Reviews

Blue Butterfly Studios    Rose Theatre, Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, Eastleigh   Anne Waggott  25 July 2025 “Blue Butterfly Studios have provided a magnificent training ground for Eastleigh’s budding youth performers – and I can’t wait to see where this may lead them next!” This is the conclusion of my review for Blue Butterfly Studios last summer show, The Little Mermaid Jr… Fast forward 13 months to find out just where that might be and I landed in a magical adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale, Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland – and I loved it! Blue Butterfly Studios is based

New Forest Players    Ballard School, New Milton   Darren Funnell 24 July 2025   David Tristram’s Inspector Drake And The Perfekt Crime is a knowingly ridiculous send-up of the classic murder mystery and this lively production at Ballard School for the New Forest Players embraces the absurdity with confidence. The writing, packed with theatrical in-jokes, daft twists, and knowing deliveries, has VERY familiar whodunnit tropes. The production team and cast use this to exaggerate to the point of affectionate ridicule (of themselves, as well as the material) and it opens a warm, uncomplicated funny evening for the audience. There were

BIGLITTLE Theatre School  Bournemouth Pavilion, BournemouthCarole Gadsby 17 July 2025 What an absolute joy it was to watch this latest production from BIGLITTLE Theatre School. From start to finish, the energy on stage was nothing short of phenomenal. This annual production takes the audience on a whirlwind journey, fast and furious through a range of shows giving the extremely talented young people a chance to shine, and they certainly did shine. WOW, what a fantastic opening number showcasing the whole company – Mary Poppins, from the magic of the lamp to the fast and furious dance routines. The chimney sweeps were

Double Act drama group    North Castle Field, opp Castle View NT car park, Nr Corfe Castle   Andrea Pellegrini 16 July 2025   Can you solve the crime? Fancy yourself as a bit of an Inspector Poirot or a Sherlock Holmes? Love a murder mystery? Into History and love to walk amongst beautiful scenery? Then Murder Walk By The Castle is definitely for you! At £5 per ticket, it’s an absolute steal and well worth just over an hour’s worth of entertainment! Meet at North Castle field just north of the castle ruins and travel back in time to

Chesil Theatre  Chesil Theatre, Winchester Mark Ponsford 13 July 2025 “He was broke, he was horny, and he was starved for an idea!”. Thus,  the co-writer of the 1998 film Shakespeare In Love, Marc Norman, summed up the general premise of this enchanting creation, in which any historical inaccuracies and suppositions are swept neatly away in favour of a deliciously warm, witty and surprisingly touching comedy. Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard’s ingenious screenplay was handed over to a company of ‘A’-listers, who ran with it, and the resulting concoction helped in no small measure to ensure the film’s critical and

Lyndhurst Drama & Musical Society  Vernon Theatre, LyndhurstDarren Funnell 10 July 2025 What do you get when you combine Jane Austen, high-fives, fan etiquette, and a reference to Toys R Us? You get Pride, Prejudice and Other Useful Qualities. A witty, unpredictable production from Lyndhurst Dramatic and Musical Society, celebrating 75 years of theatrical flair and 250 years of Jane Austen. It’s a clever way of bringing two major achievements together over a free celebratory glass of Prosecco (or two). Special credit goes to Hannah Rodgers and Richard Barnett, who, in Part 1, brilliantly fuse the 75-year theatrical journey of Lyndhurst Dramatic