AUDIENCES are being transported to the village of Dibley at Redditch's Palace Theatre by All and Sundry which is performing a stage version of the hit BBC TV series. In 2004 The Vicar of Dibley, which ran for six years - 13 if you count specials, was voted the nation's third favourite sitcom and watching this production you can see why. The great thing about it is that each of the episodes - Arrival, The Window and the Weather and The Easter Bunny - whilst packed full of great comedy and as charismatic characters as you could wish to meet, also have some very moving moments too. After seeing it on the small screen it takes some getting used to to see different actors undertaking the roles, but once past that, All and Sundry's cast provides some great entertainment. Vicar Geraldine Grainger was played by Dawn French - big shoes to fill - but Catherine Tabberner certainly rose to the challenge in the role. Her endearing and lovable portrayal was perfectly pitched which made this production the homely and heart-warming theatre it was written to be. The script is of course its main strength, but it needs an equally strong cast to deliver it and the cast did a great job to do Richard Curtis and Phil Mayhew-Archer's writing justice. There were solid performances across the board, with Graham Forbes impressing as the uppity and righteous David Horton and Ken Messenger was equally as good as uncouth farmer Owen Newitt. Emma Hay also shone as dippy verger Alice Tinker and the comedy chemistry between her and the vicar, especially in the scenes at the end of each episode that the programme became well-known for, was a joy to watch. The music chosen for the scene changes was clever and equally comedic, although those stage alterations could do with being quicker to prevent the pace of the piece from slowing. It was also a nice touch to get a local choir - from St Mary de Wych in Wychbold - to provide the hymn-singing soundtrack. Overall this is a production well worth watching and God bless those who go to see it.

A TALENTED All and Sundry cast put on a breath-taking performance of Blackadder Goes Forth at Bromsgrove's Artrix. The poignant production, set in the trenches of the First World War, was chosen by the group to mark the centenary year of the conflict in which millions of people were killed. And the show was perfectly produced by Mike Richardson and assistant Vanessa Morgan, so much so that during the sombre scenes, you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium. The first rule of comedy - as any writer will tell you - is that you always have a happy ending for your main characters. But Blackadder Goes Forth bucks that trend and to great effect - it could not have been more powerful. The main characters - Blackadder, Baldrick, George and Darling - were massacred in the final scene and the way this was done would have had even the hardest of audiences filling up. A screen came down and the four fallen soldiers were silhouetted against a white background as they met their fate. Almost straight after, the screen changed to show a field of red poppies and the famous In Flanders Field was read aloud. After those words were read, the curtains closed and the lights came up with no usual walkdown for the audience to thank the cast. But, the front of house was used tremendously by the group - as the croed filed towards the door, the characters were there stood to attention in the foyer and, rightfully, received a standing ovation. The show illustrated the fear which must have been felt by those fighting the First World War and some of the scary situations that must have arose between 1914 and 1918. But, despite the poignancy and power of this production, there was plenty of laughter-filled moments as well. Among the highlights were when Blackadder shot Melchett's prize pigeon Speckled Jim which brought plenty of hilarity, along with a court martial for the main character. Another was when Blackadder met the firing squad which was due to kill him the following morning and the arrival of Lord Flasheart. There were solid performances on the night by Graham Forbes as the arrogant Melchett and Emma Hay as the bungling Baldrick. Alan Feeney was perfectly posh as the (excuse the pun) over the top George and Mark Clayton was superbly and suitably sarcastic as Blackadder. But the performance of the evening was by Nick Whitehouse as randy RAF pilot Lord Flasheart, a part played in the hit sitcom by late legend Rik Mayall. The tales of his antics with various women were real laugh out loud moments, so much so you could have watched him on stage all night long. To put on a production of Blackadder Goes Forth in the centenary of the First World War was a master stroke by All and sundry which had to make a personal request to Richard Curtis so they could put together this stunning stage version of the TV script. And it was a truly amazing and beautifully adapted piece of theatre which brought tears of laughter and sadness in equal measure.

Powerful production at the Palace was spine-tinglingly terrific By Tristan Harris Saturday 13 September 2014 Updated: 13/09 05:25 THE AUDIENCE in The Palace Theatre's Room Upstairs was told a spine-tingling tale for All and Sundry's latest offering. It centres around Julia Darrow who is the secret lover of John Bennett until he dies in a car crash they are involved in. His busybody wife Margaret, apparently unaware of the situation, just wants to meet the person who was with him when he died and takes it upon herself to look after Julia and nurse her back to health. But, while all this is going on, along with interruptions from do-gooder Gary and social worker Anne, something strange is happening behind the scenes. This powerful play was really brought to life by the four-strong cast and, apart from a few laughs at the intended smatterings of comedy, you could hear a pin drop in the auditorium. The setting for this piece was key and it was clear why director Vanessa Morgan, who did a wonderful job, chose the Room Upstairs. The intimacy of the small venue meant those watching went through every emotion with the characters and plenty of gasps could be heard as the thought-provoking plot unfolded. Roy Watton as hapless but caring Gary and Kim Balsom as social worker Anne kept the plot ticking along nicely (along with the ticking sound effect which became over-familiar with the audience to illustrate the passing of time). Cathy Stokes played Julia amazingly and, in such a way that, although she was the cheating one, you empathised with her and were hoping all the madness surrounding her - created by the other characters - would go away so she could be left in peace. But the best performance of the night was by Barbara Treen as John's wife Margaret. She conveyed the sinister character perfectly throughout with - very often - her actions and body language saying just as much as the words she spoke. You got the sense she knew what had been going on all along and, with this underlying tension, you felt she could strike at any moment. By the end, she was the epitomy of evil and brought a cracking conclusion to the perfect and powerful production.

A student from one of the schools who came to 'Of Mice and Men' wrote a review of our show for their schoolwork . . . The recent performance performed by the semi-professional acting group All and Sundry at the Crescent Theatre starts with George and Lennie strolling exhausted onto the stage. Their coarse American accents and Lennie's child-like behaviour seem incongruous and inappropriate at first, but after a while they appear natural and normal. George, wonderfully played by Oliver Davis, is clearly hugely frustrated by his life, and complains bitterly at every opportunity, but it is Lennie who holds the audience's attention, partly due to his size but also because of his unpredictability and his potential for disaster. As the play progresses he becomes increasingly a liability to those around him, like a young wild animal, and his fate becomes almost inevitable. The powerful ending to the play reminded me of a condemned man dragging his feet slowly towards the gallows - only it is George, not Lennie, who is taking the slow, final walk. The bare, pale stage reflects the empty, colourless lives of the cast and contrasts vividly with the redness "representing danger" of Curley's wife's lipstick and dress and her husband's shirt. The saddest aspect of the story is that the dreams and aspirations of all of the characters are all very modest and potentially achievable, but that a combination of human frailty and misfortune keep them permanently and tantalisingly out of reach. Mention should be made of the supporting cast, who play their roles admirably, even though they are more caricatures than characters. Tanith Parkes is over-the-top as the dim-witted flirt, Curley's wife, Ian Kimberley-Ryan plays her confrontational husband, aggressively looking to prove his masculinity at every opportunity and Congo-born Orphin Nanitelamio is the old, pessimistic Crooks. Credit should also go to eighteen-year old Rory Dulku for the maturity of his performance as Slim, who respects George and Lennie and acts as George's conscience, allowing him to explain to the audience the reasons behind his frustrations.

All & Sundry's Aladdin had everything a great pantomime should have to firmly foster the festive spirit - wonderful one-liners, the odd visual gag here and there, ingenious innuendo and plenty of audience participation. And it was excellently delivered by a highly talented cast - from the opening number by the chorus to the finale, the performance was near perfect. You can always judge a good baddie by the amount of boos generated and Ed Loboda was amazing as Abanazer. He was evil personified and the way he goaded the audience to spark a reaction was incredible. Another important ingredient in a great panto is a daring and dazzling dame and Mark Clayton certainly rose to the challenge there portraying probably the most famous of them all - Widow Twankey. The comedy timing and chemistry between him and Emma Hay as Wishee Washee was faultless. He also had the audience in the palm of his hand and with him all the way. The visual gags in the laundry with the pair and policemen Ping and Pong gave the show some superb slapstick. And as with every All and Sundry panto, the choreography and music was second to none. Among the pick of the songs were Tanith Parkes' solo as Princess Jasmine and the sweet and humorous duet between her and Dave Berrisford as Aladdin. But, the best scenes in the whole production, were the one at the end of act one. The dragon dance, with the use of UV light, was simply stunning and it was then it was taken to a new level when Aladdin rose high above the audience on a small suspended stage. His suit glimmering white, light shining upon him and fluorescent butterflies fluttering by below him, led to an joint intake of breath from the capacity crowd and sent them into the interval buzzing. No pantomime would be complete without camp comedy and James Ralley as The Genie was king of camp. During his performance in the first half, it would have been a physically impossibility to fit any more innuendo into his part. Well done to director Alison Berrisford and her team behind the scenes for putting together another fantastic festive extravaganza at Artrix which, from small beginnings, has blossomed into the first thing many people must pencil into their new diaries when they open them at the start of January. It left myself and others leaving the auditorium who have regularly seen the show each Yuletide already wondering what the group will be bringing us in 2015.