Reviews

Until the virus-induced hiatus, which struck both professional and amateur theatre in 2020 and ’21, Broadstone’s Plays ‘n’ Chips was an annual event which mixed some beginning (or lapsed) players with some seasoned performers in a relaxed presentation of short, one act plays or sketches. The laudable objective was to nurture some new talent with decent parts in relatively short and easy pieces – usually comedies – without them having to serve an apprenticeship as ‘2nd Spear Carrier’ for two seasons before getting a speaking part. Some of those beginners from previous shows have gone on to become regular performers –

  Encore! Theatre Productions are experienced at presenting Broadway Musical showcases, this time choosing numbers from West Side Story, Little Women, Bonnie And Clyde, IntoThe Woods, 9 to 5, A Chorus Line, Heathers and Something Rotten! This could have made for a challenging evening, but from the opening number it was obvious we were in good hands. The simple but effective staging, consisting of two raised platforms upstage right and left, provided the opportunity for the company to exploit different levels. This meant that the audience got to see the faces of the fourteen strong cast, but also allowed the

  An enjoyable day of events and activities was facilitated by Poole Rotary in conjunction with The Lighthouse, Poole on Saturday 3 September 2022. Called Maritime Perspectives, the line-up provided insights into Poole’s seafaring past – especially the story of Woodes Rogers, who was born in Poole in 1679 and went on to become a national hero and best-selling author in his time, as well as the ‘Captain General and Governor in Chief’ of The Bahamas. Included in his exploits was the rescue of the desert island castaway Alexander Selkirk, who inspired Daniel Defoe to write Robinson Crusoe! In fact,

  If you live within reach of Wimborne and have a couple of hours available on Thursday 25 August, whether in the afternoon or in the evening, I urge you to go along to the Tivoli Theatre where the London Repertory Players conclude their five-play season with a superb production of this modern classic. Set in the 1970s, the premise is very simple: beautician Beverly and her husband Laurence have invited new neighbours, three-years married Angela and Tony Cooper to a small social gathering. Also invited is neighbour Susan, who has lived in the street for nine years, has been

  If, over the next three days (August 18 – 20), you have a free evening, or indeed a free Saturday afternoon, treat yourself to a visit to Wimborne’s Tivoli Theatre to see the fourth in London Repertory Players’ season of five weekly plays. JB Priestley’s ‘Time Play’ I Have Been Here Before is one that I had, until now, read and enjoyed but never seen onstage. I sensed, from the outset, that LRP’s production was going to fulfil my expectations – and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Priestley was a wonderful writer, erudite and humane, with an ear for natural

  The third play in London Repertory Theatre’s season at Wimborne’s Tivoli Theatre, Noël Coward’s Fallen Angels, was originally set in and first performed in 1925, meeting with opposition from within the Lord Chamberlain’s office, then responsible for censorship, and was only approved for performance after the intervention of that officer himself. The previous year, Coward had found success with his similarly controversial The Vortex, which had significantly raised his popularity among theatre managements and profile within the theatre. Dealing with what was then the precarious subjects of premarital and adulterous sex, that and its designation as a comedy divided