Reviews

Everyone knows about the thousands of men and horses that were sent to France to help the war effort between 1914 and 1918. Less well-known is that over 900 London buses were ‘called up’ and served as everything from troop transports to mobile pigeon lofts. Their drivers went, too, and this is the story of one of them. However, it is a play of words, not action – no bangs, no flashes – telling its story through dialogue and letters. The script is largely factual and, if occasionally it teeters along the brink of sentimentality, only once near the end

With November just around the corner, it is customary for the Nation’s thoughts to turn towards Armistice and Remembrance, not so much of war itself (for war is not glorious), but of solidarity, strength, resolve, resourcefulness, resoluteness, commitment, sacrifice, family and community. Driving into Lyndhurst earlier in the week, the ‘Lest We Forget’ silhouette of a soldier caught my eye on entering the village and I was reminded of the young men who left their homes and families to fight, whether voluntarily or through conscription, in order to defend King and Country – and the great many who didn’t return.

Richard Everett’s play, which premiered at Chichester in 2006, is set in the garden of a rural English vicarage. It focuses on Grace, recently-bereaved widow of the local vicar, episodically revealing her relationships with her daughter, older sister, her husband’s successor and, indeed, her late husband. Every part offers something of interest to actors and audience alike. Some first nights are as accomplished as mid-run performances; others fall a little short; some feel as though cast and company need to get a public performance out of the way so that the production can find its self-confidence and flourish; and finally

One of the most important decisions a Drama Society can make is to pick the right show that fits the talents of their company. The beauty of a show like Spamalot is that it can easily fit most company’s and the show lends itself nicely to the Waterside Musical Society. For those who don’t know about the world of Spamalot, the directors’ notes suggest that it is a strange and peculiar place – a broken England beset by plague, pestilence famine and the French. This is Eric Idle’s stage musical ‘rip-off’ of the classic comedy “Monty Python and the Holy

It’s August 1959 and three French World War I veterans have become increasingly disillusioned by life in their convent military nursing home, despite the relatively peaceful and idyllic setting of their own terrace, overlooking not just the local cemetery, but also a view of beautiful poplar trees, a view which leads to them deciding to make a break for freedom. While reminiscing about their lives and past battles, grumbling about the staff, dreaming of chasing younger women and worrying about the potential consequences of multiple birthdays on the same day, they hatch a plot to escape across the fields. However,

“Alfred is happy and Melinda his wife is happy. Eduardo is happy but Eva his girlfriend is not happy. This is how Robert Caisley’s slick four-hander opens, in the ideal setting of the Maskers’ intimate studio theatre. The premise is a simple one (we wish!) – Eduardo and Alfred are old friends who go way back. Eduardo has invited Alfred and Melinda to dinner, with the purpose of introducing them to his new (and much younger) girlfriend Eva. Alfred and Melinda, despite having a teenage special needs daughter, are constantly upbeat about everything, always finding the positives in every aspect