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The Wizard Of Oz - Kaleidoscope Players

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Thursday 23rd July 2026 "The Wizard Of Oz"  Kaleidoscope Players  Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 Stars) As I entered the theatre, I was greeted by Ozians offering programmes, raffle tickets and the like. They were dressed all in green with steampunk style goggles. A great way to make the audience feel transformed into a new world. The auditorium was buzzing with excitement. I met a friend who had brought her young son, who had never been to the theatre before, and it was so lovely to see fresh eyes falling in love with theatre and this was the perfect production to start with. The Wizard of Oz tells the story of Dorothy who is swept up by a tornado to the magical Land of Oz. With the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion, she follows the Yellow Brick Road to find the Wizard, hoping to get home. After many adventures, she learns that friendship, courage and home are what matter most. This performance was BSL interpreted by Sebastian Probert . I love that theatre is becomi...

"Our House Madness Musical" KTCo Studios.

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Thursday 4th June 2026 " Our House - Madness Musical " KTCO Studios Duchess Theatre, Long Eaton ⭐⭐⭐ (3 Stars) For their end of year production, KTCo College students perform their first full college musical. Our House is a jukebox musical which tells the story of Joe Casey, a teenager who has just turned sixteen years old and faces decisions that splits his life into two journeys. We see each life play out before us and explore the consequences of his choices in each parallel path. The stage is set with multiple doors lined up before us and the lights give off a soft glow. As soon as the cast appear on stage, their costumes, by Grace Kolasa and Daisy Marsh , capture nostalgia and a time period that exists no more. Scarlett Tilling beautifully enhances this feel by the way she has styled their wigs, hair, and make-up. The slow dance routine going hand-in-hand with setting the tone. As the band plays their music, the Musical Director, Charlotte Daniel , allows the melodies to...

"Little Shop of Horrors" - Derby Theatre

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Tuesday 2nd June 2026 " Little Shop of Horrors " Derby Theatre | Northern Stage ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5 Stars) The theatre is filled with bursts of green, plants and lots of people dressed up. It’s so great to see so many people wanting to be involved! The set is made up of sharp yet cartoon like pieces, with wonky street lights and angled steps. There is a lot to look at! Very visually pleasing. The set is made up of sharp yet cartoon like pieces, with wonky street lights and angled steps. There is a lot to look at! Very visually pleasing. A stunning design by Verity Quinn ! Not only did Verity design the set but also the costume. The bright greens and pink was present throughout the costumes to match the set. They were slightly more modern but fitted the characters so much, the knitted cardigan with the fur in green complimented the pink dress, giving it that cartoon like, child like feel. To accompany the set there is LED strips along the edges. The lighting design, by KJ , was very muc...

Single White Female - Theatre Royal Bath.

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Saturday 23td May 2026 " Single White Female " Theatre Royal Bath ⭐⭐⭐ (3 Stars) Based on the 1992 film, Single White Female has made it to the stage and is currently touring around the UK, adapted for the stage by Rebecca Reid . The play follows Mother (Allie) and Daughter (Bella) as they welcome in a new flatmate (Hedy) to earn some extra cash as Allie adjusts to a life after divorce. The show is filled with plenty of twists and turns that left me on the edge of my seat. But what left me with a little bit of doubt was the modernisation of the play, placing it within the current time period instead of the era of the film, and phrases and trends are randomly shoe horned in to create relevance but comes across as quite cringe and unrealistic. Leading the cast was Lisa Faulkner as Allie and Kym Marsh as Hedy. Lisa played a believable worried parent while also portraying the vulnerability that the character has within her. Kym played an unsettling Hedy, having me convinced tha...

Frankie Goes To Bollywood - Derby Theatre

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Thursday 14th May 2026 " Frankie Goes To Bollywood" ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4 Stars) The concept of the show was based off a true story that has been made into a book by Pravesh Kumar MBE. He is also directing this production. It tells the story of Frankie who goes to Bollywood to follow her mother’s dream of becoming an actor and soon realises how patriotic it is and how becoming famous changes her. She has become ‘arm candy’ to the men. She then decides to stand up against the men and fight for her rights. As we walked up the stairs the music grew louder. We had the joy of listening to the pre show act, Jin and Seetal, who got the crowd going. As we entered the auditorium we were met with a shimmery back curtain and gold arch that frames the stage. This soon turns into a burst of bright colours. Rebecca Brower , did a fantastic job at creating the pizazz you expect from a show. The lighting works very closely with the set to create the scene. The use of moveable lights on stands adds to the...

The Wasp - Southwark Playhouse - Borough

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Friday 8th May 2026 "The Wasp" Southwark Playhouse - Borough ⭐⭐⭐ (3 Stars) Morgan Lloyd Malcolm’s The Wasp is back in London, 11 years after its initial debut, now playing at Southwark Playhouse Borough. Carla (Serin Ibrahim) walks on stage, cigarette in hand, busy scrolling through social media while she waits for Heather (Cassandra Hercules), who suddenly asked to meet 20 years after they last saw each other. Their awkward catch-up quickly reveals how different their lives have become since school. The contrast between them is immediately apparent. Carla wears trackies and big earrings and is heavily pregnant with her fifth child, cigarette still in hand. Heather is her compete opposite, a well-off, middle-class woman in refined clothing, holding tight a bright red leather bag. Heather’s seemingly perfect life, with a husband and beautiful home, is falling apart. Not only is the couple struggling to conceive, but Heather has also found out Simon is being unfaithful for two...