Tin Robot Theatre breathes new life into Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Tell-Tale Heart in another bold production at the Old Joint Stock.

Like the company’s production of Dorian Gray this is brave and original theatre which takes Poe’s odd and gruesome tale and relocates it in a sterile, futuristic Orwellian world.

In what has become an enduring story, despite being just a few pages in length when it was published in 1843, an unnamed narrator tries in vain to convince the reader that all is well when in fact he is torn by the guilt of having murdered a man.

This production puts a fresh and interesting twist on the tale. All of the action takes place in the minimalistic surroundings of the narrator’s apartment and follows his inquisition by a series of visitors who are seemingly the gatekeepers of a futuristic world. They have ‘lost the signal’ emanating from the man and want answers.

Meanwhile the narrator gives us sporadic glimpses into what happened while the man’s ‘vulture-eye’ is quite literally haunting him in the form of a piece of moving art.

Touwa Craig-Dunn turns in a strong performance as the tortured narrator. He has a naturalistic style of acting which works so well with this production. His descent into madness as his inquisition progresses is utterly believable.

Jack Robertson impresses too as one of his emotionless interrogators, supported well by Joel Heritage and Vita Fox.

Meanwhile a simplistic but stark set, the use of regular blackouts and clever sound effects, cleverly generated by director Adam Carver himself on a microphone, put the audience on edge and help to move the story along well. There’s a palpable tension in the build up to a rather gruesome end.

It’s a little indulgent in places and though there is a clear intention to build the atmosphere, the start is still rather slow for a piece of this length.
​
Nonetheless this is another unique, bold and utterly original production from Tin Robot Theatre which is rapidly making a name for itself as one of the most inventive company's in the area.

Marking their 50th year as a musical society, Tamworth Arts Club continue their year of celebrations with a concert featuring songs from the popular classic and contemporary musicals.  The Sound of Musicals Showtime features a good selection of well-known numbers from golden era musicals such as Singin’ In The Rain and Oliver! set alongside lesser known hits from more recent shows such as Avenue Q, Shrek and Matilda. The programme offers something to suit all tastes and ages in the opening night audience.

The staging was simple but effective throughout, with a split level set put to good use to vary blocking for both chorus and solo numbers.  The choreography for the ensemble numbers was well-executed, with some particularly effective touches in the Joseph and Mamma Mia sections.

The production showcased the range of talent in the company well, providing opportunities for many of the adult and youth members to shine in solo, duet and group numbers.  Perhaps it was due to opening night nerves, but the production began rather tentatively and lacked energy in the early numbers.  All worries of this were set aside as the production progressed however and the later pieces had a lot more energy once the cast had relaxed. There were a few glitches with microphones and amplification which left some of the early numbers being overshadowed by the band but overall the production team (Jenny Barlow Jennings, Natasha Beckett, Sue Arthur and Alex Priestley) should be commended for creating such a smooth running and varied production.

There were a number of strong solo performances throughout the evening; particularly from Nikki Downs, Stacey Ward and Connor Brooks who all handled their demanding songs with just the right level of emotion.  Yet, it was the performances from the youth members of the cast who really stole the show with strong ensemble work particularly evident in the Annie and Matilda sequences, while Maisie Chatfield, Caitlyn Jennings and Taylor Hill all impressed in their solo songs, both with their vocal ability and their characterisation.  Without a doubt, the performance of the night award has to be attributed to Mia Scutt for her rendition of Quiet from Matilda: a challenging song for any young singer that was handled with great skill and maturity.

Playing predominantly to a family audience of parents, siblings, children and fellow TAC members, there was a palpable warmth from the audience towards the performances, but the true heart of this production is in the blending of adult and youth companies onstage; highlighting the talent inherent within the current company and giving the audience an exciting taster of the potential talent coming up through the ranks ready for future productions.

Blood Brothers first came to the stage of the Birmingham Hippodrome by accident in 1995 when a run of another show was cancelled at the last minute. And what a very happy accident that was. Willy Russell’s story has captivated audiences ever since, and this latest production is no exception.

The story is beautifully simple; Liverpudlian twins Mickey (Sean Jones) and Eddie (Joel Benedict) are separated at birth because their working class mother (Lyn Paul) can only afford to feed one more mouth. Mickey grows up in hardship with his mother and siblings while Eddie is raised in a wealthy family nearby and the two find each other by chance and become best friends, their lives taking different but intertwined paths.

Lyn Paul has owned the role of Mrs Johnstone since she first played it nearly 20 years ago. You can’t help wondering exactly how many performances that equates to - from the way she effortlessly belts out the numbers you’d guess several thousand, but by the raw emotion she displays you’d think it was her first.

Near the start of the story Mrs Johnstone announces she’s pregnant (again) with the twins - a bit of an eyebrow raiser when she looks more like Mary Berry than mum-to-be. But the truth is it really doesn’t matter; Paul has adapted to play a Mrs Johnstone you feel is taking you back to tell you the story. She is quite simply masterful; a delight to watch - good luck to whoever follows in her footsteps when she does finally call it a day.

Sean Jones and Joel Benedict impress as the protagonists; Jones is particularly striking as Mickey - making a believable and saddening descent from a loveable childhood scamp into an increasingly bedraggled and tragic figure. Meanwhile life is much better for Eddie who goes to a nice school while Mickey struggles at his, who gives Mickey his sweets when he has none, and who goes to university just as Mickey gets and then loses his first dead-end job.

Russell’s story might have debuted more than 30 years ago, when a second Thatcher government had just been elected and the gap between the poor and the rich had widened significantly, but this exploration of nature versus nurture is every bit as relevant and poignant today as it was then.

As the plot works its way to a tragic conclusion the action is narrated with gravitas by a crooning Dean Chisnall, who helps the story along at a lovely pace.

Elsewhere there’s strong support from Danielle Corlass as Linda, the simple girl who unwittingly gets caught in the middle of this tale of woe and Sarah Jane Buckley as the tortured Mrs Lyons, who all but forces Mrs Johnstone to give her Eddie and is forced to live with it every day.

The final iconic number, Tell Me It's Not True, left barely a dry eye in the house and not a single person on their seat.

Blood Brothers is a tragic and immensely poignant exploration of how a person's life is shaped by the circumstances they are born into. Bob Tomson and Bill Kenwright’s beautiful and moving production does Russell’s enduring story justice, and then some.

South Staffs Musical Theatre Company present their dazzling 2016 production of Dolly Parton’s 9 to 5 at the Wolverhampton Grand this week. SSMTC narrate the tale of three young women as they strive to make their workplace fair from the bullish boss ‘Franklin Hart Jr.

Due to unexpected circumstances, Marina Shee was unable to perform in tonight's show, leaving Zoe Wiltshire to valiantly take up the role at very short notice. Wiltshire’s performance was not one of an understudy, but a leading lady and should be commended for performing so professionally at late notice. A strong performance to match her on stage leads Doralee Rhodes (Lexie Bennett) and Judy Bernly (Abbie Rai) who were also strong. In particular, Abbie's performance as the confused innocent Judy was impressive and brought some much needed comic relief to the scene. In particular, her rendition of Get Out and Stay Out was the show stealer tonight with some strong vocals enhanced by the band. Other strong performances came from the deluded secretary Roz (Natasha Bennett) and the love struck 'Joe' (Daniel Handdon) who had a nice strong vocal presence. Finally, Simon McGee played the womanising, misogynistic, biggot Franklin Hart Jr well, bringing a panto-esque comical performance to the role.

The orchestra was strong and tight giving a real energy to the soundtrack. However, some sound problems hindered the performance, with full songs happening with no microphones and moments of comedy were missed due to muted or crackly microphones.

The large ensemble supported well - with pleasant choreography from Maria Shee - lighting was basic and worked well (despite a lighting designer not being present in the creative team) and aside from some opening night glitches, congratulations to all involved, I know I’ll definitely be singing this soundtrack 9 to 5 each day.