Reviews

New Forest Players  Ballard School, New Milton Philip & Julie McStraw 9 April 2025   Pack of Lies is an intriguing drama of deception and high stakes espionage; and asks the question: “How well do you really know your friends?” It has all the trademarks of a George Smiley or James Bond spy thriller, but it is in fact a rendering of actual events that took place in England between 1953 and 1961 – referred to as ‘The Portland Spy ring’. This was one of the most significant foreign undercover operations in Cold War Britain and involved a number of

Chesil Theatre  Chesil Theatre, Winchester  Mark Ponsford 6 April 2025 When this intensely powerful piece transferred to the Duke of Yorks Theatre from the Royal Court in 1991, the success of Juliet Stevenson in the punishing central role was almost in danger of outshining the play itself, to the extent that for the duration of her tenure you couldn’t get near the place. That the play continued successfully after her departure, initially with Geraldine James and subsequently Penny Downie (who I saw towards the end of the run) was testament to a piece of taut, gripping and thought-provoking writing. Controversial

Cheriton Players  Cheriton Village Hall, Cheriton  Anne Waggott 4 April 2025 When Sir Charles Baskerville is found dead on his Dartmoor estate, a look of terror stamped on his face and the paw prints of a gigantic hound beside his body, Sherlock Holmes (the greatest detective of his time) is summoned from Baker Street to solve the case. Accompanied by his faithful companion and fellow sleuth, Dr Watson, they travel to deepest, darkest Devon to unravel the mysteries surrounding Sir Baskerville’s death, and investigate the ancient curse of the Hound of the Baskervilles… I love a good detective story –

Studio Theatre Studio Theatre, SalisburyPhilip & Julie McStraw 1 April 2025 Be My Baby is an acclaimed 1998 debut play by celebrated British playwright Amanda Whittington. It is an emotional and hard-hitting drama, dealing with the plight of young unmarried pregnant girls, who were sidestepped by the swinging sixties. A showing of a short film The Removed precedes the play. The film deals with the lifelong impact on women who were coerced into giving up their newborn babies in the unforgiving British society of past times. The film’s running time is only a few minutes, but it leaves a lasting

Swanage Musical Theatre Group  The Mowlem Theatre, Swanage John Sivewright 27 March 2025 “Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.” Those famous words, attributed to Oscar Wilde, are a theme that runs through Kinky Boots, the 2012 musical based on the 2005 British movie from the pens of Geoff Deane and Tim Firth. The show follows Charlie Price and Lola/Simon, sons of a shoe manufacturer and boxer respectively, as they try to save Charlie’s family’s shoe factory from bankruptcy, with the novel idea of radically changing up the business model – making stilettos sturdy enough for drag queens! Set primarily in

Southampton Musical Society  The Point, Eastleigh David A Putley 27 March 2025 Directed by first time director Katy Chalkley with musical direction by Gem Tunley, SMS’s bold production is a resounding success. Written in 1987 by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine, Into The Woods is a musical that casts a somewhat cynical eye over that well-worn phrase, “and they lived happily ever after”. Recognising that perpetual happiness is a fantasy, this is a weaving together of familiar fairytales shot through with a heavy dose of cynicism (Blame). For example, when Cinderella discovers that her Prince is unfaithful, his deadpan explanation is: “I