Reviews

As I had never seen the musical version of A Tale of Two Cities I was somewhat apprehensive as to what to expect. Encore Theatre Productions was also a first for me, however I was ‘blown away’ by their performance. Many of you will have read the Charles Dickens novel whilst at school and, like me, found the storyline dark and depressing, but not so this production with its fantastic chorus numbers, slick lighting and scene changes it kept your interest throughout the whole show. The orchestra under the Musical Direction of Nick Sanders made this powerful musical score sound

The simple reason why The Mikado is the most popular of all G&S operas is that it is the funniest – or at least, its humour is most easily appreciated by today’s audiences. This production gets full value from the humour, especially in act 2. It’s not too difficult to extract the comedy from ‘Here’s a how-de-do’ or the scene where Ko-Ko declares his love for Katisha, but I don’t remember laughing much at ‘Brightly dawns’ before. Most of the laughs, though, are thanks to the performance of Richard Haynes as Ko-Ko. Physically, facially and vocally, he is a natural

It presents a particularly strong challenge to bring to the stage characters and situations as well-known and well-loved as those in such TV sitcoms as Fawlty Towers and ‘Allo ‘Allo, and Bishopstoke Players took on the latest of these in the form of Ian Gower and Paul Carpenter’s adaption of The Vicar of Dibley, and for the most part a very fine job they made of it. Knitting together some of the best-known situations, from the vicar’s first arrival in the opening scene, and culminating in Alice and Hugo’s wedding as the finale, we enjoyed all the idiosyncrasies we have

To be honest, I set out on this commission with misgivings. My Fair Lady is undoubtedly one of the great musicals, but it is not an easy show for an amateur society to do well. Its set pieces such as ‘I’m getting married in the morning’ and the Ascot scene work superbly on a big stage with complex sets and fabulous costumes and backed by a full orchestra. And Higgins and Eliza are two of the more demanding parts in musical theatre: if they are done well, the production will fly, but if not, it will fall apart. So what

This was an evening of firsts for me, a first visit to the Shelley Theatre and the first time I had seen Arena Theatre. However it was not the first time I had seen the beautifully lyrical play The Beauty Queen of Leenane by Martin McDonagh, which for me is one of my favourites. It is a dark comedy and this production of the play is very truthful to that. The story is of an aging mother (Mag), very fearful of the future without her daughter (Maureen) by her side to make endless cups of tea, porridge and complan. Set

It’s England, 1932 – and the Ardsley family appears to be conducting their lives successfully and wholeheartedly following World War I and the Great Depression. However, appearances are deceptive, as each of them struggles to find their place in the new world. When For Services Rendered was first performed in 1932, it only had a short run of just 78 performances, considered to be “defeatist or even subversive”. In truth, it was – and remains – a stark, at times unpalatable, commentary on the aftermath of war and humanity, not just for those who served, but also for those left