"West Side Story"

Nottingham Arts Theatre.

Who has not seen the film, either the original or the more recent remake, or seen this iconic musical on stage? Well for those who have not, and are unaware of the story, here's a quick resume of what "West Side Story" is all about.....

Inspired by William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet", the story is set in the mid-1950s in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. It explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. The members of the Sharks, from Puerto Rico, are taunted by the Jets, a white American gang. The young protagonist, Tony, a former member of the Jets and best friend of the gang's leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks.

Obviously, neither gang are happy about this but what can you do when you fall in love? Try to drive a wedge in between the two lovers; but when that wedge has a sharpened edge, where will it all end?

Playing the lovestruck Romeo, Tony, is the Eagle award-winning Harrison Ince. What you notice about Harrison's performance is the chemistry he has with his Maria. When he sang about the joy of that first meeting with Maria, you could see that he felt every word that he was singing and there was a look of youthful joy on his face. Harrison believed in the character and the words he sung, and that made me believe the emotions of his character. I've actually seen Harrison before in a couple of other productions but he was always in the background. He has the ability for leading man material, as he has proven here.

Maria, our Juliet in the tale, is played by Jamillah Wells. "West Side Story" is heavily jazz and ballet orientated where the choreography is concerned and this is right up Jamillah's street, and you can see her come alive when dancing. This came as no surprise to me as I know that Jamillah comes from a dance school background and it shows, not only in her dance but the way that she holds herself. Jamillah reflects the chemistry that Harrison shows and between the pair they make a very believable couple.

Anita is played by Yara Johns-Ramos, and boy is Yara fiesty! When she is singing to Maria "A Boy Like That", you get the feeling that she means every word, as she spits out the hatred she feels for Tony, and the hurt shows in her face at having lost Bernardo. Likewise in the song "America", she delivers the put downs perfectly. And boy can she dance as well.

Bernardo, leader of The Sharks, is played by Brogan Haynes, and another young man that I have seen in various productions in other venues. Brogan has stage presence, which is what is needed by the hot-headed Bernardo. And he looks Peurto Rican as well, that could of course be down to great make up, but he looks, and sounds, and acts the fiery part that he is playing.

Riff is played by a young actor that I have had the pleasure of seeing on several occasions. It is a joy to follow someone's growth from the first view to date and I have seen George Young really grow into a very competent and natural young actor (and I am not just saying that because I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking to his Mum outside, before the show). George came on stage and set the rules out as the leader of The Jets. His acting is forceful and he has drive in this role and his singing gets stronger every time I see him on stage. You can tell that he loves being on stage and that love for acting can be seen very clearly. He also shows great ability and conviction with his stage combat skills. Good luck with the Grade 6 Singing Exams, George.

Another young actor who I have had the pleasure of seeing several times now on stage is Louis Barnes-cupit who plays Action with great passion, and like George, he puts everything into his performance. The highlight in Louis' performance tonight though just has to be during the song "Gee Officer Krupke" because we get to see a more comic side of Action.

Jamie Adlams plays A-Rab, and I was talking about Jamie in the interval, stating how he sticks out - in a good way and not just because of his height and red hair - but because of his confidence as an actor. Now I know that I keep going on about confidence and acting, but when the actors are as young as some of these, confidence does not come as naturally as some may think, but Jamie draws you to him on stage. He is one to look out for going forward.

Daisy Donoghue, you may have seen in "All the Fun Of The Fair" at the Arts Theatre and "Picnic At Hanging Rock" at the Lace Market theatre of late, plays Anybodys, the tomboy who desperately wants to be a member of The Jets. Another very different role and another well received role. Daisy also is the Dance Captain for the show, and let's face it, with this show is no easy ride!

The rest of the Jets are Eloise Rees (Big Deal), Liam Brown (Baby John) - who put a smile on my face several times during the show - Preston Nash (Snow Boy), Amelia Watson (Diesel) with Caitlin Robinson, Esmie Smith-Cockayne, Elizabeth Kenny and Sofia Calloway (as Team Peurto Rico).

The Jet Girls are Olivia Bonham (Graziella), Harriet Campion (Velma) and Hermione Cumbers (Pauline).

I must also mention Jonathan Jaycock as Chino who turns in a very believable, and enjoyable performance in this musical.

The rest of The Shark Gang are Arlo Perrons (Pepe), Tristian Askew (Indio), Sydney Adams (Luis) and Logan Cordall (Juano).

The Shark Girls were Phoebe Bateman (Roasalia), Evie Martin (Consuelo), Kate Russell (Francisca) with Hannah Wood, Lois Stevenson, Malikea Smith, Sienna Woods, Stephanie Booth and Torni Sloman. These were for Team Puerto Rica, who alternate with Team America over the performances.

Playing Doc was Danniella Rose Stringer, who also delivered an absolutely faultless performance of "Somewhere". To start with I thought it was a recorded piece and really scrutinised her face to see if she was lip synching, but she wasn't. that voice seemed to come straight from Heaven.

In every musical you get an unforgettable duo and in this we have Jack Symington (Lieutenant Shrank) and Patrick Brannigan (Officer Krupke). As soon as they walked on stage, I felt a smile come to my face. Jack must be well over six foot tall and Patrick about four foot tall. That difference straight away broke the ice and while Jack's B-Movie bad cop performance as Shrank made you sit up and take note, Patrick's natural comic ability shone through. really entertaining.

Playing Gladhand, the last of the adult characters, was Katie-Mae Faulkner.

As you can tell, the cast list was massive!

Directed by Marie Rogers - who I am pleased to see up on her feet again and getting stronger every day. Marie has really created the needed tension in this musical and you can feel the unease and danger, especially in The Rumble scene. She has really brought out the very best acting abilities from every single one of these actors, even the very young ones; you can really tell the hard work that has been put in, by all, by the results seen on stage. The section with the Rumble was oozing testosterone and the fight choreography was tense, edge of the seat stuff, and the ending where Tony gets killed and carried aloft on The Jets' shoulders was really emotional.

Choreographed by Amy Rogers-Gee, and like I said earlier, the jazz and ballet styles are not that easy for most adults to get right, but these kids have nailed them, along with the other dance styles within the musical. There are some very acrobatic sections which will make your jaw drop, as I certainly wasn't expecting them.

Musical Direction is by Sam Griffiths, and you can see the hard work put in here as well. The soundtrack is not the easiest to perform, especially when some of the voices are not quite strong enough to get the notes and ranges required for this quite operatic of musicals. If this is revisited in a couple of years' time, with the same cast and with more voice maturity and training, it could be amazing. But that is all down to the age of the actors and their voices receiving the training needed for some of the really big songs and notes.

There are so many well-known songs in this much-loved musical, many of which have also graced the National pop charts over the decades, "Tonight", "Maria" and "Somewhere" being the most well-known, but then there are the instantly recognisable musical theatre classics like "The Jet Song", "Something's Coming", "Gee Officer Krupke", "America", "I Feel Pretty" and the irresistibly romantic "One Hand, One Heart". Everyone a gem.

Sound for this show was spot on, as was the lighting design; unfortunately, I couldn't see in the programme who to credit but have a feeling it may be thanks to College Street Technical Services.

The Set Design by Mark and Alison Russell was wonderful and moody with both sides of the set props folding out to reveal the interior of Maria's bedroom and Doc's bar as well as the dress-making area, plus the scene for the Rumble and the balcony scenes.

And before I forget, the accents all round were marvellous.

There is absolutely nothing to not like about this production and the cast deserved their rapturous applause from an almost full theatre, something that I've not seen for quite a while at the Arts Theatre. Maybe word is getting around, finally, of the quality that lies behind that pink exterior.

"West Side Story" is at the Nottingham Arts Theatre for more than just Tonight in fact it's here until Sunday 11 September.

 "Bonnie & Clyde - The Musical" by Regis Theatre Company

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

Here's another musical that I've not seen before, although have loved the soundtrack for a few years now. I now love the musical and any future production will have to live up to Regis's fantastic show.

At the height of the Great Depression, West Texas' Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow went from two small-town zeroes to America's most feared heroes, and Texas law enforcement's worst nightmares.

When Bonnie and Clyde meet, their mutual cravings for excitement and fame immediately set them on a mission to chase their dreams. Their bold and reckless behaviour turns the young lovers' thrilling adventure into a downward spiral, putting themselves and their loved ones, Buck Barrow - Clyde's brother - and Blanche, Buck's wife, in trouble with the law. Forced to stay on the run, the lovers resort to robbery and murder to survive. As the infamous duo's fame grows bigger, their inevitable end draws nearer.

The musical starts with young Bonnie & Clyde, showing where their roots started, and takes us all the way through to almost the end, and I say that because we all know the inevitable outcome but, with a few areas in this historical saga, we know what happens, we just don't need to see what happens.

Curtis Salmon plays Clyde Barrow, in is his first appearance with Regis after taking a few years hiatus from the stage. One thing you'll notice about Curtis is his voice. He seems to be able to turn to any genre, and there are several within this musical. He has a nice Country twang in his voice, but then he really suits the more blues/rock sound, and then again, his gentle duet with Bonnie in the reprise of "Dyin' Ain't So Bad" is heartfelt. There were echoes of Harry Nillsson and Paul Williams at times in Curtis' vocals; a true vocal chameleon.

Evie Burke is Bonnie Parker, and gets her first leading role in a Regis show, and what a way to showcase her abilities as a leading actor. Like all the actors here, she has a great voice. For me the highlights, and this was difficult to whittle down, was her duet of "You Love Who You Love" and the sublime "How 'Bout A Dance". A wonderfully feisty performance all round.

Harvey Latter is Buck Barrow. Harvey is turning into one of the busiest local actors around of late, appearing in "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" and "The Wizard Of Oz" within the last six months. Playing the elder Barrow brother, he shows that slightly more sensible side, influenced by Blanche; a role that is quite different to any of his other roles I've seen him perform.

Amy Parker plays Blanche Barrow, and another Regis debut actor. Blanche was very religious and while this was brought out at times by Amy, what I liked was that it was not overtly religious, almost brought into play when Blanche remembered, but then faded out again. A good example of this was with the "twinkie" scene. You really felt that she was fighting a losing battle where Buck was concerned and his alliance with his younger brother, and Amy brought out that faithfulness, especially when Buck was killed, not wanting to leave him to die alone, resulting in her own arrest.

Robert McAuley plays Ted, which is quite different to the characters Rob normally plays. I don't think that I had really noticed what a strong voice Rob has, or maybe previous roles I'd seen didn't give rise to showcase Rob's vocal talents. Either way, there was no way you can miss Rob's vocals. The character is slightly obsessive over Bonnie which gives Ted an unhealthy reason to eradicate Clyde. As I said, not the run of the mill character that Rob has brought to the stage in the past and Rob not only delivers this physically but displays that obsessiveness through his facial expressions.

Desrick Francis plays The Preacher, and anyone who has read my reviews previously will know that I am a fan of this big man with a big voice. Des seems to get cast as a man of the cloth a lot, but that could be one reason to unleash that wonderful gospel voice, showcased in "God's Arms Are Always Open". He has power in that voice that can make a bald man's hair stand on end. You could tell from the audience's reaction that they too appreciated that wonderfully rich vocal ability.

Young Bonnie is played by Emilia Shapcott and Young Clyde played by Edward Rawson, who has a very powerful voice, which quite surprised me, pleasantly.

The hard working ensemble consist of Matt McAuley (Deputy Johnson/Bank Teller/drunk customer/Prison Guard), Laura Davey (Cumie Barrow/Eleanor/Governer Ferguson), Emily Owen (Emma Parker/Trish), Sky Marsden (Stella), John Hand (Sherrif Schmid/Judge/Storekeeper), Arden-Caspar Jennison (Deputy Bud/Archie/Joe/Prison Guard), Lilli White, Mariko Jones, Emma Weir and Eleanor Carty (Captain Hamer).

The soundtrack to this musical has a bit of something for everyone with several earworms; try getting "Raise A Little Hell" out of your head!. There is blues, rock, country, bluegrass and a sprinkling of gorgeous ballads. Musical Director is Charlotte Daniel who led the wonderfully talented nine-piece ensemble, and I will admit it's really nice just to hear solo violin and banjo sections within a musical.

The set design was wonderfully simple but with the most solidly constructed car I've seen outside a professional touring show.

Sound is by Sean Renshaw and Lighting by Matt Powell.

Directed by Ollie Turner, assisted by Kayleigh Buckley.

Choreographed by Emily Owen.

"Bonnie & Clyde The Musical" is at the Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 10 September, and would be an absolute crime to miss.

 "Chess In Concert" by BJW Productions.

The Grand Pavilion Matlock Bath.

What a beautiful venue this is going to be when it's all been done up. Don't get me wrong, it's very atmospheric as it is, but when everything has been completed, Wow! what a venue for bands and theatre shows like this it's going to be.

"Chess" is not the easiest of musicals to perform, with the chord changes of Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus from Abba and the expertise of Tim Rice, together it sounds exquisite, but I can only imagine a nightmare for anyone having to perfect these songs, that are more operatic than rock opera. BJW Productions perfected everything about this production.

To roughly let you know what the musical is about, in case you didn't know, it is based around a chess game which is politically motivated, but also about falling in love, as I’m sure you’ll find out by coming to check it out, mate. The story involves a politically driven, Cold War–era chess tournament between two men—an American grand-master (Freddie Trumper) and a Soviet grand-master (Anatoly Sergievsky)—and their battle over a woman (Florence Vassy) who manages Freddie and falls in love with Anatoly.

Performed without sets, which is why it is billed as "In Concert", it really highlights the wonderful music, and the vocal abilities of the cast, all equally as talented as each other, so there is no need for me to specifically highlight anyone, but I probably will anyway.

Sara Evans-Bolger (Florence Vassy) really brought out her inner Elaine Paige for this performance. "Nobody's Side" has always been a favourite of mine from "Chess", and nobody can do the song justice like Elaine, well until Friday night that was. Sara's duet of "I Know Him So Well" with Emily Knight (Svetlana Sergievsky - Anatoly's wife) was an absolute dream to experience, their voices blended so beautifully. And Emily's blood red outfit was spectacular.

Harmony, in however many parts you wanted, was boundless in this musical, it's like I had discovered surround sound for the first time. Musical Director Ben Ward waved his magic baton over the wonderful 14-piece orchestra and vocalists and created musical magic.

The two chess players in this show, Max Hoffman (Anatoly) and JoJo Meredith (Freddie) certainly matched each other with vocal ability, with JoJo exhibiting a massive range so suited for rock opera, while Max brought a lovely softer edge to the songs.

Eoin Callaghan (The Arbiter) is another whose vocals were so well suited to this kind of musical, his enunciation of every word hammered home his power and intent over the game and made sure we heard every single word that he sang.

Joe Woffinden (Alexander Molokov - Anatoly's second, as well as a secret KGB agent) has a very convincing Russian accent, even when singing; and when he does sing, what a voice this man has. The tone and richness of that timbre is wonderful.

Phil Simcox (Walter De Courcey - Trumper's equivalent to Molokov) also has one heck of a voice, again blending well with Joe's.

There's also an ensemble to flesh out that choristic sound to the production, making the rafters of the Grand Pavilion tremble. Beth Bennett, Niamh Canning, Georgia Davis, Katie Hathaway, Samantha Hedley, Morgan Hemstock, Emily Hunter-Welling, Stacey Hyndman (who was also the Production manager), Sarah J. Kolb, Chrissie Smyth and Lauren Stocker. One male and ten females, and if truth be told, I'd have loved to have had that male vocal elevated by a mic to match the force of that wonderful female collection of voices.

The staging of the production, as well as the choreography was by Cat Howourth, who was also the Deputy Stage Manager, with the Company Stage Manager being Heath Parkin.

While not in need of a full lighting design, the lighting for this show, which was as good as any music stage show that I have ever seen, was designed by Jamie Vella.

The Sound Design, allowing us complete crystal clarity in a wonderful acoustic space, was by Harry Greatorex, with Martin Curtis billed as Sound 1.

I touched on the soundtrack a little earlier, but when it contains such hits as "I Know Him So Well", "One Night In Bangkok" - lyrically such a brilliantly clever song, "Nobody's Side" - all chart hits - as well such beautiful musical theatre songs as "Anthem" and "Heaven Help My Heart", this really is an evening full of joy, as well as political intrigue.

"Chess In Concert" is at the Grand Pavilion, Matlock Bath for two more performances, Saturday matinee and Saturday evening, so make sure you get there early enough to get a parking space - they are limited, but after 6pm it's only £1 until 8am in the morning. Tickets are going fast, especially after word gets around from Friday's performance, so I'd check, mate just to see if they have any left!

 "The Book Of Mormon"

Nottingham Theatre Royal

Hello, it's finally here; the musical that I've been looking forward to for the last few years! And let me tell you, it was so worth the wait, and the experience.

Written by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who are responsible for "South Park" and Robert Lopez, who co-created the musical Avenue Q and co-wrote the songs for Disney’s Frozen and Coco. Since its' debut back in 2011, this has been THE musical that everyone wants to see, which explains the reason why the run at the Theatre Royal is until Saturday 10 September.

The musical follows a pair of Mormon boys sent on a mission to a place that’s a long way from their home in Salt Lake City, Uganda!

As expected, this musical breaks every taboo going, possibly insulting everyone who has no sense of humour. there are several parts that even I felt my jaw dropping open and quietly saying to myself "did they really say that?". Even so, this is possibly one of the most un-PC pieces of theatre, but one of the funniest, and naughtiest things I've seen on stage....possibly ever!

Elder Price is the top Mormon student, the one most likely to get a gold star for his conversion technique. He is full of confidence, and wants to preach the Mormon word in....Orlando! He is teamed up with Elder Cunningham, who is the complete opposite, and tends to make up parts of the scripture. When both find out that they are being sent to Uganda, and after being in the country for five minutes and having their baggage stolen, they both receive a reality check!

Conner Peirson as Elder Cunningham is, for me, the top billing in this musical, followed only slightly by his Mormonic foil, Robert Colvin as Elder Price. Both excellent comic actors with wonderful voices and so much energy. Many audience members were overheard to say that these two made the show for them. I disagree because the entire cast were fantastic, with Conner and Robert as the cherry on top.

Aviva Tulley as Nabulungi, the young village girl who has a dream of Salt Laker City and moving there. She believes what Elder Cunningham is preaching and decides to get baptised by the Elder, and then changes the opinions of the village to revert to being Mormons and to get baptised. Nabulungi is the first person to ever be baptised in the village since the Mormons, prior to the current Elders, were dispatched. There is a wonderful running joke with Nabulungi's name throughout the show. Oh and what a sublime voice Aviva has.

Elder Mckinley, the Elder who was in charge before Elders Cunningham and Price arrived, and is a wonderfully camp character, in the most wonderfully camp musical, since the last wonderfully camp musical I saw. Jordan Lee Davis is brilliant in this part.

The whole cast, as I said previously are just perfect in their roles. From an illuminated Jesus to an amazing Satan, and even the odd character from Star Trek and Star Wars, the costumes are wonderful, especially in the "Hell section".

I must mention the harmonies because these were just one section of the musical that I really loved and appreciated the work that had gone into the production. An absolute aural delight!

The set designs ranged from the Utah Mormon Headquarters, through to a fake Orlando which transformed into Hades, to an African village, all changed with smooth transitions.

Directed by Casey Nicholaw and Trey Parker, with choreography by Casey Nicholaw, set design by Scott Pask, costume design by Ann Roth, lighting design by Brian MacDevitt, sound design by Brian Ronan, orchestrations by Larry Hochman and Stephen Oremus and music supervision and vocal arrangements by Stephen Oremus.

I don't feel that I need to carry on about just how funny, and shocking, this show is, because anyone who has seen South Park will know just how funny, and shocking, the work of Parker and Stone can be. This musical may not change your life, but it will give you a brilliant night of naughty fun, and is definitely one not to be missed!

"The Book Of Mormon" is at the Nottingham Theatre Royal until Saturday 10 September and there is an age restriction of 14+ due to the language used.