"Girls & Boys" by Dennis Kelly.

Nottingham Playhouse.

I love it that, of late, there are so many productions in local theatres that are new to me, and this is another one. The joy of not knowing the play is that you get the full emotional pay out without expectation, and boy does this play pay out with all three bars.

The 115-minute play is a monologue told from the perspective of an unnamed woman who tells of meeting the man of her dreams, marrying and having children. One of her first recollections is of them meeting in an Easyjet queue preparing to board a plane to Italy. Anecdotes are interspersed with mimed interactions with her two children, Leanne and Danny, where she comments on the differences between them as a boy and a girl. With this being a one woman play, we don't see her children. Towards the end, the story takes a very dark turn. 

Aisling Loftus plays "The Woman". I absolutely admire any actor who can tell a story and have you completely rapt in the story, and straight from the very comical first meeting with Liam in that airport queue she hooks you. The language is consistently blue, but no bluer than listening to any woman, who may have had one Babycham too many in any of the Nottingham wine bars on a Friday night, and is just as hilarious. Humour is blended with humanity as The Woman takes us through her work life, her love life as well as her life as mother to their children. Anyone who has had children will instantly recognise the frustration of managing a pair of young children and that wonderfully self restrained way of talking to them.

Both The Woman and her husband have jobs that bring in a decent wage, by the look of the flat we see on stage, and we are also taken to the stage where Liam's job becomes untenable and his "last fling" with "the lads". Then the light gets darker and we start to see the inevitable dissection and breakdown of the marriage. There's one line in this play that instantly raises a red flag.

From then on the auditorium falls completely silent. No one rustles and sweet wrappers, no phones "ping" and the only sound you hear is the sound of breathing from the auditorium. This atmosphere continues until the very last words are spoken by Aisling. 

Written by the award winning writer Dennis Kelly, this play is miles away from his Tony award winning "Matilda The Musical" but is as dark as some of the scenes and characters in the musical. His writing entices you with comedy but then the deeper you get into it, you start to discover the darkness, and by that time, it's too late to back out and you want to know how dark and dangerous the story gets.

Directed by Anna Ledwich and with plays like this, plays that go to very dark places, you have to have great admiration for the way that the Director, as well as the actor puts everything that they have into the play and the performance. I have always said that you should leave a theatre feeling something from the performance that they have just seen, because then you know the actor and Director have done their intended job. Visually you could see the impact this performance and the story had on the audience.

The set design is by Janet Bird. We start in front of a black backdrop which, when raised reveals a gorgeous, modern, orange coloured flat, creating a really warm feeling. The flat changes later on to an equally comfortable and stylish looking apartment.

Lighting Designer is Matt Haskins and Sound Designer is Harry Blake. Both sound and lighting operation help create atmosphere, especially in significant sections of the monologues.

This is probably one of the most difficult reviews that I've had to write for a long time because it's a play that I would love everyone to see, for particular social reasons, but a play that I don't want to tell you what happens within the play - obviously at odds with what a review should encapsulate. All I can say is that this is a play which reflects today's world, performed by an amazing storyteller of an actor who looked visibly affected when she took her final applause; applause that could have gone on longer had the lights not gone up.

Nottingham Playhouse also offer accessible performances in the form of Audio Described performances and Touch Tours, British Sign Language (BSL) Interpreted performances, Captioned performances, Dementia Friendly performances, Relaxed and Chilled performances. For more details of these performances please visit the Nottingham Playhouse website.

"Girls & Boys" is at the Nottingham Playhouse until Saturday 1 March.

 "Of Mice And Men" written by John Steinbeck.

Derby Theatre.

John Steinbeck's classic deep South novella, rather than a novel, which he wrote as a "playable novel" about two men travelling together looking for work. George is clever, the opposite of Lennie who has learning difficulties. They say opposites attract and throughout the play George tells us how much better off he would be if he was travelling alone. The two are loners in their own way and in a way they do need each other, Lennie probably more than George, but you get the feeling that George enjoys having the power and control over his travelling and work partner.

They are travelling to look for work on the farms, but they're also running away from trouble, and given Lennie's past, into inevitable trouble, which they find in their latest workplace. The story has several offshoots with the various workers on the farm and deal with segregation and the image of how women are treated within marriage as well as the image of elders with learning difficulties. All sidelines but all very vital to the story as a whole.

Steinbeck originally planned the book as a children's story, and that is why the book is still on many school's curriculum. It gives many positives as well as highlighting a lot of negative attitudes, many of which still exist in modern society. 

George is played by Liam King. Liam really comes across as the protective one, and he is to a great extent just that. In the final scenes you can tell he isn't 100% in favour of his actions, but in his eyes, is the kindest action to protect Lennie. Confident role who, again evokes emotion and reaction from the audience for his character.

Lennie is played by Wiliam Young. Wiliam is spot on as the mentally challenged, but lovable Lennie. The reason for this is because Wiliam, and Luke, who shares the role, are both learning disabled, ensuring that this production is fully inclusive.

You really do feel sorry for Lennie and the end, because you know what his fate is, really makes you tense up. Wiliam projects the very human side, as well as the lonely side of the character and that really stirs the emotional side of the viewer.

Luke Richards will play the role Thursday evenings and Saturday Matinees.

Jeff Alexander plays Crooks who has a very convincing emotional scene and speech as he describes what his life as a black man in the deep south is like. In the play Crooks has a back injury, which makes him move in a certain way. Jeff himself has suffered a major back injury, so he can really put that physicality on stage in the way that he moves and acts.

Benjamin Wilson is Candy, a lovely warm character who, like Lennie and George, has his dreams which you just know won't come to fruition. He has hopes and ambition, even at his time of life and his devotion to the dog he had as a pup is admirable, recoiling into a semi foetal position after his final act of "kindness". This production really is special because Benjamin is a blind actor.

Curley, the over protective and suspicious husband as well as being The Boss's son, is played by Stefan Race. Curley is talented and picked fights with the wrong people entirely: Lennie, because he was far too strong, and Slim, because he was too well-respected. Stefan brings out that arrogance, which could be seen as stupidity, brilliantly.

Curly's wife is played by Emma Charlton. The workers all think that she is trouble, popping over when Curley is not around, on the premise that she is looking for her husband, when in fact the real reason for her being there is very different. Emma is no stranger to the Derby Theatre stage.

Playing The Boss is John Elkington, a name that anyone who has been to a Nottingham Playhouse pantomime will know instantly. Thirteen years ago I remember seeing John play the role of George at Nottingham Playhouse.

Tom Fletcher, who is a hard of hearing actor, plays Carlson, one of the labourers on the farm. Carlson is powerful, fearless, but has a friendly side to him. He is opposed to Candy's old dog and has an off stage scene that, even when you know the story and have seen the play, still comes as a shocking moment.

Afton Moran plays Whit. Whit enjoys a good time, and regularly spends all his money at the whorehouse in town. Aggressive, nosy, and always looking to be where the action is, Whit seems to seek out and enjoy any drama or tension on the ranch. A fun character role that is brought to the fore on several occasions by Afton.  

Laurence Pears plays Slim, the most well respected of the labourers on the farm. He is the rational one of the bunch, and even Curley takes notice of him. Slim is the only one on the ranch who appreciates the difficulty of George's position, and also provides a way that would help George, and Lennie in the most humane ending to their particular situation.

Directed by Sarah Brigham and what really hit me with this production was the use of script space, especially in one particular scene, which I won't give away, but will be apparent when you see this production. There are a few spaces where, in many other plays may come across as possibly need for a prompt, but really adds suspense, when you know this particular scene. So much can be said or insinuated where there's gaps of silence on stage, and Sarah really creates expectant tension. I often go on about pace, and this play is all about pace, which in turn creates just the right atmosphere.

Set and Costume Designer is Jess Curtis. The set looks fairly static until the end scenes when it all opens out, and the props that are brought on and taken off really change the look of the stage set.

Lighting design is by Simeon Miller and sound design and composer is Ivan Stott. 

It is a classic piece of literature and is a powerful and emotive piece of theatre, beautifully acted which still manages to hold an air of tension and menace, and still has that shock element. At the end I looked around at some of the audience and they were visibly affected by what they had just seen; and that is the mark of a great production.

As part of the production, Derby Theatre are also offering integrated creative audio description performed in character by the actors.

"Of Mice And Men" is at Derby Theatre until Saturday 1 March.

Photography by Pamela Raith Photography.

 "Fame Jr" by Erewash Musical Society Youth Group.

Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton.

Set during the last years of New York City's celebrated High School for the Performing Arts in the early 1980s, "Fame Jr." is the bittersweet, but inspiring, story of a diverse group of students who commit to four years of gruelling artistic and academic work. With candor, humor and insight, the show explores the issues that confront many young people today.

This is the "Junior" version of the full length musical, so a lot of the grittiness of the original has been removed for a younger cast. Personally, I think the cuts that have gone into creating a junior version have been overdone, and while I can see the reason why some songs have been left out, and therefore the scenes that include those songs, they do remove some of the important stories, and therefore have reduced the stage time for some of the characters, and spoils the flow and continuity of the musical. 

For anyone who hasn't seen the full stage version of this musical, you probably wouldn't notice anything, but you have missed out on some excellent songs like "Dancing On The Sidewalk", "Tyrone's Rap", "Can't Keep it Down" and my favourite song from the musical soundtrack "These Are My Children". Nevertheless what was included was simply brilliant.

That said, Erewash Musical Society Youth Group have done a wonderful job with the junior script they have to work with. 

There was an interesting opening to this version where the announcement for videos to show the performing arts school students talents, followed by a selection of video applications, which looked wonderfully dated. This led to the opening of the envelopes by the students showing that they had been accepted into the Academy. This then led into the opening number "Hard Work".

Miss Sherman, the English teacher, is played by Jessie Gatehouse. Jessie  presents a wonderful air of authority over the students, especially Tyrone, and it's Miss Sherman who discovers something about Tyrone that was holding his English lessons back. 

Miss Bell, the Dance teacher is played by Myla Statham-Browne. This is Myla's first show with EMUS, but what a boon to the company. This young actor oozes confidence and is not afraid to let rip in character as she shows that she has her star pupil's back over Miss Sherwood. 

The argument duet between Miss Sherman and Miss Bell were executed with real passion and they both have the loveliest of voices for such young actors. I would have loved to have heard Jessie take on "These Are My Children" though.

Ms Steinkopf, the Music teacher, is played by Grace Sims. This role has been gender swapped, and the name slightly altered from Sheinkopf to Steinkopf. It's normally a male actor who plays Sheinkopf, but it's 2025 so it's nice to see things changed up a bit.

Eloise Chamberlain plays Ms Myers, the Drama teacher.

Carmen Diaz is played by Katie Chamberlain. Now I already know just how good Katie's voice is because she played the role of Christine in "Phantom Of the Opera" at Derby Theatre, and listening to her perform the gorgeous "Bring On Tomorrow" was a real highlight for me.

Jack Tuxford makes his debut appearance for EMUS playing Shlomo Metzenbaum, the student who is expected to live up to his violin playing father's fame. Shlomo and Carmen perform as a duo with Jack on the keyboards and Katie taking lead vocals. I wasn't sure if Jack was actually playing the keys on stage, but looking at the notes in the programme, he is a talented musician, playing guitar and drums - not at the same time though! 

Goodman "Goody" King, the trumpet player, is played by Noah Hickling and Rose Staniford, the drummer, is Grace "Lambchops" Lamb. In the "Jr" version of this musical, this pair had their roles reduced as the two others in the band formed by Schlomo. 

Elis Moore is Jose "Joe" Vegas.  Vegas is the comedy character and apart from the Romeo and Juliet scene, he didn't really have a lot to do. That is because Joe Vegas' main scene is when he performs "Can't Keep It Down", which I know may be just a bit risque for a "Jr" edition, but it's the scene where we get to really know Joe. That said, Elis really made his presence felt on stage, right the way to the final bows, making sure that his was the last face we saw as the curtains closed. This young man also has a talent for accents as well; his Bronx accent never lapsed and this gave rise to much of the comedy from the way that Joe spoke. So pleased to see that he has moved from the ensemble from the past couple of shows to take a main role. A good character and comedy actor in the making.

Mabel Washington is played by Gabriella Tilley. Mabel is the ever hungry student who has a gospelly solo spot in "Mabel's Prayer" near the end of the second act.

Toby Wykes plays Tyrone Jackson. Toby showed us his fire as the dancer who we discover has character as having dyslexia in the second act. He is a terrific dancer, but I would have loved to have seen him perform "Dancing On The Sidewalk" to show us more of his street choreography, and I'm certain that he would have been able to deliver "Tyrone's Rap" with fire also. It's not the first time that I have commented on Toby's dance skills, showing that he has been perfectly cast as Tyrone.

Iris Kelly is played by Lowri Moore. Iris is the ballet star in the dance class and the girl who Tyrone is attracted to. Even though Tyrone is told that she is way, way, WAY out of his league, Iris sees him as a dance ally and they end up performing together. A lovely graceful dancer.

Serena Katz is played by Eleanor Cooper. Serena is in love with Nick Piazza, in fact the character is overawed by the fact that Nick has appeared on TV and in commercials, thanks to his pushy mother, and Nick sees her as not being a serious actor, until she gets cast as Juliet in "Romeo and Juliet". There's a lovely song that Serena sings called "Let's Play A Love Scene" which really shows off Eleanor's lovely voice.

Nick Piazza is played by Harry O' Boyle. I've noted in past reviews that Harry should be elevated to a main character role, especially after playing Cowboy Bob in EMUS production of "Footloose", so I am really pleased to see Harry play this character. I've watched Harry mature on stage in his performance skills, and this is his best performance so far.

The Dance Students were played by Lauren Hazeldine, Livvi Hickling, Sophie Forman, Lacey Swinburne, Izzy Cole and Yasmin Aldous.

The Music Students are Rosey Malins, Blake Hagen, Eva Woodcock and Jessie Jerram.

The Acting Students are Clarissa Armitage, Oliver Nolan and Theodore Goodwin.

The energy from that stage, as well as the infectious enthusiasm for everyone, was itself enough to light up the night like a flame.

Directed by Hayley Wood, who makes her Directorial debut with EMUS. The pace was relentless throughout and everything was kept so tight. I loved that energy that Hayley has injected into this show and that she has received back from this wonderful cast.

Choreographed by Lauren Riley. Lauren has not given her cast of dancers an easy ride with these dance moves, and that has really paid off. I absolutely loved the Latin routine at the end of the first act where the choreography for "There She Goes", which went into "Fame" was performed beautifully.

Musical Director for this production is  Gabryl Oleshko. Gabryl has done a brilliant job with this cast, and it's his hard work, as well as the vocalists that make this production such a strong show. The harmonies created by the cast are insane, and the solos and duets sound really good as well. The arrangements, some of them being new ones by Gabryl.

Sound design and operation is by Dave Dallard, assisted by Jack Clark. there was a time at The Duchess that I found myself playing the "critic" instead of the "reviewer" - there really is a difference - but of late, I have had nothing to be critical about. The sound was as clear as a bell and the missed mic cues have really been reduced to just one that I noticed on Friday night - but that is only because I was listening for them. A really good sound mix throughout.

Lighting design and operation is by Richard Chamberlain assisted by Dave Martin and Edward Mallen. Some really nice crisp lighting cues, especially when the spotlights switched from the various student groups.

Set Designers are Mark Robbins and Bill Robbins. An uncomplicated set design with props being transported on and off set by the actors, making the scene changes smooth. 

This young cast show a high professional regard for what they do on stage, and you know for a fact that they also enjoy the entertainment that they give their audiences by the noise they create when the curtains are closed at the end. An ending that came far too soon for me, as I was enjoying it too much.

"Fame Jr" is at The Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton until Saturday 8 February with a matinee performance at 2.30.