Reviews

Made in 1952, this masterpiece of the classical Hollywood musical genre was voted fifth in the American Film Institute’s top 100 greatest films of all time and it’s not hard to see why it has endeared itself to generations of film and music lovers ever since, with its comedy, its variety of tunes, its range of characters and its opportunity for big chorus numbers. Set in Hollywood in the late 1920s, the film industry is on the brink of upheaval with the arrival of the very first talking picture, ‘The Jazz Singer’. Eager to emulate that film’s success, Monumental Pictures’

It’s a funny little place Swanage. Some villages in Dorset are bigger than Swanage and yet it’s never failed to produce more than its fair share of talent. It’s good to see, through the upcoming generations, the performing arts are in safe hands. Bugsy Malone is a fabulous show; I’ve seen it many times. The parents of tonight’s cast must be very proud. I would be. It’s easy to pick out the stars, and I suppose they are important, but it’s all the ensemble that gets my attention. What a great bunch they were. I tend to look at the

Unfortunately, SUSU’s latest production of Blithe Spirit didn’t get off to the best of starts as the show began about 10 minutes late, but things improved with the entrance of Elvira. Samantha Sharp must be complimented on a fabulous performance as the aforementioned ex-(living) wife. She was sharp (as her name suggests), sly, enticing and brattish all in the space of a few snippets; she stole each scene that she was in. However, it was perhaps the smallest part that stole the show. Ian Bessant was fabulous as Dr. Bradman and he thoroughly earned the ‘Ha!’ given during a physical

ImpAct Theatre pride themselves on their ability to undertake and perform challenging theatrical material; plays normally avoided by most amateur dramatic companies. This autumn, Iron is no exception. Set in a woman’s prison, the play pits a mother/daughter relationship central to the narrative as daughter Josie tries to uncover her lost childhood memories (apparently wiped after the traumatic murder of her father) through re-connecting with her mother, Fay, whom she hasn’t seen in fifteen years. The problem is, Fay is the murderer and wants nothing more than to forget this past. Described as an intense psychological drama, Iron takes audiences

Jesus Christ Superstar by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice is the latest production to be performed by Spot On Productions. Having the chance to see their previous production, I was excited to watch the cast again take on this musical production. The band, under the direction of the talented Martin Bennetts, worked well visually on stage. The simple yet effective set was used to its full potential, adding levels to the acting and singing during the show. The movable cross structure in the centre of the stage worked well as an interchangeable piece of set, being used as a

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