Disney On Ice - great show this year in Nottingham

So were you expecting Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Pluto? So were we - but they were merely the warm up act with this year's Disney on Ice going from strength to strength from beginning to end.

Despite being firm favourites they only set the scene for a series of superb set-pieces which proved much better than previous years' efforts.

And what's more there was something for everyone, with the vehicles from Cars sliding around the rink, an undersea adventure with Ariel, a Tink-tastic tale with everyone's favourite fairy - and then an amazing second half with all our favourites from Toy Story.

Each set tells a familiar story, so even if you weren't all that familiar with every nuance of the Disney stable, it's easy to follow what's going on!

Amazingly, the first story, from Cars, saw real vehicles slip-sliding around as they rescued Mickey's charabanc from a breakdown. Not many ice skates in evidence but a beautifully choreographed section with characters that look just like the real thing. I never knew that Lightning McQueen, Mater and the others were real, so it was an eye-opener for me!

Then came the first of the ice dancers - with the tale of Ariel looking for her Eric. Prince Eric? There's hope for us all in that case, isn't there? As we know only too well, Ursula's deal becomes Ariel's choice. But of course it all ends happily ever after.

Tinkerbell's changed a lot since those early days being a pugnacious rebel in Peter Pan. She's joined by a whole host of fairy friends who the little girls in the sold-out Arena all knew the names of before they introduced themselves. We got some 'real' flying to wow the crowds, and dozens of little 'uns out there were wishing they had wings, too. If your princess one loves the likes of Iridessa, Rosetta, Silvermist and Fawn, book your tickets now!

Oddly, the second half was just a single story but flew by.

It was, of course, a Toy Story. Toy Story 3 to be precise, the one where Andy says goodbye to his pals. But not before they've done some magnificent set-pieces, the most impressive being dozens of little green toy soldiers doing their moves on the ice. But there's Mr and Mrs Potato Head, Slinky, Barbie and Ken alongside Woody and Buzz Lightyear and the rest of the gang.

There's no expense spared with this show, and every character is perfectly crafted to transport you into the worlds of fantasy it promises across the ticket.

Verity Rushworth in The Sound of Music

INFECTIOUS and addictive: half an hour after leaving the theatre you're guaranteed to be whistling a reprise of the Lonely Goatherd out loud – even if it does surprise the passengers on the bus home.

Direct from the West End, it says, and this realisation of a wonderful and timeless classic demonstrates how the legacy of Julie Andrews' film role is in very safe hands.

The tomboy nature of a lanky trainee nun who's unsure of her commitment to the abbey is expertly conveyed by Verity Rushworth. It's no wonder the Captain falls for her.

It's also easy to see why this Rodgers and Hammerstein musical attracts such a hardcore fan base. And while it's true you know what to expect because of the film, the stage version inevitably results in a truncation of the plot. But fear not. The reason you're going is for that music – Maria's subtle comic asides mean Verity scores an instant and natural connection with the audience. And we find that she sings too!

Reading in the lavish programme that Connie Fisher was taking the lead at some other theatres on the tour, it was something of a welcome revelation that with former Emmerdale girl Verity, we couldn't have wished for a better incarnation of Maria.

Alongside Keiron Crook as Captain Georg Von Trapp, the would-be lovers play off each other magnificently, despite the plot format making their marriage a very swift conclusion to their attraction.

The younger Von Trapp children were all spot on, winning the hearts of youngsters in the audiences, and generating a tear or two among their parents!

We all loved Claire Fishenden as the eldest von Trapp daughter Liesl, soon to realise womanhood. And Martin Callaghan's comic turn as Max Detweiler was also a winner, along with our Mother Abbess for Nottingham, Marilyn Hill Smith, who gave an exhilarating invitation to Climb Ev'ry Mountain to send the first half of the show out on a high. It's hard to resist singing along with all those bright, familiar tunes with, of course, Do-re-mi among the numerous highlights.

The house was packed for this first Saturday night of a three-week run. Judging by the whoops of approval at the curtain call, remaining seats will be selling like hot strudel.

You To Me Are Everything: a slow burn!

For a man whose band’s big No1 was sandwiched between The Wurzels and Demis Roussos at the start of that long hot summer of 1976, Eddy Amoo is a very chipper man.

The Real Thing recorded You To Me Are Everything at the start of the year after it failed to excite record bosses in London – and it kick started a career that’s lasted until the present day.

The soul trio perform at the Theatre Royal this weekend as part of an idefinite programme of live shows and expect an energy-filled audience to set the party alight.

“Life doesn’t stop just because you don’t have hit records,” says Eddy.

“We continually recycle ourselves in that me and Chris are producers and writers, and over the years we have tweaked and changed the classic tunes so that they fit in today without losing the magic. We’re always writing new material for the show and we can still stand up there and be full of energy.”

So what does it feel like to be the architect of the hit that forms the soundtrack to so many people’s lives? Did the band feel something special was about to happen when they first heard their biggest hit back in ‘76?

“Abolutely not!” he said.

“It was hawked around everyone in London before it came to us. They all turned it down.

“We were just about to get the boot from our record company because we’d had a series of misses. Our record company thought it wasn’t a bad song at all, so they gave us a small budget to record it.

“It was very early in 1976 we recorded it and then forgot all about it. Three or four months later our manager came to us and told us it was selling 100 records a day.

“Then one day we got a telegram from our manager. He said get the band down to London tomorrow as it was one of the breakers [the fastest climbers in the top 50] and they wanted us on Top of The Pops.

“Everything went mad, it was magic.”

Yet the biggest year of hits for The Real Thing was actually in the following decade, when in 1986 they hit the charts with Straight to the Heart and sccessfully released remixes of You to Me Are Everything, Can't Get By Without You, and Can You Feel the Force?

And it’s their stying power that’s the secret.

“We’re the original members – we’re not a tribute band,” says Eddy, “which is what happens when you keep replacing people over the years.

“We built up an audience over two completely different timespans and have built on that.”

X-factor Jamie set to rock the racecourse

JAMIE 'Afro' Archer is the latest star to join the line-up of the first Rasen Rocks summer concert at Market Rasen Racecourse.

He’ll bring the band Archer to the races in a show that includes headline performer Aiden Grimshaw as well as Paije Richardson.

Already an accomplished performer, he wowed all four judges with his energetic rendition of Kings of Leon's 'Sex on Fire' in the first round of auditions for the hit ITV show.

He says we can expect to hear the “new sound” at the gig, something which might surprise a few fans.

Jamie told What’s On: “Some people might be expecting us to put out a Bon Jovi record. It couldn't be further from the truth.

“We've been looking for a new rock sound. It'll surprise some. There's a lot of depth to the music and lyrics.

“Be assured though, it's big, it's fun, it's loud it's singalong - been waiting a long time to be able to play these songs out. This is the real thing.

“The whole band will be there. This is what really excites me. I've done alot of shows in the past to backing CDs and the audience don't buy it.

“They want real quality live music. And that's what they get with this band. It's going to be a blast.“

Aside from preparing and rehearsing the live dates, Archer have also been in the studio, recording their latest tracks – but not necessarily an album, according to Jamie..

He said: “The current concept of albums and singles is outdated now. People just buy songs they like. We're more interested in releasing quality singles and EPs at the moment and the album will take care of itself.

“At the moment we're promoting the first single which is called 'insanity'. It sums up how anyone is feeling when they're on the edge. It's a big song. We'll be performing it at Market Rasen.

“Everyone in this operation has worked so hard to get us here because we all believe in this. We all just want to see some decent rock music back in the charts.

“The music is based in rock but has many different influences. Especially house music. It ranges from big, big singalongs to beautiful ballads. You get a balanced diet of music with us.”

He says life has changed somewhat since the X Factor experience – and it’s one he wouldn’t swap.

“Love it,” he said, ”Love being on the road meeting the fans. I still have to pinch myself sometimes when I think of the amazing opportunities the X Factor has given me.

“All I ever wanted was to release a song and have a fair chance of people hearing it and get a shot of getting some fresh rock music out there.”

And was he looking forward to an outdoor gig at the races?

“Of course we are. Last year I got seriously rained on. Fingers crossed the weather holds out.

“But in the true British way it did not dampen spirits. The crowd absolutely had it. I know the crowd won't disappoint.”

Good Mourning Mrs Brown - 'divides opinion like Marmite'

by Patrick Astill

It really is no surprise that the TV show Mrs Brown's Boys divides opinion like Marmite. It certainly isn't one for the faint-hearted.

The programme has proved a surprise ratings hit for the BBC despite going down faster than the Titanic with the critics.

It's a traditional comedy staple in that the leading lady is Brendan O'Carroll in drag playing who is now – in the lamentable absence of Dame Edna Everage - the nation's favourite old dear.

But there the similarity ends. I saw the cultured, witty Aussie 25 years ago at the Theatre Royal when she was at the height of her powers, and I've now witnessed O'Carroll's foul-mouthed Dublin Mammy at the height of hers.

There's no doubting the show - and the performance - are a successful modern classic but its weakness, some might say its strength, lies in the toilet humour and toddler-level willy and wind gags.

Having said that, the stage version, Good Mourning Mrs Brown, quickly found its level with an adoring Concert Hall crowd and it's a sell-out for the whole run this week.

Every nuance, every thought, and much of the action is a well-sculpted joy as we share Mrs Brown's take on love, death and homosexuality.

This two-and-a-half-hour treat is an amalgamation of several plotlines from the television series, so in many ways there's nothing new – and some of the gags were prehistoric anyway.

Yet it's a warm and winning performance with a smile, a knowing glint in the eye and a well-practised cackle to get us all on-side.

Three main strands include grandad pretending to be dead so that he can find out what people really think of him, one daughter's love-life with a new boyfriend, and the son's efforts to ensure there's enough cash to put a deposit down on a new home for him and his pregnant wife.

It helps that O'Carroll surrounds himself with family and friends on stage as they all clearly relish the nightly challenge of getting through the show without giving in to too much laughter themselves, although it must be a struggle.

The comedy veteran clearly slips in many unexpected lines which work wonders with the audience and also have the cast in stitches.

A sample gag (and one of my favourites), is when the doctor says: "We'll need a sample of urine and a sample of his stools"; Grandad: "What did she say?"; Mrs Brown: "She wants your underpants!"

Perhaps the comparison should be less Edna Everage and more Les Dawson...

But it's a winning mix and one of the biggest cheers of the night was when O'Carroll promised at the curtain call that the cast would be back with the sequel – the second of a five-part trilogy.

'I think my days of glamorous dolly bird roles are over!'

A galaxy of stars from stage and television visited Lincoln’s Theatre Royal for the comedy drama, Five Blue Haired Ladies Sitting on a Green Park Bench.

The hilarious – and moving – story by John A Penzotti, concentrates on five wonderful women and is guaranteed to make you laugh ... and cry.

One of its big stars, popular actress Lorraine Chase, says she loves Lincoln and its theatre and is looking forward to her visit along with household names Shirley Anne Field, Anita Harris, Anne Charleston, Christopher Beeny, Frazer Hines and Tom Owen.

She said: “When the Campari adverts took off years ago I’d already been booked to do panto and had to come out of the West End and come to the little Lincoln Theatre, much to the chagrin of my co-star Kenneth Williams, who chastised me!

“That was for Chris Moreno, who ran the Lincoln theatre 33 years ago. I love that theatre and Chris too, who is one of the reasons this cast came together.

“One or two of the ladies had done the play before, and we have some lovely men including Chris Beeny and Fraser Hines, who’s also local to Lincoln.”

Lorraine has enjoyed 32 years in the business, with roles ranging from Dolly Clothespeg in Worzel Gummidge, to working with Roland Rat, having her own TV comedy series The Other Arf and later being a star of Lame Ducks, with John Duttine.

Her TV work in between a prolific stage career includes roles in Casualty, The Bill, Lock Stock and My Family.

More recently she had a prominent role in Emmerdale, playing the unpredictable Stephanie Stokes for six months. She ended up staying for four and a half years, leaving the soap in 2006.

“It’s a different form of acting,” she says.

“When you’re in a soap you can’t get into detail. You get your lines, learn them the night before, then you go in the next day and play it.

“I was just a working actor in a soap. I left because I didn’t want to become too entrenched. If you stay there 25 years, it’s retirement. You don’t have time to do other things. You don’t even have time for panto!”

She said actors have to strike a balance between regular money and living in one place with keeping fresh and moving forward.

“I lived in Yorkshire for four years and the people there were lovely, but my mum and dad – who aren’t getting any younger – and my friends live in London,” she revealed.

You may remember that working as a successful model, The Londoner came to fame in the acclaimed Campari TV commercials when her catchphrases “Nice Ere Innit” and “No, Luton Airport” became nationally quoted moving her on to celebrity status and her highly successful acting career.

But she says: “There’s some confusion now between celebrities and working actors. Once you get into acting you go into TV shows to tell people what you’re about to do.

“Now they make celebrity out of personal lives. If you’re a working actor in rep you’re not on television selling it because you’re at the theatre.”

Her new role in Five Blue Haired Ladies is “a nice little character”, contributing to the pathos and the laughs of the show, which focuses on the sixty-somethings’ well-lived lives and fears for the future.

“I think my days of glamorous dolly bird roles are over,” confides Lorraine, who qualifies for her bus pass later this year. “You have to go with your age, sadly – I’d be able to get into the clothes but it wouldn’t be a good look!”

Discovering the real Dan Clark

by Patrick Astill

Dan Clark is one of the country’s brightest comedy stars, best known for his portrayal of loveable rogue Don Danbury in the BBC3 hit sitcom How Not To Live Your Life.

He writes and produces the show, and you might also have seen him as Johnny Two Hats in The Mighty Boosh.

There’s a chance to see him in the flesh at the Drill Hall, when he visits Lincoln with his new stand-up tour.

And even though it’s a critically-acclaimed show, Dan’s under no illusions about his appeal.

“People are not coming in because of some stand-up,” he tells What’s On. “They are coming because of the television show.

“The audience is made up 95 per cent with fans of How Not To Live Your Life and they expect me to be a bit more like Don.

“We’re both quite similar, but I’m not quite as much of an idiot as Don is.

“He’s neurotic, self-effacing and lacks a huge amount of self-awareness.”

Dan – definitely not to be confused with his comic creation Don, then – is no stranger to live comedy, previously performing in the sketch group Electric Eel and then returning as a solo artist to Edinburgh in 2005 and 2006. In 2007 he went on to tour the UK, selling out around the country.

“I talk about being a victim of awkward situations,” he says of the latest show, which is in town on May 4.

“I look at the awkwardness of mistaking someone in a shop, or of being on public transport, or how we interact on dates.

“The difference is that Don is the cause of the awkwardness and he is unable to understand social etiquette. By the second half of the show they are warmed up and by then it’s a bit ruder, a bit edgier.

“Sometimes I have to elaborate on the truth – there are one or two situations where I have spotted the potential for something to happen. But some stories are 100 per cent true.

“I talk about relationships and about being on the internet all the time – the way we are addicted to checking messages, having about 20 different e-mail accounts and almost not living my life through being so social.”

He enjoys the success of the television series and has other projects in the pipeline.

Dan says: “It feels very much like a cult show, something that’s hidden, that people tell their friends about.

“Writing a sitcom on your own is a tall order, there is a part of me that asks what I want to do next? I wouldn’t want it to be in a corner of the BBC, I’d like it to reach a wider audience.”

After doing sketch comedy in his early 20s, acting and writing plays, he took the plunge to do stand-up in 2004.

He is now working on scripts in development for two television projects, so keep your eyes peeled to see what comes to fruition.

Dave sounds The Alarm against commercialism in music

Dave Sharp from The Alarm (68 Guns, Where Were You Hiding) is on the road, performing his own acoustic solo gigs around the UK.

He says the events rail against the commercial and engineered music that he feels is thrust upon the public.

“More people are saying they are fed up with it,” he said.

“It’s understandable that music doesn’t seem to be reaching out to people how it should be.

“There seems to be a growing appetite for a kind of music that has a human spirit to it, something that speaks on a human level to people.

“And it’s good that venues like the Jolly Brewer stick their neck out to promote music that will reach out to people.”

After The Alarm’s huge success in the 1980s, Dave spent a big part of the 90s in America, touring and making records.

In 1996, he recorded the album Downtown America, before returning to the UK in 2002 to record his third solo album, The Power of Soul, which re-introduced him to British audiences and earned him solo recognition across the UK with the critics.

Dave’s solo albums have received positive critical recognition on both sides of the Atlantic and over the past decade and a half he feels he has been fortunate to work alongside many of the artists he has long respected.

He’s worked with Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and others in a period he says helped him “mature as an artist”.

His solo music has been described as everything from folk and blues to rock, country and punk.

And now, during breaks from the current tour, work in Manchester on his new album is progressing, with backing tracks complete.

His series of tour dates are designed to "challenge his electric guitar playing skills in a live format".

“I’m taking a break from recording at the moment and previewing new material,” he added.

“It’s really encouraging that up and down the country a lot of venues are starting to move away from the engineered media products.”

Dave recorded his first solo album, Hard Travellin' with record producer, Bob Johnston in 1991.

He is playing Lincoln and some other dates before embarking on another trip to Scotland - including his first appearance at brand new Glasgow alternative venue Pivo Pivo.

Jon Gomm - catch him on YouTube, he doesn't mind!

Acoustic singer-songwriter Jon Gomm has been hailed as one of the world's “most gifted and inspirational” guitar players.

He actually laid hands on a guitar aged two, wrote his first song at six and went on to accompany his father to watch gigs in his home town of Blackpool.

Touring musicians would often stay at their family home, which meant he regularly enjoyed expert tuition from some of the greats.

Nowadays he has a cult following of his own.

If you can get along to his gigs you’ll see how he combines a deeply personal performances with his natural wit – and a characteristic two-handed guitar style!

Using just the one instrument, his technique brings drum beats, bass lines and sparkling melodies to the audience, all at the same time.

A master of the art, some of his musical creations are something never heard anywhere else.

He says: “I’ve got a cult following and I’m really well known among guitar players in particular – and there are a lot of people playing the guitar these days!

“It’s mostly down to the Internet now. There are lots and lots of videos of my work on YouTube that people have watched.

“I’ve got loads of friends and followers online and that’s how people find out about me now.”

Early on he turned down a place at Oxford University studying English to attend The Guitar Institute in London. He paid his way through college playing jazz in café-bars, recording as a session guitarist, and playing country music for line dancers.

Nowadays he spends much of the year on the road, touring Europe and playing at festivals from Rome to Athens.

And he loves the Jolly Brewer – where the atmosphere is “amazing”. He’s looking forward to their first outdoor gig of the season.

He says: “I play a few covers in my set and they are the ones people will remember and request.

“Once the album had been out a while all the requests I get at gigs are songs from that record. It’s quite humbling when people are shouting out for songs you’ve written yourself!”

Jon’s independent approach to the music industry means his albums are home recorded and released on the label he owns.

His presence on myspace and YouTube are key to his appeal, with his debut album Hypertension selling over 10,000 copies with no industry backing.

He’s not keen on putting songs online that aren’t produced and published for people to buy for themselves.

“Every gig I play gets filmed – and some of the quality is amazing,” says Jon.

“I really don’t mind. The reason people want to do it is because they want to help me. They are aware that the way people find out about me is by people telling each other. They realise they can tell thousands like this and their spreading the word
is really flattering.”

The brand new album, Don't Panic, sold out on Amazon within five days.

A right royal knees up for you?

by Patrick Astill

What will you be doing on the big day then?

Maybe a nice breakfast in bed, followed by an easy morning pottering around the house and then settling down for the greatest show on earth?

It’s plain that the great British public seems distinctly under-whelmed by the prospect of a royal wedding.

Even David Cameron did his bit this week with a rallying call for anyone who wants to have a street party.

“Go ahead, flout the regulations – get out there and enjoy!” he said. Or words to that effect.

I don’t know of any street parties around our way. One school is opening up on the Saturday for a big party for all the local children and it’s going to be very well attended.

And why not? There’s little else to celebrate as a nation at the moment.

We’re hardly likely to see a Nobby dancing around the edge of the Wembley pitch with a football World Cup any time soon. Gone are the days when I‘d welcome a general election result with champagne (it has been known, you know). And I can’t see Forest being promoted to the Premiership either.

So given a choice between being fashionably cool about the whole wedding thing, which is what I believe many people are striving for, or having a bit of a knees-up, even if it’s only in the back garden with the neighbours, I know which I‘d rather do.

I can still remember a clutch of royal weddings, a few royal babies and can even recall the fuss from when Diana was still working at the nursery and the rumours had started about her and Charles. It was the wedding of the decade and was watched by many more millions around the world than anyone could be bothered to count. I’ll stick my neck out and guess that interest is still out there.

OK, so I won’t be getting paid for my extra day off – but that’s all the more reason to enjoy it in my book, to take the “pain” away!

I can’t think of anyone, even among the ones who say they don’t care, who won’t want to sneak a look at Kate’s dress, or the Queen’s hat, even if it takes them a couple of days to peek in the Sunday papers.

If you’re one of those who say they can’t bear the royalist celebrations, I‘d bet that you’re in the minority.

First published in the Lincolnshire Echo.