Reviews

Bournemouth Little Theatre    Bournemouth Little Theatre, Bournemouth  KD Johnson   6 June  2023   At first glance at the publicity for this comedy by Tim Firth I didn’t think I knew any of his work – but then I realised that his was the brain behind both Calendar Girls and Kinky Boots (with Geoff Deane).  This play is an earlier work dating from 1992, of which (I read) “it has been in almost continuous production since its première”.  The script was updated in 2014 with some modern references – mobile ‘phones, for example, scarcely existed in 1992 and Strictly Come

Milford on Sea Community Centre    Milford on Sea Community Centre, Milford on Sea  Darren Funnell  4 June  2023 It’s Christmas! In Summer. Well, why not? If ever there was a playwright that does exactly what it is says on the tin, it is Alan Ayckbourn. His skill for documenting middle class conformity, writing great one-liners in light farcical settings gives a leg up to any amateur production. ‘Absurd Person Singular’, that played from 1st-4th June at the Milford on Sea Community, could just as easily talk to the three female characters who, over 3 Christmas Eve’s, find their lives

BMT Productions     Regent Centre, Christchurch  Anne Waggott  2 June  2023 Can it really be over 20 years since we were first introduced to the Scottish green ogre who would go to unimaginable lengths (for him!) to reclaim his swamp? I admit, Shrek the film has long been one of my guilty pleasures, even if I was rather ambivalent about seeing it in the first place… However, there is no ambivalence about my feelings for BMT Productions’ rendition of Shrek The Musical – I absolutely loved it! From the opening pre-show notices, it was clear that this was going to

Arts University Bournemouth [AUB]    Ocean Room Theatre, Pavilion Dance South West, Bournemouth John Sivewright  1 June  2023 It’s not often that one gets to attend the opening night of a new musical, but that’s just what this reviewer had in store this evening, and what a treat it was! Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) Productions put their highly talented cast and crew of students to work on Masque Macabre, a musical retelling of a number of short stories by French 19th century novelist Guy De Maupassant, and they were ingeniously knit together by Crispin Harris and Paul Knight (responsible for the

Pinpoint Productions     The Arch, Chandlers Ford Mark Ponsford  27 May  2023 Initially conceived by Jason Robert Brown as a showcase for his own work, Songs For A New World evolved from being a collection of largely unconnected songs into a cohesive whole, initially presented Off-Broadway in 1995. Although it would be tempting (and not entirely inaccurate) to describe it as a Revue, its composer/lyricist prefers it to be seen as “a very theatrical song cycle”, all of the songs having one thing in common: “The Moment of Decision”. And that’s really all you need to know in advance, although

Redlynch Players     Redlynch Village Hall, Lover, Salisbury  Caroline Burr  24 May  2023   This 2008 play is based on a 1953 classic Ealing comedy film, starring Stanley Holloway and Sid James, which charts the story of villagers desperate to save the Titfield to Mallingford railway line from closure by British Rail. The line is losing money, but to save it, Lady Edna Chesterford and the vicar Sam Weech decide to keep it going themselves by using a train that has been in a local museum. Challenges to their endeavours come from both Vernon Crump, who sees his chance to set