeches at the end which for me hit home, and i found myself welling up.

Deborah McPherson played Vi Moore, wife to the Reverand and mother of Ariel. Torn between being the loyal wife and her daughter, recalling what she was like as a teenager where boys were concerned. I loved the duet she performed with Ethel Mccormack, one of my favourite female duet pieces in musical theatre. Great emotion.

Carrie-Anne Corner plays Ethel, Ren's mum. This may not be the biggest role in the play but I love the way that this character sticks up for her son while trying to keep the peace with the family. Not the biggest part but we do get to hear Carrie-Anne's lovely singing voice.

Beth Denham plays Rusty. Wonderfully spirited and what a wonderful voice. Her rendition of "Let's Hear It For The Boy" was out of this world, again my gob had never been so smacked hearing some of those notes she hit and the length of some of those notes.

Willard was played by Joe Millward. This character has always been one of my favourites in this show and his performance of this character is even better than the professional productions I've seen. He won the audience over 100% with his dancing and his comic skills, not to mention that brilliant version of "Mama Says". Another young actor that I had to say hello to after the show and to show my appreciation of his talents.

Jack Draper played the bullying boyfriend of Ariel, and I was quite surprised, but pleased that he evoked a reaction from some of the audience near me when he insulted the girls in the show and showed his bullying and controlling side. Surprised because audiences don't normally react like that but pleased because it showed that they were totally believing in his character, which showed what a talented actor Jack is, and the character of Chuck Cranston is as far away as Jack's own character as you can get.

Lots of comedy provided by Ariel's friends Urleen (Anna Cousins) and Wendy Jo (Shona Manderson), who also add more glamour to the production.

On the male side you have Lyle (Benito Preite) and Travis (Lucas Young). Both of these actors are also excellent dancers and they get to show off some incredibly energetic moves throughout.

I've seen, and heard many comments about KTC's production of "Footloose" all saying that it is as good as any professional show and I will certainly back that 100%. When you have the quality of cast, production team and technical team as this group have, it's hardly surprising that the quality is of a high professional standard.

I would gladly have sat through this show every night and not found one negative comment. I know, because I get to see so many pieces of local theatre, that local stages and production companies have an immense amount of talent, and at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton, it's a hot bed of amazing people.

I can't find enough superlatives to compliment this company, cast and production, so I'll let you, the theatre lover discover for yourself. I for one left the theatre exhausted but incredibly happy.

“Footloose is at the Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 7 April 2018.

“Holes” by Louis Sachar
Nottingham Playhouse

Stanley Yeinats is apparently born into a family that has been cursed with bad luck by a gipsy and now he has been accused of a crime that he didn’t commit. Stanley is sent to a labour camp as punishment for the alleged crime and his punishment is to dig a hole a day. The hole has specifics of five foot wide and five foot deep and is designed to “build character”.

Not only do they have to deal with this mind numbing task, they deal with rattlesnakes, lizards and their warden and her cronies. But there’s something that the warden is hiding…….

Having not seen the film, read the book or even seen another version of this play, I went in with a blank canvas waiting for the cast to paint, and a lovely masterpiece took shape before my very eyes.

The play is a wonderful family friendly piece, which unless you're taking your child to panto or a David Walliams play for kids, or a Horrible History show, there's not that much that a family can see together and enjoy on the same comic level.

The comedy in "Holes" is simple and I do not mean that in a derogatory style, because it covers all ages with a nice mix of physical and verbal comedy.

The puppetry - directed and co designed by Matthew Forbes - is quite magical, again, not trying to be too clever.

Kacey Ainsworth – who we remember as Little Mo from Eastenders – plays the Warden, as well as several other roles. I've seen Kacey on stage before but this is a completely different role to anything I've seen her play previously but I loved the variety of the roles and the comedy. It is not until near the end that we also find out the secret the warden is keeping, and then it all falls into place, along with the connection to some of the other characters.

Playing Stanley is Chris Ashby, who we last saw at the Playhouse not that long ago in "Wonderland". There's a lot of energy in this role and, as with the rest of the cast, a lot of physicality, which makes his character and the play exciting to watch.

Playhouse favourite John Elkington plays Mr Sir, as well as several other characters. It's a tribute to John, and Kacey that they can change an item of clothing and make us believe in a completely different character.

The rest of the cast consist of Anmar Duffus (X – Ray), Edward Harrison (Stanley’s Dad), Safiyya Ingar (Magnet), Greg Lockett (Sam), Pepter Lunkuse (Zero), Henry Mettle (Armpit) and Elizabeth Twells (“Kissing” Kate Hardwick).

All of these play very different and rather wonderful characters. Their back stories and how they got their nicknames will delight the audience member, whatever the age.

Henry Mettle makes his professional stage debut in this play.

Loved the back story with Zero, and it's his real name that starts to reveal connections within the play.

There's an equal measure of good guys and baddies, and some that occasionally cross, pleasing even the toughest and youngest critic.

Directed by Adam Penford, he has succeeded in putting on an intelligent family focused piece of theatre, which I feel will hold the attention of even the youngest of audiences. This production would be a real treat for school theatre visits, or just a treat for the kids - and big kids!

Designed by Simon Kenny, the set is magical and with your own imagination, you can visualise the holes that are being dug. The props, video effects and stage dugout easily take us through several settings.

Great lighting and effects (Prema Mehta), a wonderfully fun hoe down - choreography by Emma Annetts - and a fresh music soundtrack from the likes of Rockwell (Somebody's Watching Me) and Cardi B (Finesse) among them.

“Holes” is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Sunday 22 April 2018, so plenty of time to look into seeing this beautifully crafted piece of theatre.

“At Journey’s End” by 3 Legged Dog Theatre
Guildhall Theatre, Derby.

Eddie Lawrence is waiting on an abandoned railway station on the Yorkshire moors. But he is not alone.

Hoping to communicate with the spirit of his girlfriend who died at the station fifteen years ago, he finds himself unwittingly entangled with a group of Victorian ghosts. They believe that they are waiting for the line to be repaired in order that they can continue their journey to America and a new life.

This is a very clever piece of theatre and it's the writing and directing that credits the audience with intelligence and gets them, like me, to ask themselves questions, all of which I must say are answered in the second act.

Mark Jennison-boyle and his dad, Terry took 25 years to bring this story to fruition and to the stage, but it's a wonderful story that is not just about a haunted railway station in Prospect Valley in Yorkshire, it's also a love story with a wonderful twist at the end.

It's also a musical with all of the music written by Mark. The music is haunting with hints of Irish folk, which compliments the fact that one of the characters, Brodie, is Irish. There is a CD of some of the music featured in the musical on sale as well, which I would recommend getting a copy.

Directed by Damon Hatton, which I know is immensely proud of this work, and so he should be. I sat next to Damon last night and his love of this piece was evident.A real labour of love which shone through the tight direction, and even though the musical is two and three quarters of an hour - with interval - it didn't seem to last that long. A real reflection of a piece of theatre that really captures and envelops an audience member. Damon also in charge of the sound and the wind and the rain sound effects gives an extra sensory dimension to the feel of the musical.

I've mentioned the wonderful music and this was all created live by a talented group of musicians under the Musical Direction of Charlotte Danieland arranged and orchestrated by Rob Upton. A beautiful compliment to some wonderful on stage vocals.

The set is evocative and designer, Richard Heappey gives us a rural railway platform for the action to be staged on with the out to the wings extension which he leaves to your imagination. Richard also has designed the lighting which also adds that extra sheen to the show.

Craig Gallimore plays Eddie who is looking for his late love and keeps returning to the platform. I have not seen Craig before and \i don't know if his accent is the one that is used in this production but I love the fact that there are so many accents used in this play. His acting is natural, which could be the result of him not having any professional training, but that makes him a comfortable watch. he also has a very easy on the ear voice which he uses with real emotion.

The Stationmaster Sam Henderson, is played by Kim Harris. Again a new name to me but has a wealth of experience in theatre. This shows as he also has a good singing voice. the Stationmaster though is one character that is keeping secrets, which are not revealed until near the end.

There's a Russian family, the Kaplans, played by Adam Guest (Professor Josef Kaplan), Sandy C Lane (Rosa Kaplan) and Mia Mitchell as the young daughter (Katryn Kaplan). The accents with this trio are really good and again there's a back story, once more with secrets. One of the strengths with this cast is the singing quality and this trio, together and solo are hypnotic. Mia, who I first saw in "West Side Story" has a voice that will have you falling in love with her, once you get past her gorgeous face.

Sandy, you will fall in love with her character, and her secret will come as a bit of a surprise, and again, what a voice!

Adam, may not be quite as good looking as Sandy and Mia, but boy can he sell a character. I've known Adam for a good few years now and have never seen him do a bad performance in anything. A very talented actor and singer and a boon to any production with his wealth of experience.

Yvonne Taylor, is again another actor I've not seen before, as far as I can remember, but as Ms Smith, the upper class lady, again laden with secrets which are only touched on in this production. Yvonne has a wealth of theatrical experience to fall back on and her ability to make me chuckle at some of the character's lines showed that she was able to show the comedy in Ms Smith's class and persona. You can deliver lines but to understand the comic element in what the character says, albeit being quite a serious statement, and deliver it in the way that Yvonne does can only really be acquired with experience. A lovely understanding of the character which bridged the gap between the serious Professor and some of the "lighter" characters.

Tom Stanley plays the Irishman, Brodie, and I don't know if Tom is Irish but his accent is consistent and has that lovely soft Irish brogue. if he isn't Irish, he made me believe that he was. A haunted character is Brodie who wants to travel to America for work. Brodie is a family man who has children back at home, and you will discover that his character has a lot of sadness attached, but I won't give away why. A fine voice and easy acting style.

Jeannie is the character who Eddie keeps coming back to the station to find. Played by Kat Adey, her voice is haunting, just like the character she is playing and her opening and ending song "Catch Me If You Can" will send shivers up your back.

Any new production excites me as you have nothing to compare it to. I was talking to Mark Jennison-boyle a few weeks ago about this musical, and he really fired my imagination up for this show, without giving anything away. Now that I have seen this production, I can't imagine anyone else playing these parts because the acting is of the highest quality throughout, as is the singing. Combine that with a wonderful eerie love story and you have a very classy production.

“At Journey’s End” is steaming through The Guildhall Theatre in Derby until Friday 6 April 2018 and I urge you to make sure that you have a ticket for this one.

“Cilla The Musical”
Nottingham Theatre Royal

It’s the clichéd rags to riches story of an office girl who has big dreams about making it big and then makes it massive. It covers the disapproval of her parents, how she met and married Bobby, who then became her manager, her “discovery” by Brian Epstein and her friendship with The Beatles.It also takes us through the TV years and her final original album she recorded called "Through the Years"

What makes some jukebox musicals fall by the wayside, where this one doesn’t, is the loose story interwoven by some great songs. This story is true and accurate; it has to be as Executive Producer is Cilla’s son Bobby. The soundtrack is not just Cilla’s hits but of The Beatles, The Mamas and The Papas, Gerry and the Pacemakers etc.

Cilla had one of the most recognised voices in the music business so you need someone who

compliments Cilla’s memory and not an impressionist and in Kara Lily Hayworth, you can feel the love for the role and the memory. You just need to hear her sing “Anyone Who Had A Heart” to realise this.

Kara doesn't look like Cilla and she doesn't sound that much like Cilla, but I didn't want a tribute act, and I certainly didn't get one. The mannerisms are there and the accent is as close as you're going to get. In short Kara did a fantastic job and also proves what a wonderful singer she is.

Andrew Lancel, who seems to be no stranger to local Nottingham and Derby stages plays the troubled Brian Epstein. It's quite frightening just how close in looks Andrew is to Brian Epstein.

There's a part in this play where John Lennon plays a new song to Brian at a party which, although at first thought is about his artists, and Cilla in particular, not advertising the the public that she has Bobby as a partner, to keep the public's interest in the artist. The song is "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away". This takes a second possible meaning when you think back to the rumours of John and Brian's friendship.

Carl Au plays Bobby Willis, and what a cracking job he does. he looks like the young Bobby Willis,and is a great choice as Carl is from Kirby in Merseyside, so the accent is authentic. Carl also has a great voice and gets to show this off twice in this show.One thing that I did notice as well was Carl's diction in his singing. He has perfect diction and I heard every single word of his singing.

Big Cilla was played by Pauline Fleming, and shows where Cilla inherited her voice from. Cilla's dad, John, is played by Neil MacDonald. Both wonderful characters in their own right, showing where Cilla got her sense of humour from.

A wonderful ensemble and supporting characters in Bobby's brother and sister-in-law, played by Tom Christian and Amy Bridges.

There's a lot of passion in this musical, a lot of comedy and some sadness. It doesn't shy away from Cilla's diva strops either, but also shows the side of Cilla we all got to know and love through the media. This show has a lot of love behind it and I for one would feel that Cilla herself would have loved every second.

When the bands played live, it was like being at a gig, although the Cavern sequences fortunately didn't smell of disinfectant and urine, as it did in the 60's, where it rained down on the crowd as well as the band's amplifiers.

Loved the costumes, wigs and the choreography and the ease that the sets where moved.The sets are wonderful, taking us from The Cavern Club to Abbey Road recording studios to the London Palladium to an American TV studio and the living rooms of Merseyside.

Musical Director Scott Alder recreated the perfect sound of the period with the rawness of the Cavern bands as well as the lush arrangements of George Martin and Burt Bacharach. The whole production was visually and aurally mesmerising.

You know that any piece of theatre that has Bill Kenwright's name to it just has to be good, and as Director of this gem, there's no way that this is going to be anything but first class.

I was a fan of Cilla's music and TV persona and while I never managed to see Cilla live. This is the closest I'll now get.

If you're a Cilla fan or just a fan of great music performed live, then this is right up your alley, and you'll get a lorra lorra enjoyment out of this jukebox musical.

“Cilla The Musical” is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 7 April 2018.