http://www.champnews.com All the latest arts news from Champion Newspapers en-uk Copyright 2007 Champion Media Group. All Rights Reserved http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6675 Lydiate-based Too Friendly Theatre Company have been nominated in this year's National Operatic and Dramatic Association awards for their production of Victor Hugo's Les Miserables. Andrea Culkin has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress, Helen Haygarth for Best Actress and Cliff Gillies is nominated for Best Actor and Best Staging while the production itself has also been nominated for Best Play. But that is not all, as both Sue Thomas and Cliff Gillies have been nominated in the Best Mortal In A Pantomime category for All Souls production of Cinderella. The news about the awards, held in August, has come during the last few weeks of rehearsals for the company's next production, Peter Gordon's Murdered To Death. The play is a hilarious spoof of the best of the Agatha Christie traditions, a whodunnitt with twists, turns, confusion and side-splitting antics. Set in a country manor house in the glorious 1930s, the colourful cast of characters include Bunting the Butler; Colonel Charles Craddock with the prerequisite stiff upper lip, the bumbling local inspector and his Constable; and a well-meaning local sleuth Miss Maple who seems to attract murder wherever she goes. Add to this a high society debutante, a shady French art dealer and the rest, and you have the perfect recipe for fantastic fun, naughty jokes and hysterical happenings. Described by the BBC as Quite simply one of the funniest plays we ever read the show is going to be one not to miss and we recommend ordering your tickets soon before they run out! The show is on at Southport's Little Theatre June 12th  14th 2008. Tickets are £7.50 and advance ticket sales are available from 01704 560229. More information about the production can be found on www.toofriendlytheatre.com 4/30/2008 3:08:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6674 EDGE Hill's Performing Arts department are about to put on their largest student led and student performed production. They will be performing Henrik Ibsen's Peer Gynt, and will be bringing the scope and spectacle of an epic tale to a Lancashire mountain. The production is a collaboration of over fifty drama and dance students with a supporting student design team; promising an exciting and magical theatrical experience for adults and children alike. Ibsen's extraordinary fairy tale for adults still speaks as freshly as when it was first written. Here in David Rudkin's spare colloquial translation, trolls and madmen, harem and homestead are magically given life. Melissa Mcleod, a second year drama student, said:  "The Magical Production of Peer Gynt has allowed us in our second year to fly high with aspirations. "Working as a team with so many people; actors and designers alike, has allowed us to create strong bonds, which we will carry through into our third year." The production will be on at the Rose Theatre from Thursday, May 8 to Saturday, May 10, at 7.30pm each night, and a matinee of 2.30pm on the Saturday. Tickets are £7 adults, £3 concessions and available from the Rose Theatre box office on 01695 584480. The production involves 52 2nd Yr Drama students from Edgehill University, along with five 2nd Yr Theatre Design Students, and three 3rd Yr Theatre Production Students. 4/30/2008 3:07:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6673 THE Southport International Jazz festival has moved into a higher division with a first-class line up of acts and events. A mixture of mainstream, traditional and world stars will make the festival - which takes place at various venues around Southport between Thursday May 29 and Sunday June 1 – one that should bring music lovers to the resort in droves. At least 65 gigs are taking place in the town with 80% of these free to attend. There will be big-names playing at the Southport Theatre and Arts Centre with dozens more playing at pubs, restaurants, cafes and in the open air. Headlining acts include a finale evening at the Southport Theatre with  American singer Victoria Hart, the former waitress who shot to fame after winning of the hearts of Hollywood stars  like George Clooney and Brad Pitt while working on a yacht in Cannes. Guitar maestros John Williams and John Etheridge play at the Arts Centre on Thursday, Friday sees Brazilain bossa Nova star Monica Vasconcelos at the arts centre on Friday, with dance groove kings Down to the Bone playing on Sunday. Other gigs to look out for include a gala dinner featuring entertainment from the peerless Pete Churchill quartet featuring Bobby Wellins at the new Vincent Hotel and a welcome return for hard-bop hipsters DFQ at Lloyd's No1 bar on Friday, May 30. The Southport Melodic Jazz Club are also organising a series of gigs, including brunch and jazz at the Vincent and the Geoff Earles Trio at the Royal Clifton Hotel. A free guide giving details of most of the concerts is available from the tourism office in Lord Street, the Arts centre and other places. The only problem will be picking which gigs to go to and which to miss. More information and a fill line up list HERE 4/30/2008 3:05:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6572 Blood Brothers SDC Youth Theatre at the Southport Little Theatre   Gordon Bennett, I’d forgotten how depressing a play Blood Brothers is! Twin babies given away by poverty stricken mother, the boys grow up as childhood friends (blood brothers, in fact) but end up where one hates the other whereupon they are both shot dead by the deranged adoptive-mother.            Having said that, Blood Brothers is one of the success stories of post-War British drama. As a musical, it has the longevity of the best of Rodgers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Jerry Herman. As a play, it evokes the class wars of British society as well as anything by John Braine or John Osbourne. It has won numerous awards and featured many famous actors in its cast over the years.. So much for my opinion, therefore. Last month, the musical yet again sold out the Liverpool Empire and, on Wednesday night, the SDC Youth Theatre at the Little Theatre opened to a packed house. I might not be too enamoured of the plot, especially the abrupt finale, but I recognise an excellent production when I see it and this was a slick, superbly acted show from start to finish, expertly directed by Hilary Thomson. The future of the SDC is in good hands here. Obviously a perfect choice of play for the Liverpool Capital of Culture year, Willy Russell, as one of the city’s leading playwrights, perfectly captures the nuances of kids growing up in the city. The dialogue, as in all his other works, is spot on. The three narrators appear as Goths. The towering Adam Frackleton cuts a menacing figure whilst Amy Wilson and Frankie Rimmer might have stepped straight out of Macbeth. Alex Sherwood, Heather Gomersall, Sarah Alty and Yasmine Paul are the kids with Tom Mackley causing amusement by appearing as a milkman one minute and a gynaecologist the next. Jo Jagger alternated happily between nurse, secretary and policewoman. Keli Bond is totally convincing as the downtrodden working-class mother who is persuaded to give up one of her twins to the lady she cleans for, Juliet Anderson giving a frightening performance of an upper-class woman slowly overtaken by paranoia. Adam Hodgson as the Liverpool scally, Micky, and John Delahunty as his posh twin brother, Edward, both act with a maturity that belies their years whilst Kelly Phillips as Linda, the girl they both love, has the air of a practised seductress. Edward persuades his brother to propose to Linda because he knows Micky loves her and, when they fall on hard times, he helps them by secretly getting them a house and finding Mickey a job in his firm. But when Micky finds out, he realised how much he is beholden to his rich brother, his self-esteem is shattered, and he races to confront him.  But Edward’s mother bursts in, gun in hand…. Which is where we came in. 90 minutes without the music, but it is intense and gripping throughout and certainly gets across its message of class inequality in stark terms. Uplifting it is not.   Champ verdict:  Acting 5/5  Play 3/5. A cut above 3/18/2008 10:07:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6551 The Gondoliers Houghton Players Southport Arts Centre The Gondoliers is the most lively of all the D’Oyley Carte operas and the curtains opened at the Arts Centre to a blaze of bright lights, colourful costumes and vibrant music, set off delightfully by a magnificent backdrop of Canaletto’s Venice, which set the tone for the whole show.  Originally set in the eighteenth century, which would have rendered obsolete many of the satirical references, Andrew Mackley’s excellent rewrite, after his success last season with Iolanthe, brought the action forward to 1939 and the end of the Spanish Civil War, which made the dialogue refreshingly topical. To me, Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas are the adult equivalent of pantomime and so, like in panto, we got the constant references to modern events. Even so, quite why I-pods, mobile phones and Byoncé, all unknown before the Second World War, came into the story puzzled me until one of the actors commented that DNA hadn’t yet been invented. When he went on to announce we were coming to the end of the act, I realised they were acting the parts of actors playing 21st century actors who were performing a play set in 1939 and the audience was in on the secret. A clever ploy. In the scene where they have to choose a wife, the gondoliers act out television’s Deal or No Deal, with suitably scathing remarks about Noel Edmonds (nice cameo role for Tom Mackley as ‘Noelé Edmundo’), and Northern Rock is held up as the typical result of capitalism when they set up a communist republic in Barataria. But the charm of the piece is in the singing and dancing. Mark Cracknell was in fine voice as super spy Don Handlebar (complete with James Bond music) and Ian Mackley strutted the stage suitably full of self-importance as the Duke of Plaza Toro. Vicky Aindow has a delightful singing voice and she was well complimented by Sean Moran as her young lover. Andrew Gardner and Nick Donnelly together with Kelli Bond and Heather Lowe gave bright performances as the two newly-married couples living in fear of bigamy whilst Susan Lee as Supernanny was a dead ringer for my idea of Mrs Danvers. The sparkling dance routines, choreographed by Joyce Court, and the music, an 11 piece orchestra directed by Paul Varney, made this one of the best versions of The Gondoliers that I have seen for many a long day. One gripe. Yet again, as on previous visits, I was irritated by the Arts Centre sound system whereby the sound, though loud enough, is indistinct and drops in and out at ramdom whilst bearing no relation to where the vocalist stands on the stage. As I heard one old lady behind me whisper, ‘why don’t they bring back megaphones’. Champ verdict 3.5/5 Review by Rob Ellis 3/10/2008 3:04:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6469 THE Folkport folk music mini-festival held at Southport Arts centre last weekend was an absolute gem. Old favourites and exciting new talent combined to create a highly successful and entertaining event. A superbly eclectic line-up of professional bands in concert was complemented by the relaxed ceilidh atmosphere in the bar where Southport’s own Bothy Folk Song Club hosted a range of home-grown and guest artists throughout Saturday afternoon and evening. There were also fringe gigs on Friday evening and Sunday at local pubs including the Guest House. First of the studio concerts was by Breabach, a young Scottish four-piece who performed reels, jigs and ballads in the Celtic tradition with a few modern twists. The sweet voice and mellow fiddle of Patsy Reid stood out as did the rousing sound of two sets of bagpipes, a great opener for the festival. Next up was Brass Monkey, a blast from the 80s folk scene, sadly without trumpeter Howard Evans who died in 2006 after a battle with cancer, but it was good to hear Martin Carthy again on guitar and Roger Williams’ bass trombone, an instrument I can’t get enough of. Their jolly exposition of familiar and not-so-familiar tunes showcased talent honed through 30 years on the circuit. Irish band Dervish headlined the main theatre and their accomplished playing of traditional and modern songs on fiddle, flute and squeeze-box was as impressively expressive as ever; Kathy Jordan’s exquisite vocals adding tremendous power to the sound. The evening was brought to a close by Oysterband, another veteran act with 30 years under their belts, and they belted out some terrific tunes which had the audience bopping and jigging in the standing-only studio. Material from their excellent new album Meet You There was interspersed with classics from the back catalogue and everyone went home uplifted by the party atmosphere. I’ve not mentioned Moishe’s Bagel, who played the other studio set, until now, because for me they were the revelation of the day. Their manic fusion of  East European music with Jewish Klezmer styles and jazz influences, all delivered with incredible passion and panache, was simply sensational. Hailing from Scotland, this young band comprised five outstanding musicians playing violin, piano, accordion, bass/guitar and percussion with such togetherness and verve it was a real breath of fresh air. The staccato piano style of songwriter Phil Alexander and the virtuoso flying fingers of Greg Lawson on the fiddle blew me away. A big fan of the gypsy violin style, I was captivated by the sheer breathless energy and exuberance of their performances, with every tune packed with great melodies and dramatic changes of mood and tempo. They played like a demented silent film orchestra on speed and left the audience simultaneously energised and exhausted. Moishe’s Bagel are on tour at the moment, so if you get the chance to see them, grab it. It just remains to congratulate Sefton Arts and the Bothy club for organising an outstanding event. The good news is that it is already being pencilled in for next year. (Memo to Arts Centre bosses — turn the heating down next time, please, we were roasting.  And order more Southport beer,  it ran out in no time). Music fans, if you missed it this time, don’t make the same mistake in 2009. Champ verdict 5/5. Folktastic! Review: Mike Montgomery 2/12/2008 8:00:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6435 THE new-look Jazz on a Winter’s Weekend Festival packed in the crowds and delighted fans and musicians. The leap from the under-the-one-roof event at The Royal Clifton to the Southport Arts Centre for the main performances must have had the organisers, Southport Melodic Jazz Club, holding their breath. It proved to be a wise move. The  eight top-flight concerts held there were well attended, with everyone appreciating the superb sound systems and professional support provided by the Arts Centre team. The foyer was buzzing. Jazz promoters, CD sellers, lectures, workshops, an exhibition of William Ellis’ jazz photographs, even a guitar-maker, all kept visitors interested between gigs. Meanwhile, the bars did a roaring trade – a real-ale bar selling Southport Brewery beers was drunk dry by Sunday lunchtime. But it was the outstanding calibre of music  that will make this festival live long in the memory. Leading UK jazz vocalist Claire Martin had the Friday evening audience spellbound with the help of her remarkable band featuring Scottish guitar wizard Jim Mullen and saxophonist Alan Barnes. Saturday kicked off with the Swingshift Big Band and trumpet stars Bruce Adams and Steve Waterman duelling it out. Russell Malone brought his band over from New York for the exclusive Saturday headline gig. This versatile young guitarist who has picked up the mantle of jazz greats like George Benson had them rocking with a combination of rousing blues and soft ballads. This concert will be broadcast on BBC 3 Jazz Line-Up on Saturday March 9, as was the Sunday opener (to be broadcast on March 29), a delightful quartet fronted by vibrophonists Jim Hart and Roger Beaujolais.   The final concert in the theatre on Sunday evening was an all-star line up of British jazz musicians led by Alan Barnes playing some of his and fellow saxophonist Andy Panayi’s arrangements of the great Ellington altoist Johnny Hodges. The late night gigs back at The Royal Clifton proved the stamina of the jazz audience who stayed up till 1am three nights running to hear great jazz from the likes of Benn Clatworthy, Neil Yates and Bobby Wellins. Belgian pianist Pascal Michaux’s trio played out the festival with a tribute to the recently departed Oscar Peterson. The festival organisers promise a 5th Jazz on a Winter’s Weekend in 2009 — same weekend. The event has established itself in the UK jazz calendar and developed its own stamp of excellence and originality. Southport can be truly proud of this event. For reviews of Ambulance and Eddie Henderson click HERE 2/5/2008 6:47:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6434 Arnie Somoygi's Ambulance - Southport Arts Centre Festival goers were treated to the emergence of a great hope for British jazz last weekend. Arnie Somoygi's Ambulance left the large and appreciative crowd at Southport's Arts Centre in no doubt that here is talent that is going straight to the top. In all their songs, the band are driven forward by Somoygi's bass, giving be-bop a modernist twist in a way not seen since Charlie Mingus thumbed the strings. After an engaging start to the Saturday afternoon gig, the band launched into their signature tune, Sirenity, beginning with booming drums before dying away to a haunting soprano sax solo and exploding back into life via the trumpet of guest star Eddie Henderson. There's a confident playfulness in their music, such as the accordion and wave effects on their next track, Captain Courageous. This was part sea-shanty part bluesy, top-tapping walk on the wild side. It was everything that anyone who cares about great music wants to hear. The group's mentor is Eddie Henderson, who joined them on stage for this gig. Although San Francisco-based Henderson is a great player, he seemed slightly stiff compared to the inventiveness of the rest of the band. His lead on Miles Davies' Blue in Green seemed to me halting, as if the tune overburdened him, yet it brought the audience out in bravos. I continued to have reservations about Henderson in the next gig I saw, his own quartet, also playing at the Arts Centre on Sunday, which included Somogyi on bass. Although his playing was impeccable, with not a note out of place and technically brilliant, especially on the muted trumpet and the demanding flugel-horn. However, he again seemed to be holding something back. The show was stolen away by British veteran alto saxophonist Peter King, who played Coltrane to Henderson's Davis on songs such as So What? and Someday My Prince will Come. Although King has been suffering from a prolonged bout of illness, his playing is in rude health and he carried all before him with a series of lyrical solos. On Old Folks, his treatment of the melody seemed to leave the stage and walk among us. On other tracks, like All Blues, he helped bring a breathless energy to well-known compositions that also had room to showcase Somogyi's hypnotic bass and the ear-popping, jaw-dropping drumming of the talented Asaf Sirkis. Henderson's quartet left the audience gasping for more, but it was King that they wanted to hear again. review by Rob Doyle 2/5/2008 6:44:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6421 Habeas Corpus presented by Southport Dramatic Club, Little Theatre ONE of England’s classic plays from the pen Alan Bennett and a comment on the hypocrisy surrounding the human body, this is a seaside farce that can be enjoyed on two levels. On the one hand we have the literary jokes such as the allusions to The Importance of Being Earnest and John Betjeman’s poems, together with clever word play reminiscent of Frank Muir’s sketches or Radio 4’s I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue. Then there’s the slapstick side, where trouserless men grope the bosoms of scantily clad women – decidedly more interesting on the stage. In a way, this play is more like a revue as the dialogue changed from monologues into verse or song at will and the characters popped in and out of the action with constant asides to the audience and several monologues that might have come from the playwright’s Talking Heads. All of which makes the job of acting and directing much more difficult than in a straight play and it is to director Ray Mann’s credit that his cast performed the moves so adroitly at such a fast pace. Mike Yates was outstanding as the lecherous Dr Wicksteed with his hedonistic views on morality (“He whose lust lasts, lasts longest.”). Ann Richards, his neglected wife, was obviously enjoying reliving her youth in the Swinging Sixties as she sought solace with the bewildered bra fitter, a fine SDC debut from seasoned actor Chuck Forbes. Also making his debut was Christian Verite, playing the part of the simple, cringing, hypochondriac geek, Dennis, totally unrecognisable from the shaven-headed athletic figure spied later in the bar. Mike Stowell, in long underwear that Jeremy Paxman would have died for, was the perfect Sir Percy Shorter, bumptious in the Captain Manwaring style and a role he played in the last SDC production of this play in 1978. Ceri Watkins excelled as the winsome Connie who, believing her flat chest put her on the fast lane to spinsterhood, sought to purchase an improving appliance to extend her appeal. Pat Ball played Lady Rumpers in Lady Bracknall mode whilst Cate Leight as her daughter, Felicity, was given the chance to audition for the Ann Summers catwalk. Peter Buck followed the traditional English role of silly vicars as Canon Throbbing, vainly hoping to seduce the unwilling Connie, whilst Pete Slater looked suitably depressed as he swung dangerously at the end of a rope in a scene that must have caused apoplexy to the current breed of  Health and Safety Officers who would want children to wear goggles to play conkers.  Margaret Hodge was so convincing as the cheery Cockney char, Mrs Swabb, a part played by Alan Bennett in London, that I was almost ready to hire her to spring clean our house. Maybe the play was a little dated as the Permissive Society has moved on and the ‘nudge nudge wink wink’ double entendres of yesterday have been overtaken by gratuitous swearing and explicitness. But I know which I prefer and so did the audience who were thoroughly amused and entertained. Champ verdict 4/5. A hit 1/30/2008 4:33:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6378 Liverpool Rock and Roll Society is putting on a fundraiser night in Formby Friday 1st February. The charity dance is for Southport Hospital Spinal Injuries Unit, and will cost guests £5 and is held at the Gild Hall on Church Road in Formby. It starts at 7.30 and will be going on till late. The event is starring bands such as Wheels on Fire, The Undertakers, The New Applejacks, Rockin' Ronnie and The Black Knights with Mal Jefferson. If you prefer to leave your dancing shoes at home there is always the chance to win in the prize raffle or the auction, or even sing a song or two. 1/14/2008 8:07:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6377 A singer with a big cult following is heading to Southport to get the Southport winter jazz festival off to a sizzling start. An opening night gig featuring top line vocal jazz has been a regular feature of Southport Melodic Jazz Club's world class Winter festival. For 2008 'Liverpool Capital of Culture' year, the club has hit the jackpot with a first night gig on Friday February 1st by the fabulous Miss Claire Martin with an all star quintet including legendary guitarist Jim Mullen and Britain's top jazz saxophonist Alan Barnes.   By the mid-nineties Martin had received the Rising Star and Best Vocalist awards at the British Jazz Awards while receiving rave reviews on her American debut with four sell-out shows in Washington DC. Another ambition was fulfilled with the recording of a live album at Ronnie Scott’s in 1995, an album that moved the New York Times to comment "In an era when young jazz singers tend to sound far too much like their idols, there is no mistaking the voice of Claire Martin who combines a cool, burnished tone with the ear of a bornmusician".   Martin continued to gather awards, winning the Best Vocalist category for the fourth time at the 2002 British Jazz Awards and going onto win Best Vocalist at the BBC Jazz Awards in 2003 (when she performed a duet with a certain Mr Cullum, who won the Rising Star Award that year).   In 2007, Martin released an album dedicated to the songs and spirit of the late Shirley Horn, often called the singer’s singer. Hailed by most critics as her finest recording to date, “He Never Mentioned Love” (Linn AKD 295) captures her in intimate mode, paying tribute to her greatest musical influence. It led to widespread acclaim, with Observer Music Monthly hailing Martin as “the complete jazz singer she's always threatened to be.” 2007 also saw Martin make her debut at the world famous Oak Room at the Alqonguin Hotel in New York. Her two week stint was a huge success with Tony Bennett dropping into hear his fave Brit singer on the opening night and Martin’s trademark cocktail of standards, sass, swing and lesser known gems had the new York critic’s purring with one New York paper purring “A world-class performer, offering proof-positive that jazz can be sung in a British accent”. Already invited back for a yearly residency at the Oak Room, Martin will also appear at this year’s Women In Jazz Festival at Jazz At Lincoln Center, when her Ian Shaw headline Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola for three nights from September 18th.   Claire is also well known for her presenter role on BBC Radio 3's Jazz Line-Up which will be attending Jazz on a Winter';s Weekend to broadcast Saturday's headliner concet by The Russell Malone Quartet.   Tickets for her Southport Concert at The Arts Centre Lord Street on Friday 1st February at 7.30 pm are available from the Arts Centre Box Ofiice price £ 18 each. Tel 01704 540011. A free 16 page full colour programme containing details of the other 10 concerts and fringe activities happening at Jazz on a Winter's Weekend can be obtained by ringing SMJC on 01704 541790 or by visi 1/14/2008 8:06:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6376 Habeas Corpus by Alan Bennett. Performance dates 25th January to 2nd February 2008. Director:  Ray Mann   Alan Bennett's action-packed comedy, is set in a genteel suburb of Brighton, and was written in 1973.    Set in the 'swinging sixties' it explores what was then known as the 'Permissive Society' where lust and longing has  taken hold of the apparently  respectable Wicksteed family well and truly!   With a succession of characters ranging from a rampant doctor and a randy vicar to a frustrated flat-chested spinster and a baffled domestic cleaner, this rollicking farce is  very saucy and particularly English!   Alan Bennett's wry observations of life have made him one of the country's best loved writers.   The SDC last performed the play in 1978. Amongst the cast are Mike Yates, Ann Richards Margaret Hodge, Cate Leight, and Mike Stowell. all well known to Southport audiences.     The two "Mikes" have worked together on many occasions in  past plays and create a formidable and hilarious team together!   "Habeas Corpus" was recently performed at the Lowry Theatre Manchester directed by Sir Peter Hall with James Fleet playing Doctor Wicksteed (famous for his role as Hugo in BBC TV's  "The Vicar of Dibley").   The Little Theatre Box Office opens on Friday, 18th January, at 11am. 1/14/2008 8:05:00 AM http://www.champnews.com/html/newsstory.asp?id=6375 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs All Souls Dramatic Company The All Souls annual pantomime is like a big family reunion party. The cast greeted the audience like old friends and everyone in the seats around me seemed to be related to someone on the stage. This made them all the keener to join in with the action, doubtless trying to incite their offspring to greater effort, and allowing their exuberance to almost outshine the hard-working cast. And, like a Ken Dodd show, don't expect an early exit as the cast seemed to be having such a good time, they didn't want to leave. Joanne Stafford shone as Snow White, her plaintive singing being well suited to numbers like Inside my heart and Someday my prince will come. She wins the heart of Prince Alexi, played by Jaen Pierre Meyer, though one feels she could have done better for herself with one of the more rugged villagers. This was Peter Roney's seventh reprisal as the Dame, a part he has perfected over the years, although there was little suggestion of a woman inside his voluminous skirts. He'd make a much better stand-up comic than a drag artiste. Cliff Gillies obviously enjoyed every minute of his part as Muddles, getting the audience to clap and sing along, as if they needed any encouragement. His version of The Brook Brothers' Ain°' gonna wash for a week was one of the few songs that was instantly recognisable, along with Thriller and Hi Ho Hi Ho. Busiest performer was Katie Watkinson as Ramsbottom, the Wicked Queen's henchman, who darted maniacally about the stage plotting the victory of Snow White. She will surely have run the equivalent of the London Marathon by the final performance. Katie also led a sixties girl group interpretation of Connie Francis's Robot Man, accompanied by The Wicked Queen (the suitably evil Stephanie Verite) and Prince Alexi. Sue Thomas could be dimly glimpsed through the Magic Mirror as the Spirit therein whilst June Weights was charming as Fairy Goodheart. Most popular of all were the dwarfs and the dancers, a veritable army of children, whose costumes, singing and dance routines were a delight. My only quibble was with the music. I would have much preferred real musicians rather than the synthesised backing tapes which lacked the spontaneity and showmanship of a live band. This was a traditional pantomime with, thankfully, little smut and few of the political references that small children rarely appreciate. Karen Edge, who directed and choreographed, must be congratulated for putting together a show well up to the standard of All Souls. Book your ticket now before they sell out. Star Rating 3/5         Review by Ron Ellis 1/14/2008 8:03:00 AM