My life is flashing before me!

One thing about a potential career change is that it brings into sharp focus a lifetime spent in journalism.

And it’s the formative years that stick with you.

I remember the first war in Iraq, the Gulf War, when hundreds of casualties were expected among the allies trying to restore the world order in the Middle East following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait.

In fact so many American troops were expected to die or be seriously injured that a contingency was set up at the former RAF hospital at Nocton Hall in Lincolnshire.

I was working for the Lincolnshire Echo at that time, and was fortunate enough to be sent along to find out what was happening there.

It had closed as an RAF facility in the 1980s and had been taken over by the USAF – and was in fact a little bit of the United States on British soil, much as an Embassy would be.

More than 1,300 US medical staff and Army reservists were sent to the area for the 1992 conflict, and I was treated to a tour of ward after ward of sterile beds, all set up under cellophane ready for the expected influx once battle commenced.

The sheer scale of the operation was incredible. From the giant big-bellied transport planes on the runway, to the armoured vehicles rolling around the site and the hundreds of staff being readied for what was expected to be a bloody conflict.

Lincolnshire’s rich RAF past helped the operation with many staff billeted at RAF stations dotted around the area, including Scampton, then home to the Red Arrows display team.

The war began in August 1990, in the middle of the night our time, after weeks of posturing and troops being made ready.

The tension was high and it was something of a relief when the order was finally given.

Moves by the Coalition forces to kick off Operation Desert Storm sent some 100,000 sorties, dropping 88,500 tons of bombs and destroying military and civilian infrastructure in a move which effectively won the war as soon as it had begun. No Iraq planes flew during the whole conflict, although 75 Allied planes were downed from anti-aircraft fire from the ground.

At the Echo we published an early edition about the hostilities and regular news updates in several daily editions, with what was a more forthcoming supply of copy compared with the time delay attached to the Falklands Conflict some ten years before.

And USAF Nocton Hall? It treated just 35 casualties.

Misery – Newark Palace Theatre

It cannot be easy to bring a well-known film to the stage and make it work so well.

On the big screen, the actors can shoot, re-shoot, use camera tricks and all kinds of devices to tell their story.

On the stage at Newark, Julie Fox and Matthew Hewitt get this Stephen King tale spot on and manage to make us smile and squirm in equal measure, as they make an easy connection with the audience.

They work well together to convey writer Paul Sheldon’s descent into hell when imprisoned by his “greatest fan” after a road accident.

As schizophrenic Annie takes control of “her” author at her isolated farmhouse, she realises she need to keep him there longer if he is to pen a personal sequel for her – and stops at nothing to keep him there. The scene where she breaks his ankles as a safeguard against his escape is particularly well handled, and sent a palpable shudder through the audience.

One gripe was the lengthy pauses used to denote the passage of time, where the theatre is plunged into darkness to the strains of an electric guitar lament. They could only have been ten or twenty seconds but each and every one would have been a more comfortable with just a few seconds less each time. Or maybe it was the ideal time-out to hammer home the agony of Paul Sheldon as he plots his shocking release.

And although it was only a small audience, the actors could surely have found time for a second curtain call so we could have shown our appreciation a little longer.

When it's all in the eye of the beholder...

With days at the office now potentially numbered, I'll miss the little gems of knowledge teased out during the working day.

We play the birthday quiz from time to time, and Judge Reinhold (Beverly Hills Cop IV etc) was on the list today.

"Isn't he the voice of Garfield?" says one.

"No that was Bill Murray."

Well I wouldn't know either way, as I never liked Garfield on television. But I did like the newspaper strip.

Of course, this kind of preference is in the eye of the beholder, and bringing a cartoon strip to life can kill off your own personal impression of how the characters interact with each other.

Fred Basset seemed to work for me. Not so much The Perishers. And Peanuts was always a joy.

For the record, it's Bill Murray in the Garfield film, while the TV series was voiced by Lorenzo Music.

"Mmmm... Lasagna."

The Sociable Plover - Newark Palace Theatre

Perfectionist twitcher Roy Tunt is ready to catch a rare species on film and tick another box on his list of British birds, the most important, which will complete his set and make him one of the elite.

This is the premise of The Sociable Plover (Vanellus gregarious and a wader in the lapwing family of birds, which is critically endangered).

Gnome collector, scoutmaster and with a broken marriage behind him, is Roy (Guy Masterson) a knowledgable perfectionist or a pedantic OCD-suffering nerd? The banality of his life is painful.

He is suddenly joined in the claustrophobic atmosphere of the hide by gruff, mysterious “Dave John”, wringing wet, and hungry, after not having eaten for three days. Dave (Ronnie Toms) says his brother has just died while serving in the RAF.

And although a slightly sinister presence after the square behaviour of Roy, the audience can easily warm to his Londoner's charm and attempts at conversation with his new-found friend.

The action, set in an L-shaped bird hide of around 12 square yards, veers from black comedy to taut thriller and unfolds to reveal a twist so unexpected that it would be unfair to reveal any more of the plot.

Suffice to say, the 100 or so who turned up at the Palace in Newark to witness it would have done well to bring a few more friends along to enjoy this perennial favourite.

Written and directed by Tim Whitnall, The Sociable Plover mimics Pinter's two handers to some extent but is less coded and readily accessible.

Torvill and Dean’s Dancing On Ice The Tour - Trent FM Arena

The ice dancers put absolutely everything into their performance in a rip-roaring extravaganza by the TV stars on tour in Nottingham.

And although there was only one real slip-up, the judges were predictably harsh, reminding us that they see the same routines night after night – and judge them according to improvement or worsening of their ice dancing.

Cheeky Andi Peters was our host, and got proceedings under way for what was a slightly subdued audience by this show’s standards.

Perhaps they’ve seen it all before. Indeed, Gaynor Faye, Chris Fountain, Ray Quinn and Clare Buckfield were competitors who had all previously graced the famous Nottingham ice in at least one previous tour. They were joined by newcomers Mikey Graham, Hayley Tamaddon, Emily Atack and Gary Lucy.

And of course we had the wonderful T&D. We love ‘em. Flashbulbs popping every time they set foot on the ice, and their eye-watering new Bolero routine saw our golden couple suspended from the rafters by purple silks. A standing ovation no less.

Of course, it was all a bit of fun and no reputations were made or lost.

It was clear on the night, however, that some were having more fun than others. Gaynor and Clare looked as though they were really enjoying themselves. Hayley seemed the most desperate to do well, while Chris was clearly way out in front on the night, and not only won the judges’ vote but carried off the trophy in the Bolero dance-off.

The first half of the show was the bit where the audience helped with the judging, having the chance to text their favourite after watching and hearing what the judges had to say. The panel comprised former Olympians Karen Barber and Nicky Slater, 2007 TV series winner Kyran Bracken, actor Christopher Biggins and Nottingham Post columnist and writer Erik Petersen.

We saw:
Mikey Graham – with professional dancer Melanie Lambert;
Gaynor Faye – with professional dancer Matt Evers;
Chris Fountain – with professional dancer Brianne Delacourt;
Ray Quinn – with professional dancer Alexandra Schauman;
Hayley Tamaddon – with professional dancer Dan Whiston;
Emily Atack – with professional dancer Fred Palascak;
Gary Lucy – with professional dancer Maria Filipov;
Clare Buckfield – with professional dancer Lukasz Rozycki.

When Harry Met Sally - Theatre Royal

Two solid performances from the leading actors endeared a packed Theatre Royal audience to them as they recreated this famous film for the stage.

Coronation Street's Rupert Hill (Jamie Baldwin) played opposite Sarah Jayne Dunn, (Mandy from Hollyoaks), as Harry and Sally, who met in New York when she needed her flat decorating - and were then thrown together again five years later, and another year down the line to begin their confusing relationship.

As we know, he's onto a winner with his disputed claim that a man and a woman cannot remain friends without romance getting in the way and we thus explore the possibilities...

Such was Rupert's command of the role that we could feel the women in the audience seething at his attitude and stance but, of course, they were sucked in and fell under his spell, as did Sarah. Despite also coming from soapland, she proved that these are actors of quality by matching her foil on stage.

Alas, there were too few men in the audience to judge her by their reaction, although the audience reaction as a whole was interesting for her most famous scene, spontaneously applauding as one at her, ahem, acting skills.

Compared with the Hollywood blockbuster, the simple set and straightforward scene changes helped focus on the narrative and let our imagination fill in the gaps.

Whether set in the park or the gym the cast truly made us believe, simply because the nature of their story is that we want to believe and identify with their situation.

A small but perfectly formed cast carried the story through to its inevitable conclusion - but we won't spoil the ending in case you get a chance to catch the show before the weekend.

Death of Nottingham's Alan Sillitoe

Nottingham-born author, the novelist Alan Sillitoe has died aged 82.

The writer, who became popular as one of the angry young men of British fiction, is hailed as one of the modern literary greats.

His novels included Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, made into a film starring Tom Courtenay.

I had the honour and pleasure of interviewing Mr Sillitoe for the Nottingham Evening Post in the 1990s.

Contrary to what I had been warned, he was by no means a 'difficult' subject and was, in fact, kind and helpful to me in my quest for a good story as a junior reporter.

The Barron Knights - Palace Theatre, Newark

I thought I could remember The Barron Knights from way back.

Well, the 70s is way back isn’t it, when they hit the charts with A Taste of Aggro and Live in Trouble?

It turns out they’ve been going strong since 1959, and although I knew they’d had some “straight” songs in their repertoire too, I had no idea these 60s covers were the ones that get the crowd going.

Harmony forms a key part of the group’s evening and they used their talents to perfectly recreate the work of the Everly Brothers and Frankie Valli, among many others. Paul McCartney’s Blackbird, for instance, sung a cappella was a moment to savour.

The only remaining founder member is Peter Langford – and he reminded us of his own virtuoso talent, leading the band in The William Tell Overture and performing flamenco on acoustic.

A true cabaret band, you get the feeling that The Barron Knights today wouldn’t be out of place doing summer season. But they have bigger fish to fry, continually touring the world.

Whether the band is still genuinely funny after all these years or whether there’s a certain amount of warm affection, it’s hard to judge on their comedy numbers.

While their 70s hits made me chuckle, there was also new (to me) material, which neatly filled the gaps between the music they say has formed the soundtrack to their lives.

Time out from the singing gave Peter chance to remind us that they previously toured with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. But those days are long gone – magically brought back to life only as long as The Barron Knights continue to tour.

Peter Pan, Northern Ballet Theatre - Theatre Royal

If you’ve never done a ballet before then this is the show for you. Better than panto and a pacy production to entrance children of all ages, it's a world away from what you might be expecting.

It crackles into action from the off with the Darling children going through an animated bedtime routine as Peter Pan’s shadow watches on.

Such is the slick quality of the show that when Peter finally sails in through the open bedroom window, it fits in so well with audience expectation that we simply sit back and marvel. Awe-inspiring too, is the flight scene with all three children and Peter leaving home for Neverland, floating dreamily through the stars.

Northern Ballet Theatre has quite rightly attracted the plaudits for this production, which at two hours just flies by to quicken the pulse.

It is a faithful telling of this famous old story – but without letting dialogue get in the way.

A feisty, jealous Tinkerbell does her best to scupper Wendy’s relationship with Peter, and even sacrifices her own life to save his. A little audience participation brings her back to life, while some Lost Boys, a few pirates, Captain Hook and a crocodile all serve to enrich the mix.

Highlights for us were the early scene where Peter fights with his own shadow, and the seven wonderful dancing mermaids – and although performing in a tight fishtail instead of tights can’t be easy, it didn’t stop the dancers from impressing.

Fantastic scenery helps the audience to really believe, the action switching from the Darling Family home, flying over London, then into the jungle, through the mermaids’ lagoon, the pirate ship and the Lost Children’s cave.

And while the dancers are doing the work on stage, the NBT Orchestra performs impeccably throughout, adding to the magical atmosphere.

The performance we saw featured...

• Peter Pan: David Ward


• Wendy: Pippa Moore


• Hook/Mr Darling: Kenneth Tindall


• Neverbird/Mrs Darling: Hannah Bateman


• Tinkerbell: Michela Paolacci


• Shadow: Thomas Aragones


• John: Sebastian Loe


• Michael: Jeremy Curnier

Disney Live - Trent FM Arena

There's often a feeling that Disney's live shows are a little too saccharine-sweet for the discerning palate.

If the all-pervading scent of candy floss and popcorn that hits you as you walk in the Arena doors takes your mind off the commercial opportunities as you find your seat, you can sit back and enjoy a show that's really rather good.

But when it's £9 (minimum) to have your photo taken and choccy buttons are £2.50 a bag, it's a relief to sit down unscathed.

Fortunately, as soon as it's curtain-up, all this is forgotten, because – quite simply – we are transported into the wonderful world that's Disney.

It IS truly magical when you're six and four, like my two are, and I was pleased to see my favourite, Goofy, was first on stage to tell us about the magical story book that has been discovered in Mickey's house.

Along with Donald, Mickey and Minnie, he introduces the stories of three of our favourite princesses, Snow White, Cinderella and Belle.

And yes, it is something special to see the seven dwarfs doing their "Heigh Ho!" routine, and watch the Queen quiz her magic mirror about who is the fairest of them all…

Incidentally, it was the evil Queen during that brief exchange that got most of the flash-bulbs in the sparse crowd.

A slick all-singing, all-dancing show that your little princesses (and princes) will fall in love with.