" NATIVITY THE MUSICAL

" by Derby Youth Musical Theatre.

Derby Theatre.

Now here is a musical to get you in a jolly, holly, sparkly and shiny mood for Christmas, well we are half way through November, so not that far to go!

Not only that but this is the first time that this musical has been performed in Derby ever EVER!! the next production of this musical has a high bar to live up to with this production.

Here's a spoiler as to if I enjoyed this musical. MY FACE MUSCLES ACHE FROM HAVING A PERMANENT SMILE ON MY FACE!!!!! (Sorry I do like exclamation marks to get my point across!).

Every child in every school has one Christmas wish, to star in a Nativity, and at St Bernadette’s School they’re attempting to mount a musical version! Only trouble is teacher Mr Maddens has promised that a Hollywood producer is coming to see the show to turn it into a film.

Maddens' girlfriend, Jennifer, up sticked to Hollywood to follow her dreams to be a producer so Maddens flew over there to ask her to come back to Coventry and bring Hollywood back to see the Nativity.

All this just to get one up on his primary school teacher rival, Mr Shakespeare, who always gets a 5 Star review for his end of school term shows from local reviewer critic Patrick Burns. Last year he gave St Bernadette's school production a -2 Stars!!

But how will Mr Maddens tempt Hollywood to Coventry, especially when he discovers that dreams don't always come true....especially in Hollywood!

There are two teams performing, Team Sparkle and Team Shine, depending on which performance you see will depend on which team is on stage. Tonight (Friday) I saw Team Shine, who will also be performing on Saturday matinee and Sunday Evening. Team Sparkle are performing on Saturday evening and Sunday matinee.

I've seen professional and local productions of this show, and I can confirm that this is the BEST production I've ever seen. It has absolutely everything in this show, including a massive cast. A cast that is difficult to single out any one actor, so I won't - well I'll try not to.

Mr Poppy is played by Arden-Caspar Jennison, a role that could have been created for him. Away from the stage it's rare to see Arden without a smile on his face and that joyous outlook on life is transplanted to this character. So much so that when he gets it with both barrels from Mr Madden in the second act, there was almost a Mexican wave of sympathy for Mr Poppy from this packed out audience.

Mr Maddens is played by Lucas Shirtcliffe; as far as I can remember, Lucas is a new name to me but this performance will stick in my memory for a long while to come. A very natural performer and character actor.

Gordon Shakespeare is played by Ben Mather in his first major role. A role that is so much fun, especially in the "Herod The Rock Opera" section of this musical, and I am positive that Ben loved playing Shakespeare, you could just tell.

Jennifer Lore is played by Sarah Doughty, who showcased her lovely vocals in the song "Jennifer's Plea".

Mrs Bevans is an hilarious character, until she does a complete U turn in act two. Played with some lovely comedy touches by Niamh Abbott.

Miss Rye, who has a loose tongue where gossip is concerned is played by Megan Beastall.

The Hollywood Receptionist I loved because of the droll delivery is played by Carraig Quiala.

The Hollywood Producer, who does take a bit of convincing by Jennifer to make the journey from Hollywood to Coventry is played by Billy Sweet, a young man that I've seen before, so I know he is a quality actor.

The Critic, Patrick Burns is played by Daniel Pimperton, whose performance I absolutely loved, just as much as I loved that shiny blue sequined jacket, and we both wore bow ties! Daniel also doubled up as the Tour Guide. Daniel is obviously very comfortable with comic roles because the comedy is so smoothly delivered.

Cracker the dog is played by Molly, who of course received her fair share of "aaahhhhs" whenever she took to the stage, and especially in her final bows costume.

The rest of the company, who were so incredibly good are Daniella Stringer (Casting Director), Katie Welsh (The Mayoress of Coventry), Ava Pennington (Announcer), Lara Eley (TV Reporter/Director 3), Oscar Drake (The Priest), Eleanor Leatham (Security Guard), Charlotte Diggle (Director 1 and TJ's Mum) and Beth Johnson (Director 2).

I was looking for the name of the young actor who played The Mayor, as I know that I've seen him before, but was not able to find this in the programme.

I'd be here all night if I also listed everyone who appeared as Oakmoor Prep Pupils, the ensemble of Teachers, People Of Coventry, Hollywood Stars - and it was great fun star spotting, plus the Pupils of St Bernadette's Primary School, but I loved TJ and Ollie, two characters who really stuck out that I could remember. Others also stuck out but I just couldn't remember the character's names.

Directed by Matt Powell, who is also responsible for the mind-blowing Set and Video Design. This Video Design is of the same quality as you'd expect to see on a professional touring show. the clarity and colour sparkled and shone along side the kids, and I also loved that it had nods to some of the previous productions, which was apt as DYMT celebrate a decade of shows with this show. Matt is assisted by Will Evans in the Directing duties. What a directorial dynamic duo!

Every time I see "Nativity The Musical", and I've seen it a few times, there are "upgrades" if you like with the script, and that is what keeps this show as fresh and sparkling as it is. If you've seen this show before, listen out to all of the new bits in the script.

Musical Director is Charlotte Daniel. This is another area which is as good as any professional touring show you will ever see, and hear. An aural treat from this five piece band consisting of Charlotte, Tom Atkins, Natalie Light, Tim Robinson and Dave Shipley.

Technical Director is Chris Moss, who was also Deputy Stage Manager and had a hand in the set design and construction of this brilliant set.

The musical is choreographed by Caroline Green, assisted by Samuel Reed. This show is the complete package as far as I am concerned, and the choreography is fantastically good, and performed with such energy and joy.

Lighting Design by Jamie Vella, and I am so pleased that the programme names Harry Macdonald-Preston, who is the Trainee Lighting Technician, because the lighting was stunning.

Sound Design by Harry Greatorex with Simon Birchall as Sound Operator 2. It is very rare that I have anything other than complimentary to say about the sound quality at Derby Theatre. That status remains intact because the sound was of the best quality. To say that there were so many mic packs on stage and not one missed cue is such a pleasure to hear and to report.

The costumes, and there were hundreds of them, were just so incredibly good I can't even begin to name them. I just wonder how many sequins were used for them. Judith Evans needs praise for everything material wise on the Derby Theatre stage for this show.

Yet another production this week that ended in a full standing ovation for the cast, and boy did this cast, and everyone behind this show, deserved it. For any snobs who will only pay out to see professional shows, they ought to see this because not only do DYMT match any big professional musical show, they smashed any West End or touring production out of the ball park.

The news this week that the £20 million Levelling Up Fund grant that will go to the repair and refurbishment of the Guildhall Theatre and improvements to Derby Theatre, shows that investment in local arts is worthwhile, especially when you see a production as outstanding as "Nativity The Musical" is.

I might add that every show is SOLD OUT, and when you think how many seats are in Derby Theatre, that is a massive achievement, but it may also be worth noting that, just in case there are any cancellations or ticket returns, you could always contact Derby Theatre box office to check.

"Nativity The Musical" is at Derby Theatre until Sunday 12 November.

 "Avenue Q" by Amici Productions.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

Puppets, earworm songs, a heart-warming story of a graduate fresh out of university looking to find his purpose in life – and finding a girl along the way. A show that’s fun for all the family.

Wrong! Very wrong!

I wonder if the lady who brought her two young children along to see this really knew what was in store for their innocent eyes and ears?

Avenue Q is enormous fun but with songs like ‘The Internet (Is For Porn)’ and a puppet sex scene (which is hilarious by the way), this show is strictly for adults and in no way like any puppet show at any kids party I’ve been to.

The show centres on Princeton, an arts graduate and therefore out of a job (What do you do with a BA in English). Trying to find a cheap enough place to rent, he finds on Avenue Q and meets a host of wonderful characters.

These including Kate Monster who dreams of opening her own monster school, the humans Brian and Christmas Eve, and Gary Coleman – the child actor off Different Strokes who is now down on his luck and the superintendent at Avenue Q. ( I don’t think it’s giving anything away by saying that this isn’t THE Gary Coleman).

A porn obsessed monster, a couple of male puppet characters who live together, a pair of little bears who keep coming up with "fun" ideas and a buxom lady puppet who relishes in her own independence, if you know what I mean.

The actors behind these puppets, most of whom were new to puppetry, and I can only imagine that acting, singing, dancing and not really being the focus of the audience, and still going through the full realm of visual expressions your puppet is expressing, can't be the easiest of acting jobs.

You focus on the puppet characters and not the actor but can't help appreciate the talent the actor behind the puppet has. This cast, who are difficult not to watch at the same time as the puppets stars because of the facial configurations they project, are just brilliant, every one of them.

There are some very funny, and non PC songs here and, even though I've seen the show several times previously and know the soundtrack well, this show still makes me laugh loudly. Songs like "Everyone's A little Bit Racist", "The Internet Is For Porn" and "If You Were Gay" sit well alongside love songs like "There's A Fine Fine Line" and "Mixtape".

Every single actor on that stage deserved every round of applause they received, as well as the first night standing ovation at the end. Something I predict will continue throughout this short run.

Kyle Fearn (Princeton), Megan Hill (Kate Monster), Jake Gelernter (Rod), Jack Readyhoof (Nicky as well as the wonderful Trekkie Monster), Beth Yearsley (Lucy the Slut), Kheenan Jones (Brian - not a puppet), Mariko Jones (Christmas Eve - also not a puppet), Desrick Francis (Gary Coleman - whatchu talkin' about Kev? Not THE Gary Coleman?), Charlotte Howarth and Lu Anthony (both very naughty, but nice Bad Idea Bears) and last, but by no means least, Laurie Trott (Mrs T wait to hear her full name!!).

I could give you a description of who every character is but, it's so much more fun to beg, steal or borrow a ticket - currently every show is SOLD OUT, so any of the above three options, although I am not condoning the second, or checking the box office for any fool who returns or cancels their ticket, giving you a chance to experience this crazy but wonderful show.

Directed by Matt Fry. All I can say is that Matt must have had the best of times directing this show and this particular cast because they had such a great time on stage that their enjoyment radiated to the audience. When an audience reacts in the way that this one did tonight, you know that the Director has done the best job ever, and he did.

Musical Director, and Producer is Dave Dallard. I have great fondness for these songs and love the musical, let's face it there's not really another musical quite like "Avenue Q" Great fun songs and they sounded great as well. Situated behind the set itself, the balance was created just right.

Choreographed by Beth Yearsley. I don't know how many times I can say the word "fun" but even the choreography was fun to watch. Whether it be the simple skipping around the stage, which may not sound that much fun, but just watch Kheenan, there's something childishly funny, which makes the skipping fun, or the other choreographed pieces, it is pure fun and I love it.

Martin Holtom's puppet workshop gave the actors all they needed to know to bring these cloth characters to life. It's not easy to synchronise a puppet's mouth or limbs to match what the actor is doing or saying, but it's this cast's newly found skills that made sure that we were watching the puppet stars and not the actors who just had a hand in bringing them to life. I also appreciated that all of the actors were dressed in black. This may be a given, but I have seen in the past an actor who wasn't and that stuck out.

Loved the set design by Chris Renshaw. Every time I see "Avenue Q" the set design is changed slightly and is literally well constructed on many levels. Additional staging by Roydon Charlesworth.

Something that you don't get in a lot of musicals are screens, and the technical side of this show also needs to be complimented. There are screens at either side of the stage which also show segments akin to American style shows like "Sesame Street", which are highly entertaining.

Lighting is by Richard Chamberlain, and even the odd couple of stray spotlights couldn't mar my enjoyment of this production. Neither did the odd missed mic cue; Sound by Dave Martin and Phil Holland. The only reason I mentioned these two minor details is that I'd hate for you to think I'd gone soft. But seriously, no one else probably even noticed, but also shows that these two areas are so specialised and not as easy to operate as many people think.

I have not seen so many smiling, happy people in one place after the show as I did on Thursday night, showing what a big success this production is. I need not say more. I just wouldn't like to be that mother in tonight who has to explain to her two youngsters what those two puppets were doing to each other.

Amici Productions are collecting for three separate charities throughout the run of the show, so please dig deep to help them.

There is bad language, adult themes and puppet nudity involved in "Avenue Q", which is at The Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 11 November.

Photos thanks to Martin Holtom.

 "Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella" by Masque Productions.

Mansfield Palace Theatre.

"Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella" is a musical originally written for television, but later performed on stage, with music by Richard Rodgers and a book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II.

The story, as I am sure every man, woman and child knows, concerns a young woman forced into a life of servitude by her cruel stepmother and self-centered stepsisters, who dreams of a better life. With the help of her fairy godmother, Cinderella is transformed into a princess and finds her prince. This is not a pantomime though but a fully fledged and lush musical.

Cinderella is played by Macey Shaw. Not only is Macey taking the titular role, but she is also making her debut performance with Masque. No pressure there then, Macey? Her vocals are exceptional; I don't know if she has had classical training but she completely transfixed me with her voice and her light delivery of the beautiful Rodgers & Hammerstein songs. An engaging acting style which drew us all in.

King Maximillion is played by Simon Brickell, who I remember from playing Ted Bovis in Masque's production of "Hi De Hi" earlier this year. Great character-driven performance and nice to hear Simon's vocals, which are so well matched by Justine Wells, who takes her first principal role, playing Queen Constantina. In a parallel universe I could really imagine Simon and Justine as a royal couple because their chemistry was so believable. Great pairing and a wonderful set of duets.

The Step Mother is played by Kelly Marsh. Now everyone loves a nasty character and this one oozed nastiness in the way that she treated her step daughter, constantly reminding her that her father was dead and how "lucky" she was to be looked after so well by her and her step sisters. There are some lovely comedy moments to balance the evilness.

Cinderella's Step Sisters, Grace and Joy, are played by Brooke Spedding and Holly Stevenson, respectively, neither character reflected by their names either. Another lovely comedy pairing, and especially with Joy's comedy laughter. Who doesn't love a good snorting laugh? Deliciously mean towards Cinderella, but both Brooke and Holly have been blessed with lovely vocals.

The Fairy Godmother is played by Alison Carter. As the first character we see, the Fairy Godmother sets out the story of Cinderella, as well as the main scene of transformation, plus at The Ball drip feeding The Prince with information about his mystery guest. I love the attitude this fairy Godmother has, bringing a modern feel to this classic character.

The Prince is played by Jake Shirley, who also makes his debut for Masque. Whether Jake intended to sound a little bit like Prince Harry in his line delivery, I don't know, but he has a very regal sound about him. The way he presented himself also created that royal stance. For me though, Jake's voice topped off this triple threat. Controlled and powerful with a sound of his own. From head to toe, he looked and sounded like a Prince.

Lionel, The Prince's Steward, is played by James Hallam. I remember reviewing James playing Irwin in "The History Boys" at Nottingham's Lace Market Theatre about six years ago. He also had a minor role in Masque's earlier production from this year, "Hi De Hi". James delivers a lovely cool comedy performance here, including a piece delivered to the audience as he is walking off stage regarding the pumpkin and the glass slipper, hinting that he is "in the know", if you know what I mean. If not, come see the show!

As you'd expect with a show like this, a large ensemble is going to be needed, and they are, and let's start with the ladies.....

Paige Allen, Caitlin Brennan, Liz Brennan, Lisa Bottomore, Ann-Marie Connolly, Maxine Dillon, Jade Eaton, Tineke Fleet, Amy Gunter, Lauren Herbert, Sarah Herbert, Rosanna Hill, Jan Hodgetts, Rachel Fletcher, Jane McBride, Heidi Benson-Laydall, Paula McCrary, Karen Richards, Chrissie Smyth, Kay Thomason-Vardy and Hannah Winterton.

The male ensemble are Brian Brooks, Ryan Kyte, Martin Morgan, Connor Moore, Garry Richardson, Stephen Ratcliffe, Adrian Toon and Ryan Adlington.

The children's ensemble are Oliver Brennan, Ciara Carter, Adelphie Fleet, Mia Hill and Olivia Vardy. These lot are as cute as buttons and they all presented very mature and professional performances, especially I noted with the choreographed sections.

Directed and Produced by Andrew Wolden, this production really whets your appetite for the upcoming Christmas season. It gives you that feel for Christmas while maintaining that wonderful classic musical quality. It oozes class and whips along at a real pace; I couldn't believe how soon the closing of this beautiful show came around.

The Costumes are gorgeous and gave that feel of a big West End production, as did the sets, props, including a marvellous two horse drawn carriage for Cinderella that will leave your jaw on the floor. The visual backdrops and three dimensional sets made the Palace Theatre stage seem even bigger than I remembered it, completely filling every dimension of the stage.

Elizabeth Wolden is the Performance Track Technician.

Musical Director is Roger Holland who brought to life these luscious arrangements of Rodgers and Hammerstein's music. You could hear echoes of many of their big musical hits in these songs, which in themselves are simply beautiful. Pieces like "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful", "Ten Minutes Ago", "The Cinderella Waltz" and "In My Own Little Corner" are like having honey poured down your throat, lush and sweet. there are plenty of other uptempo and fun pieces to balance the ballads out as well.

The soundtrack also gives choreographer Lynn Roberts plenty of scope. I love the classic choreography in this musical with some lovely footwork and turned out hand and arm extensions.

This isn't a musical that is performed very regularly, and that's a shame because the music is simply lush, with its' layered arrangements and classic musical feel. The vocals from all were spot on, and this light operatic sound really suits this company. Everything about this show is class personified and it's a shame that the theatre was not packed out as this is one run up to the festive season show that will make you feel seasonal without being over the top Christmassy. It'll make you want a cup of mulled wine.

"Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella" is at Mansfield Palace Theatre until Saturday 11 November, so get your tickets and have a ball.