Reviews

This year marks the 170th anniversary of the first publication of Charlotte Bronte’s novel so it seems an appropriate time for this National Theatre/Bristol Old Vic collaboration to tour prior to a London season – although the production actually began its life at Bristol Old Vic back in 2014 before transferring to the National the following year. Most of us, I’m sure, read the book as children; I personally have very distinct memories of being frightened by the fire at Thornfield Hall that had been started by the mad woman in the attic, but the entire story of the young

It’s a given thing that any production by this group will be something a little different and will be beautifully dressed, thanks to the ingenuity and flair of their director, Sonia Gilson. On this occasion this ‘show within a show’ mentions as many names as possible over the course of its two hours or so, and proved to be a very pleasant way of spending a Saturday afternoon. The audience is introduced to a touring company, meeting not only the performers but also the stagehand, wardrobe mistress and doorman; in reality, in case I’ve confused you as much as I’ve

It’s a brave move from a musical society to produce a concert evening in a church hall, with no lavish scenery, costumes or lighting effects to hide behind. Waterside Musical Society promise an evening of ‘fun and wonderful music’ based on the entertainment from the late 1960s and early 1970s, when ‘musical theatre and film were riding high’ and ‘the charts were full of songs, great vocals and melodies’. In short, they promise an evening of nostalgic entertainment – and they deliver, showcasing the musical talent of WMS before a sell-out audience and providing a taster of what the society

My first thought about this play by Aimee and Philip Stuart was that it had probably been written fairly recently, possibly as a kind of spin-off from the Mr Selfridge TV series; I was totally wrong, as it was actually published in 1930 and made into a film just two years later. This all-female production, which, as always, combines the skills of graduating students from acting, costume and performance design, as well as make-up for media and performance, is set in the dress and hat department of an upmarket shop in London’s Regent Street in the early 1930s and deals

During the overture, played by an excellent orchestra under musical director Lee Marchant, a captioned slide-show gives the background to the story. It makes the thought-provoking point that before the farmers and the cowmen could move in, the Native Americans had to be chased off the land by a combination of military action and iniquitous treaties, and closes with the campaign to make Oklahoma a state. From there it is a natural segue into a full-cast rendering of ‘Oklahoma!’, the big number for which one normally has to wait until the end of act 2. Sacrificing that spine-tingling opening when

There can be only one way to begin this review of Ferndown Drama’s latest production in their 55-year history, which is to celebrate the fact that their home, the Barrington Theatre, is still their home. Circumstances beyond their control led to an abrupt, early and, I’m sure, traumatic end to their run of Outside Edge and it was especially enjoyable to be welcomed in what was very much a low-key, ‘business as usual’ way to the opening performance of Derek Benfield’s Murder for the Asking. The play is described as a thriller although, as played here at least, ‘teaser’ would