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The Public Reviews has joined forces with the producers of International hit The Lady Boys of Bangkok  to give one lucky reader 1 pair of tickets for a performance of their choice* (depending on availability and excluding Fri/Sat performances) when their latest show lands in Newcastle. The fabulous Lady Boys of Bangkok return in spectacular style with ‘Fantasy & Feathers’ the fun-packed new 2010 production of the country’s favourite cabaret show. In The Sabai Pavilion, Times Square, from Saturday 11th September – Saturday 9th October 2010. With recent appearances on ITV’s This Morning and The David Dickenson Show The Lady Boys of Bangkok are back with a bang! Win the chance to not just ‘a night out’ but a must-see event, a slick, irrepressible show packed with raunchy razzamatazz. Experience the unique performances of Lady Gaga to The Saturdays and a song to get all the ‘Single Ladies’ on their feet, performed with not a centimetre of cellulite in sight! 16 of the world’s most beautiful show-girls (who just happen to be men) it’s the show everyone is talking about. Why not also enjoy our freshly prepared Thai food, fully stocked bars and take a little of The Lady Boys of Bangkok home with our wide range of souvenirs and novelties. ***** We have 1 pair of tickets to give away to the show of your choice (subject to availability and not including Fri/Sat Nights) for the run between the 11th Sept – 9th Oct What is the correct name for the hit Lady GaGa song that is used in this year’s production? A: Poker Hand           B: Poker Face            C: Poker Night Email your answer to comps@thepublicreviews.com making sure ‘Ladyboys’ is the subject heading. Closing Date 1st September 2010 at [...]

Writer: William Shakespeare Director: Raz Shaw Reviewer: Joshua Ray The Public Reviews Rating: Shakespeare’s most fun play… the Globe company on tour… the Bodleian quadrangle on a July evening… interval drinks in the Divinity School… what’s not to like? Lord knows I tried to find something. I really did. Reviewers shouldn’t be supine, shouldn’t be carried away by a heady combo of vigorous and classy performances, fabulous setting and indestructibly joyful text. I failed this test to such an extent that I’m going to ask you to stop reading, go to your computer or telephone and book some tickets. Now, before they sell out. Done that? Good work. Well, the play, to start with, as you will know, has a plot that is completely bonkers. But with Shakespeare at the wheel, all the fallings-in-and-out-of-love, the discord among the fairies, the chance encounters and betrayals, make perfect sense. Just go with it. And it is of course the frame for some of the loveliest language ever spoken in this island. Shakespeare had no CGI: he used words instead, and properly spoken they carry you along like a roller-coaster. The production recognises this and works with it. The design (Hannah Clark) and costumes (supervised by Liz Evans) are simple and spare, without being harshly minimalist. It has some good wheezes (the best of them being to dress Puck as Liza Minnelli in Cabaret), but its greatest virtue, a great virtue indeed, is to keep out of the way of the acting. Simple and natural conventions of dress, aprons for the Mechanicals, tailcoats for the Fairies, let the audience keep all the characters (on average 2.6 per cast member) straight. The Twenties flavour gives the right atmosphere of fun and decadence. …

Writer:Roy Clarke Director: David Graham Reviewer: Ian Cain The Public Reviews Rating: ‘Keeping Up Appearances’ is one of those programmes that is so deeply embedded in our cultural consciousness that it seems difficult to believe it aired for only five years, between 1990 and 1995, and a total of 44 episodes. The programme was ranked 12th in a survey of ‘Britain’s 100 Best Sit-Coms’ and has been transmitted all around the world. It also enjoys frequent repeat showings on the cable and satellite channel, G.O.L.D. Now, almost fifteen years after it disappeared from our prime time television screens, The Comedy Theatre Company has lovingly revived this timeless and popular classic as a stage show. Following the attempts of the social-climbing snob Hyacinth Bucket (that’s pronounced Bouquet!) to land the role of Lady Malvern in the local amateur dramatic society’s latest production, theatre audiences are treated to a bouquet full of laughs (pronounced bucket). The action takes place in the church hall during rehearsals, therefore Elizabeth can rest assured that she won’t be responsible for breaking any of Hyacinth’s cherished Royal Doulton china ‘with the hand-painted periwinkles’. The first national tour of this production boasts the added advantage that Roy Clarke has penned a brand new script especially for the stage. So, unlike some other stage adaptations of popular television sitcoms that are currently touring the provinces, it is not made up of four separate episodes sticky-taped together. This brings a refreshing element to the proceedings and some clever new catchphrases. Because Hyacinth is removed from her home environment, she is unable to answer callers on her ‘white slim line telephone with last number redial’ with her shrill greeting: ‘The Bouquet residence, the lady of the house speaking!’ Instead, she accepts calls on her mobile with the equally pretentious: ‘You have reached the personal [...]

In stark contrast to her iconic role as the domineering Private Helga Geerhart in ’Allo, ’Allo, Kim Hartman is currently starring as Hyacinth Bucket’s nervy next-door-neighbour, Elizabeth Warden, in the stage version of Keeping Up Appearances. Ahead of her stop-off at Darlington, she took time out to chat to Steve Burbridge Famed for plaits piled high upon her head, bright red lipstick, a penchant for saucy lingerie and her unrequited passion for Herr Flick, the formidable Private Helga Geerhart was one of the most popular characters in the much-loved sit-com, ’Allo, ’Allo. Such was the success of the series that it notched up an incredible 96 episodes over the period of a decade, polling at number 13 in a survey of Britain’s 100 Best Sit-coms. ‘To play such a funny and iconic character as Helga was just the best,’ says Kim. ‘I could hardly have had a better part than that.’ She remembers her time in the show with the greatest affection. ‘It was just the best job ever’, recalls Kim. ‘When we started, we had no idea that we would end up working together for ten years. Originally, we hoped we’d get one or two series’ out of it, but it just ran and ran.’ The cast, which included Gordan Kaye, Vicki Michelle, Sue Hodge, Richard Gibson and the late Carmen Silvera, formed close friendships over the years, too. ‘We all got on so well and became such good friends that it really was a delight to go to work each day. From that point of view, being involved in something for such a long time was a big treat,’ says Kim. Now, though, Kim is having a wonderful time starring in the stage production of another smash-hit sit-com, Keeping Up Appearances. ‘It’s absolutely hysterically funny,’ she reveals. ‘We’ve [...]

Writer: Julia Donalsdon Adaptor: Tall Stories Director: Stephen Colyer Reviewer:  David Kary The Public Reviews Rating: The Seymour Centre’s Everest Theatre is currently home to the return season of ‘The Gruffalo’, London’s Tall Theatre Company’s acclaimed adaptation of Julia Donaldson’s best selling children’s picture book (illustrations by Axel Scheffler). Donaldson’s book has certainly had a rich and long life since it was first published in 1999 by McMillan Children’s Books as a 32 page hardback. The premiere stage adaptation by Tall Stories Theatre, comprised a 50 minute show, played at the Chester Gateway Theatre in 2001, and has since toured widely in the United Kingdom, New York, Poland. During 2009 the children’s musical toured Sydney and Canberra during which it took out the Sydney Theatre Award for best children’s production. ‘The Gruffalo’, with its quaint, appealing storyline, is great school holiday entertainment for young kids. The narrative is based on a traditional Chinese folk story of a fox that borrows the terror of a tiger. In Donaldson’s storyline the fox is a mouse that ventures into the dangerous woods in search of some hazelnut snacks. The mouse comes across a range of predators, including a smirking fox, a retired Air Force General owl, and a marca-shaking, party animal snake, eager to supplement their respective diets. The mouse borrows the terror of what he believes is his imaginary friend, the monster Gruffalo, to warn off his predators. They leave him alone but this is just a ‘turn in the road’ with the mouse going further into the woods where he encounters the real Gruffalo… An enthusiastic cast of three, Crystal Hegedis, Simon van der Stap and Stephen Anderson, bring Donaldson’s story to life. Stephen Colyer’s production complements the quirky storyline with plenty of song and dance, tied in with audience interaction, and plenty of [...]

Writer: Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer Director: Michael Kingsbury Reviewer: Ian Cain The Public Reviews Rating: It’s a strange idea to produce a theatre show around the format of a ‘live’ radio recording of a comedy sketch show, but that’s basically the premise of ‘Stop Messing About.’ Interestingly, for me, it worked rather well. The team behind the hugely successful ‘Round The Horne . . . Revisited’ are also responsible for this delightfully nostalgic romp through all manner of hilarious harmonies, silly sketches and politically incorrect parodies that had the audience in hysterics throughout. Marketed as a ‘Kenneth Williams extravaganza’ it is, without the shadow of a doubt, Robin Sebastian’s flawless impersonation of the ‘Carry On’ King that steals the show. All pursing lips, flaring nostrils and waspish wit, he had the legendary Williams off to a tee. However, that is not to overlook the considerable talents of the rest of the cast. India Fisher, as Joan Sims, and Nigel Harrison as Hugh Paddick were the perfect foils for Sebastian’s camp characterisation of Williams and Charles Armstrong portrayed a suitably plummy BBC Radio Announcer. The interaction between the four performers was wonderful and you were often hard pushed to tell whether the ad-libbing was genuine or scripted. As you might imagine, the humour is a little smutty and there are double-entendres aplenty. That said, there isn’t an expletive to be heard and Cooke and Mortimer’s script is crafted cleverly and with care not to offend. It is probably easier to engage with and enjoy ‘Stop Messing About’ if you are a fan of Williams, the ‘Carry Ons’ or, indeed, the original radio productions of ‘Round The Horne’ and ‘Stop Messing About’. If you’re too young to remember any of the aforementioned, then the finer points of the …

Writer: Prokofiev Director/Choreographer: Michael Corder Conductor: Alex Ingram Reviewer: Malcolm Wallace The Public Reviews Rating: It’s a special year for English National Ballet. It’s sixty years since the company made its debut and what better way to celebrate than with this revival of Michael Corder’s sumptuous and award winning 1996 production of Prokofiev’s classic Cinderella. The tale is a familiar one. Cinderella, the down trodden and put upon beauty is treated with disdain and made to work as a servant girl by her cruel stepmother and stepsisters. When the Prince hosts a gala ball poor Cinderella, with only rags for clothes, is left behind. Hurrah for the Fairy Godmother who transforms Cinderella into a beautiful princess and sends her off to the ball in beautiful coach. But she is warned, she must leave by midnight otherwise the spell will be broken. At the ball meets and falls hopelessly in love with the prince but at the strike of midnight flees leaving only a glass slipper behind. The distraught Prince visits the home of Cinderella family and both stepsisters try on the glass slipper, but to no avail as the slipper will only fit Cinderella’s feet. Happy ending! As is the case with a lot of classical ballet not a great deal of time is devoted to telling the story and it all happens very quickly indeed which inevitably means there is a huge amount of pointless padding. But, frankly, in a production as good as this who cares? There’s no denying the quality of Prokoviev’s score. Whilst it does lack the accessibility and memorable tunes of the likes of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake or Nutcracker, in many ways it outshines both these other works in terms of style. There are plenty of recurring themes associated with each character and a dark …

Reviewer: Helen Jones The Public Reviews Rating: Jo Caulfield, a regular guest on TV shows such as Mock The Week, Have I Got News For You and the star of her own radio shows, brings the penultimate performance of her nationwide tour to Salford. She freely admits that the title is an apt one – and, after all, who would pay to see her stand there silently? From start to end, the show is witty and acerbic. Her comedy is more about observation than jokes, but her caustic commentary on life is always on the mark. People in the front rows are marked as attention seeking, and those at the back as would rather be somewhere else. She quickly “identifies” the gay couple as they are ‘too good looking to be straight’, and then progresses along the front row pairing people up and finding out their relationship to each other. With just herself, a microphone and occasionally a clipboard, Ms Caulfield keeps her audience entertained throughout. The first half of the show is more of an organised ramble through the musings of a woman. From politics and current affairs to domesticity and her friends, all are treated with the same sharp humour. She is also delightfully prone to going off at a tangent when something else occurs to her. However the matters she talks about are all down to earth – there’s no showbiz parties, just girls’ nights out with friends – making it feel relevant to the majority of her audience. In fact, at several of her questions to the audience, there is definitely a knowing murmur in response. Her interaction with the audience is effortless and engaging to watch. As part of the second half of the show, she tries out “new jokes” on the audience and takes their reaction, marking [...]