"The Dream" by Arcade Players.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

Described as an abridged "steampunk" take of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". So what is the definition of "steampunk"?

"Steampunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction that emphasizes anachronistic technology, usually from the Victorian era. It is also used to refer to a trend in fashion and music". You learn something everyday!

"A MIdsummer Night's Dream" is my second favourite plays from Shakespeare - my favourite being "Macbeth", so when I was offered the chance to review this version, I jumped at it.

Every theatre fan should know the story, but just in case, here's a quick summary for you....

Two boys and two girls run away to the forest only to have Puck the fairy make both of the boys fall in love with the same girl. The four Atheneans run through the forest pursuing each other while Puck helps his master, Oberon, play a trick on the Fairy Queen. All does not go to plan however. In the end, Puck reverses the magic, and the two couples reconcile and marry. Throw into the mix a band of actors called The Mechanicals who are rehearsing to perform at the request of King and Queen at the Royal wedding celebrations.

It came as a surprise that many of this cast had not performed Shakespeare before, something you would not have known, given the performance as they all seemed very au fait with the way the Bard writes. I overheard an audience member say that they had problems following it because of the language; what that will be is that they just have not seen enough Shakespeare, and need to see more to understand the richness of his work. I don't profess to understand everything that Shakespeare has written but, having seen this play several times, I understood every sentence; it's just familiarity and a love of his work.

No stand out actors because they all worked as a team, and as I said previously many of them are new to performing Shakespeare, which makes the visual quality so strong.

Mike Evans looked every inch the magical King Of The Fairies, Oberon with Claire Toska as Titania, The Queen Of the Fairies.

Egeus, Hermia's Father, was played by David Hewitt, complete with some wonderful snorts of disapproval.

Theseus, Duke Of Athens, was played by Lindsay Mould.

The Contenders for Hermia's hand were Demetrius, played by Richard Dawson and Lysander, played by Nick Barratt. Excellent quality acting from this pair, and I knew that Richard had performed Shakespeare before, albeit a while ago. Richard here makes his debut performance for The Arcade Players. I almost didn't recognise him clean shaven for this role though. Nick, on the other hand, I learned afterwards is a complete newcomer. Normally actors work their way up to Shakespeare but he went in at the top and blended in perfectly with these seasoned stage masters.

Demetrius has his own admirer, albeit unrequited, in Helana, played by Hayley Wood. Helana's best friend is Hermia, in love with Lysander, played by Rachel Ludham. These leading ladies get some really comical lines, proving Shakespeare knew how to write for female characters as well as strong male characters, which is one reason why his work is just as popular today as it ever was. A brilliant pairing of actors for these two roles.

Playing the mighty Queen of the Amazons, Hippolta, is Louisa Ward.

Miriam Deakin is Philostrate, Master of the Revels to Theseus.

Making this a family affair is Grace Deakin who took the role of the Story Teller.

The Fey, which are a more supernatural version of the fairies, were played by Margaret Butcher, Roberta King and Laurie Trott, led by the number one fairy, Hannah Reason. Beverley White was The Attendant.

You really can't beat a good Shakespearian comedy and this is one of the best; that's why it's one of my favourites, and creating the comedy are the group of comedy actors within the play called The Mechanicals.

The Mechanicals consisted of Nick Bottom (Nick Hallem), Peter Quince (Keith Butcher) Francis Flute (Phil Deakin), Robin Starveling (Damon Pipes), Tom Snout (Alex Chalk) and Snug (Martin Mould - in his first ever Shakespearian role). A brilliant bunch of comedians.

And who could forget Robin Goodfellow, or Puck, as he is more commonly known. Played by Gabryl Oleshko, who I first saw and reviewed six years ago in "13 the Musical" and more recently in "Calendar Girls". I have seen this young actor really grow as an actor and this role is just perfect for him, it's fun and mischievous, made al the more cheeky by some of his facial expressions. it seems that there is no part this young man can not make his own.

I often say that a good production is like a mechanical structure and it takes all the cogs to make it work, and every actor in this production were the equivalent of a cog. It just wouldn't work if any of those cogs were missing.

Directed by Elaina Evans who also designed the fantastic costumes that made this particular version of Shakespeare's best comedy so different and memorable and really enhance the quality of "The Dream", which is also the first Shakespeare that The Arcade Players have performed. The Steampunk costumes were courtesy of Elaina Baroque.

The lighting by Mike Beedham and the sound by Dave Martin was spot on. The projection from all actors was good, although when Nick Bottom had the asses head on, this made Nick's speech slightly muffled, so maybe a bit more projection only for that part of the play. That said I thought the sound and light crew did a great job.

Smooth stage management throughout the show. 

The Arcade Players are not afraid of tackling little known pieces like "Checkout Girls" as well as theatre fillers like this one, which I have on good authority has sold extremely well, and so it should because it's a classic piece of theatre.

"The Dream" is being performed at The Duchess Theatre in Long Eaton until Saturday 4 November.

 "The Pride" by Alexi Kaye Campbell

Nottingham Lace Market Theatre.

This was the debut play by Alexi Kaye Campbell, but what a way to introduce yourself. Alternating between 1958 and 2008, "The Pride" examines changing attitudes to sexuality, looking at intimacy, identity and the courage it takes to be who you really are.

The play is a very important piece of theatre, showing the journey of LGBTQ+ history up to 2008. Please allow me to share a bit of history.

Before 1967, male adults having consensual sex together in private could be sent to prison for the offence of gross indecency which had been created in 1885. This meant that gay men could not engage in sex together without fear of prosecution - even if they did so in the privacy of their own homes. The law effectively provided a blackmailer's dream for the unscrupulous.

It took until 1967 before this law was amended, and the journey to a situation of gay equality with heterosexuals was to take far longer. It's been a long hard road for society at large to change its attitudes towards and perceptions of gay people. That battle may still not be completely won, particularly in many other countries, but "The Pride" maps the improvements, if that is the apt word, that have been made since the repressive 1950's.

The 1958 Philip is in love with Oliver, but married to Sylvia. The 2008 Oliver is addicted to sex with strangers. Sylvia loves them both.

Jack Leo plays Philip, a thirty something year old who in 1958 can't accept his homosexuality, he is married to Sylvia but has feelings for Oliver, Sylvia's work colleague. Although he is attracted to Oliver, he also resents him for bringing to the surface the urges that he can't control. In 2008 Philip is openly gay and looking for love. The final scene with Jack and Jak in 2008 will give you that warm and fuzzy feeling, very different to how the first act in 1958 draws to a close.

Jak Truswell plays Oliver who very rarely leaves the stage throughout the whole play. Oliver is Sylvia's work colleague in 1958 and it's through an invitation from Sylvia to the home to meet her husband that the initial attraction between the men spark and develop. Is this really the first time these two have met though. as there are hints that Philip and Oliver may have crossed paths previously. The later Oliver is addicted to sex with strangers after dealing with his previous break up, from Philip. What I thought was fun was that the latter Oliver was marvellously camp, but not over the top.

There is a scene where Jak is struck in the face, and that timing of the stage backhand is perfect as you wince at the sound of clashing hand on face. Sometimes you can drive a train through the two people involved with stage fights, but this was set up so well that it actually comes as a shock.

Sylvia is played by Danielle Easter and is as torn as Philip and Oliver as she loves them both. The relationship with Philip has broken down in 2008 and she is now best friend of Oliver. As with Philip's initial emotions being out of his direct control, we also acknowledge that Sylvia's loveless marriage to Philip is also due to circumstances out of her control.

The two Sylvias could not be any more different, both lovable for slightly different reasons. Listen to the end speech from Sylvia as this also brings the character full circle.

Danny Shooter completes the cast playing The Man, Peter and The Doctor. There's plenty of humour within the script, which is sensitive as well as thought provoking. Much of this humour is provided by Danny Shooter's characters, especially when discussing Oliver's possible magazine feature!

At first, I was thinking that the three main characters were the same characters in both time periods, and then I realised that, although the characters all have the same names, and there are similarities between the stories, these are two separate sets of friends depicting the changes.

The change in the set years is easy to navigate because of the costumes, but also because of the change in physicality and language from all three characters. There's no mistaking the dates of each scene.

There could be no way that I could rate any member of this cast above the other because this is obviously a cast that has worked so closely with the other to create such a comfortable cast performing scenes that at times are most definitely not comfortable to watch. There are scenes that will shock, not least in the language department. All four of these actors fit together like a four piece jigsaw to present the full picture of a play that will be talked about for a long time, especially by me.

Directed by Chris Sims, assisted by Ben Gilbert. You can feel the sensitivity that has been used to present this play on stage because there are quite a few sensitive scenes. That said, the comedy is also done incredibly well and all four have their own comedy moments to shine. Chris and Ben have balanced the whole gamut of feelings perfectly and given us a play that will give you plenty to think about, not only from historic information, but to today and the future.

Perfect timing runs all the way through this play, whether it's in the script delivery or physical timing. The timing of the gaps left between the speeches is also left just long enough to create nervous tension in the play.

The Set Design by Steve Musson is interesting. We start with a classy 1950's style apartment set - by the way, I love that drinks trolley, and with every scene, sections are removed. Saying that, by the end of the play the stage does not look empty, just very different to how it all started, possibly a simile for the journey taken in the play.

Lighting Design by David Billen and Sound Design is by Darren Coxon, both complementing and underscoring the content of the play.

In charge of the costumes is Max Bromley. from the suits and bow ties to the casual and colourful Pride costumes, and everything in between, they help to determine the time period in any particular scene. Master Max wins again.

Some scenes may not be for people with a sensitive disposition and there is partial nudity on stage, but for anyone who likes a powerful story that packs a punch, this is most definitely for you.

"The Pride" is at the Lace Market Theatre in Nottingham until Saturday 4 November.

 "A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story" Adapted by Mark Gatiss.

Nottingham Playhouse.

Bridging that gap between Halloween and Christmas with this production is a genius idea. I have seen quite a few productions of "A Christmas Carol", including the version staged at the Nottingham Playhouse back in 2021, and this, as with the 2021 production shows that with a sizable budget, a production of this calibre can be put on.

As we all know the story of Charles Dickens' Scrooge and his change in attitude over the Christmas Eve, I won't patronise you with retelling the plot. It also means that I can get down to the nitty gritty.

This is one of those plays that I could not wait to get home to put digit to type key to tell of the show I had seen.

In Mark Gatiss's adaptation we see a more rounded retelling of the story, stemming from when Marley and Scrooge were business partners and Marley's demise to the surprise revelation at the end of the story, which I won't tell you about but it is one of those light bulb moments that occur with just one sentence, and if you miss that sentence, you'll miss the revelation, as it is not expanded on.

Keith Allen plays Scrooge, and I'll be completely honest here, I've never really been a fan of the man. Being of the age to have seen Keith at the start of his sparkling comedy career, I was never a fan of his comedy, but over the years, that has all changed. I love Keith's acting and that is one reason why I was so looking forward to seeing Keith in the role of Scrooge. He didn't disappoint.

From the very start there was a lovely comedy tag team with Scrooge and Marley as they teased at Cratchit for wanting to spend the whole of Christmas day with his family; and even Marley's death was done with comedy swiftness.

Yes, I've seen Keith Allen on TV acting seriously, which is when I started to become a fan of the man, but that blending of the serious actor with his comedy roots helped create quite the perfect Scrooge for me, and I am a fully fledged Keith Allen fanatic.

Jacob Marley is played by Peter Forbes and while we got to see more of the deceased Marley than the living Marley, some productions I've seen only delivered the late Marley, the further down the deceased line we got, the more scarier he became.

Bob Cratchit is played by Edward Harrison. Always grateful to Scrooge for allowing him to put food on the family table by working long hours for little pay - some things do not change for some workers. Edward brings out that hard working but heart warming character in Cratchit, all the while giving the feeling that he is forever walking a tightrope with Scrooge, that is of course until Scrooge's change of heart.

Mrs Cratchit, who does not have the same feelings towards Scrooge as her husband does, is played by Rebecca Trehearn. A lovely vision of the Dickensian wife who is deeply proud of being able to feed her family, and worried about their culinary handiwork, as shown with her fretting over the Christmas Pudding.

There is a section when the Cratchit's are sitting down for their meal which is almost balletic, performed partly in slow motion in its' execution. Something that the Movement Director, Georgina Lamb, I imagine is very proud of as it's performed by the senior actors as well as the juniors in perfect unison.

There are two actors who play Edwin and Grace Cratchit; William Barker and Charlie Westlake take on Edwin and Madison Spencer-Oglorumua and Ava Jade Wolstenholme alternate as Grace. Tonight the roles were played by Charlie Westlake and Madison Spencer-Oglorumua.

It never fails to amazes me when young children take to the stage on a professional level as they are not fazed by the audience, the lights, the stage and everything else that goes off with a performance. This pair are cool, professional and look at complete ease on stage. Stars of the future.

Ryan Weston's Tiny Tim is older than in some presentations, but that is of no matter because Ryan's physical presentation of the role was just as effective as if it had been a younger actor. The age limit doesn't matter, the unease and pain in Ryan's face gave us all we needed to know to make us feel for him.

Bettrys Jones as the Ghost of Christmas Past cuts quite an eerie figure as she appears out of nowhere on Scrooge's bed. Dressed in a white hooded shroud like costume, she skipped around the stage at a fair rate as she took Ebeneezer back in time to see his past good times.

Joe Shire's Ghost Of Christmas Present is a grand entrance on a brightly coloured throne that he has to step down from, a throne that would not look out of place in a panto scene, and oh the theatricality of the role peppered with warnings of what was a possible future for Mr Hum.......Bug! Love the outfit which was pure glamour.

Leona Allen is Caroline, a woman who was in debt to Scrooge. She was shown to him by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. We see that when he dies (in the future) she is very happy and rejoices as she does not have to pay him.

James Backway plays Fred, Scrooge's nephew. Much like Bob Cratchit, Fred embodies the Christmas spirit with his generosity and kindness, both of which he expresses without expectation of receiving any such feelings in return, particularly from Scrooge.

Angelina Chudi plays Belle, who appears during the sequence where the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge his early years. Here, we see that she was his fiancée, but she eventually broke off their engagement due to his growing obsession with money.

Geoffrey Beevers is the Narrator and watch and listen out near the end for a revelation concerning his character!

All apart from Keith appear as other characters, well there are about fifty character's shoes to fill.

Directed by Adam Penford who I have always felt so comfortable with any production that he is involved in. Adam knows just what to do to get the best out of a production and cast. This reputation continues here. One thing that I noticed with this one is the incredible timing with sound and script delivery. Everything is so incredibly tight.

Paul Wills' set design is wonderfully Dahl-ish and a nightmare for health and safety I imagine. When you see the show, you'll see why!

The effects used are wonderful. From the quill on Marley's rostrum that rotated on its' own, the book that flew off of the lectern to the video back drops, and even the "physical" ghosts that invaded the theatre from all angles, this production gave me the chills for all the right reasons. The choice of the material used for the "ghosts" making them shimmer and fly and the video techniques that brought the ghost of Jacob Marley to the stage just leaves you wonderstruck!

The lighting design is by Phillip Gladwell and operated by Laura Wolczyk. It's decidedly dark, apart from when we're in the company of anyone that isn't Scrooge and Marley. the scarlet backlighting searing through the darkness presents a feeling of something hellish. The ice white lighting creates a ghostly shimmering which is highlighted when caught by the flying ghostly apparitions.

The sound design by Ella Wahlstrom. I've commented on the sharpness of the sound to light effects and the echo effects just go to add the unease of Scrooge's visitors. Some video design can be a touch on the grainy side, but the clarity of the design transported you to where it wanted you to be directed to. You even begin to feel cold when the snow starts to fall.

Musical Director for the uplifting, gorgeous Celtic style music is Tom Attwood.

The video design is by Nina Dunn and this added another layer to the magic of the production. At times I felt my jaw dropping open watching what was appearing before my eyes.

There is a also section when the Cratchit's are sitting down for their meal which is almost balletic, performed in slow motion in its' execution. Something that the Movement Director, Georgina Lamb, I imagine is very proud of as it's performed by the senior actors as well as the juniors in perfect unison.

The puppets in the production are designed by Matthew Forbes and are wonderfully creepy. Imagine some of the animated characters from the film "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and that will give you an idea.

Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" has always been one of my favourite pieces of literature and to see this classic (again) brought to wonderful life (or death) is just a joy, especially when it has been so wonderfully reimagined on stage and by this wonderful cast.

"A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story" is scary in parts, where it needs to be, and also a wonderful feel-good tale to get you in the mood for Christmas and is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 18 November. It's a show that will enthral all ages.