Murder by Misadventure , Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne

Murder by Misadventure

Devonshire Park Theatre

Eastbourne 

14th July -13th August
show seen 19th July

Cast
appearance order

Harold Kent - Norman Pace
Paul Riggs - Gareth Hale
Emma Kent - Sabina Franklyn
Inspector Egan - Tony O'Callaghan

Any drama that has to attract an audience for a month, even in a popular seaside tourist resort in the height of summer, has got to be worth seeing and be good enough for recommendations to be passed on.

Fortunately Murder by Misadventure is well worth getting yourself out of a hotel room or b&b for. Overhearing a well known Eastbourne theatre critic saying he enjoyed it so much he was thinking of going again made me realise I wasn't alone in my feelings.

In fact, if we can afford a second viewing ourselves, we are thinking of taking an elderly friend who would absolutely love this superbly entertaining play.

From the phenomenal applause, cheers, screams and whistles at the end of this production I'd be surprised if anybody in the very large audience did not enjoy this great thriller penned by Edward Taylor.

On that subject this was quite a special night for everybody involved in the show as Edward Taylor was actually present for the night's performance. He must have been delighted to see his play get such a rapturous response.

Harold Kent and Paul Riggs are writing partners specializing in murder mysteries. Their aim is always to come up with a tale that has the perfect, seemingly unsolvable, murder. Their working relationship is however showing considerable signs of strain with one partner doing far better than the other both financially and in love.

With the under performing partner refusing to go quietly the murder motive is in place. But as you may be able to imagine if we are talking about a murder plot involving writers on the same subject the opportunity is there for many a twist in the tale.

All the action takes place in a luxury penthouse on the top floor of a high rise apartment block, overlooking the sea.

It has to be said that despite the fact production budgets must be tight at the moment the set is marvellous. A luxury penthouse needs luxury gadgets. As a result it seems there is a lot of scope for 'gadget failure' here but as far as I could see everything worked perfectly on the night.

This is an 'in house' production by Eastbourne Theatres under the supervision of Chris Jordan their artistic director.

With comedy duo Hale and Pace leading the cast Jordan hasn't missed the opportunity to ensure the story proceeds with plenty of laughs throughout. Gareth Hale and Norman Pace have, despite doing some solo work, continued their longstanding partnership with tours abroad including being incredibly popular in Australia.

As a double act the two still feed off each other brilliantly. Although I guess with 10 UK series of Hale and Pace under their belts you wouldn't expect them to have lost their touch. This was a brilliant casting. Using a well known duo to play an on stage partnership just seems right.

But we mustn't forget this really is an all star cast in every sense. Renowned and respected actress Sabina Franklyn plays a wonderful Emma Kent. Tony O'Callaghan ,who had 12 incredible years starring in The Bill, completes the cast perfectly in his impressive role as the seemingly hapless, hilarious, but none the less ruthless Inspector Egan.

This is a play which could have you thinking from beginning to end as you try to guess who will die? How? When? Who will be responsible for the deed? Take it from me you may as well not bother with wasting brain power. There are so many clever deviations built into the tale the odds are stacked well against you guessing correctly anyway.

You are better off sitting back comfortably and just appreciating what is an ingenious piece of writing and a very impressive show for Eastbourne's summer season.

See it, enjoy it and then tell somebody else how entertaining Murder by Misadventure actually is.
Or go and see it again !!

Cinderella Devonshire Park Theatre Eastbourne Review

 Cinderella

Devonshire Park Theatre

Eastbourne
01323 412000

10th December 2010 -16th January 2011

Performance seen 14th December 2010

Cast

(Appearance Order)

Rachel Jerram as Cinderella

Gillian Wright as Fairy Godmother
Clare Buckfield as Dandini

Nicolas Colicos as Baron Hardup **

Kate Burrell as Prince Charming
Joseph Pitcher as Buttons

Martyn Knight as Marjorie Hardup
Richard Pocock as Floribunda Hardup

** replacing Tony Adams who was indisposed

Ensemble: (alphabetical) Kelsey Cobban, Hollie Ellis, James Jacob-Lomas, Daniel Mackinlay, Gabriella Antrobus, Courtney Boyle, Alice Burton, Gemma Taylor

and the students from the Deborah Lamb School

Team A Chorus: Jenny Goff, Eleri Jones, Millie Jones. Emily Muxworthy, Gracie Lofthouse, Holly Bingham

Team B Chorus Beth Aldis, Fenella Smith, Gabby Conradie, Sally Neve, Emily Valentine, Leanne Tunaley

The Band

Keyboards/MD - Robert Cousins

Reeds/ Keyboards - Andy Stewart

Trumpet/ Flugal - Brian Rance

Bass Guitar - Oli Briant

Percussion/ Drums - Ollie Boorman



First things first I won't be giving this a final rating just yet for reasons I will explain in a moment.

However this is a truly excellent, very funny ,pantomime which will appeal to family members of all ages

If you want to give the family a really good night out this Christmas this is a must-book-show!

This show will receive a very high rating, quite possibly 5/5. However to be fair this county and indeed the whole country seems to have gone Cinderella mad this year. I have two further productions of Cinderella to judge at Hastings and at Royal Tunbridge Wells. I think it is only right to see all 3 and then compare their overall merits. (Rating has now been added)

Chris Jordan's Eastbourne production at the Devonshire Park Theatre has set an incredibly high standard for the other shows to live up to. It will be hard to equal let alone beat.

The cast are incredible, the script is great and hilarious with plenty of topical humour. The varied set, depending on location, is quite beautiful ,bright colourful and well made. The live band led by MD Robert Cousins are always impressive. There are some very clever special effects. The range and quality of the costumes is amazing.

The music has been kept up-to date with tracks that both children and adults are familiar with.

No real Shit-land ponies in this one. The spelling being intentional there as I know how many actors hate dodging pony poo on stage in this annual panto favourite.

I won't spoil the surprise but lets just say that Chris Jordan has gone all out this year to perform something that no Shetland pony could ever do. It is a piece of animation and (invisible) mechanical excellence that will impress everybody who can see it.

I say that because it was a great shame that when this effect took place so much dry ice 'vapor mist' was pumped into the auditorium at such great speed that the view of this great moment was obscured for the first 6-8 rows in the stalls. We were literally fog bound for a while. The rest of the auditorium thoroughly enjoyed this great piece as it was meant to be seen.

Anyway that's a minor point and I'm not going to mark the production down because of it and with such a long run into January there is still time to get this mist balance right so that this key piece of the show gets the full applause and appreciation it deserves.

One noticeable part of the show which was missing this year was the part of the show where they seem to find an excuse for a custard pie throwing / messy slapstick routine. Maybe it was difficult to find a way to incorporate it into Cinderella?

Thank God for that! I certainly didn't miss it and judging from the fabulous time every single child appeared to be having they didn't need it either. I am sure the stage hands didn't miss the speedy annual clean up either during the interval.

Lets talk about this fabulous cast but first a mention for a dear friend of mine,Tony Adams, who unfortunately was unable to appear due to ill health. Tony (who was last at the DPT in Last of The Summer Wine) was still scheduled to appear right up to the first night performance. Realising he simply wasn't going to be able to make it through the show Nicolas Colicos stepped into Baron Hardup's shoes.

It wasn't Nic's first time at the Devonshire Park Theatre either having been in By Jeeves three years previously. But on that occasion he had far more than 24 hours to learn a script and had the luxury of some rehearsal time.

Yes we saw Nicolas a few days after first night but I understand he was brilliant even on that opening show.

On this night Tuesday 14th you would never have known that he hadn't had the same rehearsal time as everybody else, he just fitted in perfectly. Although being the perfectionist he is he still left this after show function early to ensure  he has all his lines spot on. Now that is dedication to duty and a huge well done to you Nicolas you were amazing!

As for those who were hoping to see Crossroads legend Tony Adams I have been in touch with him and hopefully he is now on the road to recovery and, fingers crossed, he is hoping to feel more his normal self by Christmas.

I am sure the cast, crew ,The Friends Of The Devonshire Park Theatre and everybody involved with the production of Cinderella wish Tony a speedy full recovery and a Happy Christmas! We hope to see you back in Eastbourne again soon!

Well the belle of the ball is Cinderella and doesn't she just look the part even out of costume? This perfectly cast slipper losing princess is played so sweetly by the pretty Rachel Jerram who has only recently finished appearing in her West End role in Avenue Q.

Dear Gillian Wright - never before at the Devonshire Park Theatre have I heard such a long, spontaneous loud warm welcome for an actress when all she did was walk on in her fairy outfit. Eastenders ' Jean Slater ' clearly has a huge amount of public respect.

Rightly so as she was completely sublime

with her whole performance completely in rhyme. 

A regular wave of her wand in the air

cast aside her depression in Albert Square.

The kids adored her, adults too

professional acting through and through.

Asked if the entrance reaction had been nice

she said it had been a tremendous surprise.

She did a charity signing for great Ormond Street

for suffering kids a gift so neat.

Her role in Cinders is funny and crazy

but better than madness and yellings of Stacey!!

So Gillian Wright you were star of the show

Thank goodness for that as this rhyming can go!

Clare Buckfield as Dandini. I always love watching Clare and her equally talented identical twin sister, Julie. As regards to the theatre I find the only difficult thing trying to remember which production I saw which sister in last. It wasn't too difficult this time round as Clare had not so long ago starred in the touring Little Shop Of Horrors as Audrey.

In Cinderella ,the seemingly never aging, Clare dons the fishnets (the things us men have to endure in the interest of culture!) to play Dandini. Well as Prince Charming's valet she is predictably perfect and as always I am left looking forward to whatever productions the Buckfield sisters turn up in next.

Like Gillian, Clare was another star who kindly did a great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) signing for me for starcards.org. Thank you to you both so much for your kind support.

On a personal note I've lost track of the number of times I've met Clare now but no matter whatever the location, weather or setting she is always one of the warmest most genuine artists to meet. Always with a smile, always up for a chat and always never looking any older !!

Clare's partner in fishnets this year is the gorgeous Kate Burrell as Prince Charming. Kate's height makes her look particularly good in the role and the Buckfield / Burrell combination works extremely well on stage.

Kate has a diverse CV in theatre and TV  and seems to have played a fair number of roles in farces.

In or out of her fishnets I'd love to see Ms Burrell again. Yes perhaps I could have worded that better but hey if I can't put a bit of innuendo in at panto season when can I?

Ah the ugly sisters aka Richard Pocock and Martyn Knight. Martyn Knight is like a piece of furniture at Eastbournes Pantos. If the poster says "back by popular demand" for Martyn you can believe it, he is absolutely adored by all the kids. This is his 7th year and Martyn cannot imaging life without Eastbourne Panto and quite possibly panto could not be imagined without him. This year his partner in horrendous bright OTT outfits is actor Richard Pocock. Despite the fact in previous years we have got somewhat used to Carl Patrick playing Martyns sidekick the Pocock / Knight pairing works extremely well and is extremely funny throughout

A word of warning to adult audience members never, ever refuse to give Martyn your Christian name.

He has ways of making you talk !!

That really just leaves Joseph Pitcher as lovable Buttons. As usual Buttons is the true comedian of the show and quite possibly the kids best friend (although in all fairness I think it was a battle between him and Gillian for stealing the kids hearts) But with sweets in hand to throw to the audience and goodie bags to be dished out to a few brave young souls who got up on stage to perform bribery probably gets Buttons the 2010/2011 award as childrens' champion!

Finally lets not forget all the people behind the scenes who put this incredible pantomine together. Not only that but everything this year was a challenge. The early heavy snow meant the costume designers were snowed in! The artists trying to rehearse were snowed out! Poor Tony Adams was battling to perform but couldn't. Yet Nicolas Colicos achieved the seemingly impossible practically absorbing the whole script and performance in less than one day.

A triumph of a panto which could so easily have been a disaster without the hard work of so many dedicated people. Well done to Chris Jordan and everybody involved in Cinderella. Its a marvellously entertaining show from start to finish.

Book it, see it, love it!



Jack and The Beanstalk Devonshire Park Theatre Eastbourne

Jack and The Beanstalk
Devonshire Park Theatre
Eastbourne
11 December 2009 - 10 January 2010

(performance seen 15th December)

Cast (appearance order)

Karen Mann - Fairy Fuschia
Kevin Pallister - Fleshcreep
Carl Patrick - Simple Simon
Emma Barton - Jack
Martyn Knight - Dame Trott
Sophie Isaacs - The Princess Jill
David Alder - King Kuthbert
Daisy Meadows - Clarabelle
Herbert James - Giant Blunderbore
Chris Jordan - As Voice Of Blunderbore

Ensemble

Fela Lufadeju
Scott Mobley
Gemma Naylor
Jessica Phillips (Dance Captain)
Gabriella Antrobus
Nicola Cosshall
Rosie Firth
Katie Wiltshire

and the talented Students from the Deborah Lamb Theatre School

Men in womens clothing, women dressed as men, jokes that make you cringe, costumes that are so bright they may be able to restore the sight of the partially sighted, slapstick comedy moments, "it's behind you!" screams, loud boos, Benny Hill type cast chases around the auditorium, kids with infectious giggles and the constant rustling of bags of sweets.

Yes it's Panto time again!!

Now as over 2000 of you now read this little theatrical blog each month (thank you so much!) you may just want to know if it is any good and whether you should book a ticket?

Well we don't live in Eastbourne so it's not that easy for us to go again but if we were local we would. Our 2 friends who are Eastbournians, who were with us last night, are doing just that.

Just get on the phone and book it - 01323 412000 - and don't just take the kids. Take your parents, grandparents and anybody else who would like a good laugh and a very fun night out.

This isn't just panto - it's Eastbourne' panto.

This is an outstanding production by Eastbourne's artistic director Chris Jordan. But it is not simply excellent from an acting point of view but it is also a technological masterpiece. The beanstalk itself is amazing. This huge hydraulic stalk has actually had it's details and dimensions submitted to the Guinness Book Of World Records as it may be the largest and tallest panto beanstalk to date. We'll wait to see if The Devonshire Park Theatre gets an entry in the 2011 edition.

Then there's the giant and what a wonderful giant it is. If you look at my main site (http://www.fdpt.org.uk/) you will see Eastbourne Theatres wonderful preview shots. It's a great shame that there is no shot of the giant as it's a terrific creation and I think it would have been great at grabbing the attention in advertising. Hopefully more material may be released as the show progresses? It reminds me of one of Jim Henson's larger 'Muppet' creations, it is that good.

Lets also give credit to the unseen Herbert James who has to shuffle around on stilts inside this marvellous extraordinarily heavy creation. In addition to being very heavy and cumbersome it must be very hot in there! Herbert you really need to take a bow at the end along with the rest of the cast.

Anyway back to the acting, singing and dancing and comedy side of things.

Lets do the 'leads' first. Ex 'Eastender' Emma Barton makes a lovely Jack. With her beautiful voice, pretty face and incredible smile she was a great choice. Oh and I did just happen to notice that she put the hot into hot pants too!

Emma couldn't hang around long at The Friends Of The Devonshire Park Theatre after show meet the cast event though but she was kind enough to pop out and see us after the matinee the following day.

Emma's 'co-lead' and ex-Emmerdale star Kevin Pallister is no stranger to The Devonshire Park having appeared in the thriller Deadly Game and Noel Coward's Private Lives.

There is no doubt that Kevin is a marvellous actor and as the evil Fleshcreep in this he really makes the role his own. However it's almost worth going to see this show just to see another incredible talent this man has in the second half! I won't spoil it too much but lets just say that before he was an actor Kevin was a musician (and I only found that out from him last night) and Chris Jordan has resurrected this talent allowing him to play an instrument to a massive pop hit accompanied by a musically talented fairy (has to be seen to be believed!)

Now a lot of Panto's use the "back by popular demand" label for certain performers. Whether that is true or not for all is debatable. But in the case of Eastbourne it's absolutley true for Martyn Knight and Carl Patrick. The kids just love these guys. This talented duo must know they are doing something right when they get a massive cheer on their initial entrance that equals, if not exceeds that of the headline TV stars. I am sure Chris Jordan would hate to lose either of these from his annual production as they quite simply are so good at what they do and that is making people laugh - a lot! They also complement each other so well whatever they are doing on stage.

David Alder is perfectly cast as the bumbling King Kuthbert but the hidden talent in this show comes from the lovely Sophie Isaacs. Having just graduated from the London School of Musical Theatre this is not only Sophie's first panto but one of her first major productions. She looks like a princess even without trying and is beautiful vocally too. I am sure this young lady is going to go far in theatre land - a star in the making.

Jack and The Beanstalk at the Devonshire Park theatre has a bit of everything: corny jokes for the kids and a good splattering of 'inuendo jokes' to provide laughs for the big kids, a bit of slapstick (but not overdoing it), a little of on-stage audience participation, excellent vocal performances to a cleverly produced list of songs, stunning costumes and those tremendous props.

You simply can't ask for more.

How Chris Jordan tries to beat this in 2011 with Cinderella is anybody's guess - it will be interesting finding out! I'll just wait to see just where the line about how impressive the Prince's balls are (or similar) gets a place in the script!

Gotta Sing Gotta Dance 2009 Devonshire Park Theatre Eastbourne Review 2

Gotta Sing Gotta Dance (2009)
A Magical Night At The Musicals
12 August-5th September
Devonshire Park Theatre Eastbourne
(Then touring)

Performance seen Tuesday 1st Sept
(previous performance seen 18th August)

Performers

(in appearance order)

Stephanie Anelli
Verity Bentham
Lucinda Lawrence
Carrie Sutton
Barnaby Thompson
Ashley Jake Trow

The Band

Musical Director/Keyboards Robert Cousins
Drums/Percussion Ollie Boorman
Reeds/ Keys 2 Andy Stewart
Bass Chris Gardiner

No I haven't lost the plot completely. I know I've already reviewed the original show seen a few weeks back. If you didn't see the review there's a link here

http://celebritygreenroom.blogspot.com/2009/08/gotta-sing-gotta-dance-2009-devonshire.html

Anyway Gotta Sing Gotta Dance - A magical night at the musicals left such a good impression on us that we did indeed book another show.

In fact, as it stands, it looks like this is the only multi-night-show that will achieve this accolade from us in 2009.

So how was the show the second time around? Was it like going back to a holiday destination you've been to before only to find it's not quite as magical on the repeat visit?

Not in the slightest.

Producer Chris Jordan, the cast and crew have had more than 3 weeks to "tweak" things in Eastbourne before going on an intense national tour, comprising totally of one night shows. As a result it is apparent this theatrical equivalent of a fine piece of furniture has had a final gleaming application of wax polish before its national unveiling.

But hey... if you are contemplating this show on tour.......don't take my word for it. Behind us last night was a lady and, I assume, her mother. They were staying in Eastbourne for just a couple of days. After the first half alone she mentioned she was going to look at seeing the show again as it was going to be touring near her home.

A group heading backstage to meet Lucinda after the show commented "It works so well because it looks as though they all have fun working together and get along. I bet they have a great time!" That's exactly the way it looks and it conveys to the audience.

Take The Stage, the respected weekly newspaper and their website for those in the acting industry. They don't hold back on reviews. If it's rubbish they'll slate it, if it's mediocre they make it clear. In fact it's quite an outstanding achievement to get a glowing review with The Stage.

But Gotta Sing Gotta Dance in 2009 has achieve just that. Barbara Champion's review (20th August) is glowing with praise, not picking up a single critisism. I quote just the final 2 sentences "The fast romp through the West End shows causes much laughter and the compilation from the sixties productions is a sure hit. The finale mixture brought several encores and this well-directed and wonderful show deserves many more."

Another indication of how well a show is doing is how many people are in the audience. With the current recession this year there have been many long-run shows that have been lucky to have a couple of hundred people in the audience. Yet last night just 3 days before the end of the Eastbourne run the show still had a respectable 4-500 people in the audience. I guess favourable word-of-mouth recommendations and positive reviews must have some effect as the majority of these tickets seemed to be being purchased on the evening rather than being prebooked.

If the show can repeat nationally what it has done in Eastbourne it could prove one of the most popular touring shows of the year. I hope so because the cast work hard, it's a long tiring show, the tour is long and intensive and they all deserve it to be a national success.

I certainly think this is the feel-good-show of 2009 and touring in the run up to Christmas this would make a great night out for office staff etc.

Anyway was tonights performance flawless? No of course not - that's what's great about live entertainment - it's not what goes wrong it's how professionally it's dealt with. Tonight's only noticeable minor flaw was Barnaby and a cane heading in opposite directions on the stage. But you'd have thought it was meant to happen as Stephane returned the cane at an appropriate moment with a friendly exchange of comic banter that was just completely natural and professional.

Well that's 2 glowing reviews for 1 great show but now having met the delightful, friendly, cast the least I can do is publish the substantial tour dates.

Don't miss a great show if it's appearing near you....

Gotta Sing Gotta Dance 2009 National Tour

September
15 Southend, Cliffs Pavilion
16 Lichfield. Garrick Theatre
17 york, Grand Opera House
18 Manchester, Palace Theatre
20 Dartford, Orchard
21 Swindon, Wyvern theatre
30 Sunderland, Empire Theatre

October
1. Consett, Empire Theatre
2 Stirling, Albert Halls
3 Whitley Bay, Playhouse
4 Kings Lynn, Corn exchange
6 Hayes, The Beck
7 Torquay, Princes Theatre
8 Christ Church, Regent Theatre
10 Darlington, Civic Theatre
11 Halifax, Victoria Theatre
13 Peterborough, Key Theatre
14 Dunstable, Grove Theatre
15 Stoke, Victoria Halls
16 Skegness, Embassy Theatre
17 Retford, Majestic Theatre
20 Hereford, The Courtyard
21 Hull, New Theatre
22 New Brighton, Floral Pavilion
23 Birmingham, Alexandra Theatre
24 Radlett, Radlett Theatre
26 Norwich, Playhouse
28 Worthing, Pavilion Theatre
30 Guildford, Yvonne Arnaud
31 Lowestoft, Marina Theatre

November
1 Reading, Hexagon
3 Bolton, Albert Halls
4 Blackpool, Grand Theatre
5 Doncaster, Civic Theatre
6 Aberdare, The Coliseum
7 Weston-Super-Mare, Playhouse
8 St Albans, Alban arena
10 Oldham, Coliseum
11 Buxton, Opera House
12 Lincoln, Theate Royal
13 Tunbridge Wells, Assembly Hall Theatre
14 Potters Bar, Wyllyotts Theatre
16 Wakefield, theatre Royal
17 Grimsby, Grimsby Auditorium
18 Wellingborough, Castle
19 Camberley, Camberley Theatre

Please excuse any typos and inaccuracies in the above information which has been obtained from the tour programme

As I said before Gotta Sing Gotta Dance... Gotta See It!

Gotta Sing Gotta Dance 2009 Devonshire Park Theatre Eastbourne Review

Gotta Sing Gotta Dance (2009)
A Magical Night At The Musicals
12 August-5th September
Devonshire Park Theatre Eastbourne
(Then touring)

Performance seen Tuesday 18th August

Performers

(in appearance order)

Stephanie Anelli
Verity Bentham
Lucinda Lawrence
Carrie Sutton
Barnaby Thompson
Ashley Jake Trow

The Band

Musical Director/Keyboards Robert Cousins
Drums/Percussion Ollie Boorman
Reeds/ Keys 2 Andy Stewart
Bass Chris Gardiner

In an ideal world we would have loved to have seen this on the first night with the Friends Of The Devonshire Park theatre meet-the-cast opportunity. But seeing Singing In The Rain and this at the same time was sadly a physical impossibility.

An "In-House" production by Eastbourne Theatres the production is directed by Chris Jordan, Choreagraphed by Nick Winston and the musical director is Robert Cousins.

If you don't want to read this review in full and just want to know if it is worth booking to see this summer season show don't waste any more time - just book the tickets before the show ends in Eastbourne!

This new production of Gotta Sing Gotta Dance is back by genuine popular demand after good reviews last year. It seems that reputation, word of mouth recommendation and clearly visible increased advertising of this production must be paying off . Whilst the theatre wasn't full by any means we saw this production 1 week into it's summer run and it had attracted one of the largest audiences we had seen this year.

If those audience levels continue until the show moves on after 5th September it could be one of Eastbourne Theatres biggest successes of the year.

That success would be well deserved. The format is simple, yet effective. No well known celebrities to attract the punters here. Instead we have an extremely well cast selection of just 6 hugely talented, West End and national musical tour experienced professional performers.

They perform over 50 hits from the musicals (some better known than others) in a mammoth show lasting 2 and a half hours (including 20 min interval).

The songs are linked together by a very good combination of genuinely funny non-cheesy comedy and facts from musical theatre history. This format works extremely well. It would have been very easy to decide to just go from one song to another but the show would not have the same impact.

Chris Jordan has gone for a huge number of well known hits from musical theatre whilst incorporating about 20-25% of lesser-known, yet beautifully performed, numbers.

This part is a bit of a brave move, the unknown is not everybodys cup of tea. I had a bit of an old grump sitting behind me who whenever a track was performed from a musical he had not seen he would grumble "I didn't know that one. I don't like it!".

Fortunately 99% of the audience didn't appear to agree with him. Fair enough you may not have seen Miss Saigon, Little Shop Of Horrors or Sweet Charity but this doesn't stop you appreciating a beautifully performed song.

Every single song, with the exception of 1, is from a musical.

Why Chris Jordan inserted the, lets say slightly different, "Taylor The Latte Boy" into the latter part of the first half is anybody's guess. Perhaps this 'Odd One Out' was just inserted as a talking point? If this was the case it certainly worked. I thought it was an unusual hit beautifully performed by the lovely Lucinda Lawrence. My wife thought it was beautifully sung but hated the song and as for "Grumpy" behind me well he was at his grumbliest best.

Act 1 is a slightly less energetic half than Act 2. It's no less impressive than Act 2 either in terms of singing or choreography but the performers have to reserve some energy for Act 2.

With hits from the likes of Copacabana, Chicago, Les Miserables, Singin' In The Rain and Oliver Act 1 leaves you on a high and wondering what these talented performers can bring in Act 2.

Act 2 takes the top gear reached in Act 1 and adds turbo speed in terms of energy, choreography and quantity of material. It's a much faster paced half with incredible wonderfully choreographed and sung medleys. With hits in this half eminating from the likes of Grease, Starlight Express, Saturday Night Fever, Mamma Mia, Hairspray, High School Musical and more there is no let up in the enjoyment.

The band in the Devonshire Park Theatre were sensibly positioned behind the performers. In this theatre this is such a good idea - it is so easy to put a band in the 'pit' where they can sometimes drown out the lyrics.

It was demonstrated just how sensible this was in the first half when Stephane Anelli's microphone decided it was going on the blink for several minutes. Professionally, Stephane of course carried on singing until a suitable time to nip off stage to get a replacement. However in this time you could still hear the lyrics which made the technical hitch incredibly minor.

This production is a credit to Chris Jordan - it is certainly the ONLY show, so far, this year that we are intending to see a second time - we thought it was that good. Chris Jordan was a little modest when I briefly saw him after saying the performers should take all the credit. Not really true because if you put rubbish into a bin - rubbish comes out. Put together a great package that is consistently entertaining though and your performers will deliver a great show. This is the result with Gotta Sing Gotta Dance.

It is a brilliant, great value, summer season show which should not be missed.

We did get the opportunity to talk to the lads and to Lucinda after the show and Ashley asked if I had a favourite part of the show. At the time I said no as I thought it was just a wonderful overall package. But I've since given this a little thought.

Act 1

Barnaby Thompson's Emcee from Cabaret - having seen Wayne Sleep in the part it's always easy to make a comparison - I can't see that Barnaby's ever played the part on tour - but he should!

The duets with Stephane and Lucinda - this combination works so well.

Carrie Sutton's delivery of I dreamed A Dream I thought was beautiful. As a bonus the lovely Carrie does not resemble any sort of Hairy Angel and didn't have any sort of on stage breakdown!

Barnaby's comedy - in particular in combination with Stephane - a new double act in the making?

Singin' In The Rain - Having just seen the actual musical at the Congress it is refreshing that this is presented in such a refreshingly different way. Well done to Barnaby, Verity and Stephane for pulling off a great routine. No spoilers here - go and see it!

Oh and I nearly forgot for sheer hilarity Maria from the sound of music is a surefire highlight.

Act 2

Who would have thought that you could take Barnaby singing Get'cha head in the game from High School Musical combined with Stephane performing Lady is a tramp from Babes in Arms at the same time and end up with an amazing routine?

I can't leave Verity, Lucinda and Carrie without a mention for the unforgettable Gotta Have A Gimmick from Gypsy - unforgettable for many reasons especially Carrie's great outfit (or rather lack of it)!

With Ashley Jake Trow joining his fellow performers in this second Act for many incredible, fast paced musical medleys you are left with the feeling you have seen a superb show.

The standing ovation was inevitable and totally deserved.

Overall verdict?

Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance - Gotta see it!

Off to book more tickets now.........................

Last Of The Summer Wine Tour Review, Ruth Madoc, Tony Adams

Last Of The Summer Wine
Devonshire Park Theatre Eastbourne

15th July-8th August
Performance seen
Tuesday, July 16th


Cast

(appearance order)

Foggy Dewhurst - JOHN PENNINGTON
Compo Simonite - HARRY DICKMAN
Norman Clegg - TIMOTHY KIGHTLEY
Samantha - GILLIAN AXTELL
Meg - RUTH MADOC
Gifford Bewmont - STEVEN PINDER
Wally Batty/Howard - IAN MARR
Nora Batty - ESTELLE COLLINS
Mr Pilbeam - TONY ADAMS

Not being a fan of the TV series this was always going to be an interesting show to see but it was made more interesting by what I would describe as a "booking malfunction".

The idea was that we would see this on opening night so that we could take advantage of the usual Friends Of The Devonshire Park Theatre (FDPT) meet-the-cast option after the show. However, although unintended, we ended up with second night tickets.

So we decided we'd go over on first night to meet the cast and then see the show as planned the following evening.

We arrived to buy a programme just as the interval had started.

It wasn't too encouraging to hear comments like "I don't like the TV show anyway", "It's very slow", "It's just not me".

However given that on first night a lot of the audience are made up of the FDPT you have to take such feedback with a pinch of salt. We often go to see shows that would not normally appeal only to come away pleasantly surprised and sometimes the reverse is true.

Anyway, we had time to kill whilst the second half was showing so we went for a slow stroll along Eastbourne seafront. On this beautiful summer evening we couldn't help but notice how many pensioners would rather remain cooped up in their hotels playing bingo in the vain hope of winning a tenner than go to see some live entertainment. Hotel after hotel it was the same story hearing callers utter phrases like "Two fat ladies
". I don't know about 88, they'll be hundreds of little fat old ladies if every evening of a holiday is spent playing bingo. It seems such a waste of time.

A full theatre is a rare occurence these days. Tickets start at just £13.50 for this show and if 10 pensioners go together 1 can go free. I wonder why the hotels or tour operators don't encourage more "outings" for OAPs?

If everybody got their act together in the tourist industry the theatre industry could become as popular as it once was.

Well rant of the day over.... we did finish that walk and returned to the theate in time to hear the patrons' comments on leaving the show.

Verdicts seemed to have changed a little since the interval with many claiming it had got better and better in the second half, a few muttering that they "just didn't like farces".

A fellow FDPT member asked before we met the cast if I would be telling the cast how wonderful the show was even though we hadn't seen it yet? That's just not us although I know many an autograph hunter who asks for an autograph whilst lying that they have seen the show. No we'd tell the cast the truth that we would be seeing it the next night, It's up to them if they actually believe you. Besides I'm also not one to praise a show for the sake of it - if I didn't like all or part of a show I'd tell them (and I have in the past).

It was quite a novel experience though meeting these performers before seeing a show. Such a friendly, down to earth, cast too! Tony Adams, of former Crossroads fame, will be 69 this year (according to Wikipedia). The last time we saw Tony was 20+ years ago when we saw him jogging through the City Of Brighton - he has clearly stuck to a fitness regime that has kept him looking extremely fit. He has a physique that blokes 30 years younger would be envious of.

In addition to talking to Tony Adams we briefly spoke to John Pennington and Steven Pinder and had a little chat with Ruth Madoc (probably best known for Hi De Hi). But most of my time was spent chatting to the very amiable Londoner's Harry Dickman (Compo Simonite) and Timothy Kightley (Norman Clegg) who both promised they would look out for us the following evening. It wouldn't be difficult as we were to be in the front row.

Photos taken, autographs done all that was needed now was to see the show.

Accordingly we returned the following evening. Not fans of the TV series we didn't really expect much but I actually found it pleasantly entertaining.

How can I put it? It isn't comedy that will leave you rolling in the aisles but it is enough to keep you chuckling along.

From what I have seen of the TV show this is along the lines of the gentle comedy portrayed in the episodes.

This is actually an "in-house" Eastbourne Theatres production with Chris Jordan being the director. I think Chris did a fine job of casting the 3 main roles (Compo, Glegg and Foggy). None of these roles are filled by the "celebrity headliners" but by 3 extremely professional actors who have played out most of their careers in theatres nationwide.

All three have also been to the Devonshire Park Theate before. John Pennington (Foggy Dewhurst) having appeared in Wife Begins At 40. We have also seen Tim Kightley in Dad's Army, alongside Leslie Grantham. Harry Dickman had previously amazed us as a brilliant Albert Steptoe in the UK tour of Steptoe and Son.

This trio works extremely well together in creating on the stage the screen characters that millions are familiar with.

This stage episode written by Roy Clarke is "The Moonbather". A streaker is on the loose - only appeaing when the moon is full (amazingly I don't think a joke about full mooning was ever put in to the script).

Steven Pinder plays bungling bugle blasting bobby Gifford Bewmont who is not so hot on the trail of streaker Mr Pilbeam, played by Tony Adams. Steven is another familiar face at the Devonshire Park having previously appeared alongside Sara Crowe (currently clotheless in the West End in Calendar Girls) in the comedy drama Private Lives.

Ruth Madoc meanwhile is cast as Meg who plays the sister of Samantha (Gillian Axtell) who Foggy Dewhurst (John Pennington) has set his sights on.

The other characters are mainly incidental minor roles required by the plot. This includes the role of Nora Batty (Estelle Collins) who, perhaps surprisingly for ardent fans, has little to do in the show.

As I said some time ago this is a gentle comedy that just runs along nicely. In the second half it gradually builds to a traditional farce-like-bedlam-finale.

Star of the show? Well the celebrity stars are teriffic and friendly too. But best performance has to go to Harry Dickman. As regards to taking on the characters of the older icons in comedy Harry is an acting genius. I am sure none of the cast will mind me saying he is central to this show and is absolutely hilarious.

Last Of The Summer Wine was a pleasant, enjoyable, evening out for us. It's never going to break box office records and it's not going to be remembered as the funniest comedy of all time.

But it's a darned site better than sitting in the hotel lounge waiting for "Two Little Ducks", "Tony's Den", or a "Christmas Cake" to pop out of the bingo ball juggling machine!

Here's wishing the cast good luck for their forthcoming tour.