Lad- Brunswick Inn, Derby

Posted on March 26, 2026 by garylongden

Lad- Brunswick Inn- Derby

****

Lad is an immersive pop up  play by John Booker, set in a pub, and here, performed in a pub.it tackles masculinity and identity. Coincidentally I saw fellow East Midlands playwright’s James Howard’s production of Punch in Nottingham last weekend which covers similar ground.

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Old school friends Jack and Luke  have found their lives diverging, one going to university, the other to jail. Do old ties still bind? Or have their new experiences reshaped them? Had the lads originally understood their own identities? Had they done so, but were merely projecting an identity for themselves- to fit in with how they thought they should be seen?

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There is much to cram into a forty minute play. Jack and Luke,( Kurtis Lowe and Kwamé Kandekore) are the protagonists, England vs. Spain, Euro 2024 Final, the backdrop. The tension off the pitch is as great as it is on it.

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Pubs are strange places where intimate, yet transient conversations occur, Booker captures that perfectly. Supporting England provides that sense of belonging collectively against individual vulnerability and doubt. As an audience we are part of that, same room, same pub, same discussion. Throw  in class, race, and masculinity in a post industrial world, and the audience is faced with   much to contend with.

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What the play succeeds in doing is striking up an important  conversation, well told, well written and well acted. Inevitably the more profound and far ranging the questions asked , so the limitations of forty minutes bite.

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The second world war  proved that women were equal in the workplace. The 1960s/70s rise in feminism occurred as  traditional male roles and hierarchies were being dismantled by de-industrialisation while improved educational opportunities for women simultaneously saw mass encroachment on traditional male white collar jobs and roles. Where do today’s lads fit into all of this? How does the remote sense of belonging and identity of the internet fit into all of this? Can it be resolved over a pint?

Kurtis Lowe and Kwamé Kandekore perform superbly in this intense two hander sat at a pub table. Secrets are revealed, and the sympathy of the audience vacillates as their story unfolds, tautly directed by    Danny  Bailey, dramaturgy by Nic Wass . The dialogue is authentic, the banter   funny and on point.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

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Thus, Lad is a beginning rather than an end.  It feels like one act of a larger entity. I suspect that Booker will explore this further in future pieces, both he and the subject matter deserve him  to do so.

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Midsomer Murders, the Killings at Badgers Drift- Derby Theatre

Posted on March 26, 2026 by garylongden

Midsomer Murders- the Killings at Badgers Drift- Derby theatre

***

The television series is something of a cult show now, as a packed Wednesday night demonstrated. All of the ingredients which make this murder mystery so compelling on screen were here on the stage. Strange goings on in a picture postcard setting, wry humour and exaggerated, eccentric characters.

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This was  Caroline Graham’s  first Inspector Barnaby novel, The Killings at Badger’s Drift, was published in 1987.  and was named by the Crime Writers’ Association as one of “The Top 100 Crime Novels of All Time”. It also won the 1989 Macavity Award for “Best First Novel” and was nominated for the same honour at the 1989 Anthony Awards and the 1988 Agatha Awards. Her expertise as a novelist and dramatist is well demonstrated in this offering.

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Daniel Casey plays the lead role of DCI Tom Barnaby, although  on screen he plays the part of Sgt Gavin Troy this time played by  James Bradwell introduced amusingly as “his apprentice”.

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The plot unfolds around the death of spinster Emily and sex in the bushes. A visually pleasing pastoral set  by Dave Woodhead allows slick lightning fast set changes complete with “magic carpet” technology.

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The plot, characters and scenery move with ruthless precision, as alibis, lies and red herrings are laid bare. Of course it is all ridiculous, Caroline Graham knew it, the cast know it, and we the audience know it- but that does not stop us all signing up for the ride.  We wallow in the absurdity, warmed by the sincerity and gentleness of touch, reassured by the familiar music. Matt Haskin’s lighting is bright to the point of glaring, teasing us that we are on a film set, deliberately artificial.

Each act runs for an hour in this glorious homage to a bygone age that never was. Runs until Sat 28th and continues on nationwide tour. Essential viewing for all devotees of the series.

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Punch- Nottingham Playhouse, 21/3/26

Posted on March 21, 2026 by garylongden

 *****

A play about violence, forgiveness and   redemption

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 Punch  returns to Nottingham Playhouse, following its remarkable simultaneous openings on Broadway and in the West End.  After its premiere in 2024, this powerful account of Jacob Dunne’s story sparked discussions everywhere, from theatres to courthouses and the House of Commons. Now it is back, with a brand new cast. This production is dedicated to James Hodgkinson and all victims of one-punch.

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One punch. One action was all it took for a young lad from Nottingham to change not only his own life but also the lives of many people around him, as well as those he didn’t even know. Based on the book ‘Right from Wrong’ by Jacob Dunne, this heartbreaking, horrific story of redemption deserves another day in the sun.

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Written by local author James Graham, based on the local Meadows Estate , and playing at Nottingham Playhouse  this a truly remarkable  local event for a play that has received national, and international acclaim. A special occasion.

It is a perspective on Nottingham which is uncomfortable, but true, struggling with school, an alcoholic mother and coping by binge drinking and taking drugs at the weekends with his friends, Jacob Dunne is a member of the aspirational working class. Marching into town wearing his Fred Perry trainers and clutching a bottle of vodka on a random Saturday night in July, Jacob’s need to be seen and heard as well as respected by his friends leads him to punch a stranger once- resulting in the victim’s death.

A trainee paramedic from Southampton, James, Hodgkinson,he was in Nottingham to watch the Test Match with his father and his friends: a kind and compassionate young man who had his whole life ahead of him.

Told through the eyes of Jacob, played by Jack James Ryan, we embark on an almighty journey of redemption. Jack brings energy, credibility and an authentic accent to his role as the protagonist. He can narrate and explore what it was like for Jacob growing up with an autism diagnosis, many school detentions and the temptation to take drugs with the local gangs from the estate where following Forest is as entertaining as life becomes.

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Adam Penford directs this punchy and emotive production in which the UK’s pub and gang culture is depicted accurately, as well as providing the audience with a timely reminder that although 15 years have now passed, these issues and incidents continue to occur.

Watching Jacob’s face appear on the evening broadcast on East Midlands Today is James’ parents, Joan and David. Struggling to understand how James died from only one punch to the face, the family have questions and would like to know whether Jacob’s actions were premeditated or unfortunate, as there is a difference.

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Finty Williams and Matthew Flynn play James’ mother and father, both respectfully and powerfully, through their emotions and subtle differences in their personalities. “Will he go straight back to what he knew before?” is one of the many questions they have for Jacob and after several years they decide to embark upon restorative justice to try and get answers to their questions.

In the gripping  second act, the focus is on the restorative justice session.

Although this play covers some difficult themes and at times can be a tear-jerker, there are moments of light and humour throughout the production. Grace Hodgett Young, who plays Clare and Nicola, brings many of those moments to life, and her ability to switch between two very different characters is admirable.

The set design, designed by Anna Fleischle, is also really clever and adds personality and a different dynamic to the relationships that are explored on stage. An ominous concrete subway tunnel dominates centre stage, zig zag barriers obstruct the walkways to the side.

It is widely reported that Jacob and James’ parents continue to meet regularly and speak to a range of audiences, sharing their story. This play is dedicated to James Hodgkinson and to all victims of one-punch violence. Many around me were moved to tears

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Operation Mincemeat – Wolverhampton Grand theatre 21/3/26

Posted on March 21, 2026 by garylongden

Operation Mincemeat

*****

As a keen historian I knew the story. This was my first opportunity to catch up with the show itself replete with hyperbole . It’s a good story- but a musical?

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The first 20 minutes I struggled. The narrative was mainly sung through meaning you had to concentrate on the words. The five actors played interchangeable roles, and genders amidst lightning quick costume and scene changes. What on earth was going on? But thr first act runs to seventy five minutes for a reason. The audience adjusts, the story starts to unfold and the audience starts to make sense of it all. The first half songs are very Noel coward and could be being sung in the piano lounge of the Savoy in London.

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Commercially the show is paydirt. A historic story, so no royalties, all original songs, so no third party royalties, only  a cast of five, so low touring costs and low stage set and costume costs- accountancy heaven.

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The second half is decidedly rap, the opening second act number sees as rap song driven at high tempo by five Nazis- I thought I was at a Reform rally, and from then on the pace, and  cohesion never lets up. ( And Nazis in musicals has history- think the Sound of Music and The Producers.)

( photo credit Matt Crockett)

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The concept, book, music and lyrics all originated from the combined talents of David Cumming, Felix Hagan, Natasha Hodgson and Zoe Roberts – collectively known as Split Lip. It has morphed from its 2019 original fringe theatre days, through the West End and  to Broadway.

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Its construction is its strength, inventive in structure, faultless in delivery, meticulous in detail, with an unrelenting pace.

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The company for the UK part of the tour includes Charlotte Hanna-Williams, Seán Carey, Christian Andrews and Holly Sumpton from the West End cast who are joined by Jamie-Rose Monk, Katy Ellis, Georgia Hagen, Jordan Pearson and Morgan Phillips. This being a five-hander, the casting changes nightly not as understudies but as a gender-blind multiple role-playing interchangeable entity.

( photo credit Matt Crockett)

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I was caught out  by the pathos of establishing the identity of the mysterious dead corpse. Previously gallows humour, and ribald jokes abounded- but the gear change jolted and worked.

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Robert Hastie’s direction is brisk and relentless, Jenny Arnold’s choreography is demanding and effective. Ben Stones’ set  is simple but versatile, effortlessly transporting us from the War room to Spain- and back.

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Operation Mincemeat  indeed matches the hyperbole with a warmth which is its secret weapon,-a celebration of the best of British inventiveness in theatre, and war time.

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Noises Off – Highbury Theatre

Posted on March 19, 2026 by garylongden

Noises off

****

A play about sardines and doors. A favourite with amdram companies because if things go wrong the audience think it is part of the play.

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Noises Off was written in 1982  by artistic polymath Michael Frayn, a journalist, philosopher, and novelist as well as playwright. It was inspired in 1970, when Frayn was watching from the wings a performance of his own The Two of Us – “It was funnier from behind than in front, and I thought that one day I must write a farce from behind.” And so the seeds were sown for this brilliant back-to-front farce about a dysfunctional touring company on the last leg of its tour – or simply on its last legs.

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Subject to periodic revision by Frayn, the play  explores the battle between the forces of order and disorder, and our search for happiness in our lives. Metaphors dance tantalisingly before our eyes. A tax evader, caught with his trousers round his ankles watches his second home descend into anarchy, while all around seem obsessed with sardines.

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Director Alison Cahill has assembled a very strong cast. Unusually for a farce it does not mainly comprise conventional warring couples. It does however have a lot of doors, and windows,  a harbinger of things to come. There are doors that stick when they should open, doors that swing open when they ought to be closed, doors viewed from the back, and doors viewed from the front.

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Denise Phillips is a delight as housekeeper Dotty, a surreal fusion of Hilda Ogden and Mrs Brown, who is preoccupied with sardines as the world revolves around her. Teresa Berry provides the glamour as Brooke. A late addition to the role, she cleverly eschews the blonde bimbo trope, instead presenting an acerbic  tax inspector who is good with figures in more ways than one.

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As well as the accident-prone cast, the stage management team add to the confusion, putting out front-of-house calls that the performance will commence in one minute, three minutes, two minutes and finally three minutes again prompting the wonderful lament: “there’s a lot of OAP’s out there who haven’t got long to go.” Beth Morrissey is wonderful  as the perennially   exasperated stage manager Poppy.

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There’s a satisfying depth to the cast, epitomised by Ron  Parker as Selsdon Mowbay , the old stager whose secret hoards of whisky keep having to be removed from just about everywhere as he continually breaks in through a window at varying stages of the plot, planned, and unplanned.

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The pivotal second act is handled adroitly, with skill, timing and energy, after the slower paced, scene setting, first act. Inventive, funny and incessant, I, along with the rest of the audience, roared with laughter, who couldn’t  laugh when failed lothario Lloyd ( Sean Mulkeen) sits on a cactus?

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Costuming is understated ( apart from Brooke!)  but satisfying . Malcolm Robertshaw  and his team take on the huge task of producing a front of house, and back of house, set, and win. Producing a play which depends upon things going wrong is more difficult than it may at first appear. Director Cahill delivers and embellishes proceedings with numerous nice touches such as  director Lloyd appearing from within the audience as the play commences. Anyone who has been involved with an amateur theatre production will wince at how sharply the script is written.

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A hugely enjoyable evening. Noises off can be heard, and seen, until 21st march.

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Hamlet by RSC – Royal theatre, Nottingham 17/3/26

Posted on March 18, 2026 by garylongden

Hamlet, RSC, Nottingham Royal Theatre

To sea or nor to sea- that is the question

Shakespearean traditionalists should give this a wide berth, the Court of Elsinore is now to be found on a ship.under  Rupert Goold’s  Captainship as director.

No expendse is spared, A roiling wake of waves down-stage (video design: Akhila Krishnan) makes the play seem to be sailing towards us, while the deck (designer: EsDevlin) sways and sometimes violently lurches. Will poison do for them- or seasickness?

There is textual precedent, Four characters are put to sea (in this version, corpses also get a naval burial) and fear is expressed at the number of “shipwrights” working in Norway to prepare its invasion of Denmark. Speeches are given a nautical twist “chamber” becomes cabin, “earth” is overtaken by “sea”. Ingenuity is required to explain why Yorick’s skull is not in the drink with the rest of him and the biggest loss is Gertrude’s haunting speech about Ophelia’s river death. Here, she just goes over the edge. Bold ideas include  a red digital onstage clock, “witching hour” signalled as 00:00 The whole play takes place during one long night.

 Ralph Davis’Hamlet, is terrific, closing the first act with the “To be soliloquy” , the entire   audience were mouthing the words in case he forgot any of them

Raymond Coulthard’ Claudius exudes the sexual and political ruthlessness of a man willing to kill for a crown and to keep it, Poppy Miller , as Gertrude, is the surprise star poised then unravelling as, her  growing guilt of having betrayed both son and husband bites.  

Richard cant’s Polonius is strikingly more dapper diplomat than the standard windbag with a touch of Peter Mandelson thrown in

The unravelling of Georgia Mae Myers ‘Ophelia is   exquisite but here she drowns at sea rather than in a river resulting in Gertrude’s beautiful eulogy being cut. That is not the only change. Polonious is killed bya  gunshot from hamlet rather than  a rapier thrust to an unknown behind the arras resulting in the “Dead for a ducat” line disappearing.

Performing the play in this magnificent theatre which existed  during the new 1914 timeline was a treat. The Georgian costuming was a delight, none more so than Gertrude wearing a sumptuous long ivory skirt and bodice, and lace top latterly stained with Polonious’ blood.

 every Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (or vice versa) are shadowed by the Stoppard spin-off,

Including interval the show runs for two hours and forty minutes but is unevenly split, one hour twenty five minutes versus fifty five minutes. Th evening runs like a greatest hits show a scene after iconic scene unfolds.

This is a must see  for all who do not like to see Shakespeare messed around with.

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Northern Soul Orchestrated- Civic hall Wolverhampton 14/3/26

Posted on March 15, 2026 by garylongden

Almost exactly two years ago I attended the same venue to see this event which had been premiered at the Royal Albert hall in London do a Provincial tour. That tour, with the BBC Symphony orchestra is back. This sis my review from then:BBC Northern Soul orchestra tour – the Halls, Wolverhampton, 23rd April 2024 | Garyswordz

The format, with Stuart Maconie compering was the same, as was the forty piece orchestra, and running order.

Once again there were six lead vocalists, three male, three female. The three male leads were unchanged, at least two of the three female leads were different

Highlights included “the Night and “there’s a Ghost in my House”

The backing singers were exemplary

There is nothing like the sound of a full orchestra

more of Lisa

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Dear England- Birmingham Hippodrome, 13/3/26

Posted on March 15, 2026 by garylongden

This was my second visit to this production having attended the opening night in Nottingham in Autumn 2025. The link to that review follows:Dear England – Nottingham Royal Court Theatre, 24/09/25 | Garyswordz

I had enjoyed it so much first time that I brought my football fan sons aged 36 and 43 respectively to sample its delights. They were both equally impressed enjoying the nostalgia of having their youthful England football fan experiences brought back to life, for better and for worse!

With the mystery of how the show was going to unfold solved from my previous visit I was able to sit back and enjoy the proceedings. This time the quality of the impersonations and humour shone through as did the character of Pippa Grange.

And again the response from non football fans, particularly women not familiar with the story, was anecdotally around me, very strong.

Two days from now I shall be watching director Rupert Goold’s highly controversial reimagining of Hamlet- on a ship. I shall report back

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My ten favourite one hit wonders. – what are yours?

Posted on March 10, 2026 by garylongden
  1. Edison lighthouse-  Love grows where my rosemary goes

A cracking combination of the opening T Rex “get it on” groove, and a glorious chorus. irresistible

  • Anita ward-Ring my Bell

The only song to glorify female genital stimulation

3, Ram jam band – Black Betty

A poor man’s “Radar love”

  • Wild Cherry- Play that Funky Music

The apogee of funk- covered live by prince.

  • Van mcCoy- the Hustle

A sublime largely instrumental shuffle

  • Terry Jacks-  Seasons in the Sun

A perfect sunny  summer reminiscence immortalised by the football fans chant: “We had joy we had fun we had Tottenham on the run but the joy didnt last as the rascals ran too fast”

  • Carl douglas- King fu fighting

Beloved by eldest brothers, and feared by younger brothers, everywhere as child siblings played out the song at home

  • Stealers wheel- Stuck in the Middle With You

Impossible to listen to this song without involuntarily touching your ear remembering the notorious Tarantino soundtrack in Reservoir Dogs

  • Norman Greenbaum- Spirit in the Sky

Alvin Stradust loved the riff so much he lifte it for “My Coo ca Choo”

  1. C w McCall – Convoy

A song hated by children everywhere. When on a day out and traffic backed up, dad would shout out  “looks as though we got ourselves a convoy!”

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Top Hat – Birmingham Hippodrome

Posted on March 10, 2026 by garylongden

Spring is upon us . The cold of winter is starting to recede – surely a cue for some old-style, Hollywood glitz?

If you like song and dance, particularly tap dance, then this is your show. Visually it is a sparkling, frothy, fizzy cocktail of mistaken identity and razzle dazzle.

The story is merely a loose framework for episodic  spectacle, showcasing some of the best of Irving Berlin’s timeless melodies, namely: Top Hat, White Tie and Tails, Cheek to Cheek, Puttin’ on the Ritz, and Let’s Face the Music and Dance.

Stephen Ridley’s musical direction is impeccable. The choreography is immaculate, featuring dazzling solo dance and stunning unison tap dancing from this wonderfully talented cast.

With great songs, you need great dance. The sparkling choreography, and the syncopation in full cast tap dancing numbers is flawless, courtesy of Kathleen Marshall framed by a superb, memorable set, design by Peter McKintosh. It features revolving Art Deco clock-like motifs , incorporating frantic scene changes from bedrooms to bars then hotels to aircraft. Tim Mitchell’s lighting adds a glamorous veneer. The band , complete with boisterous horns, is a delight. Costumes by Yvonne Milnes and Peter McKintosh are shimmering and sharp.

My recollection of the original story was of the 1935 RKO motion picture where Astaire and Rogers set a defining standard with impossible precision and effortless chemistry, blurring the distinction between acting and dancing. Their feet talk.

It would be unreasonable to ask for that to be replicated. It isn’t, instead we are offered something different. Phillip Attmore (Jerry Travers) is a convincing tap dancer, supple but sharp, opposite him plays Dale Tremont (Amara Okereke). Okereke is visually great with strong vocals and dance  but the comic sub plot delights no less.

Producer Horace (James Hume) and his wife Madge (Emma Williams ) are at the centre of the comedy. Williams is brilliant as Madge, with Hume her hapless foil. Belly laughs on a Tuesday evening in Birmingham are difficult to come by but Williams and Hume succeeded time and time again. Their partners in crime are almost as hilarious. Horace’s manservant, Bates (James Clyde) is witheringly dry, and a fine looking woman in drag. Alex Gibson-Giorgio’s gloriously outrageous chef Beddini is superb.

You cannot beat Astaire and Rogers. This production does not aim to. The triumphant opening Putting on the Ritz sets an impossible to standard, yet the ensemble deliver the remaining classics with enthusiasm, vim and verve.

This show excels at farce and is hugely enjoyable for it, a celebration of the diversity and allure of musical theatre. Richard Pitts’, resident director, breathes life and humour into a libretto which is now ninety years old- and is still funny. Quite an achievement. Runs until Sat 7th, then continues on nationwide tour.

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