'Once On This Island' at Southwark Playhouse

The latest show at Southwark Playhouse is 'Once On This Island' by the British Theatre Academy. It's all about young actors starting out and that, in itself, is an interesting thing - will any of them still be working in ten years time? There was a lot of energy and enthusiasm in the show but not always a lot of skill. It's a strange show to put on, not a well known show by any means and a calypso musical is a bit unusual but hey, why not?

It's an odd story that mixes traditional Caribbean island beliefs and gods with modern day French imperialism with the rich white folks on one side of the island and the black "peasants" on the other side, But then there comes a storm to mix it all up. The local gods intervene to save a child who later goes on to save the life of a rich white man and she is then challenged by the god of death to either offer up her life or his? I won't spoil it by revealing what the decision is.

It was interesting enough and quite different and, at only 85 minutes running time there's no time to get bored. I think it's an odd show for an mature/student company to put on. There's no denying the energy of the actors but sometimes it seemed like they were singing simply to be loud without remembering their diction so I couldn't make out the words - all there was was a loud noise. The very energetic dances also seemed to take its toll on a few of the actors who were clearly out of breath and sweating at the end of the later numbers. I only want to see exhausted actors when they're acting exhausted, not when they are exhausted. One who really caught my attention was Chrissie Bhima who played the lead role of Ti Moune and she is definitely worth watching for. At one point her singing voice reminded me of Linda Lewis, not so much Linda's range as the warm tone and quality. I also liked Aviva Tulley as the goddess of love.

There you have it, my first encounter with the British Theatre Academy. The actors all seemed to be having a great time and that's part of it - it they're enjoying what they do then that's half the battle. Well done people!

'Ain't Misbehavin' at Southwark Playhouse

We caught 'Ain't Misbehavin' in it's final week at Southwark Playhouse. It's subtitled 'The Fats Waller musical' and that's exactly what it is, a collection of his songs loosely strung together to tell tales of life in and around the nightclubs of Harlem in New York in the 1920s. There's no story as such but the songs tell the tales of people in the clubs, of racism, domestic abuse, love and the joy of the dance.

Southwark Playhouse is a small space and uses that to its advantage with imaginative staging, moving the seating around to accommodate the action. The 'stage' is just the floor of the theatre but this time it was covered in some shiny, gold material and the focal point was the bandstand at one end with all it's glitter and lights, gold and orange/red - it immediately pulled the eye.

The cast were all excellent singer/dancers, rarely still, belting out the songs with gusto, living the reality of the songs and, every now and then, a slower song to calm things down to allow another build up later.

The energetic cast were Adrian Hansel, Renée Lamb, Carly Mercedes Dyer, Landi Oshinowo, Wayne Robinson and all were on top form. It was quite nice to be able to relax into the show without having to keep track of the plot or what a character might do next because there is no plot, it's a collection of songs telling multiple stories and you never know if the next one will be a ballad, a social commentary or an out-and-out fun-fest with arms and legs flung in every direction. I think I smiled and grinned throughout the whole show, tapping my foot and eager for the next song.

I'm really pleased that I saw this production and was introduced to these dynamic actors who brought it all to life. And great thanks to director Tyrone Huntley, choreographer Oti Mabuse (yes, the dancer from 'Strictly') and the amazing set designed by Takis. Well done all, and well done to Southwark Playhouse for putting it on in the first place.

'The Rink' at Southwark Playhouse

Last week we went to see 'The Rink' by Kander & Ebb at Southwark Playhouse. Yes, the same Kander & Ebb that did 'Cabaret' and 'Chicago' and no, I hadn't heard of 'The Rink' either. I now understand why.

Southwark Playhouse has a good track record of putting on little played musicals in recent years and I particularly remember 'Grand Hotel', 'The Life' and 'Pippin'. All well worth seeing (I think we saw 'Grand Hotel' three or four times) with solid production values. And that's the same with 'The Rink' - great cast, great production, good band - but, well, it's just not the greatest show that Kander & Ebb ever did.

It starts off with the demolition crew arriving at the roller rink in some anonymous American east coast seaside resort that's seen better days. The owner has sold up and is leaving for a retirement in Florida when, unexpectedly, her 30 year old daughter turns up out of the blue to throw a spanner in the works with her rose-tinted memories of the place. The owner is the mother but the roller rink was left to both mother and daughter and she has forged her daughter's signature since she's only seen her daughter once since she ran away when she was 16.

We then get the story of their relationship in flashbacks to the daughter's childhood memories of her dad and the reality of the situation from the mother. The daughter runs away to find her father and she does eventually, only to find that he's started a new life with a new family and wants nothing to do with her. The arguments and memories continue and then we find out that the daughter actually has a young daughter of her own and she reconciles things between her mother and grandmother. Happy ending all round. But what a journey to get there.

I liked the production, it was serious and fun by turns and it's quite nicely constructed given the basic material but my problem was and is that I can't remember a single song. I left the theatre thinking that too. Not every song in every musical works and is memorable but there needs to be at least one really.  I can forgive many things for a good song but there weren't really any in this show.

Another thing that sort of turned me off were the costumes, particularly for the 30 year old daughter, Angel. Given Angel's age and the dad going off to fight in Korea after her birth then that places the show sometime in the early-mid '80s, so why is Angel wearing an early '70s tank top and green flared jeans? No-one dressed like that in the '80s, even in America. I know that's a silly point but it doesn't half draw the attention away from the singing and acting and the show when you're sitting there thinking 'that's just so wrong'.

Well done to Caroline O'Connor and to Gemma Sutton at the centre of the production as the mother and daughter. My overall verdict is well done to the cast and crew for their work and well done to Southwark Playhouse for putting it on, but it's a shame the material just isn't that good. Still, it was good to have an opportunity to see it. 

'Pippin' at the Southwark Playhouse

I went to see 'Pippin' at Southwark Playhouse a couple of weeks ago, the day after returning from snowy Boston, and it helped me to stave off the jet lag. I didn't realise I was seeing it in its last week until I tried to book tickets to see it again - yes, it was that good. I saw a computer game themed version of 'Pippin' full of lasers and rock guitar seven years ago at the Menier Chocolate Factory but had forgotten much of the story so this version was almost like seeing it anew.

The first hurdle to get over is that Pippin is the son of Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor. As if the heir to the throne anywhere would be called Pippin. Yes, it's a problem for me. Then there's the daft story-line of Pippin trying to find himself and his role in life which was all very late '60s/early '70s, from joining one of his dad's wars to working on a farm. Then there's the conceit of the Lead Player talking to the audience and introducing scenes that she was also in as well as directing us towards and it's all very odd. But it somehow works and draws you in. Hippy-dippy at one level, rock musical at another and experimental theatre at yet another, all rolled up together to take us on a a very strange journey. It's very of its time and uses some trademarked Bob Fosse dance moves but it somehow works.

Some of the bits I loved were Charlemagne being played with a broad Welsh accent and his queen having a Glaswegian accent, Pippin's grandma encouraging him to have lots of girls, the Fosse moves, and the theme song of 'Corner of the Sky' (I have a great version by Petula Clark and Dusty Springfield). I also liked the simple staging that was very effective. Something I really did;t like was Pippin's wide-necked grey jumper with a few sequins that reminded me of something your grandma might buy from Marks and Sparks - a horrid affair.

This new version of the show was developed by Hope Mills Theatre in Manchester and first performed there before coming to Southwark Playhouse and good on 'em for this revival. Great staging, great lighting and fun costumes (other than Pippin's jumpa of course). I loved all the cleverness of the staging, like lifting the stars painted on the stage to reveal lights, lots of little tricks and turns kept me engaged. Of course, the work itself by Stephen Schwartz deserves mention even if it does sometimes seem to get lost in its own complexities (I'm still puzzling about Charlemagne coming back from the dead after Pippin kills his dad in a revolution and the ending when Pippin refuses to dive into a vat of fire that reminded me of The Beatles' "Mr Kite').

I thought the cast were all very good with special shout outs to Genevieve Nicole as the Lead Player, Jonathan Carlton as Pippin, Mairi Barclay as the queen/grandma and Tessa Cadler as the farmer's wife.Well done also to Jonathan O'Boyle as director, Maeve Black for costumes and set, Aaron J Dootson for lighting and William Whelton for the choreography. Thanks should go to lots of others, of course, for bringing this together in a great show that was a joy to see. I hope I don't have to wait another seven years to see this show. I think a big stage version is due next.

'The Life' at Southwark Playhouse

Southwark Playhouse continues its current penchant for putting on musicals that are either little performed or haven't been performed in London before by giving 'This Life' its European premier. This is the latest in a line of shows it's put on over the past couple of years that keeps making us trek over to the unrelenting drabness of Elephant & Castle.

The show is a bit of an oddity really, written in the '90s and set supposedly in the '80s but shrieked '70s at me, with some great tunes but then others that hark back to the song and dance shows of the '50s (particularly the incongruity of the pimp, the stripper and the pornographer linking arms to dance and high kick at the prospect of yet more money). But, the book held it together, telling a tale that kept me engaged and interested and wanting to see what happens next. I didn't guess the ending at all, so well done on that!

It's a tale of pimps and prostitutes, violence and drugs set in seedy New York before it was cleaned up for tourists. We're introduced to a group of prostitutes and various pimps but the main characters are Queenie and Fleetwood, young lovers living on the street to get the money together to move away, and of Sonja and Memphis, an older prostitute and her pimp, all brought together by wannabe hustler Jojo. Sonja is the only one who has any time for Queenie and her lover Fleetwood just uses her to fund his drug habit.

The troupe of prostitutes were actually quite nice folks and the men were unrelenting bastards so it's a bit one-sided but struck me as true having seen all those '70s cop shows based in New York.  Did Fleetwood ever love Queenie or was she always just a meal ticket? Who knows? Does anyone have any real friends in that world where no-one seems to trust anyone once they're out of their sight apart from Sonja and Queenie?  What is clear is that Memphis in his pimp leather coat has no feelings for anyone but himself  and he's a really chilling character. You don't want to mess with Memphis.

There are lots of songs in this show, a song for every couple of minutes of dialogue, and that keeps the pace moving forward. One of the joys is the start of the second half and the Hookers Ball where they all come dressed to the nines in fantastic and glittery frocks, especially when Sonja appears with Memphis and poses, followed by Queenie in her golden shiny frock who takes her place behind Memphis. And then it all goes wrong. But you need to see the show to find out what's gone wrong.

I was very impressed - as ever - by Sharon D Clarke as Sonja, the prostitute who's about had enough of the streets and is tired and feels ill. She utters the only '80s-type words when she comments that she feels ill and maybe it's something new, alluding possibly to HIV and AIDS. She's a convincing matriarch to our little group, been there and done that so many times she's lost count. And what a great voice! Sharon never lets you down. 

The pleasant discovery of the show was T'Shan Williams as Queenie. She only graduated from acting school a couple of years ago so isn't that experienced but was terribly impressive playing the vulnerable Queenie. Plus she has a great voice and duets with Sharon and holds her own. T'Shan is definitely someone worth watching for in future. An actress of power, turning the mood on a word and a great singer. Shame about the strangely shaped wig she was wearing.

Something I'm noticing more and more is that the great female performances I see aren't matched by the male performances. I don't really understand that at all, but it does seem to be a trend at the moment. The lead men aren't really a patch on the women except for Cornell S John as Memphis who is as menacing a villain as you could want. He'd be a good Iago, I think, deeply nasty beneath the surface but can make you believe whatever he wants. Single-minded and focused and he deserves everything he gets. But you need to see the show to find out what that is.

All in all, I loved this show, faults included. It's always nice to see Sharon and it was lovely to discover T'Shan, but the whole show worked for me. I'm tempted to see it again...

Let's Face It, I'm Not Going To ...

I'm not sure what's happened - maybe it's the sunshine over the summer - but it doesn't look like I'm going to blog about seeing 'Richard III' at the Almeida...

... or 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' at The Globe ...

... or 'Sweeney Todd' at the Theatre Royal Stratford East...

... or 'Titanic' at Charing Cross Theatre...

... or 'The Seagull' at the National Theatre...

... or 'Macbeth' at The Globe...

... or 'Allegro' at Southwark Playhouse

... or 'Ivanov' at the National Theatre

... or 'The Plough and The Stars' at the National Theatre...

... or maybe I will when inspiration strikes. They were all good and well worth seeing.

'The Toxic Avenger' at Southwark Playhouse

Southwark Playhouse seems to enjoy putting on UK premieres of American musicals and the latest is 'The Toxic Avenger' based on the film from the '80s. I've never seen the film or the stage version so this was a very tentative dip of my toe into the toxicity of the thing. It's good that Southwark Playhouse is willing to take risks and attract new audiences and, after premiering 'Xanadu' last year and reviving 'Grand Hotel' it's becoming a favourite venue. Particularly since it has also finally embraces the 21st century and now has allocated seating to avoid the silly queues of people wanting to get good seats. Well done - you know it makes sense. So, 'The Toxic Avenger' - what's it about?

The play is set in a small New Jersey town where the corrupt mayor happily imports toxic waste for back-handers and power. It's the Toxic Avenger's job to put an end to this and restore justice. Enter the town geek bemoaning the toxic waste and his secret love, Sarah the blind librarian that the mayor has entrusted the town records to. She tells the geek where the records are and he finds out what the mayor is up to and confronts her. Uh oh, big mistake. She hires the town bullies to teach him a lesson and they drop him into a vat of waste that mutates him into a super-strong green monster. He rips off their arms and legs in revenge and the librarian falls for him. Then comes the task of saving the town and bringing the mayor and the polluters to justice. Phew, it's action packed and fast moving and there's a lot going on.

So, here we have it, a serious dramatic exploration of ecological issues in the modern day and the motivations behind both sides of the argument. Um no, we have a raucous, rude and very funny musical comedy with lots of choons and madcap scenes. It's great fun and terribly un-PC, particularly with virtually every reference to Sarah the blind librarian, dropping her white stick and hunting round for it, trying to get off stage without the stick and, at one point, commenting that she's creating time for some quick costume changes behind the scenes.

The cast of five people mostly play multiple roles, appearing as one character only to disappear and reappear moments later as someone else, particularly the two lads who play everything from the local school bullies, a folk singer, policemen, hairdressers and polluting businessmen. Marc Pickering and Ashley Samuels were excellent and great fun as the two dudes. Mark Anderson played the geek and Toxie, the Toxic Avenger. Hannah Grover was Sarah and Lizzii Hills as the evil, dastardly mayor.

It's a great evening out and great fun - I really enjoyed it!  You could do a lot worse than get tickets to this show while it's on...

'Grey Gardens' at Southwark Playhouse

Southwark Playhouse is developing a nice habit of putting on plays and shows that you wouldn't find elsewhere, including UK premieres of America shows like 'Titanic', 'Casa Valentina' and 'Xanadu'. It's done it again with 'Grey Gardens', a Broadway hit a few years ago based on the 70s documentary about the aunt and cousin of Jackie Kennedy Onasis living in squalor in their Long Island home.

It's an odd show to say the least and I don't quite understand it's apparent immense popularity when it's so very American but it's obviously got it's own following. Unless it's the leads that have pulled in the punters - the excellent Jenna Russell and Sheila Hancock. They totally dominate the show, particularly Jenna who can let rip with her comic timing and singing as Young Edie.

It's a play in two parts, with the first half being set in 1941 before the young Edie's engagement party to Joe Kennedy and the second half set in 1973 when the house in in such disrepair that the local authority issues improvement notices to the reclusive mother and daughter that result in national publicity. In the first half Jenna Russell plays the part of the mother and Rachel Anne Rayham plays Young Edie and in the second half Janne plays the role of Young Edie to Sheila Hancock's elderly mother. This means that Jenna is on stage for almost the whole time, playing the glamourous 40s mother or the down at heel 70s middle aged daughter.

I'm not entirely sure what the play is meant to be about. Is it about mother-daughter relationships, a tale of how the mighty can fall or is is trying to shine a light on a particular part of American history? I don't know. The second half was better than the first half, probably because it allowed Jenna to bring out the humour in the piece whereas the first half was a bit poe faced and serious. If it hadn't been for Jenna and Sheila I was considering leaving at half time since I wasn't enjoying the rather cramped production and the smoke from the incessant herbal cigarettes was getting annoying (as well as the band being too loud to hear the words of the songs) but I persevered. And I'm pleased I did.

Jenna lit up the second half with her portrayal of the distinctly odd Young Edie in her middle aged years in her scarves and odd costumes and naive optimism despite the fleas and decrepit house. What's true and what's made up in her world doesn't really matter, it's true when she says or sings it. Sheila was also great as the aged and needy mother and there's a great scene between them at the end when Edie is finally leaving to go back to New York when the mother screams her name and Edie, after a pause, replies, 'Yes mother dear …' and the cycle starts again in the mother -daughter relationship. There is no satisfactory ending, it just goes on.

It was great to see Sheila Hancock on stage again - I wonder what made her take this role? And it's always lovely to see Jenna Russell - I saw her twice last year in 'Di and Viv and Rose' and in the musical 'Songs for a New World' as well as seeing her on Broadway a few years ago in Sondheim's 'Sunday in the Park with George' - and she milks every scene for the comedy element. I wasn't terribly keen on the rather cluttered stage (that you have to walk through to get to the seats) and the band sometimes drowned out the songs (the mics taped to foreheads looked a bit odd too). This is only the first week of the show so I expect they'll be learning lessons as they go along.

I've been to Southwark Playhouse quite a few times in the past few years and particularly enjoyed 'Grand Hotel' and 'Xanadu' last year, both excellent productions, but I can't say I've enjoyed visiting the venue. It seems to pride itself on being amateur and 'real' but a bit of professionalism doesn't hurt. Other venues manage to change the layout of the staging/seating but still have numbered seats so why is that so difficult for the Playhouse? It would save all the queuing and people getting in the way of walking round the front of house. And why does it take so long to pick up tickets or get a drink at the bar? That ought to be basic stuff but seems to be a problem. You put on good shows but the experience is marred by the lack of getting the basics right...

The Plastic Bag Awards 2015

It's that time of year again, it's time for the Plastic Bag Awards 2015, affectionately known as the Baggies! The nominations have been scrutinised, the judging panel have locked themselves away in a room for a couple of day to argue the case for one nominee above another and have finally been released with unanimous decisions.

Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages, I give you … the Baggies 2015!

Best Theatre - Shakespeare

As we enter the 400th anniversary of the death of Mr Shakespeare then this award has slightly more poignancy that normal. I saw quite a few Shakespeare productions in 2015, including the long-awaited Benedict Cumberbatch version of 'Hamlet'. As ever in recent years, there were a goodly few visits to Shakespeare's Globe for some open-air theatre over the summer as well as sundry productions in more normal theatres. The nominations are:

'Romeo & Juliet' @ The Globe
'The Merchant of Venice' @ The Globe
'Measure for Measure' @ The Globe
'As You Like It' @ the National Theatre
'The Winter's Tale' @ The Garrick Theatre

The winner is the last Shakespeare production I saw over the year, the new Kenneth Branagh company production of 'The Winter's Tale' which is the best production of that play that I've yet seen. It gained double points for being set at Christmas with snow outside and a Christmas Tree inside. Judi Dench was superb.

Best Theatre - Drama

I saw a lot of plays in 2015 and most would fall into this category. I saw a great version of 'Not I' in the Beckett festival at the Barbican over the summer and a touching 'Our Country's Good' at the National but I'm afraid both were pipped at the post. The nominees are:

'Di and Viv and Rose' @ the Vaudeville Theatre
'The Motherfucker With The Hat' @ the National Theatre
'The Oresteia' @ The Globe
'Stevie' @ Hampstead Theatre
'Mr Foote's Other Leg' @ Hampstead Theatre

There were some great productions this year and included some very pleasant surprises like 'The Mofo in the Hat' and 'Stevie' but the Baggy must go to 'Mr Foote's Other Leg' with Simon Russell Beale and Dervla Kirwan, a great script and a great production.

Best Theatre - Musical

It's been a funny year for the musical - the West End is still full of them but where are the new musicals coming through? We need some new smash hits, I think, and I'm hoping that 'Kinky Boots' will rise to the challenge. The nominees are:

'Beautiful' @ the Aldwych Theatre
'Grand Hotel' @ Southwark Playhouse
'Kinky Boots' @ the Adelphi Theatre
'Guys and Dolls' @ the Savoy Theatre
'Xanadu' @ Southwark Theatre

The winner is probably inevitable judging from the number of times I went back to see it on its short run at Southwark - the masterpiece that is 'Grand Hotel'! The great cast led by Scott Garnham as the Baron and Christine Gimandi as Grushinskaya. Well done people!

Best Entertainment

As you all know by now, an 'entertainment' is anything that isn't a proper play or musical and includes a wide variety of productions, from staged talks to one-off events and song cycles. The nominees are:

'Sweeney Todd' @ the Coliseum
'An Evening with Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer' @ Hackney Empire
Tracey Thorn @ Waterstone's, Piccadilly
'Songs for a New World' @ St James's Theatre
'La Soiree' on the Southbank

The winner is 'Songs for a New World' party because it was completely new for me and something to discover and largely because of Cynthia Erivo who is currently making it big on Broadway.

Best Film

I didn't see many new films in 2015 but saw a few old films in new prints, cleaned up and re-presented. The nominees are:

'Travels With My Aunt' @ the British Film Institute
'Into The Woods' @ Brixton Ritzy
'Wild Tales' @ Curzon Victoria
'Brief Encounter @ the British Film Institute
'Gone With The Wind' @ the British Film Institute

In a surprise to myself, the winner of 'Best Film' is 'Brief Encounter' with it's terribly British accents and acting. It's a timeless love story that I've seen before on TV but seeing it on the big screen was a very different experience. Well done to Celia and Trevor, our immortal lovers.

Best Gig

2015 was a year of few gigs but they were all really good and mainly old favourites rather than new people. The nominees are:

Buffy Sainte-Marie @ the O2 Brooklyn Bowl
Amanda Palmer @ Union Chapel
Culture Club @ Hammersmith
Madonna @ the O2
Kim Wilde's Christmas Party @ the Coronet

The winner is Buffy Sainte-Marie at Brooklyn Bowl at the O2. I'd seen Buffy earlier in the year at the Tabernacle but the Brooklyn Bowl gig was spectacular in more ways than one: the new album was released by then so we had some great live versions of the songs, there was a fabulous light show, the sound was excellent and there was a definite good vibe surrounding the place. Well done Buffy!

Best Live Performance

This category is for a single performance on a stage, whether it's at a gig or in a musical, it's the performance that matters. The nominees are:

'Roses at the Station' by Scott Garnham in 'Grand Hotel'
'Stars & the Moon' by Jenna Russell in 'Songs for a New World'
'Power In The Blood' by Buffy Sainte-Marie @ Brooklyn Bowl
'Rebel Heart' by Madonna @ the O2
'Kids In America' by Kim Wilde @ the Coronet

There were some great performances this year but the winner is Jenna Russell's touching song about growth and love from 'Songs for a New World'. She gave different performances in that show to reflect the mood and the song but her wistful love song wins the day. Well done Jenna!

Best Exhibition

2015 was a year of some great exhibitions and the Goya portraits and 'Defining Beauty' Greek statues exhibitions narrowly missed the nominations, which are:

'Sargent: Portraits of Artists and Friends' @ the National Portrait Gallery
'Inventing Impressionism' @ the National Gallery
'Grayson Perry - Who Are You?' @ the National Portrait Gallery
'Sonia Delaunay' @ Tate Modern
Elisabeth Louise Vigee Le Brun at Le Grand Palais, Paris

The winner is Sonia Delaunay with her wonderfully colourful works that made me gasp with wonder and shed a tear at the beauty of her paintings.

Best Book

A variety of books were explored this year, fiction, non-fiction and autobiography and the nominees are:

'Naked at the Albert Hall' by Tracey Thorn
'Anger is an Energy' by John Lydon
'The Shepherd's Crown' by Terry Pratchett
'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' by Neil Gaiman
'Black by Design' by Pauline Black

The winner is John Lydon for his brutally honest autobiography, 'Anger is an Energy' in which he tackles some very difficult experiences head on. We get Johnny Rotten and John Lydon - two for the price of one. Well done John!

Best Dance

This is a new category for 2015 when I discovered the joys of dance. The nominees are:

'Woolf Works' by the Royal Ballet @ Royal Opera House
'Triple Bill' by Birmingham Royal Ballet @ Sadler's Wells
'Romeo & Juliet' by the Royal Ballet @ Royal Opera House
'Nutcracker' by the Royal Ballet @ Royal Opera House
'Sleeping Beauty' by Matthew Bourne's New Adventures @ Sadler's Wells

'Woolf Works' was the catalyst that made me want to explore ballet so hats off to that production, but it was 'Romeo & Juliet' that made me fall in love with ballet and that production by the Royal Ballet is the winner. The athleticism, the dancing, the staging and costumes all brought this classic tale to life and captured my imagination. And made me want to see more. Luckily the production is captured on DVD and, even luckier, I have it. Well done Royal Ballet!

And there you have them - the Baggies 2015! All the nominees should be pleased with themselves for making the final cut and, while not everyone can be a winner, simply being nominated is an honour and tribute.  2016 is a new year so let's see what it brings...