REVIEW - Electric Frankenstein performance was brought to life at Bromsgrove's Artrix WITH it being the ‘September Equinox’ – the first day of autumn – and armageddon-esque weather en route to Artrix, what better time to settle down to watch gothic horror Frankenstein? Well, ‘settle’ is probably an exaggeration as this – and as show should be – was edgy stuff. This classic tale was (excuse the puns) both ‘brought to life’ and ‘had plenty of highly charged electricity’ from the opening curtain. The story, staged by All and Sundry, centres on the ‘wanting to play God’ scientist Victor Frankenstein who animates a creature from the human body parts of the dead. This, naturally, leads to some moral questions and more ‘thought-provoking’ ones came thick and fast as the story unfolded. Director John Edwards-Bick had clearly assembled a talented cast with each and every one supporting each other to tell this classic tale. Steve Powis and Melody Hubbard were solid as Felix and Agatha, with Melody also doubling up as the bridesmaid. Jessie Thompson put in a great performance as Victor’s long-suffering wife Elizabeth and her exchanges with her husband-to-be and the creature were as absorbing (as they were intentionally uncomfortable) to watch. Likewise, David Goode was wonderful as the kind-hearted and non-judgemental De Lacey – the one person who ‘gave the creature a chance’ and searched for the good in him. The interactions between them from the moment they first met on stage, as well as being poignant, also gave you some faith in humanity. Young Amelia Bishop was fantastic as Amelia Frankenstein – she was so natural in the first act as the child playing hide and seek who encounters the creature. In the second act, as the ghost of her character, she took it to another level. The quick-fire conversation between her and her now-troubled brother Victor was absolutely faultless and added the abundance of energy needed to the very fraught scene. She has a bright future ahead of her on the stage. Alan Feeney portrayed Victor Frankenstein perfectly and the moral dilemmas facing his character. He, as you would expect, had the most emotive discussions with the other characters and you could not take your eyes of any of them as he toyed with his conscience and the battle between that and his aspirations. And, talking of not being able to ‘avert your gaze’, Rob Capper made the role of The Creature his own. From the opening scene when he stumbled from his chains to the final actions of the production, you found yourself following him wherever he wandered. Him maintaining this level of interest, despite him ‘not learning to talk or speak proper words’ until halfway through the first act was testament to his performance. You so wanted things to go right for him. The set and special effects were cleverly functional, enabling the plot to shift where it needed to go and adding to the dark atmosphere. As well as this story being excellently told, it also fulfilled its aim, leaving you with more questions than answers – about society, morals, relationships and how we live our lives. This really was first rate, thought-provoking and powerful theatre. Tristan Harris

AFTER the success of ‘Ladies Day’ last year, it was great to see the fish-filleting foursome back in ‘Ladies Day Down Under’. Like pulling on those comfy clothes as the weather turns colder, those playing Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda settled back into their roles, taking their characters on another adventure. After the malaise of airport waiting times, the flight scene set the tone for what we were all about to see – some comedic and feelgood theatre. But among the laughs (and there were many), there was also plenty of thought-provoking and poignant moments. This could be described as a ‘play of two halves’ – in the first act we had the excitement and anticipation of the trip and the reminder of what the characters were like. In the second, they went on their individual journeys, out of their comfort zones and ‘finding themselves’. Every one of the nine-strong cast played their part. Charlie Hopkins as surf dude Shane provided some fun. Likewise, David Mann and James Ralley showed their versatility – as cabin crew, drag queens and, in David’s case, a classic 1960s hippy. They jointly share the award for the most laugh out loud moments in the show. Set against this backdrop of light-hearted merriment, was the holiday-makers from Hull’s ‘Australian experience’. It is impossible to single out any of the four main characters – Pearl (Joy Williamson), Jan (Suzanne Lane), Shelley (Kelly Wade) and Linda (Holly Copp). Individually they put in wonderful to watch performances, together they were formidable, bouncing off each other as all friends or work colleagues should. Each one started out as one person and by the end they were someone else following a moment of realisation – and these four portrayed this perfectly. Dan Blizzard, reprising his character as Joe, was solid – ever dependable and Alan Groucott made the role of the archetypal Aussie Danny his own. His accent was spot on and the philosophical side of his character was brought to the forefront by a memorable performance. As well as the action, the journeys and the effective set, the use of classic Aussie pop songs during the set changes provided some bonza titillation while everyone got to where they were supposed to be. If you saw Ladies Day last year, you need to see this sequel. If you didn’t, go and watch this anyway – it’s a great story. All and Sundry has members from across Bromsgrove, Redditch, Rubery and Droitwich.

AFTER the success of ‘Ladies Day’ last year, it was great to see the fish-filleting foursome back in ‘Ladies Day Down Under’. Like pulling on those comfy clothes as the weather turns colder, those playing Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda settled back into their roles, taking their characters on another adventure. After the malaise of airport waiting times, the flight scene set the tone for what we were all about to see – some comedic and feelgood theatre. But among the laughs (and there were many), there was also plenty of thought-provoking and poignant moments. This could be described as a ‘play of two halves’ – in the first act we had the excitement and anticipation of the trip and the reminder of what the characters were like. In the second, they went on their individual journeys, out of their comfort zones and ‘finding themselves’. Every one of the nine-strong cast played their part. Charlie Hopkins as surf dude Shane provided some fun. Likewise, David Mann and James Ralley showed their versatility – as cabin crew, drag queens and, in David’s case, a classic 1960s hippy. They jointly share the award for the most laugh out loud moments in the show. Set against this backdrop of light-hearted merriment, was the holiday-makers from Hull’s ‘Australian experience’. It is impossible to single out any of the four main characters – Pearl (Joy Williamson), Jan (Suzanne Lane), Shelley (Kelly Wade) and Linda (Holly Copp). Individually they put in wonderful to watch performances, together they were formidable, bouncing off each other as all friends or work colleagues should. Each one started out as one person and by the end they were someone else following a moment of realisation – and these four portrayed this perfectly. Dan Blizzard, reprising his character as Joe, was solid – ever dependable and Alan Groucott made the role of the archetypal Aussie Danny his own. His accent was spot on and the philosophical side of his character was brought to the forefront by a memorable performance. As well as the action, the journeys and the effective set, the use of classic Aussie pop songs during the set changes provided some bonza titillation while everyone got to where they were supposed to be. If you saw Ladies Day last year, you need to see this sequel. If you didn’t, go and watch this anyway – it’s a great story. All and Sundry has members from across Bromsgrove, Redditch, Rubery and Droitwich.

All and Sundry’s Robin Hood panto at Bromsgrove’s Cobham Theatre is a super seasonal show ALL & SUNDRY have been staging pantomimes for almost 20 years in Bromsgrove and this year’s good vs evil offering was Robin Hood. The show has another talented cast and plenty of opportunity for audience interaction. Dressed in his trademark green outfit, it is up to Robin Hood to stand up for the poor against the baddies – Sheriff of Nottingham, Prince John and Queen Arachnid. King Richard is away and the Prince has designs on his crown by kidnapping the babes – Rosie and Jim. Ken Messenger (Friar Tuck), Judy Lane (Little John), Tina Andress (Alan-A-Dale) and Neil Lane (Will Scarlett) were solid as the merry men, supporting Robin in his quest to find the babes and defeat the Sheriff, Prince and Queen, as was Hayden Smith as King Richard. Dave Healey and Sarah Feltham were great as the henchmen Bashem and Thumpem, bouncing off each other well on the stage and, although evil in the beginning, you could not help but love the characters and their comical escapades. Oliver Higham did very well in his first panto outing, playing Hayrick. It is a difficult role to get the audience going and he took to it with plenty of confidence – I have no doubt we will see him in future A&S productions. Laury Wiggins was wonderful as Maid Marion, particularly in her ‘Honey Honey’ solo in the first act and her duet with our hero in the second. She was all you wanted for Robin’s love interest. Laura Cooney made for a great Pokem – the Sheriff’s sidekick. Although a baddie, you did feel a little bit sorry for her and the Sheriff’s treatment of her – all down to the way Cooney played it. Anthony Madden and Daisy Yarnold were made for playing their Prince and Queen roles, looking down their noses at ‘the awful peasants and poor’. He with his comical stereotypical toff lisp and her with her look of disdain whenever she saw the villagers and audience with a joy to watch. She also performed a nice solo. Graham Forbes always rises to the challenge of playing the villain, delighting in the confrontational exchanges with the crowd and earning the boos in return. Zena Schtyk was fantastic as flabbergasted Fairy Fern who did not which panto she was supposed to be in and, likewise, Helena Talbot and Xander and Feltham as the babes – they oozed confidence for a pair so young and had the ‘awwww factor’ every time they came on stage. Their duet was probably the cutest moment of the whole performance. Eva Derbyshire was superb as our hero Robin Hood – the character is somewhat egotistic (sometimes arrogant) so it can be taxing to ‘keep him lovable’. Derbyshire did just that and her solo was also the musical performance of the night – she hit ever note. And James Ralley excelled in his first time as the panto dame Nurse Nora Nutjob after playing previous lesser high profile roles. You could tell he loved every minute on the stage – this was his 15th All and Sundry pantomime and one of the things he has always been good at is banter with the crowd – this role was perfect for him. Among the best comic scenes were the ‘magic hat’ and the ‘pheasant present from a peasant’ which was lots of fun and a generated plenty of laughs – Ralley doing well to deliver the final tongue-twisting line. The chorus and dancers were brilliant, keeping things ticking over – the routine with the staffs was choreographed with military precision – you could tell a lot of rehearsing had gone into it. The impressive UV light show we’ve come to know and love was as good as ever in this fantastically festive production. Well done to director Alison Berrisford and her hard-working teams – both on the stage and behind the scenes.