Cinderella, All Saints, De La Salle Theatre, Southbourne

ONCE again ASDS have struck gold with a panto that is as professional as it is possible to be. It has all the right ingredients – tinies to provide the ‘aah’ factor, lots of humour, great songs played by a small but perfectly formed band, bright costumes, an ever-smiling chorus, a hugely talented principal line-up and a first-act finale that caused this sometimes jaded critic to have a lump in her throat as Cinders rode off to the ball.
And perhaps that is the secret of this production’s success, because it all seemed so real and we were well and truly drawn into the action from the moment that the Fairy Godmother (Jenni French) cast her spell, booing the wicked  - there’s a new twist -Dandini (Sue Josey), jeering at Ugly Sisters Maxie (Mark Andrews) and Minnie (Tony Edwards), willing Prince Charming (Katy Jackson) to find Cinderella (Rachel Mackrell), shedding a tear for poor lovelorn Buttons (Rob Arrowsmith) and laughing at the antics of the overbearing Baroness (Lesley Lock) towards her wimp of a husband (John Sivewright).
Looking for an antidote to the credit crunch, the flu virus and all those early 2009 gremlins? This is it.

Linda Kirkman

It Runs In The Family, All Saints, De La Salle Theatre, Southbourne

IF a farce is to work well it needs to be played absolutely straight and with spot-on timing, and Peter Nunan’s excellent, laugh-a-minute production simply couldn’t have got it more right.

The action takes place just before Christmas in the Doctors’ Common Room of a London Hospital, where Dr David Mortimore (a fine Mark Andrews) is making a few changes to a speech he is about to give. He then has a visitor who brings very unexpected news, and the day rapidly descends into chaos.

So much happens that I couldn’t possibly describe it all, but suffice to say that it includes cross-dressing, a number 34 bus, a syringe, a non-existent dog and a good many confused people.

There were cracking performances all round, not least from Tony Edwards (Dr Hubert Bonney), whose perfect timing and non-verbal communication were a joy. Olly Faulkner also made a huge impression a Leslie, the 18 year-old at the centre of the chaos, and among the other roles Sheila Clapcott (Matron), Kevin Knight (Sir Willoughby Drake) and Brian Foley (Police Sergeant) really stood out.

Congratulations must also go to the company for a superb, realistic set that totally looked the part.

Blithe Spirit, All Saints, De La Salle Theatre, Southbourne

THERE can be few theatre-goers who have not, at some point, seen Noel Coward’s ‘improbable farce’ and developed their own ideas of how they perceive the characters, especially the redoubtable Madame Arcati, the medium who manages to conjure up not just one but two previous wives.

Over the years I have seen her played comically, scattily and seriously – but Bron Littlewood’s no-nonsense, she-who-must-be-obeyed portrayal eclipsed them all for me. Her eccentric dress and positive, forthright character were a sheer joy and well deserved the applause she received on almost every exit.

This was no one-person production, however, and Bron was well matched by the excellent Rosie Hodgkinson as the brittle Ruth, second wife of author Charles Condomine (a fine Scott Heaton), and by an equally accomplished Faye Stuart, who was beautifully ethereal as his deceased first wife, Elvira. Louise Tawn also gave a lovely characterisation as the family’s maid, Edith, while Dan Rumsey and Sue Josey made the most of their small roles as Dr & Mrs Bradman.

There was a good, realistic set too, with superb props, and both lighting and sound effects added reams to this extremely enjoyable and well-paced production, which was directed by the clearly accomplished Phil Vivian.

Linda Kirkman