Reviews

Poulner Players  Waldorf School, RingwoodChelsea Ball 20 February 2026   I headed over to Ringwood to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang this week, performed by the Poulner Players at The Ringwood Waldorf School, and it made for a really lovely evening. Chitty is, of course, an absolute classic. The songs are instantly recognisable, the characters iconic, and the storyline full of heart. The cast brought great energy and enthusiasm to the stage, and there were even a few witty double entendres that I don’t recall from previous productions I’ve seen, which definitely added some extra laughs for the grown-ups in the

Wimborne Drama Productions  Tivoli Theatre, WimborneSusanna Greenwood 20 February 2026 Writers Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran are best known for their celebrated television comedies, including Birds of a Feather and Goodnight Sweetheart.  In Von Ribbentrop’s Watch, however, they turn to domestic drama, inspired by Marks’ own experience of buying a vintage watch and subsequently discovering it once belonged to convicted Nazi war criminal Joachim Von Ribbentrop – Foreign Minister of Nazi Germany who was executed following the Nuremberg Trials. In this reimagining, we meet Gerald Roth, patriarch of a Jewish family in Middlesex.  A struggling wine merchant, he sends his

Big Little Theatre School  Performing Arts Centre, Bournemouth School for GirlsCarole Gadsby 19 February 2026 WOW, what a treat; this spectacular production of CURTAINS is full of fun, laughter, dancing and intrigue and was indeed a show of raw talent and high energy. The story is relayed to the audience of a musical which has just opened with backstage and onstage action used to move the plot ahead. The show opens with the final scene of a musical within a musical and the leading lady, played by Neve McRobb, making a brief but noticeable appearance, collapsing on stage. It soon turns

Centrestage Productions Youth Theatre    The Point, EastleighDavid A Putley 18 February 2026 I am surprised that this charming adaption of the classic tale is not performed more widely on the amateur circuit, if not professionally. The score is up to Styles and Drewe’s usual high standard with a book by the ever-reliable Justin Fellows. A variety of styles and lots of characters to be given a moment to shine.  And shine they do in this deftly directed production by Mike Mullen. It whips along with pace and professionalism: subtle use of the dry ice to make the river under the

Studio Theatre    Studio Theatre, SalisburyLloyd Perry 17 February 2026 Four individuals based on a remote Scottish island is probably not the greatest pull into amateur theatre on a cold February night but Studio Theatre, Salisbury hit all the right notes in this brilliantly staged production written by David Greig. Outlying Islands is set in 1939, on the eve of the Second World War. Two young ornithologists, Robert and John, are sent to a remote island in the Outer Hebrides to conduct a survey of seabirds. They are accompanied by Ellen, the niece of the island’s elderly owner, Kirk. What begins

New Forest Players    Ballard School, New MiltonBethany Sivewright 17 February 2026   If you’ve read the title Vardy v Rooney: The Wagatha Christie Trial on a promotional poster, you may well have conjured up images of gossiping wives, a suspenseful courtroom drama or a tense penalty shootout. While there are no actual footballs in this production, you’ll certainly be treated to a plethora of clever footballing references and no end of gossip and drama in the courtroom! The play depicts the true story of the £4 million libel case brought by Rebekha Vardy against Coleen Rooney in 2022, adapted by