The pace of the cast members’ dialogue and interaction with each other is almost always spot on in Blithe Spirit.
‘Flawless production’: THE LADY VANISHES – Touring ★★★★★
Take a classic thriller written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder, the film version having been directed by Alfred Hitchcock, add a stellar cast and one of the most atmospheric sets I’ve seen in a long time – what do you get? A flawless production of The Lady Vanishes.
‘One of the best nights at the theatre you could wish for’: BLOOD BROTHERS – Touring
Blood Brothers is a musical that has had a special place in my heart for a long time – it will always be a five star production in my eyes and has yet to deviate from that honour. Each time I see it feels like watching again for the first time as it’s easy to find something I may have missed on other occasions.
‘Sets the bar high’: Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs – Malvern ★★★★★
Our pantomime season has kicked off late this year. However, the first of the festive treats that we’ve been able to attend has surely set the bar high, as a five-star extravaganza and perfect family pantomime – Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs at Malvern Theatres is not to be missed.
‘It’s got something for all the family’: Su Pollard stars in Malvern Theatres’ Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs
Actress Su Pollard has long been a favourite performer of mine, both on screen and in her various stage roles. As a pantomime villain she’s second to none, so I was delighted to hear she was going to play the Wicked Queen in Malvern Theatres’ pantomime this year, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
‘Everything I expect a Gilbert & Sullivan piece to be’: RUDDIGORE – Touring ★★★★★
One of the few Gilbert & Sullivan operettas I’d not seen was Ruddigore and it’s become a firm favourite following the show-stopping production brought to Malvern Theatres by the Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company.
‘It is a true masterpiece & the cast is treating it as such’: EVITA – Touring ★★★★★
When a show really blows you away, mentally and physically, it’s a rare and beautiful thing. Evita, one of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classics, has been on my radar for years and I have reviewed it on many occasions in the past. However, last night’s incarnation at Malvern Theatres may have just trumped the lot.
‘Something extraordinary’: THE LITTLE MERMAID – Touring ★★★★
It was a first for me to be able to appreciate Little Mermaid performed this way. However, I hope this will be the first of many opportunities as I witnessed something extraordinary in Metta Theatre’s production.
Pantomime season is nearly over, oh yes, it is! What were your Top 5 this year?
Choosing my top five favourites from amongst the pantomimes I had the great pleasure and privilege of watching has been really easy! Here they are…. oh yes, they are…. (I need to stop that).
My Top 5 Productions of 2017
2017 has been a bumper year for Break A Leg, we’ve literally been all over the place in as many theatres as possible and loving every minute.
CINDERELLA (with Alison Hammond) – Malvern ★★★★
As pantomimes go, Cinderella is up there with the most renowned and the magic of the fairy tale has been brought to life superbly at Malvern Theatres.
THE REAL THING – Touring
The opening scene is set in one of Henry’s (Laurence Fox) productions, although that’s not evident until the action moves on from the set to which Charlotte (Rebecca Johnson) and Max (Adam Jackson-Smith) are portraying.
THE HUNTING OF THE SNARK – Touring ★★★★★
Inspired by Lewis Carroll, The Hunting Of The Snark is a musical cornucopia of delights, silliness and adventure. A fantastic show for kids and adults alike and engaging from beginning to end
HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES – Touring ★★★★★
In my humble opinion, the ultimate specialist in farce is Alan Ayckbourn and nowhere is my point more finely demonstrated than in How The Other Half Loves. A classic, fast-paced, quick-humour-packed bundle of confusion and chaos which it could be so easy to lose the thread of if it’s not directed and performed on point.
INTERVIEW: Spotlight On… How the Other Half Loves’ Robert Daws
“Caroline Langrishe is playing the role of my wife [in Alan Ayckbourn’s How the Other Half Loves] and I filmed a Midsomer Murders episode with her last December!”
HMS PINAFORE – Touring ★★★★★
The story is straight forward, essentially a love story aboard a ship – with all of the love matches inappropriate for many reasons, but they seem to fit in a quirky way.
THE TIGER WHO CAME TO TEA – Touring ★★★★★
I was fascinated to see how this would translate onto the stage, and I had an excited three-year-old in tow who couldn’t wait to see the tiger.
INTERVIEW: Spotlight On… The Railway Children’s Joy Brook
I play the Mother, who unlike many women of the time, although respectable, is also quite bohemian in her thinking. She effectively becomes a single parent.
WAITING FOR GOD – Touring
Waiting For God was a television comedy series that I thoroughly enjoyed watching when it was on our screens, Stephanie Cole and Graham Crowden were a dream team in my humble opinion. I wondered if a stage version would work but I’m delighted to report that it’s a triumph.
FRACKED – Touring
Fracked or Please Don’t Use The F-Word is written by Alistair Beaton and couldn’t be a more current piece in the current political climate. The fact that it has two more mature characters at the helm in strong roles is especially notable.
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