Reviews

It is difficult to think of a more enjoyable theatrical experience than Wimborne Drama Productions’ open-air Much Ado About Nothing in the delightful grounds of the Deans Court Estate. It is Shakespeare’s most frequently performed comedy, although there are darker undertones to a plot that is populated by wonderful characters who are as meaningful today as when the play was written in 1599. Director Tracey Nichols has chosen to emulate the Royal Shakespeare Company’s 2014 production by setting the play in 1919, when a group of soldiers home from the Great War arrive at the home of Baronet (of Deans

The Odd Couple is one of Neil Simon’s best-known plays. It opened on Broadway in 1965 but became familiar to a much wider public via the 1968 hit film starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. What is less well-known is that in 1985, Simon wrote a version in which the couple are female and the sexy Pigeon sisters from upstairs become a pair of Spanish brothers. It is this version that the Burley Players are presenting at their village hall this week. Anyone who uses the term, ‘a village hall production’, disparagingly or to excuse low standards should go and

Into the Woods is a modern twist on the Grimm fairy tales, bringing together the characters from the classic stories of Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk and Rapunzel into a new narrative about a baker and his wife, their longing for a family of their own and their dealings with the witch next door who has cursed them to remain childless. The melodic and lyrical genius of Stephen Sondheim has historically appealed to a more selective audience within amateur dramatic circles; critically acclaimed performances have rarely corresponded with box office success. However, due to the more

Busybody was originally written in 1964 as a vehicle for one of that era’s leading comic actresses, Irene Handl. Motives for murder abound and everyone is a suspect. A detective superintendent is plagued by two busybodies, a corpse that vanishes and an office cleaner. In the programme, Phil Vivian, the chairman, invites the audience to work out who (if anyone) dunnit, what (if anything) they did and whither (if anywhere) things keep disappearing! The play will keep you on the edge of your seats while having you roaring with laughter as you try to answer those questions. All Saints Dramatic

This musical, based on the 1953 novel 7½ Cents by Richard Bissell, deals with labour troubles in a pajama-making factory, where workers’ demands for a seven-and-a-half cent raise are going unheeded. In the midst of this ordeal, love blossoms between Babe, the grievance committee head, and Sid, the new factory superintendent. The show is packed with likeable tunes, and first-time full director Gillian Parry has done well to cover some of the dated and haphazard script requirements. Set in a ‘nowhere time’ mixture of 1950s and modern dress, hairstyle and set (top marks for the ’50s phones and kitchen appliances), the script

On a particularly warm and sunny evening, a hardy few theatre-goers ventured to see this well-written play and sat fanning ourselves with programmes, leaflets, other people’s hands etc. The story is that two middle-class couples have gone out to dinner and, upon returning to one of the couple’s homes where all are staying, find there has been a burglary. Things have been turned over and items stolen, but the safe left intact (along, curiously, with a large, centrally placed painting that draws the eyes and leaves one thinking ‘Why hasn’t that been pulled off the wall?’) The couples, as characters,