Holly & Ivy @ Darlington Civic

It’s Christmas Eve 1947, towards teatime with a log fire burning in the grate, snow in the sky and Holly & Ivy decorating the walls.  The scene is set for the latest play from the Middle Ground Theatre Company and this one is a wonderful festive tale of family, religion, passion, obligation and revelation.

The story centres around a village parson (played by Stuart McGugan) and his family as they meet for their customary Christmas get together.  The Reverend’s youngest daughter, Jenny, is busy preparing the house while at the same time trying to curtail her excitement of being betrothed to a young Scottish engineer David;  a marriage which will take her away from the family home and off to South America where David will work for the next 5 years.  Jenny, despite being excited and in love, is still torn as, following her mother’s death, it is she who looks after her father.

The story unfolds around the secrets of Jenny’s older sister Margaret (played by the completely glamorous Corrinne Wicks) and her reasons (both philosophical and spiritual) for feeling unable to come home and take over caring for her father.  Throughout the play the Reverend battles with his own personal ‘demons’, doubting his effectiveness, questioning whether religion still has a place in village life yet refusing to concede that it may be time to retire.  It is not until two very frank & heartfelt discussions, the first with his soldier son Mick and then Margaret, that he finds the reasons he has been searching for.  Alongside this there are two aunts (themselves being as different as Holly & Ivy) who spice up proceedings with their own take on life & love.

Star of the show is undoubtedly Jenny played by Julia Mallam, who is totally captivating as the doting daughter who knows her destiny but is happy to sacrifice it all to protect her father.  Julia is a charming, beautiful and talented actress who owned every scene she starred in and provided the thread which runs through the whole production.  I would happily buy tickets for every night just to watch her performance.

The Holly and The Ivy is a great Christmas play with a real feeling of the post war years coupled with the sense of social & moral change that prevailed through the general questioning of “what is life all about?”.  I can see this becoming a perennial favourite for the festive season.

Mr Stink @ Darlington Civic

When I was growing up I loved to read; a good story could keep me riveted for days and I loved classics such as Watership Down, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Swallows & Amazons and Charlie & The Chocolate Factory.  As I grew older & moved into more adult fayre I always held a fondness for great children's stories and so I am delighted to say that David Walliams' Mr Stink is the latest to be inducted along such tomes as Matilda, the BFG, James & the Giant Peach.

The story is a delightful tale of a young girl Chloe (wonderfully played by Lotte Gilmore)  who befriends a tramp, Mr Stink (the captivating Peter Edbrook) and shows him the innocent kindness only a child can deliver.  There's no bias, no agenda, no ulterior motive in Chloe's interaction with the smelly knight of the road and Mr Stink responds to this unexpected kindness with his own insights into life, family and washing.

Chloe's family play to the tried & tested formula of oppressive mother, down trodden but caring dad & obnoxious sister - not quite Horrid Henry style but there's certainly more than a passing nod.  Mum, (played to the cringe-making limit by Julie Nagle) is so pre-occupied with her drive into politics that she doesn't realise Dad is spending his days hiding in the cellar instead of going to work. 

I really didn't know what to expect with this production - I haven't read Mr Walliams' original story (although I do now intend to buy it for my nieces' Christmas) but from start to finish the stage was delightfully engaging - there is puppetry, great songs, very clever use of staging (especially the bath in a pond) and, despite there only being 7 actors there seemed to be a multitude of different characters along with the leads.  Ingeniously every member of the audience received a scratch & sniff guide book which, at key points in the story, allowed us to share in the smells which gives Mr Stink the edge over other sweeter smelling stories.  Some might find these a little too interactive, but it really worked well and all the kids loved the additional 4th dimension.

I think that this show will best appeal to children between 5 & 12 (Jess came with me and really enjoyed the story) but, like the aforementioned classic stories, there is certainly enough in the subtext to appeal to parents & guardians as well.

If you have children then I would definitely recommend coming along; it is much less raucous than a pantomime and yet just as funny & certainly as appealing to the youngsters - what wouldn't they like - there's smells, bodily functions, songs, dancing, puppets and Christmas - perfect !

A quick note on the cast & in particular Lotte Gilmore - Lotte plays Chloe with a perfect balance of child innocence whilst avoiding excessive naivety which would have made talking to a strange tramp quite unbelievable.  I have not come across Lotte's work before but she captured the role wonderfully and is certainly someone who I hope we will get to see again soon.

Sister Act @ Sunderland Empire

We all know the Whoopi Goldberg film about a Reno lounge singer trying to make it big by singing at the local gangsters club only to witness him 'offing' a snitch and having to go into protective custody as a nun while the case comes to court.  A great story made fabulous by the chart breaking songs used, which capture the feeling of San Francisco coupled with Motown classics and spirit-stirring gospel.  Indeed some would offer that it is this film that brought Whoopi to the attention of the whole world and with over $208 Million taken in box office receipts it's hard to argue.

This current touring production of Sister Act is glam, glossy and one of the most professional productions seen this year; the huge & detailed sets make expert use of Sunderland's expansive stage in bringing to life the church of St Katherine's (albeit moved to Philadelphia now) while the cast are brilliantly devoted (as one would expect given that most are 'nuns').  But, and I'm afraid it's a big but, there just wasn't a sense of wow in the whole story.  It seemed more like a series of sketches played out to accomplish the recounting of each chapter of the story rather than a flowing journey.  Scenes were a little predictable; set up, song - with a belting finale, applause, change scene, go again, without enough of a theatrical thread to join them up.

Maybe it was an over eagerness to include so many songs, or maybe by allowing the arrangements to almost overplay the undeniable choristic abilities of the actors that songs simply took too long, but for whatever reason things just seemed to rush from one song to another.

The audience were very much in two camps last night.  There were obviously those who clearly love the show and they knew it so well that they were starting to laugh at jokes or visual comedy before the actors had even began to deliver.  I am sure that they thoroughly enjoyed the show again and that's great, that's the magic of the theatre. 

The other camp seemed to be disconnected from what was happening on stage, treating the show as a series of song renditions and almost switching off if the song wasn't one which they knew or liked.  The songs in the first half were very much written to tell the story, but the absence of some of the well known movie tunes meant there were less hooks to keep the non-members of the fan club engaged.  It's very sad to say but there were even patrons in our row who took out their mobile phones and started texting.

Please don't get me wrong, this is an amazing production delivered by a truly wonderful cast and backed by gorgeous sets, but it just lacked the wrap around feeling of being immersed in a truly great story & script to place it up with musical royalty.

My advice is if you love great music & wonderful singing then get yourself there, if you are looking for a stage show true to the movie then best change your expectations or dig out the DVD and stay at home

The Glee Club @ Darlington Civic

"It started out as a few drinking buddies singing songs round a pub piano, it became one of the most respected and professional outfits doing the club circuit across the north of England" - and so The Glee Singers, and the timeless qualities of glee clubs across the world was born.

Founded in the hard working (and hard drinking) South Yorkshire Coal Mining district, glee clubs were far removed from the glam & glitz of the American TV series, but the harmonising songs took over the clubs, dancehalls and theatres with far more impact than the modern stateside shows.  This play, written by Richard Cameron, gives an insight into the trials & tribulations facing the stereotypical coal miners of the early sixties and does so with a wonderful blend of comedy and heartache backed with their own soundtrack.

The story tracks the colliery glee club as they practise towards their annual gala show but it is the life stories of each member which take centre stage; a young starry eyed wannabee, a failed marriage, lost family and a whole host of skeletons in the cupboard provide no end of twists.  If this was a novel it would certainly be classed a 'page turner', the great cast had the audience riveted from start to finish and the quality of the writing gave the 6 actors so much to work with that each could be given top billing. 

The laughs come more from the accuracy of human conflict and working class camaraderie rather than set up humorous situations, almost bitter sweet in some essences and most certainly something which the audience can recognise and relate to.

When you look at the collective resumes of those on stage it is like reading a smorgasbord of great British TV, film & theatre.  John Burton, Michael Chance and Paul Clarkson have probably between them starred in almost every major TV show in the past 15 years, whilst Anthony Clegg and Sean McKenzie have theatre credits to rival even 'Sir Johnny' & 'Sir Larry'.

Stand out performance for me, however, was Marc Pickering playing Colin, the youngest of the group - belying his tender age (and his even younger looks) Marc has already starred in Hollywood films, worked alongside Helen Mirren and played 'R Wayne' in Peter Kaye's TV talent show spoof "Britain's got the X Factor ...........".  In this show he gives young Colin the naive qualities of youth tempered with the premature worldliness of a boy doing a mans job deep underground.  He really is a young actor (and accomplished singer & dancer) who TV & film producers should be using much, much more -  hopefully they will do so in the very near future.

I would definitely recommend this play.  It is a worthy addition to the pedigree of Hull Truck Company productions and, as with previous shows from this amazing stable of stage wonder, it lets the writing and the actors create the story and envelop the audience completely.

Make no mistake, this really isn't anything like the American show; there is male nudity, adult themes and plenty of 'industrial language' but it is very honest, completely engaging and perfectly played. 

The Producers by Darlington Operatic Society @ Darlington Civic

Pigeons, Nazis, many different herrings, cooked books and little old ladies - all the ingredients for a wonderfully funny & entertaining evening.  Of course, it's the writing of Mel Brooks that binds all these obscure & lets face it weird components together in his timeless "The Producers", but it still needs an amazing cast & stage team to really make things work.  Tonight I saw Darlington Operatic Society's delivery and not only did they pull it off, it was as good a production as any version I have been to see - and I have seen the Nathan Lane version in the West End.

The cast are wonderful - Ken Horsley would give the aforementioned Mr Lane a real run for his money, blending pure charm with wily wit and a dash of dirty and delivering it with superb, powerful vocals.  His solo in the prison jail, complete with personal intermission was perfection and his lecherous yet timid flirting with the little old ladies had everyone laughing till we couldn't breathe.  Dan Brookes as Leo Bloom had an accent so in tune with his character that I swear if you closed your eyes you'd think it was a young Woody Allen - full of New York angst bordering on neurotic and yet maintaining the innocence which Leo's character demands.  Again, his stage presence and delivery through the songs was excellent and the two leads compliment each other perfectly both in style & harmony - excellent casting by the Director Martyn Knight.

The story, for anyone who still isn't aware of The Producers, is about a failed Broadway producer whose accountant realises, quite by chance, that you could make money with a flop than with a hit -  in effect swindle all the backers into investing into a show so bad it closes on the first night without paying back any returns.  Leo leaves his job as an accountant (done with the best resignation song & dance) and together they forge a partnership to produce a complete failure.  Thus the plot is set to find & stage such a show, and they hit upon 'Springtime for Hitler' as the vehicle for their daring double cross.

Along the way they take on a Swedish secretary slash receptionist, Ulla, who is delightfully played by Claire Wilmer with all the sultry allure and charms we've seen in other Swedish sex-bombs ( Britt Ekland & Victoria Silvstedt spring to mind).  She's got it and she flaunts it perfectly.  They engage the services of Roger DeBris and Carmen Chia (a delicious Julian Cound and the campest of camp Chris Kelly) to direct the show and arrange the unbelievable choreography along with Roger's production team. 

The show itself is Mel Brooks at his very best; how to offend as many people as possible and leave the rest wondering whether they should be ashamed to be laughing.  I wondered whether some of the bigger elements seen in the West End production would have to be sacrificed but I am delighted to say nothing was missing; the costumes, the lighting, even the over-head shot of the marching swastika were done with great aplomb. 

Huge credit must go to the whole Operatic society; this is not an easy show to produce & is very demanding from both scenery & timing, costume changes & music styles, but it was as good a performance as I have ever seen on this stage (and if you read my reviews you will see I have been quite a few times) and probably ranks in my top 10 anywhere.  The backing cast morph from audience, usherettes, old ladies, prisoners, dancers, accountants you name it - probably the most diverse set of characters you could ask someone to cover in one show.

Proving that you don't need to go to London for excellent entertainment, Darlington Operatic Society's The Producers is on at Darlington Civic until the 5th November - go & see it and I guarantee you'll feel like the King of all Broadway.