HAUNTED (Wolverhampton Grand Theatre) July 2012

Ron Aldridge's Haunted plays in Wolverhampton this week in place of the originally scheduled Dry Rot. This production extends the summer play season into a fifth week with three of the four actors returning for a second time this season. It is the second Ron Aldridge play this year - the first being You're Only Young Twice. This play couldn't be any different.

Haunted quickly goes from being rather an erotic play to one that deeply explores the consciousness of the mind. It follows Paul Pengelly (Peter Amory) a double-murderer who has been found not guilty on both accounts. He's starting the life he always wanted but things soon take a sinister turn when his victims appear in his head and will not leave until he confesses to murder.

The two victims, Susan Pengelly (Joanne Heywood) and Richard Tremayne (Nick Ricketts) have a lot to do. Original tactics to edge Peter into confession is to repeatedly tease and taunt him. Not only is this annoying for Peter who is trying to get on with his life but also for the audience who are trying to watch. I couldn't help but feel Peter's agitation and annoyance, which (in a way) is the play working as it should. I could definitely sympathise with Peter, but he's a murderer - he deserves it!

Peter's new love Melanie is played by Nicola Weeks. Interestingly, Amory and Weeks were a couple (Susan and Ray) last week in The Final Test and are together again as Peter and Melanie this week. They work very well together and managed to switch from last week's couple to this week's very different pair.

Alan Miller Bunford's sets return again and this one, a charming lilac bedroom is lit cold and more harshly as the storyline gets grittier and more intense.

The programme features an article about various stage and film ghosts, one of which being Sam Wheat from Ghost. Ghost being a recent screen-to-stage adaptation features special effects and illusions to as part of a multi-million pound musical production in London. Surprisingly this smaller production also features illusions to enforce the ghost-like qualities of the actors who to look at are no different in appearance to the living characters.

You really have to concentrate in this one. There's a lot of supernatural explaining and understanding and at times switching between real-time action to reenactments of the past without obvious notice. Distraction techniques work well to showcase the illusions. The play runs at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday 28th July after finishing a small UK tour in May. This is your last chance to see it and is definitely worth considering.

Website: http://iandickensinternational.com/productions/haunted.html

Tickets: http://www.grandtheatre.info/WhatsOn_focus.asp?ShowId=618&sC=page10

THE FINAL TEST (UK Tour) July 2012

For this, the fourth play in the Ian Dickens play season we are presented with an entirely new work. This is the first time Chris Paling's comedy has been put before an audience, perhaps a big gamble in today's theatrical world - but it managed to hold it's own.

Doctor Who's Colin Baker stars as Peter, who discovers one afternoon that his wife Ruth (Karen Ford) has sold the house and is moving to Bexhill-On-Sea with a new man she found on the internet. Peter, not knowing what to do remains in the garden listening to the cricket. The new owners move in and face the awkward task of getting him out. They call upon the help of a policeman (Michael Garland) who instead of evicting Peter, ends up ballroom dancing with him.

Colin Baker has undoubtable charm. However annoying it is to have an unwelcome visitor in your garden, when it's Colin Baker you'd happily keep him for a gnome. He manages to steer conversations away from why he's staying towards ridiculous situations or getting into confusing the opponent with a pompous argument. Karen Ford as his wife plays a strained and desperate cricket-widow. Emmerdale's Peter Amory along with Nicola Weeks as Susan are the perfect contrast in personality who benefit from the help of their friendly squatter. As with all the plays there is one character who appears for all of two minutes and is never seen again until curtain call. In this play it is Gavin Kerr as the removal man who doubles up as an assistant stage manager.

The set by Alan Miller-Bunford is by far his best creation throughout the play season. There's a spacious lawn, a shed, a whole house with a kitchen in-view, a wall of another house, a street behind the house - nothing is forgotten about. The set makes the slightly daft story seem much more realistic. 

Overall, an amusing evening. For a new play, it's great. It was nice to see a play set in the present day with references to Facebook and Blackberries ("Blueberries"). It starts off a little slowly, and is very dialogue heavy in some parts. If you're not a cricket fan (like me) then perhaps some of the more technical cricket language will wash over your head but the play is much more than that. 

The Final Test runs at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday 21st July and plays only two more venues before finishing it's run on 18th August. 

(With Colin Baker)

Ticket Booking for Wolverhampton: http://grandtheatre.info/WhatsOn_focus.asp?ShowId=615&sC=page10

Website: http://iandickensinternational.com/productions/finaltest.html

YOU'RE ONLY YOUNG TWICE (UK Tour) July 2012

You're Only Young Twice is a bittersweet comedy by Ron Aldridge that first premiered in 2001. Since then it has been a firm favourite with amateur companies and has played world-wide. This most recent version is the third play in the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre's summer plays season.

Melvyn Hayes stars as Brooksie, a recent widower who decides that now is the time to recapture his youth. I knew nothing of the play before the curtain went up and as soon as he walks onto stage you know that Melvyn Hayes is the perfect man for the job. He switches from the young at heart, drunken teenage Brooksie to the mournful, reflective elder gentlemen with excellence. You get your money's worth on Hayes' performance alone.

Supporting cast members are also a joy to watch. Doctor Who's Katy Manning's Rose has much agitation towards Brooksie and her gradual change in attitude towards him is very sweet. John D. Collins is humorous as the pompous no-nonsense Tom. Heartbeat's David Lonsdale, Michelle Morris, Ingrid Evans and Daphne Sherman make up the rest of the cast. 

The set for this one, once again designed by Alan Millar-Bunford is the living room of a house. Realistic on the inside but the only problem with this one is that outside of the window is a creased white backcloth. Other plays in the season have had detailed landscapes hinting at realism and with the same designer you'd expect that continuity. It's a little distracting when characters are susposedly looking out onto the "street". 

I think that some of the jokes, humour and references are a little 40 years before my time, and the reflections of gone 60 year olds are easier to empathise with if you are of that age. The whole of the summer play season in Wolverhampton is geared towards the elder generation but it doesn't exclude younger audiences and there is something in these plays for all ages. The bread throwing scene in this particular play left the entire audience roaring with laughter for long after.

(With Melvyn Hayes, Katy Manning and David Lonsdale)

You're Only Young Twice runs at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (it's first venue of the tour) until Saturday 14th July and then embarks on a UK tour ending 3rd November 2012 in Crewe. 

Website: http://iandickensinternational.com/productions/youngtwice.html

DIRTY DANCING (UK Tour) Review July 2012

Dirty Dancing, billed as "the classic story on stage" is just that. It's not a play, but a times not even a musical - it is the film replicated almost exactly on the stage. Where there's music in the film, there's music in the show. There is little new material for the stage version unlike other stage-movie adaptations such as Ghost and Legally Blonde.

The story follows 'Baby' Houseman (Jill Winternitz) who on a family holiday falls for dancer Johnny Castle (Paul-Michael Jones) who teaches her to dance... dirtily. Both leads give impressive performances with the true extent of their dancing talent reaching a climax in the finale.

To keep up with the pace of a film the set is very minimal and made up of mostly large video screens which provide a "set change" in less than a second. They're impressive but it would have been nice to see perhaps real stage curtains instead of projections onto a screen.

The choreography of Kate Champion is hot, sexy, daring and breathtaking. The cast are incredible and all on top of their game. Stand-out performances include Callum Nicol who not only shines as part of the ensemble routines but also in the role of Robbie Gould. Nicky Griffiths as Penny also dominates the stage. Stefan Menaul provides the humour as Neil Kellerman. Emilia Williams receives rapturous applause for the Hula Hana. Wayne Smith's vocals at the beginning of 'Time Of My Life' are perfect and exceptionally close to the infamous version we all know and love.

Audiences at the Birmingham Hippodrome are always loud cheerers and in true fashion the place erupted after the "nobody puts Baby in the corner". For the rest of the finale everyone was on their feet and the show really livened up.

Dirty Dancing is well worth a visit at least once for a fun night out and has a lengthy eight week run until 25th August at the Birmingham Hippodrome.

Ticket Booking for Birmingham: http://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/WhatsOn_focus.asp?showId=1706

Website: http://www.dirtydancingontour.com/

DEAD RINGER (UK Tour) July 2012

Dead Ringer, a political thriller by Charles Ross. Heard of it? Didn't think so. I hadn't either, nor the cast before being handed the script. The story unfolds at number 10 Downing Street after the Prime Minister dies on the eve of an election. In order to keep their jobs those around him hatch a plan that involves hiring a look-a-like out of work actor to take his place. It's very far-fetched.

I couldn't help but thinking to myself "would this really happen?". It's difficult to believe that close relations of the Prime Minister including the Queen would initially fail to recognise the impostor. It was a lot of fun, farcical and witty - but the reality of the whole situation was ludicrous.

This is the second play of four that feature in the Ian Dickens Summer Play Season at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre. David Callister who plays Prime Minister Randolph Jackson and impersonator Gerry Jackson has a lot to do, and manages well with acting as an actor who is acting as the character he played for the first ten minutes - yes, really. Chris Ellison, Frank Burnside in the Bill and Boyard in a later series of Fort Boyard with his hard-man image made for a perfect Colonel Hardacre.

Joanne Heywood and Tony Adams (both pictured above) gave strong performances as Eva Bolton and Ray Turnbull. There was great character in Josh Hall's Nigel Heywood. It is a shame that he didn't appear for longer, with only a few brief appearances. It seems to be the case with these plays that the popular comedic character you'd like to see most has the least to do. Josh Hall is however credited in the programme as Assistant Stage Manager and understudy along with Neve Breen. 

Alan Miller Bunford's set for this production is a lot more practical than his creation for last week's The Cemetery Club. And with no set changes, the breaks between scenes were very short. 

The play as a whole is an interesting one. I'm not the best when it comes to understanding politics (and neither are the cast they admitted afterwards) and that side of the play was completely over my head. But what is interesting about this one, regardless of political understanding is the motives of those covering up the death and watching the situation evolve into a detective 'whodunit' mystery. There is enthusiasm aplenty within the cast, apart from that is to say the weakest and most feeble gunshot I've ever seen on stage. It makes for an entertaining night out. 

Dead Ringer runs at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday 7th July before continuing on a UK tour.

(With Tony Adams, Chris Ellison, David Callister and Joanne Heywood)

Website: http://iandickensinternational.com/productions/deadringer.html

BILLY ELLIOT (Victoria Palace Theatre) Review June 2012

I had the pleasure of meeting Brad Kavanagh, an original Michael from this production about five years ago at an awards ceremony we were both nominated for. After hearing about his time with the show I knew it was one I wanted to see. I regret that it took me until earlier this year to actually see it. This was my second visit to Billy Elliot, the British musical that has captured the hearts of audiences world-wide and continues to do so after seven years in London. With five current Billys, four Michaels and four Debbies in the cast, at this performance the role of Billy was played by the latest addition Harrison Dowzell, Michael by Joe Massey and Debbie by Francesca Mango.

(Harrison Dowzell as Billy Elliot)

There were strong performances from all three of the young leads as well as from the chorus of ballet girls. Billy and Michael's tap routine in 'Expressing Yourself' is defintely an audience pleaser.  The elder three leads Gillian Bevan as Mrs Wilkinson, Deka Walmsley as Billy's father and Ann Emery as Grandma provide undoubtably believable performances. Moments of comedy from Grandma leave the audience shocked and giggling.  There isn't one member of cast who doesn't give 100 percent. The standout performance has to be from RADA trained Michael Peavoy as Billy's elder brother Tony, who captures the anger of the miners and plays a raw and polished performance. 

The set by Ian MacNeil is both practical and complex, whilst still managing to be beautiful in design. Lee Hall's lyrics and Elton John's music combined will make you laugh and perhaps induce the odd tear or flood load. 

One of the most visually impressive parts of this show is the dream-like routine between Billy and his older self (Barnaby Meredith). The timing and execution of the routine is nothing less than perfect and when Billy soars into the air it's breathtaking.  It was the Guardian's review in 2005 that stated "Aerial movement has become the musical's biggest cliche; we must declare the West End a no-fly zone." I wholeheartedly disagree, the flying is a beautiful representation of Billy's dream-like state and to declare anything as beautiful as this away from the West End stage would be a travesty. 

Booking until 21st December 2013 Billy Elliot is a must for theatregoers. 
Monday - Saturday 7:30pm, Thursday & Saturday 2:30pm. 
Tickets: £65, £49.50, £37.50, £27.50, £19.50 (Dayseats available on morning of performance, £19.50, front row stalls, very close to the stage.)

Website: http://www.billyelliotthemusical.com