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Music and Lyrics: Frank Loesser Book: Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows Artistic Director: David McNeill Musical Director: Simon Hanson Choreographer: Geoff Steers Reviewer: Helen Jones The Public Reviews Rating: Stage Experience have auditioned and cast one hundred young people between the ages of ten and twenty one, then given them ten days to rehearse before appearing before the audience at the Palace Theatre in Frank Loesser’s musical Guys and Dolls. Amazingly, it works brilliantly. Loesser’s famous musical, based on the stories of Damon Runyon, is set in the seedy side of New York in 1950 and tells of the romances of two couples. Miss Sarah Brown helps run the local Save Your Souls mission, Miss Adelaide is the star of the local revue, Nathan Detroit and Sky Masterson are gamblers. The score is filled with some of Loesser’s most well-known songs including Sit Down You’re Rockin’ The Boat and Luck Be A Lady. This cast of youngsters shows real talent and includes several potential stars of professional musical theatre; in fact a couple of them are already working professionally. Rebecca Lake’s delicate looking Sarah Brown is sweet voiced but truly shows her acting ability and timing during the scene in Havana where Sarah is under the influence of rather a lot of rum. Fifteen years old Ryan Hunt, while still looking much too young to be a convincing grandfather, is confident in his role and shows a beautiful singing voice in his one solo number. Ben Davies is a charismatic Sky Masterson but somehow just lacks that ability to convince me he’s a hardened gambler. However, he gives a skilled performance which is engaging to watch. Mark Bayliss as Nathan Detroit has that gambling-addicted look down to a fine art. Combined with his accomplished acting and a stunning singing voice, Bayliss makes himself [...]

Writer: Ian Winterton Director: Matt Gould Reviewer: Clare Howdon The Public Reviews Rating: ‘Baby Jesus Freak’ is the latest offering by writer Ian Winterton, and opens at the funeral of Matt and Daniel’s mother, where a sermon is being delivered by Pastor John (Ben Rigby). A few too many drinks at the wake steers the sibling’s evenings off into two very different directions. Whilst Atheist Matt (Richard Hand) is visited by an apparition named Ruth (Gemma F Flannery) claiming to be his unborn niece, Born-Again Christian Daniel (Adam Lowe) accidentally sleeps with his brother’s ex girlfriend Lauren (Natalie Husdan). Trying desperately to fight off the religious guilt of his promiscuous behaviour, Daniel throws himself wholeheartedly into a relationship with fellow believer Bethany (Claire Dean). However when Lauren phones with the unwelcome and unexpected news that she is pregnant, Daniel’s life is thrown into disarray. ‘Baby Jesus Freak’ is ultimately tackling the issue of abortion and the age old argument of Pro Life verses Pro Choice. Whilst the topic of this play is certainly nothing new, Ian Winterton’s fresh and brutally honest approach coupled with Matt Gould’s frank direction makes this piece feel modern and original, whilst always avoiding the fatal pitfall of becoming too preachy or emotive. The Lass O’Gowrie is a perfect venue for this dialogue-driven play and there are some lovely performances and devices utilised, notably in the use of niece Ruth, a role which is delivered beautifully and effortlessly by Gemma F Flannery. Equally effective is the subtle performance given by Richard Hand of a tortured mind whose atheistic tendencies are being questioned by his visions and there are some delightfully tender moments between uncle and niece. Claire Dean also gives a stand-out performance as pious American Bethany providing some much needed humour to what is a rather dour and [...]

Writer: Dave Simpson Director: Helen Parry Reviewer: Rebecca Mickler The Public Reviews Rating: In front of a red curtain and lonely spotlight; on walks Jack Bailey. He is accompanied by his almost faithful Pianist whilst singing a pub singer version of ‘She’ by Elvis Costello and sports a Mullet Pat Sharp would have been proud of, a gold sequined shirt, white blazer and white socks. I thought I was in for a long night, until he started telling Jokes. Dirty ones. It’s 1985 and Jack Bailey is hosting the annual ‘Miss Goldengate’ beauty pageant at his Salfordian Working Men’s Club. The already ‘local personality’ Bailey has invited some very important guests in the hope of upping his profile and makes sure the girls in the pageant know about his efforts before they go on. Cooped up in a dingy back room, the girls and one guy dressed as a girl all have their own agendas for showcasing themselves. These agendas become spectacularly apparent as the play unfolds. Mark Sheals is hilarious as Jack Bailey as he compares the pageant, insults the girls, and gets far too close to them for comfort. Equally, Katie McArdle plays the clumsy, ditsy Karen well who is seen as the odd one out by the other, more experienced girls. Raving Beauties, written by Dave Simpson, is a multi-faceted play that has you laughing and cringing at Bailey’s misogyny and pervertedness one minute while smacking you in the face with each girls own personal turmoil the next. As an observant writer, Dave Simpson is able to present an entertaining but sensitive view to the audience on the subject of gender inequality. This version of the play, produced by Broken Echo theatre company, has managed to encompass it’s snappy dialogue while adding fantastic character acting performed by the whole cast. [...]

Writer: Dick Curran Director: Clare Howdon Reviewer: Jo Beggs The Public Reviews Rating: On the remote Farne Islands is a tiny warden’s hut and inside sits Peter (Mark Frampton), modern day hermit, escapee from the real world, a man at home in nature yet tortured by its fragility. As he awaits his daily boat-loads of twitchers and tourists he becomes ever more detatched, increasingly moody, his social skills slowly slipping away. When city girl Nicola (Katy Slater) arrives, with her bird book and M&S Sushi, she’s everything Peter seems to be escaping from. She doesn’t know one species of Tern from another and it’s a definite mistake to reveal that she’s writing poetry about mermaids as part of her creative writing course. Her week on the island as a stand-in tour guide is going to be the longest week on Peter’s life. But Nicola is determined to enjoy herself and Peter’s grumpiness isn’t going to stop her. As the week goes on and their reasons for turning their backs on reality emerge, an uneasy friendship develops. But they’re not alone. As well as thousands of seabirds, there’s Ellen (Claire Dean). Ellen is Peter’s boss, and she watches every move he makes. Islanders is a real success, Dick Curran has created a wonderful little world – a claustrophobic bubble set in a bleak wilderness, and all the production elements come together beautifully to create it. A simple but effectively realistic set, lovely black and white film of the Islands and a collage of sound evoking memories from the past are set alongside Clare Howdon’s no-nonsense, pacy direction to create Peter’s world. This little hut is his castle, and he is the undoubted king. Strong performances from all members of the cast make this a very enjoyable play but Mark Frampton inhabits its fascinating central [...]

Writer: Sean Gregory Director: Richard Vergette Reviewer: Jo Beggs The Public Reviews Rating: During her mother’s wake, Alice stumbles into the house next door, home to the rather sinister Mr Melks, only to find Melks vanished and a trunk full of cassette tapes on which he has, over many years, recorded the comings and goings of her family through the flimsy walls. The initial shock of the situation soon turns to fascination and when her sister comes to find her, they embark on a journey back through the sometimes mundane, sometimes funny and sometimes painful episodes of their lives. Alice (Louise-Clare Henry) is the one who stayed whilst older sister Jude (Joanne Smart) took off to college, got married and detached herself from the family. There’s a lot of resentment on both sides and it all comes out as moments from their past are relived through the contents of the tapes. Hearing conversations from the past gives the girls a chance for belated apologies, an opportunity to reassess their memories and make some more mature assessments. The father who left seems an altogether more sympathetic character, their mother less uptight and proper. Suddenly the creepy guy with the microphone next door seems to have had a less sinister purpose. Once you put aside the practical questions (what normal person would remember the actual dates they had certain conversations on? Just how did he make these high quality recordings through the wall anyway?) and embrace the dramatic device, the play takes on a slightly repetitive rhythm as one family secret after another is revealed, but there are just enough twists and turns to sustain it for its full hour. Rather less convincing is the play’s strange and clunky pace. Starting with disjointed, unemotional delivery it soon veers into lots of clichéd shouting and arm [...]

Writer/Director: Ian Moore Reviewer: Ruth Lovett The Public Reviews Rating: Set against the backdrop of the Kronstadt rebellion which was an unsuccessful uprising of Soviets against the Russian government in March 1921; The Inconsistent Whisper of Insanity is a fictional account of one young girl’s accidental involvement in those events. Asked by her Guardian, a Lieutenant Colonel in the Bolshevik Army, to meet a relative at the station, fifteen year old Milena becomes unwittingly involved with a group of White Mensheviks. If you are unfamiliar with this evet then you may struggle to pick up the story straight away as the piece is off and running from lights down with no time to establish the historical context the piece is set against. You will need your thinking caps on for this one. With scenes that take place in the past, present and future, it can be difficult to follow the story line and at times it is difficult to establish where the narrative lies because of the chopping and changing and repetition of various scenes. It takes some time to realise that we are seeing the story through the young Milena’s eyes and again through her older, dementia confused eyes some 60 years later. At times Milena’s voice is lost amongst those of the other cast members and is drowned out by the rather hypnotic and effective creation of sound effects such as those of a moving train. As the piece is only 60 minutes long there is not time to explore all the themes and issued raised and much of it seems rushed and hurried and rather than being thought provoking; the result is more of confusion as the audience sometimes struggle to keep up with all the events on stage and perhaps miss the significance of some of the scenes. Maybe [...]

Writer: Paul Osborne Director: Paul Stonehouse Reviewer:Dave Cunningham The Public Reviews Rating: Student Felix (Tom Gladstone) has his life turned upside down when his lunch- and thoughts – are rudely interrupted by Raquel (Hannah Dee). Strikingly dressed in an outfit that makes the best of her tall frame Raquel gives Felix the chance to point out things that we take for granted and offers suggestions for future actions he might consider. When things do not turn out as Felix hoped he turns to his friend Stevie(Alan Booty) for advice. The Bluest Blue examines the benefits of taking the emotional risk of reaching out and making contact with other people. In the main it succeeds in exploring this theme in a subtle way that rings true – at least as long as the characters behave like people. When they are used to portray a point of view the show is less successful. Dee gets away with representing the Life Force because she is later given the chance to show Raquel’s vulnerability as she admits to past actions and awaits the consequences. Booty is less lucky as he is stuck with representing wisdom throughout the play. The structure of the play is not perfect. The mood shift, from broad comedy to stark reality and then wistful regret, is so disjointed that it feels contrived. However, the strengthens of Osborne’s writing exceed the slight weaknesses. The dialogue is complex and witty and the themes satisfyingly explored. Gladstone is excellent taking Felix from someone too repressed to even hold a conversation with a companion to a person able to articulate a sense of wonder at the beauty of the world. The evening is dominated by a blazing performance from Dee who steals every scene she is in either as a gobby chav on a hen night or [...]

writer: Luke Walker & Sally Lawton Director: Alyx Tole Reviewer: Dave Cunningham The Public Reviews Rating: Warped by a traumatic experience Ballerina (Sally Lawton) extends her childhood into her late 20s and on each birthday plays games of make believe with her imaginary friend the Jockey (Luke Walker). Fed up of this ritual the Jockey wants the game to end and Ballerina has some shocking ideas for how this can be achieved. Make Believe is not wholly successful. It does not work as a character study because Ballerina is a rather irritating person. She has few redeeming features; whilst one might sympathise with her traumatic early life it is hard to care about someone who has just given up and chosen to live a fantasy. You can’t help but agree with the Jockey when he says that her attitude to life is ‘ Woe is Me’. The story is pedestrian with plot developments apparent at a very early stage. The show has appeal because of the high quality of the dialogue and performances although even these have some limitations. The wordplay between the characters is very funny but seems too mature for someone stuck in a childish state of mind. Too often the dialogue fails to advance the plot and instead sounds like Walker and Lawton, who also wrote the show, just could not endure wasting some good jokes. Director Alyx Tole delivers a show in which no opportunity for laughter is missed. The entrances by both characters are surprising and very funny. Lawton gives the Jockey a wistful air of resignation. His dry delivery avoids hysteria that is a risk in this type of fast-moving show and instead secures laughter through excellent comic timing. Lawton has a more difficult task. Ballerina is essentially an over-grown child and comes across as rather pathetic. [...]